Semi-Monthly Racing Commentary with
LEW BOYD August 23: AN ODE TO
SENIOR SUPERS
This Web Site Designed By
Established 1981
The New England Antique Racers club is a non-profit organization that
supports the history of New England auto racing. NEAR has been in existence since 1981 and
has a growing membership of approx. 350-400 members and 80 antique race cars. Members live
throughout New England and are available, on a no charge basis, for exhibition events
at local race tracks in New England and several tracks in the New York area, with
both original and historical replica race cars.
Since 1998, we have inducted 102
individuals into the New England Auto Racers Hall Of Fame,
which is administered by the New England Antique Racers. Some very notable inductees
include Richie Evans, Ron Bouchard, Bugs Stevens, Rene Charland, Pete
Hamilton, Fred DeSarro, Ed Flemke, Sr. and Billy Greco.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Triple A Restaurant
1209 Main St. (Rt. 5)
East Hartford, CT
<<Click Here>> ForDirections
Ron
Bouchard Auto Show Ron Bouchard’s
Mitsubishi / Honda / Nissan / Dodge / Kia -Fitchburg,
MA September
TBA
Pines
Speedway Reunion
Groveland, MA. Saturday October 2
8 A.M.
Plainville Stadium
Reunion
Berlin Fairgrounds, Berlin, Ct. Saturday October 9
TBA
CLUB NEWS
NEAR….the Beginning
By Al Fini
NEAR was started by the single-handed efforts of one man, Ed
Clark. This article attempts to trace the motivation and the actions that
started NEAR.
In my opinion, NEAR’s
conceptioncan be traced tothe racing career of George Clark,
Sr. George was a racer’s racer of the post WWII period when so many
daredevils took to the early bullrings without any regard to safety or
sanity. He started racing motorcycles in 1939 and when he got home from the
War he started driving the notoriously dangerous homemade “Big Cars” that
were the fore-runners of today’s sprint cars. Later, he was among the first
to drive the “jalopies” and then drove modifieds until a broken shoulder
side-lined him in 51. Then he had a long career in the “strictly stock” late
models that became popular in the United Stock Car Club of Harvey Tattersall
and NASCAR with Bill France. In 1950 the Cavano Bros. bought him a brand new
Oldsmobile from an East Hartford dealer that they took to NASCAR and Daytona
Beach.
George lived to race.
George loved to race and he always raced for money, not trophies. It is very
difficult today to document his career. He often won races in other driver’s
cars using fictitious names or as a fill-in for other drivers. Ed says his
dad has the credentials that the Veteran’s Committee should look at as a
nominee to the NEAR Hall of Fame. <<Click Here For Full
Article>>
Danbury Reunion 2010 Click On Photo For More Photos
By Bill Henry
On Sunday July 25, 2010 the hills surrounding Danbury briefly echoed the
sounds of modified engines. The Southern New York Racing Association (SNYRA)
held its reunion on the west campus of WESTCON university a mere 2 miles as
the crow flys from the now defunct Danbury Racearena (present day site of
the Danbury Mall).
The Danbury facility closed at the end of the season in 1981 and the
following spring the fair grounds were the site of an auction cementing the
end of the fair and racing in the Connecticut foothills of the Berkshires.
Yet as the pictures show the fans still come as the did weekly to their home
track to cheer on their favorite driver. The fans responded to seeing 28 of
their drivers sit down in an autograph session and lined up for the
signatures as if the had just seen a door handle to door handle finish
decided in a photo finish. The NEAR Hall of Fame was present sharing the
history of Danbury and the other local track heroes for anyone who chose to
take the time to stroll through and relive their memories and tell others
about the race.
New England Antique Races ( NEAR) was well represented with 11 cars on
display. This was no small feat considering the club was at Waterford Speed
Bowl on Saturday Night and had to contend with monsoon conditions which
rendered the cars in attendance there with swamp buggy or dirt track
coatings of mud. A special tip of the hat to the Seller clan, Jim Torok and
Don Murphy who took their filthy cars and transport vehilces home from
Waterford and yet arrived in time to display with cars which appeared to be
picture perfect and spotless. These are dedicated folks who love their cars,
racing and most of all the fans who appreciate the efforts put forth by the
club to preserve the racing heritage.
Hall of Famer Don Lajoie, as well as Jim Torok and Don Moon were among the
drivers who raced at Danbury who also had a car on display and signed
autographs.
Update on Hall of Famer
Gene Bergin
Thank you so much for everyone's care, concern and
prayers. We wanted to provide our Grandfather's friends and fan with an
update on his status. He has taken an unfortunate turn for the worse and has
been moved to the ICU at Florida Hospital in Ormond Beach. He is receiving
excellent care and is slowly improving. Please continue to send your
positive thoughts and prayers as he has a long, tough road to recovery ahead
of him. Thank you again.
