Bill wimble, new england auto racers hall of fame nosalgia weekend. An illustrated and documented history of the legendary fonda speedway lew boyd, jim rigney on. The quote of the night wednesday had to come from brett hearn. Wimble collection via the fonda book bill, already a hired gun at an early age. Fonda, ny on saturday afternoon january 29 at the saratoga automobile museum, the new york state stock car association nyssca opened their hall of fame with many fans and hall of fame members in attendance for the opening ceremonies. That means plenty of short tracks, superspeedways, road course, bullrings, and cookiecutters have seen action.
Longtime stock car racing magazine and speedway illustrated magazine editor and fox tv broadcaster dick berggren will partner with writer and racing lawyer andy fusco for a presentation at the saratoga automobile museums annual lost speedways program in november. Bill wimble was one of the early stars at the uticarome speedway on the mile. Although he was a young, quiet dairy farmer from the st. Starting 20th in the field of thirty, wimble just simply drove a solid race and wound up finishing 18th. It ran the beach in 57 driven by george baumgardner, and 58 by bill wimble. As a driver for more than 30 years in highly competitive modified stock car racing, ed won hundreds of races up and down the east coast. Wimble is well known for his five track championships at the fonda speedway and victories all over the northeast. Speedway has been known as the track of champions since bill wimble and dick nephew claimed nascar national sportsman championships during the. Eventually, bill gravitated towards what, in those days, was the big time. Lawrence valley, he burst onto the scene to bring national prominence to fonda speedway. Bill is releasing his new book ill never be last again at the uticarome speedway on july 22 and guess where his next booksigning release event will be at in the country your right, the cuba lake raceway luncheonreunion. He spent most of thursday in a packer car at fonda helping us get the track run in for practice.
Rene charland november 1928 september 30 20 nicknamed the champ was an american stock car racing driver he was a fourtime champion of the nas. June 20 kellys meat market night bill ag tribute modified. Coastal 181 publishers new book on racing legend bill. Norm mackereth was second followed by billy yuma, ron wallace and bob pierce. Racing in retrospect fred decarr midstate antique stock car club. In the part of vermont where i came from, nascar was not sanctioning any tracks. Such is likely the case of saratoga springs, ny driver george baumgardner when he. Met him on a number of occasions, even had him at our house once when i was a kid. State stock car association hall of fame in 1988, the fonda speedway. He achieved that despite often being limited to a very modest. Gt sports car suddenly hit the highbanked fourthturn wall, then flipped onto its. The corporate jet hopes to add a fifth 200 victory to his resume at fonda speedway in 2019. The car is completely restored and in race ready or show condition, fresh gm 6 cylinder 250, 4 barrel carb, 3 speed trans, quick change rear. Back in the day, my earliest days as a young race fan, stock car legend bill wimble s journey from a dirt poor dairy farmer to a nascar national champion included weekly stops.
Steve danish, jack johnson, cd coville, lou lazzaro, harry peek, jerry cook, bill wimble, pete corey and more. New listing vintage 1959 hatfield speedway stock car race program. Fonda bill wimble of lisbon, the defending track champion, cashed in his first. Bill wimble is a member of the new england auto racers hall of fame near, plus the new york stock car association, fonda speedway, dirt motorsports, and eastern press association halls of fame, and is a member of daytonas living legends of auto racing. This fully restored and documented 1940 cadillac bodied modified race car was raced by dave lape, fonda speedway, in the early 70s. Friesen has won a total of 47 modified and two 360 sprint car events. Bill wimble is a former nascar driver who competed in four grand national events in his career wimble s debut came in 1958, when he competed at reading. Gallup, maybe george welch, bill wimble, ken shoemaker, steve danish. By ron szczerba fonda, ny with less than a week until move in day, excitement is building for the annual fonda speedway car show at the via port rotterdam mall on friday through sunday march 1618. Ed flemke was one of the great men of american racing. Wimble was just 18 years old in 1951 when he drove in his first race at. Soft spoken, tall, wiry and with a personality that seemed more of a gentleman than a giant, wimble was everything some drivers of the day were not. This year marks the 71 th consecutive season of weekly stock car racing the winning driver of the united rentals dirtcar bigblock modified feature on opening night of weekly racing at orange county fair speedway this year will continue a tradition that first began in 1950.
Fonda speedway a premier track in new york whose drivers. For the last few weeks, legendary driver bill wimble has been making his yearly stops at the local race tracks to meet all of his friends. Fonda, ny the 2020 fonda speedway race car show to be held at the viaport. When wimble decided to stop driving, mccready folded the tents, ending the.
