FIRST CLASS OF INDUCTEES           

Wild Bill Stevens	I first saw Wild Bill Stevens at the opening of C.J. Richards' Fairmont Speedway in May of 1962. Stevens, from West Sand Lake, NY., had been in Vermont to race once before - winning a heat race at Otter Creek Speedway near Vergennes  in 1961 [see photo at left]. Thanks to photos from his devoted daughter, Connie, I have been able to figure that Stevens began at tracks like the Pine Bowl and Empire Raceway, using the number 858. Then S29 became his signature number. Photos Courtesy of Connie Sanders
Perley Densmore	Perley Densmore had his entire career run in anonymity to everyone in the racing world except for those in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and in northwestern New Hampshire. Beginning - like most of that region - at the crude Webster Flats track near Lyndonville, Perley raced at Northeastern Speedway in Lower Waterford, VT and at Thunder Road. Arguably, the single event that is most known in connection with Perley is that time at Northeastern when wife, Mabel, was nearly killed driving in a powder puff race. Photos Courtesy of Cho Lee and Paul Zampieri
Leo Howland	Leo Howland is another man I first saw at the opening of C.J. Richards' Fairmont Speedway in May of 1962. Howland, from Keene, NH., had raced a bit near home at the nearby Cheshire fairgrounds before doing most of his racing at Claremont Speedway. Howland, who surfaces on Google as a local kid who hung around Bill Haley before the Keene native became a famed rock artist. One of Howland's best cars was the Curt Dragon 31 coupe. Photos Both By Ladabouche
Henry Jarvis	Drivers like Henry Jarvis, of Morrisonville, NY formed the backbone of the storied Airborne Park Speedway, in northern New York. Jarvis was not without his share of success at Airborne, especially with an overhead V8 coupe in the 1960's. A very unassuming, quiet man, no one has ever been heard to say anything but nice things about Jarvis. He began his career supported by the local A&W, and ended with a good sponsorship from Bill Santa Chevrolet. Bob Mackey Photos Courtesy of Mike Watts, Sr. and John Rock
Jim "Dizzy" Dalzell	I don't know much about Jimmy Dalzell except that he ran at tracks in the neighborhood of Claremont Speedway. Like so many others there, he may have began at tracks like Brattleboro Speedway, Safford Park [Cheshire Fairgrounds], or Rhythm Inn, Millers Falls, MA. This meant he rubbed fenders with some of the greats of Northeast racing in that era [such as Rene Charland and Ed Patnode]. Dizzy  appears to be at Brattleboro in the photo at left. Photos Courtesy of the Davis Family
Honest John Knighton	Obviously, John Knighton was a colorful character when he raced. The moniker of Honest John and the car numbered as "One Lap Lena" attest to this. From what I can tell, he ran at the Pine Bowl, in Snyders Corner near Troy and at the more - sophisticated Empire Raceway in Menands. I don't think Knighton ended up in too many halls of fame, but he was very likely a crowd favorite. They chose him to pose with Miss WTRY [photo at left] - not one of the hotter shoes. Photos Courtesy of Joe Grossetti and  Dan Ody
Jacques Lessard	Apparently, Jacques "Jack" Lessard began his Quebec driving career in 1960 - as that year is his first photo. Competing at ovals like Quebec Moderne Speedway and Autodromes Ste Therese, Val - Belair, and Quebec - he ran his own cars. The fact that he was once tabbed to drive the prestigious #35 "Le Canadien" coupe of M. Paul LaBerge attests that he was a good driver. Photos Courtesy of  Denis LaChance and Christian Genest