Gratefully,
Elizabeth, Christina and Eugene
Grandchildren of one of New England's Finest Racers
The new address for cards to Gene Bergin: Gene Bergin, c/o Elizabeth
McLaughlin, P.O. Box 2334, Flagler Beach, FL 32136
NEAR At Lime Rock Park
If
one was to write a script for a perfect set of racing days all you would
need to do is copy the weather, the location and the participants of the
first tour modified event held at Lime Rock.
The weather was perfect, the atmosphere was electric and the race fans
knowledgeable and grateful to see the historic race cars which were
displayed by members of NEAR.
Skip Barber allowed NEAR to display the race cars on the premier location of
the manufactures midway at the entrance to the infield viewing area of the
facility. Through the efforts of Rick Rosso of the Lime Rock staff NEAR was
afforded everything needed to make the experience a wonderful memory. Rick
took faith in our Club and wow did the members attending respond bringing
some excellent examples of cars from the various eras of modified history.
The highlight of my day was watching the reaction of the drivers who took
the cars out for the prerace pace laps which was astounding. Each of them
returned to the display area wearing the smile the size of a teenager who
now has his or her license.
The fans appreciated the efforts and the details of the work that went into
the cars and held conversations about their experiences with racing. Many an
old car owner or driver spoke of being at this track or that track and
competing with some of our vintage machines.
Thank you is not enough to the members who attended giving of their holiday
weekend to make the show. It demonstrated the joy of fellowship and
nostalgia of the New England auto racing family and of the dedication of
NEAR to preserving these values.
However an even bigger thank goes to Rick at Lime Rock for all the
arrangements he made: for the tickets, parking passes, the premier display
location, the loaning of his staff to get from the midway to the pace laps.
But the biggest thank goes to Skip Barber for holding the Modified tour race
and inviting NEAR
For Photos Click On The NEAR Photo Section.
NEAR Visits Stafford
Motor Speedway
On
June 25, 2010 The Stafford Motor Speedway hosted the annual NEAR still show.
The cars were located behind the grandstands where the racers exited turn
four to roar down the main straight away. The Club had nine (9) cars in
attendance as well as the Hall of Fame. The Stafford race fans had a good
show put on by the present day " mod squad " as the historic race cars were
known in their day. Many of the attendees thanked club members for bringing
their cars and took great joy in telling stories to their children and in
some cases their grandchildren of what they recalled about going to the
races and seeing the cars of Danbury, Riverside and Plainville when that was
their home track. A big thank you and a tip of the hat to Mark Arute for
allowing the Club to display the cars and the members who expended their
personal time and efforts to bring their cars. For Photos Click On The
NEAR Photo Section.
2010 NEAR Hall
Of Fame Induction
Plays Before Packed House
Literally hundreds of victories and dozens of
championships were celebrated at the New England Auto Racer’s Hall
of Fame “Class of 2010” induction ceremony which took place before a
packed-house on Sunday Jan 31 at the LaRenaissance Banquet Hall in
East Windsor, CT.
It was the 13th annual celebration honoring those who laid the
groundwork for New England auto racing.
Drivers Geoff Bodine, Mike Murphy, George Savory and Pete Fiandaca,
car owners Billy Simons, Bob Garbarino and Vic Miller, along with
contributor Frank Ferrara took their place amongst the regions
most-celebrated racing personalities. Also honored were NEAR
Veterans Committee inductees the late race official Archie Blackadar,
open-cockpit star, the late Chuck Arnold, and pioneering car-builder
Marty Harty.
Longtime New England racing photographers Howie & Mary Hodge
accepted the prestigious Jack Ratta Memorial Media Award. Past NEAR
President Pete Newsham was the recipient of the Danny Pardi Memorial
Award.
Induction presenters included award-winning journalists Pete Zanardi
(himself a Hall of Fame member), Bones Bourcier, and Pete Vanderveer.
Sports announcer Jack Arute, ISMA’s Chris Perley, John Spence of the
True Value Modified Series and Lee Speedway, 2002 Hall of Fame
inductee Ray Miller, noted race car restorer Mark Alden, and New
England racing historians Wes Pettingill and Dave Dykes rounded-out
the list of presenters. Popular Matt Buckler served as Master of
Ceremonies.
The New England Antique Racers club is a non-profit organization
that supports the history of New England auto racing. NEAR has been
in existence since 1981 and has inducted over 100 individuals into
its New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame since 1998.
