Racing enthusiast, public lands advocate Dayton dies

Friday, July 8, 2005 | 9:07 a.m.

Race car driver and off-road enthusiast Don Dayton long believed that man and his motorized machines could share the environment, particularly the Southern Nevada desert, with the animals that inhabited the land.

"My father really got involved in environmental issues when the desert tortoise issue threatened to shut down public lands," said Erik Dayton of Everett, Wash.

"He would go out with the Bureau of Land Management and help them mark the off-road race courses and try to find the tortoises to protect them. They would put cages around burrows and make sure the cars stayed a safe distance away."

Donald Lee Dayton, who raced in car No. 43 in the jalopy division at the Silver Slipper Speedrome in the 1950s, was a timing and scoring official at Craig Road Speedway during the 1960s and '70s and was a longtime official of the Southern Nevada Off-Road Enthusiasts (SNORE), died Sunday. He was 69.

A memorial for the Las Vegas resident of 48 years will be 6:30 p.m. today at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Kart Track, 1700 Las Vegas Blvd. North.

In 1993, when measures were being proposed to save the threatened Mojave Desert tortoise via means that could have shut down desert racing and other uses of public lands, Dayton became a leading voice in protecting people's rights while trying to preserve the animal's habitats.

"I really like desert tortoises," Dayton said at an October 1993 public hearing on the issue. "What I don't like is people who worship tortoises."

Erik Dayton said his father's concerns went far beyond protecting the interests of desert road racers.

"He felt people, such as the disabled, should be able to enjoy public lands," he said. "To do that, my father felt that while there should be no new roads built on public lands, the existing roads should remain open.

"He believed public lands were intended for the use of all citizens and devoted his life to protecting the desert and its inhabitants and (encouraging) respectful use of the desert for racing and other outdoor activities."

Born June 1, 1936, in Missoula, Mont., Dayton was raised in Stevensville, Mont., and attended the University of Montana and Stanford University.

He came to came to Las Vegas in 1957, where he operated Dayton's Kart Shop, the OnPink Horse Bar and the Dayton's Store with his parents, Paul and Margaret Dayton.

Don Dayton was a founder and past president of both the Las Vegas Kart Klub and SNORE.

He also participated in the Nevada Off-Highway Users Council and the Clark County Desert Conservation Program.

In addition to his son, Dayton is survived by a daughter, Erika Dayton Jackson; a sister, Dorothy Kruckenberg; a former wife ,Madelaine Dayton; and eight grandchildren.

The family said donations can be made to the American Heart Association.