            SECOND CLASS OF INDUCTEES           

Art Visconti	Art's last name hints of Italian royalty, but he struggled to afford racing in the 1960's. His signature orange and white 001's were often second hand rides from others, but he got in there and raced - first at Ashland Park, Warrensburgh, NY. Later he ran Fairmont Speedway, Devil's Bowl and the Valley. The photo below shows him with loyal crewman George Cambrellis. The other photos shows son, Mike [rt], standing with his 2nd generation counterpart Tony Cambrellis. [That's pretty cool !]                        1st 2 Photos Courtesy of Visconti Family                        Ladabouche Photo
Milt Wright	Starting out around 1972 as "Milton Wright, the Streaking Street Comissioner from Hardwick", Milt graduated from the support class to drive his familiar little blue Nova fir several seasons in support of Tom Curley and his beer tours. Ever loyal, Milto converted to one of the plastic bnodied Camaros when the American - Canadian Tour was foun,ded in 1987 [someothing I doubt he could afford all that well]. Not rich in feature wins, Milt Wright represents all that goes with loyalty and racing cleanly and fairly. As shown at left, he was awarded with the highly - prestigious Don MacTavish award. Both Photos Courtesy of Cho Lee
Harold "Bugs Bunny" Betts	In one of my first visits to Fonda,  heard announcer Mike Valchovic intone in usual nasal way "and  the 48, Bugs Bunny, of Cobleskill." Well, that was Harold Betts, who was much more a regular at MIdstate Speedway, at the Morris, NY fairgrounds: but, he did venture to Fonda at times. Many of Fonda's NASCAR drivers had racing names because NASCAR didn't want them racing at the then - unsanctioned Victoria track in Dunnsville. As cute as some of the other pseudonyms were, it was Betts' moniker that stuck. The last time I  think he spent much time at Fonda was when he and pal Bob Deming had a '54 Chevy in the new late model class. Left Photo by Otto Graham; Right - Cavalcade of Auto Racing
Skip Cahill	Skip Cahill is at least as well - known in Maine for his tire stores as for his racing. He arrived on the scene during the era of Tom Curley's beer tours, always driving a Ford late model sportsman. Skip never lit the world on fire, but he was always there, usually making the fields in those highly - competitive races. He always reminded me a little bit of Jerry Cook. It took strong commitment to haul down from Bath, Maine every week to some farflung NASCAR North race location. Left Photo from Andy Boright; Right - from Rich Palmer
Speedy Williamson	Speedy Williamson was basically a 50's [and maybe early '60's] racer who particiapated at tracks kin his area like South Seneca, NY and later, Watertown, NY. There was also a Clarence Williamson who raced at places like Flemington and other NJ venues - but  they are not the same people. I like the photo of Speedy with that old Hudson from Watertown. Does anyoine elsae think these 2 photos might be different guys ? There are nearly ten years difference in the two shots. Left - Timeline Photos; Right - Midstate Club
Don Drown	Like so many others from his home track, Donnie Drown was doing just fine at Devil's Bowl [thank you very much] when management decided to hook up with that NASCAR outfit up North, at Catamount and Thunder Road. And, like so many others, he felt forced to try late model sportsman cars or just not race at all. Using Mopars exclusively, he tried with two different bodies [maybe different cars] without much luck. When he returned to the Bowl later, the Salisbury, VT driver did find some success with Cliff Dragon's 44. Left Photo via Andy Boright; Right via Mike LaDuc
Paul Donahue	Paul Donahue came from  Graniteville, just about in the shadow of Thunder Road. He emerged in racing at the time when Northern NASCAR introduced the six cylinder Grand American division, and he always raced a Mopar. The first Valiant gave way to more exciting - looking cars: first, either a Barracuda or a Challeger; then, a stunning Volare. The longer he raced and the better thecars got, the more success Paul had. But, perhaps his greatest accomplishment is lineage: Son, John is a superstar in the Thunder Road late models, and grandson, Stephen, just won the Road Tiger Sportsman crown this year. Left Photo by Ladabouche; Right - by Earl Vierling