NEAR Honors Hodges With
Ratta Award
Photographers Howie and Mary Hodge, mainstays on the
NASCAR Whelen Modified Series, are the winners of the New England Antique
Racers Jack Ratta Memorial Media Award.
The Hodges will accept the award at the 14th annual New England Auto Racing
Hall of Fame induction banquet Sunday, Jan. 31 at LaRenaissance Banquet Hall
in East Windsor, CT.
The Hodges, who have been recording New England racing history for 30 years,
will share the limelight with 12 new members of the Hall of Fame. Howie
started snapping pictures “seriously” in 1979. Mary joined him three years
later.
The Hall of Fame “Class of 2010” includes drivers Geoff Bodine, the late
Mike Murphy, George Savary, Pete Fiandaca and the late Chuck Arnold, car
owner/builders Billy Simons, Bob Garbarino, Vic Miller and Marty Harty and
contributors extraordinaire Frank Ferrara and the late Archie Blackadar.
Ticket forms will be on the NEAR website (www.near1.com) in the near future.
Hodge calculates he and his wife of 46 years have visited 130 racetracks and
traveled almost a quarter-million miles as photographers. They have been
part of the Modified Tour since 1991, “taking to the road” after almost a
decade as the track photographer at Stafford Motor Speedway and, briefly, at
Waterford Speedbowl.
The Hodges, who spent a number of years photographing the Busch North Series
as well, have captured classic images up and down racing’s hierarchy.
Previous Ratta Award winners include Lou Modestino, Charlie Mitchell, Val
LeSieur, Sam Weisberg and Chris Economaki.
NEAR Hall of Fame Adds
Harty, Blackadar, Arnold
Pioneer car builder Marty Harty, the late race official
Archie Blackadar and the late Chuck Arnold, a driver with much open-cockpit
success, have been added to the New England Auto Racing’s Hall of Fame’s
Class of 2010 by the organization’s Veterans Committee. The trio will join
eight previously selected nominees at the 14th annual Induction Banquet on
Sunday, Jan. 31 at LaRenaissance Banquet Hall in East Windsor, CT. Ticket
forms will be on the NEAR website (www.near1.com) in the near future. The
three veterans will be inducted along with the previously selected drivers
Geoff Bodine, the late Mike Murphy, George Savary and Pete Fiandaca, car
owner/builders Billy Simons, Bob Garbarino and Vic Miller and contributor
extraordinaire Frank Ferrara.
A Stamford, CT product, Arnold started in Modifieds in the late 1940s but
soon moved to Midgets and Sprints. The 1953 NASCAR Midget champion, he went
to score wins in NEMA, ARDC and USAC Midgets and USC Sprint Cars into the
1960s. He competed in the 1959 Indianapolis 500. He died in 1997.
New Hampshire’s Harty, a World War II veteran, started building racecars in
1949. Success was almost immediate and it continued for over two decades at
tracks like Hudson, West Peabody, Fitchburg, Brookline and Catamount with
drivers like Leo Richard, Jimmy Travers, Freddie Borden and Ernie Gahan.
Another World War II veteran, Blackadar began as a starter notably at a
number of Vermont tracks, starting cars on the track. He was also involved
in track ownership but is best known as a NASCAR Chief Steward throughout
New England and New York State for 30 years. He passed away in 1993.
NEAR HALL OF FAME CLASS
OF 2010 ANNOUNCED
Hundreds
of victories and dozens of championships are represented in the New England
Auto Racer’s Hall of Fame “Class of 2010.”
Drivers Geoff Bodine, Mike Murphy, George Savory and Pete Fiandaca, car
owners Billy Simons, Bob Garbarino and Vic Miller and contributor Frank
Ferrara will be inducted at the 13th annual induction banquet on Sunday, Jan
31, 2010 at the LaRenaissance Banquet Hall in East Windsor, CT.
Still to be announced are the inductees from the Veterans Committee and the
Jack Ratta Memorial (media) winner.
Ticket forms will be on the New England Antique Racers website
(www.Near1.com) in the near future.
The Class of 2010 is the result of a nomination/selection process that
includes voting by a special selection committee and the living members of
the Hall. <FULL
STORY CLICK HERE>
Lew Boyd's Coastal 181
Publishers Coming Out with New Book On NEAR Hall of Famer Bill Wimble
Coastal
181 is proud to announce the upcoming release of the much-anticipated
autobiography of Bill Wimble, a NEAR Hall of Famer and one of the most
respected figures in American racing.
The two-time NASCAR National Sportsman Champion spins tales of his
incredible journey from a New York dairy farm near the Canadian border to
the short tracks and superspeedways along the East Coast, to his honored
career as an entrepreneur in New York and Florida.
