90-year-old Michael “Blackie” Gejeian, a racing and show promoting legend from Fresno, California has died. A five-time NASCAR dirt track champion, Blackie is best remembered as being part of the Fresno “Armenian Mafia” that included Richard Peters and Charles Kirkorian, who changed the face of showcars and car shows with their string of Oakland Roadster Show winners in the 1950s. In 1953 Blackie entered the Oakland Roadster Show with his black and channeled 1926 Ford roadster with a completely chrome undercarriage. He would manually tip the car on its side numerous times throughout the show to expose that undercarriage, naming the car Shish-Kabob for the continual rotation each day.
Making improvements to the roadster each year thereafter, he won the coveted America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) crown in 1955. Customizer George Barris once said, “The boys from Fresno demanded their cars be as nice underneath as they were on top.” Barris knew because he built the Ala Kart 1928 roadster pickup for Richard Peters that won the 1958 and 1959 AMBR. For that first show Blackie and Peters “borrowed” a full-length mirror from the Oakland Coliseum Woman’s bathroom to put under the Ala Kart to show off the immaculate undercarriage. Kirkorian unveiled his “Emperor” 1929 roadster at the 1960 Grand National roadster Show (GNRS), winning the AMBR that year.
Blackie has been a huge proponent of the Grand National roadster Show, and has attended every day of every year since its inception in 1949. He was the promoter for the Clovis Speedway from 1960 to 1980, and also owner of Fresno Dragway for 18 years. Fresno Dragway was known for its crazy four Top Fuel dragsters racing down the strip at the same time in the mid-1960s. For decades Blackie has held an invitation-only Autorama car show in Fresno, which became a highly prestigious event for participants. He gave up holding the show upon retirement following the 2010 show. A plaque honoring Blackie was placed outside of the Fresno Convention Center in 2009, and earlier this year a bronze statue of Blackie was unveiled at the Fresno County Historical Museum. Blackie was a character and hot rod ambassador, and will be greatly missed.
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