04/14/2025
There are men, and there are legends, and they say legends never die. Sadly, in Bakersfield California yesterday, Jerry Landgraff, the man, passed away at the age of 81. Jerry along with his son Brian founded Custom Works in the mid 1980’s and began producing the first dirt oval specific RC Cars on the market. Jerry’s handcrafted 4wd Dominator had turned the dirt oval world on its head as a truly innovative and unbeatable racing machine. The legend was born, and from that point forward the world of dirt oval RC racing would never be the same. Over the next several years, the appropriately named Dominator would win virtually every major race it competed for.
Building off the Dominator’s success Jerry developed the 2wd Intimidator latemodel and Enforcer sprint car which would accomplish the same feats as their big brother by winning multiple ROAR and NORRCA National Championships for years to come. The genius in Jerry’s designs live on in aspects of our current cars that are still winning races to this day in the form of the Enforcer and Intimidator 8 and the Outlaw and Rocket 5.
If you were fortunate to know Jerry, you knew a good man. You knew a man who never settled for average, never accepted something for good enough, and never listened to someone say that won’t work. Throughout his life Jerry was a trend setter, not only in RC racing but also in the world of custom cars and hot rods where his interior and upholstery designs were truly works of art. He was a craftsman, an artist, a designer and a visionary. To Brian and his sister Theresa he was a father, and for so many RC racers in California and throughout the country he was a second dad. To the world of RC dirt oval racing, Jerry is a Legend... A legend that will live forever on dirt oval tracks throughout his beloved country.
Rest easy Jerry and thank you for making this hobby/sport we all love so much better. We will miss you!