            THIRD CLASS OF INDUCTEES           

Steady Tony Provencher	In the first racing I ever got to watch, we had something to really cheer for. Our neighbor [and a really nice man}, Tony Provencher, was there - at Pico Raceway - with a car. He soon developed the nickname Steady Tony because, well, he didn't usually go too fast. But, when he started racing at nearby Fairmont Park Motor Speedway in Fair Haven, he was faster. He did better but ended up wrecking the red and white Chevy coupe there. Photos Courtesy of  Debora Danforth
The Grand Old Man of Racing, Albert Luleck	Although son, John appeared as a racer first, his father, Albert Luleck became a fan favorite at Devil's Bowl Speedway - a few years later. An incredible physical speciman for his age, Albert became an instant folk hero despite not necessarily posting superstar results. Using numbers 197, 97, and 77, Al raced in the late model division at the track for many years. Photos Courtesy of Marty Kelly, Jr.
Skip Roots	The son of a central New York racing pioneer, Skip Roots started appearing at Fonda Speedway with a car number his father, Herb, had used with driver Doc Blanchard in the late '50's. The tall, lanky Roots had a three window coupe popular with the kids because it was painted up to resemble a skunk. While an accasional heat winner, Skip never won a feature in his brief career. Russ Bergh Photo  Ladabouche Collection
Bob Rushford	I saw Bob around Catamount before I ever saw him perform as one of the loyal supporters of Bear Ridge Speedway. Around Bob Curtiss's potent LMS Chevelle, we called him "Bradford Bob" because he was always talking about the backwoods track he frequented. When I visited the track around 1980, I was surpised to see the generous - sized Rushford squeezing into one of the track's tradmark flat head coupes. They thought the world of him over there. [So did we]. Courtesy of Cho Lee
Curt "Metal Man" Giventer	Seen in the photo at left, grinning broadly out of his restored sedan, Weissglass Stadium veteran and current Airborne Speedway Renegade driver Curt Giventer gets his nickname from two angles: he has a salvage yard [to go with a towing business] and he claims half his skeleton is held together with assorted hardward from assorted injuries. He seldom finishes much better than second to last, but his attitude is that every day you wake up alive -- is a good day ! Weissglass Stadium Photo  Giventer Collection
Art LaBelle	Art and his faithful crewman were a couple of 'ol boys who moved up to Rutland, VT from Bethel, Connecticut. Apparently having raced down there, LaBelle soon fielded a 1937 Chevy at Fairmont Speedway. He had his ups and downs, but gave it a go for a couple of seasons. I think he may have moved. There was no evidence of car work at his place by 1965.   LaBelle Collection
Vern Hall	Bomoseen, VT's Vern Hall was a man who would drive about anything, anywhere to race. I recall him first at Fairmont Speedway, driving a 1941 Ford coupe, cigar sticking out through the two missing front teeth. Then he ran the Blackmer brothers' 777 late model and was actually quite a force in the hobby class. His final effort seemed to be in a #57 Ford in the earliest days of Devil's Bowl. He made the most out of what he had to drive. Ladabouche Photo

            FOURTH CLASS OF INDUCTEES           

Bob "Little Hoffer" Hoffer	Like so many others, I first saw Bob Hoffer at the opening of C.J. Richards' Fairmont Speedway in May of 1962. The Argyle Racing Team appeared to be a big item, given the hauler with matching color and the signs announcing the existence of an actual racing team. Bob Hoffer had been around, racing off the family farm since 1950. He produced a lot of cars [including the above car that ended up with Art Visconti], but he never had much of a budget. His career was tragically cut short by a traffic accident in Canada. He is at right in the color photo. Ladabouche Photo [Lefthand Photo Courtesy of Ron Hoffer]
William "Willie" Chest	When you went to Fonda Speedway, you would notice right away tha one of the largest ovations given at that aptly - named Track of Champions went to one WIllie Chest, from nearby Canajoharie. Willie generally finished at the rear of his races and didn't get into many features in a season; but, that was okay with him. He just loved coaxing that old Chevy around the inside of the track - being a part of it all. There was just him his brother, Raymond. They would work on the car outside WIllie's home, which also housed a TV repair shop [when they still bothered to fix the things]. We lost WIllie too early, the victim of a crash on the NY Thruway. Courtesy of John Chest
Ernest "Ernie" Turner	Arguably, any of the Turner brothers from Milton, VT could qualify as little guys [certainly not in physique], but Ernie raced with less of a budget than brother, Don, Sr. and accomplished more than his huge brother, Ira. At first , all three brothers ran basic cars with silver paint, but Ernie departed both by driving  a Ford [against their Chevies] and running a #58 instead of a number in the mid teens. Ernie drove the battered "58 Ford [hence the number], spelled only a couple of times by wife, Margaret in powder puffs. He did win a few qualifiers before Catamount upgraded the Flying Tiger class and he didn't want to handle the costs. Turner Family Photos via Dave Turner, Jr.
"Red" Knoblauch	The name Knoblauch was firmly pasted on the sports world by the Minnesota Twins' star player, Chuck Knoblauch, but around Fonda SPeedway, more people would have know of popular Johnstown driver Red Knoblauch, driver of the #13. Apparently a man with a great sense of humor, he once consented to be driven around the track in a wheelbarrow after winning a qualifier and thus winning a bet with track officials. He also once did up one of his cars to look exactly like a Mott #3 of Pete Corey [to fool the fans as they sat in the stands and watched for their heroes to tow into Fonda off the NY Thruway]. Red had a circle of friends such as mechanic Tony Achzet who were an integral part of the 1950's Fonda scene [and so was he, in every sense of the word]. Photos from Lynch and A. Achzet LaTaif The Knoblauch "Corey" car with the Corey car in the insert [it was the same exact color, too].
Walter "Doc" Nellis	Doc Nellis from Little Falls, NY was one of those guys who went to the races just to be a part of it all. He favored the late model bodied, heavier cars whith bigger motors; but he basically putted around the inside apron of the track as the stars of Fonda's golden era whizzed by. Doc also helped out photographers Russ Bergh and Otto Pade. It was hard to find a Nellis photo' his car is at the far left below [hood up] John Grady Photo via Rick Parry
Herman "The Turtle" Beam	Largely, Johnson CIty, TN's Herman Beam made a living in the NASCAR Grand Nationals circling the tracks almost on the apron on the inside while the Pettys and Yarboroughs flew past. Obviously, he had to coax his #19's to go fast enough to qualify, then it was about conserving. Once, a young Cale Yarborough took Beam's car and set the fastest pace it had ever seen until the poor thing expired. Herman made more of a splash fielding cars for the hulking Julian Taylor "JT" Putney for a while. After a fashion Beam apparently tired of the grind that came with NASCAR seasons and moved on to something else. Jack Walker Collection and Legends of NASCAR.com The Yarborough edition at left and the Putney car at right.
Harry Coonradt	The first time I ever caught a ride to go see that new Albany - Saratoga Speedway in Malta,NY we were coming into town, off Interstate. As we waited for a traffic light, a car breezed through pulling a stock car by a chain, with a guy inside driving. That was Harry Coonradt's "hauler". [Musta lived nearby, eh?] The name Coonradt is found all through that part of New York with small - time racers and a couple of very well - known engine builders. After the orange semi late model car [left] that entered on a chain, he built a slick '53 Chevy - bodied sportsman. After he sold that to a guy whom I watched run it at Devil's Bowl, i never heard much about Harry again. Likely a John Grady Photo Courtesy of the Conoradt Family

