THE BERNIE

Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee
Dick Bennett, at his shop with a later 71. Not sure if he still had Bernie as sponsor then.

     The first time I ever got to visit the legendary Fonda Speedway was right around 1962. My uncle and I had gotten there really early, had watched every detail of the track preparation, and were getting a little sick of sitting there by the time warmups and practice laps were beginning. I had visions of Danish, Corey, Herbert, and Lazarro swimming in my head; and I had actually seen the likes of George Baumgardner and Dutch Reed performing in Vermont at the old Otter Creek Speedway earlier that year.
    The very first car to appear out on the track, however, was an unfamiliar red and white 1937 Ford coupe, being identified by announcer Mike Valchovic as "Leeeeeeee MILL -in - tunnn, from Palatine Bridge". Ever since I have a soft spot in my heart for that first Fonda car I ever saw. I have seen the sponsor's name spelled a number of different ways, but I will go with Bernie Myrusky [as told to me by Bill Kollar, son of one of the team's principal figuires].
    Apparently, the actual owner of the car was Dick Bennett. According to Kollar, Jr. Kollar, Sr. and Bill King [also a car owner sometimes] were the main wrenches on the car.

I just recently [March 2011] found a number of photos from Gerry LaVallee, which I am gratefully placing here. CLICK HERE for those.

I am going to include here some of the comments sent to me by Bill Kollar, Jr. : "I thought I might offer you some general information about the 71. The 71 was owned by my uncle Dick and sponsored by Bernie Myrusky. Bernie’s Liquor Shop in Gloversville, NY). Originally the car was stabled in a garage/barn on the Bill King Property in Gloversville. Bill and my uncle did 90% of the wrench work on the car at that time. Bill King is the father of Jim King (past Fonda announcer and at many other motor sports events in NYS and elsewhere). Jim is on Dirt Track Digest quite a bit in case you would like to contact him. I believe that this was the first car that Lou Lazzaro drove at Fonda. My most vivid memory of the Monk is him strapped in the car and it spinning slowly like a top on it’s roof in the middle of Fonda’s front stretch."
As things sometimes happen in life my uncle and Bill had a parting of the ways and my uncle removed the car from the property. He then rented another garage in Gloversville in which to house it. Whether he or King owned it at that time is probably debatable but my uncle ended up ended up with the car. Bill King continued on for quite a few years after that campaigning the 90 driven by Dutch Reed. Bernie stayed on with my uncle as the only sponsor to the 71. I believe that the car was actually housed in two other places in Gloversville. The first was above a Sunoco gas station on Main St. and then later in a small garage on N. Main St., behind a ESSO gas station, operated by the Neszick (?sp) family, where it survived a major fire. Later the car was moved to my uncle’s garage behind his house on Wells St. in Johnstown, NY, where it finished out it’s days as the 71 and where my uncle still lives.In your picture labeled "Dick Bennett and Mr. Kollar", the Mr. Kollar is my father. He helped my uncle for many, many years. His first name is Bill if you would care to change the label. I don’t think I ever heard any one address him as mister though some probably did. My father made most of the racing jackets that started to show up in the pits in the early 60's in the cellar of our home in Johnstown. "

Ladabouche Collection Photo by Russ Bergh
Leeeee MILL - ing- tunnn ! with that first car I ever saw on Fonda.

Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Lee Millington wins	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Lee Millington with the 1967 version.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Lee Millington with the Dick Bennett Valiant	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Lee Millington 1960's
Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Robbie Kotary wins	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Ken Jones, with a 1950's version.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee A rare Jim Luke sighting in that car.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Don Wayman, Berni Maruske, Dick Bennett, as the Fonda "Ford Champions".
Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Bennett, Maruske, Wayman, and crewman.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Don Wayman wins	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee A wreck that may have caused the fire.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Looking for a fire in the team's 1960's car.
Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Don Wayman and fans.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee A fire inthe team's 1960's car is apparently out.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Showing Jerry Cook the way around Fonda.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Jack Johnson, at speed.
Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Jack Johnson wins	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Lee Millington missing some of the roof.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Mr. Lee, in color.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Lee Millington, 1967.
Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Jack Farquhar with the Valiant.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Jack Farquhar with the Valiant.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Another Wayman win at Fonda.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Fancy 1971 paint job 1.
Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Fancy 1971 paint job 2.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Fancy 1971 paint job 3.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Fancy 1971 paint job 4.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Fancy 1971 paint job 5.
Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Fancy 1971 paint job 6.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Fancy 1971 paint job 7.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Fancy 1971 paint job 8.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Fancy 1971 paint job 9.
Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee Fancy 1971 paint job with the team posing.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee An early team car photographed and said to be with Debbie.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee An early team car photographed and said to be with Debbie.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee An early '60's team car at the shop.
Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee The team's 1967 car, under the 148 of Robbie Kotary. another picture of the wreck is seen below.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee The crew looks over the mess.	Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee The crew in the Ken Jones era.	Courtesy of James King A win for Jim Luke in his brief tenure.

Courtesy ofJames King
The Bennett 71 and The Bill King 5 at the local gas station many of the teams frequented.

Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee
An early '60's team car at Victoria Speedway. Gerry says either Ken Jones or Jim Luke is driving.

Courtesy of Lew Boyd
My buddy Lew Boyd, with the car in the 70's. The three window coupe reminds me of one such
car that made the rounds among Gloversville area owners in the 1960's.

Gater Racing News Photo
Lee wads up one of Dick's 71's in a clash with the Ward Petit 148 of Robbie Kotary.

Gater Racing News Photo
Ken Shoemaker once briefly sat in Dick's 71's at Fonda [shown above] until Ed Pieniazek miraculously appeared with
a repaired AC Caprara 37. The 37 had been literally broken in half the night before at Montgomery County in Rochester.

Courtesy of Gerry LaVallee
Dick Bennett and loyal crewman Bill Kollar [who also sometimes ran his own K71 car].

Frank Simek Photo
A different angleTrack workers right the 71, then driven by Lee Millington.

A 1957 TRIP TO LANGHORNE
I Think Ken Jones Was the Driver (From Very Grainy 8MM Film)

Courtesy of Scott Belknap
The team apparently went back to Irv Taylor for a bit years after his first gig.

Source Unknown Mr. Lee	From Otto Grahams Site An earlier version of the 71 with Irv Taylor.	John Grady Photo Lee, around 1962.
Gater Racing News Photo Around 1964, with a Chevy . Looks like a wreck with Robbie Kotary.	Steve Judd Photo Lee and that later Chevy version of Bernie's car

Courtesy of Gorge Kollar The matching team tow truck arrives.	Courtesy of Gorge Kollar A man [I don't know who] decides to dance for the camera.	Courtesy of Gorge Kollar The team truck and car.	Courtesy of Gorge Kollar One of the crew or the driver talks with an unkown woman.	Courtesy of Gorge Kollar The Bennett bunch, at Langhorne. Dangerous looking crew !
	Courtesy of Gorge Kollar The team car is seen down on the track behind Jeep Herbert and ahead of Dink Widenhouse.	Courtesy of Gorge Kollar The team car is seen down on the track behind a young member of the Bennett cheering section.