Awards that Bill has won throughout his career include the John Naughton
Memorial Sportsman Award in '63, Champion spark Plug's Buddy Schuman Award
in '64, and Kodak's All-time Greats Award in '72.
Bill loved racing on the dirt at Stafford. "I used to work in the hayfield
till noon on Friday, take a bath, pack and drive 330 miles to Stafford to
race. It made a long day but I loved every minute of it."
During the 1967 season, Wimble competed at three New York tracks,
Utica-Rome, Albany-Saratoga, and Fonda. In true Wimble fashion, he won
championships at all three tracks. Bill dominated at Fonda in the 60's,
winning 5 track championships between 1960 and '67.
Besides being a NEAR Hall of Famer, Bill Wimble is a member of the New York
Stock Car Association, Fonda Speedway, Dirt Motorsports, and Eastern Press
Association Halls of Fame, and is a member of Daytona's Living Legends of
Auto Racing.
I’LL NEVER BE LAST AGAIN is an American success story, full of
poignant messages for all of us.
NEW ENGLAND AUTO RACERS HALL OF FAME MEMBERSHIP
Dave Alkas 2008, Gene Angelillo 2006, Dick Armstrong 2005, Jack Arute Sr. 2001
Bob
Bahre 2009, George Barber 2007, Art Barry 2009, Dick Batchelder 2008, Gene
Bergin 1998, Dick Berggren 2008, Len Boehler 2004, Red Bolduc 2005, Vic Bombaci
2006, Ron Bouchard 2000, Smokey Boutwell 2005, Joe Brady 2008, Bert Brooks 2009,
Howie Brown 2008, Hully Bunn 2001; Moon Burgess 2003
Jean Paul Cabana 2007, Fats Caruso 2000, Rene Charland 1998, Leo Cleary 1999, on
Collins 2005; Russ Conway 2006, Robbie Crouch 2006, Joe Csiki 2005, Red Cummings
2006, Tom Curley 2009, Ralph Cusack 2001
Dave Darveau 2008, Fred DeSarro 1999, Dave Dion 2007, Dick Dixon 2004, Beaver
Dragon 2004, Bobby Dragon 2009, Homer Drew 2000
Dick Eagan 2007, Charlie Elliott 2000, Richie Evans 1998
Stub Fadden 2003, John Falconi Sr. 2007, John Fitch 2009, Ed Flemke 1998, Red
Foote 1999, Nick Fornoro Sr. 2002, Fred Frame 2004
Ernie Gahan 1998, Johnny Gammell 2008, Dick Garrett 2007, Sharky Gaudiosi 2006,
Harry Grant 2005, Billy Greco 1999.
Pete Hamilton 1998; Harold Hanaford 2009, Billy Harman 2004, Hop Harrington
1999, John Hoenig 2003, Dave Humphrey 2000
Charlie Jarzombek 2004, Bob Johnson 2007, Booker Jones 2003, Bob Judkins 2003
Johnny Kay 2006, Buddy Krebs 2000, Sonny Koszela 2002
Don
LaJoie 2000, Bob Libby 2006, Phil Libby 2006, Rollie Lindblad 2009, George
Lombardo 2008, Fred Luchesi 2008
Don
MacLaren 2002, Don MacTavish 2001, Dick McCabe 2002, John McCarthy 2007, Jim
McConnell 2009, Jim McGee 2006, Jocko Maggiacomo 2000, Ray Miller 2002, Ralph
Moody 2000
Ron Narducci 2000
Sammy Packard 2004, Bob Polverari 2003, Bob Potter 2007
Sonny Rabideau 2005, Billy Randall 2006, Paul Richardson 2009, Oscar Ridlon
2005, Marvin Rifchin 1999, John Rosati 2007, Joe Rosenfield 2006, Fred Rosner
2001, Don Rounds 2001, Art Rousseau, 2001
Bobby Santos 2001, Ollie Silva 1998, Bill Schindler 2004, Mike Scrivani Jr.,
2008, Boston Louie Seymour 2006, Bill Slater 1998, Bertha Small 2009, Ken Smith
2006, Joe Sostilio 2003, Ken Squier 2002, Bugsy Stevens 1998, Chick Stockwell
2001, George Summers 2000
Harvey Tattersall 1998, Johnny Thomson 2002, Paul Tremaine 2004, Reino Tulonen
2005,
D.Anthony Venditti 1999, Bob Vitari 2006
Bentley Warren 2007, Dick Watson 2003, Phil Walters (Ted Tappett) 2002, Bill
Welsh 1998, Eddie West 1999, Bill Wimble 2002, Dick Wolstenhulme 2006