            FIFTH CLASS OF INDUCTEES           

Ken Delong	Of this next group all struggled to race without hte benefits of many of their competitors. But they went one step further - but three of these guys also promoted a race track, ostensibly to keep a beloved track from vanishing into oblivion. Ken "Pappy" Delong started racing in the late '40's at Perth and did a little driving at Fairmont in 1962. He promoted the Whites Beach Speedway at least one season. Son, Lynn, also drove for a while.  Photo Courtesy of the Starin Family
Lou Senecal	Louie Senecal started racing at Fairmont Speedway, trying to run an underpowered six cylinder Plymouth against V-8's. Although he had more luck at Devil's Bowl's late models later, his career was always an uphill fight. Promoter C.J. Richards convinced Senecal  [see photo below] to promote the long - idle dirt track near Vergennes  in 1970 under the idea that, with Devil's Bowl going paved, Lou would have the only dirt track in the area. Snecal told me recently he never undertook anyhting that hard in his life. Rainbow Ridge Raceway lasted one short season. Senecal Family Photos via Diana Peters
Joseph "Little Joe" D'Avignon	Little Joe D'Avignon raced flatheads - at Fairmont Speedway and at Otter Creek Speedway near Vergennes. Just as Louie Senecal answered the call to promote the track in 1970, D'Avignon gave the same facility a try in 1965, under the name Hillside Raceway. D'Avignon, had he had any money, would have been a really good racer' but, his purple 8Balls were usually run on a shoestring as Joe wanted to support his large family [most of whom manned one job or another while he tried running the race track]. Joe's second car [shown below] was really quite a going rig. Here's an irony, Ken Delong [mentioned above] is seen in the D'Avignon photo at left, being attended to by Bob Loomis after a bad pileup. Delong's last race. Bob Frazier Photo  Ladabouche Collection
Bob McClatchie	The McClatchie boys were a fixture around Airborne Park Speedway for years, from the late 1950's to the early 1970's. Neither Bob nor JIm ever had much of a racing budget, but they had their times when they ran well - at Airborne, Catamount, or even Devil's Bowl [when paved ]. Sometimes fiery characters, they were also good members of the pit area at Airborne, a pretty rough place to survive. Today, a nephew [Jason] is having pretty good results at Airborne in a sportsman modified. Bob Mackey Photos via Mike Watts, Sr.
Mackie Miller	It is hard to put Mack MIller in this class if you just look at this results; but running a pretty darn competitive sportsman coupe or late model sportsman out of a mom and pop family salvage yard is not an easy task. Mack ran coupes for years, finishing up with various late models both at AIrborne or Catamount. A tough little man, he  and his pugnacioous mechanic Roland would fight at the drop of a hat, but he was a well considered man around his peers.  Bob Mackey Photos
Charlie  "Old Reliable" Laduc	Charlie Laduc came off the farm in Orwell with a hobby car in 1963. Once he got going pretty well in the class, his mother told him not to take his car to race at the upcoming stock car show at the Rutland fairgrounds, He did anyway and totaled the car, almost ending up in one of the girlie shows. This made him decide to move up to the lead division, in which he raced [with one small break] for years to come. He got the nickname "Old Reliable" both for the success he had running an underfinanced effort and for the loyalty he showed to promoter C. J. Richards. We lost Charlie  too early to heart problems while he was still racing.   Laduc Family Photos via Babr Laduc
The Racing Palmers of Georgia	An undetermined number of Palmers came off the farm in Georgia, VT to race {mostly Flying Tigers] at Catamount Stadium. I have found photos of "Scooter" at left and John [below]; but  I am pretty sure more of them tried tthe sport. They were never top shelf material, but they were always in the running. They went off from the racing to land important jobs like the town fire chief and so forth. Rich Palmer, a relative, has been a top crew member on racing teams for years.  Photos from Rich Palmer