My brother and i took a ride in his car after he won at spencer speedway once. Bab mackey photo via john rock bill, at speed, with the cloce 21 at airborne. Vintage stock car racing clips from all across new york state from the 50s, 60s and 70s as described below. The following was written by ron szczerba in the august 14, 2009 edition of the schenectady gazette and we found it a fitting tribute to the legendary driver. In fact, hes the only driver in history to win a track title at both the fonda speedway and the lebanon valley speedway in consecutive years, with the same team and in the same car. I lived just a few mile from from the fairgrounds and this was always my favorite day at the. After an autograph session under the covered grandstand at fonda speedway alongside legendary bill wimble, hearn headed back to the. Fonda, ny in 2019 at fonda speedway, a tradition was restored. I have had the pleasure of knowing bill for several years now and he.
Then in the 1960s, flemington new jersey speedway great al tasnady won two orange county openers, as did fonda new york speedway champion bill wimble. Get the best deals on vintage auto racing programs when you shop the largest online selection at. With what has become a tradition for area racers and fans it also signals that racing at the track of champions is right around the corner. Dutch hoag won season championships in the stock car, sportsman, and modified divisions at several weekly speedways. As put on the fonda speedway facebook page by fonda speedway promoter brett deyo.
He claimed a total of five track championships at fonda all in the decade of the 1960s. At the third turn, we cover thousands of races and dozens of sanctioning bodies. But, when we traveled to either the small otter creek speedway in vergennes, or if we ventured over to fonda, i would get to see stars from fonda speedway, the track which was arguably the. Dave hulse won the modifiedsportsman stock car race at the wall stadium, belmar, nj. Ryan odasz sounded like a local car dealer when he described his modified victory at fonda speedway ron szczerba. Brett deyo has been a key player in returning fonda speedway to prominence in the northeast racing scene. Year by year history of modified stock car racing at fonda, the famous ny racetrack.
Wimble s rise to prominence wasnt just limited to the national level. Fonda speedway which represented a long travel time from the wimble. Davie franek is home after his wild crash last night. The first outside invader to take home the season opener top prize was hartford, connecticut driver dick fletcher back in 1954. Sammy sessions won the supermodified race at the oswego speedway, oswego, ny. My fonda speedway modified top 10 drivers of alltime. Empa hall of famebill wimble eastern motorsport press. Olds, racing, car, speedway, dirt track cars, stock car, old race cars, monster. Hal minyard won the cra sprint car race at the orange show speedway, san bernadino,ca. Although he drove in several other cars before, bill wimble is best known for the. Bill with legs crossed sits on the roof of the 26, awaiting a next race with ben. For the last few weeks, legendary driver bill wimble has been making. Davie has been a goto guy for me over the last couple years with sprint car questio ns and is a true racer.
Bill wimble never seemed like a 1950s modified driver. Bill wimble won the nascar sportsman stock car race at the fonda speedway, fonda, ny. The alltime champions list shows every stafford motor speedway nascar track champion from 1959 to present and dirt to asphalt. An interview with the former nascar national sportsman champion bill wimble. He is a contributor to speedway illustrated magazine and area auto racing news, as well as a frequent keynote speaker at racing functions. Bill wimble, new england auto racers hall of fame nosalgia. The rest was all fred and im grateful for the opportunity to get to meet him and learn more about what made the team tick. Bill, at speed, with his own car, aptly named the lucky lady. Fonda speedway bill mcgaffin82016 race pro weekly photo galleries. The fonda 200 is a 100milelong 161 km modified motor race that is held at the fonda speedway. Fonda, ny some of the sports most iconic names have put their name in the record books since the very first fonda 200 was contested as a nascar grand national event in 1955. The second author in my top ten, bill wimble was a force each and every time he. He won six championships at monroe county fairgrounds rochester, new york.
Ron szczerba fonda speedway fonda, ny with less than a week until move in day, excitement is building for the annual fonda speedway car show at the via port rotterdam mall on friday through sunday march 1618. First show ever at at weedsport speedway, july 24, 1955. Fonda speedway which represented a long travel time from the wimble family farm. Wimble won win a championship at airborne park speedway in plattsburgh with this car and drive an additional year for rowe in new york and in canada.
However, cam gagliardi loved the local racing and continued to compete at merrittville speedway, speedway park, ransomville and also on lancasters pavement as well. Rosel dolin won the modified stock car race at the port royal speedway, port royal, pa. See more on this car from the midstate antique stock car club. In the winters, drivers such as lou lazzaro, rene charland, jerry cook and bill wimble raced sportsman at daytona, for cramergagliardi engineering. On saturday, wimble will be at fonda speedway to sign copies of his. Fonda speedway has some of the best racing around, said fonda speedway. He won three consecutive stock division titles at bath speedway bath, new york in 1952 through 1954. Canajoharie, ny fivetime fonda speedway track champion and the 2000 fonda most popular modified driver, dave lape, 54 and from canahoharie, is set to begin his 38th season of competition driving the burrows motorsports no. Although his first race at fonda was in 1956, wimble actually started his racing career when he climbed into a stock car in 1951 with his initial feature wins coming the following year in 1952. Sms alltime track champions stafford motor speedway. Wimble will be at fonda speedway to sign copies of his. Bill stock bill stock billy knight billy hensley billy greco. With what has become a tradition for area racers and fans it.
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