            SIXTH CLASS OF INDUCTEES           

Hank LeClaire	Schenectady's Hank LeClaire quietly raced a red with his trademark Mickey Mouse cartoon drawing on the side. LeClaire drove the car, himself, but his team attracted more attention when he had "guest drivers". Jack Farquhar drove the 21 to a rare qualifier victory at Victoria Speedway. On a less positive note, Jean Guy Chartrand destroyed the red 21 when it was lent to him at Fonda after his car had broken down. I don't find much on Hank after that although his son is active on some Facebook sites about racing history.    Photo Courtesy of Scott Belknap
Elmer Erickson	When Elmer Erickson appeared on the scene at Fairmont Speedway in 1963 I took notice because he ran out of my hometown and he had the same name as the mild-mannered father of one of my classmates. Erickson never amounted to much; he bought two different flathead cars from New Hampshire: one from Rosie Rosendahl and the other numbered and painted exactly like Ed Yerrington's 66 cars in Connecticut. Rutland Herald Photo Elmer is in second place here at the Rutland Fair.
Lloyd Severance	A fur trapper by trade, Bridgewater, Vermont's Lloyd Severance made the tow to tracks like Claremont and other venues in that region. He would also put in the occasional appearance at Devil's Bowl when it first opened in 1967. After running for a number of years somewhat below hall of fame level, Lloyd retired. He would sponsor race cars for some teams in Massachusetts such as Wes Rosner. I got to meet Lloyd when I did a "Severance Furs" ad on the trunk lid of a Bob Dragon modified Pinto.   Ted Vogel Photo
Tiger White [and Stan Horne]	I can't talk with much authority about this pair that is closely associated with Oxford Plains Speedway in Maine. In my limited times to the track, I was taken by its large field of late model sportsman cars and also with the unbelievable six cylinder chargers. Tiger White started as a driver, himself and did quite well considering his budget. Later, he teamed up with Stan Horne and the two continued on with White's older cars and very limited racing budget. They deserve a big doff of the hat for what they managed to do.         MVRCA and Dan St Pierre Photos
Bob Harrison	Rugged and redheaded Bob Harrison made a modest career out of buying other peoples' proven [if not kinds used up] race cars and running them with his trademark number 711 [or the number reversed to 117]. Bob first came out with the old # ME2, a Warrensburgh car. He would drive cars from Vince Quenneville, Chet Doaner, and others in his career at Fairmont and Devil's Bowl Speedways.       Courtesy of Dan Ody and the Devil's Bowl Program
Bob Elliott	Like his Marlboro, VT neighbor and team of sorts - Wooster Eames, Bob Elliott ran a stock car in rthe 1950's on a limited budget against some teams that had a lot more advanced tech going for them - even in those arly days. I heard from Bobn when I had mistaken his car 58 for that of Dee Goodermotte. Elliott ran at such tracks as Stateline Speedway and he likely drove at Brattleboro Speedway and more venues in that area where he lived. Bob Elliott Collection A 1954 Stateline win.
Arnie Trudo	I start off by apologizing to Arnie because I honestly don't know if he spells Trudeau or Trudo. He raced regularly at mostly CVRA - based tracks like Devil's Bowl, Alabanay - Saratoga, and Airborne in his career. He had some success, as evidenced by the shot below of his receiving awards from an Airborne Speedway banquet. Arnie also was a sponsor for one of the Airborne support classes in the 2000's. Arnie Trudo Collection Arnie is at far right.

Return to the Main Page
Return to the Main News Page
Return to the All Links Page