New England Antique Racers Part Of 4th Annual Royals Garage Car Show At Historic Lime Rock Park

It is Spring Time and that Means it is Show Time

Up first on the spring 2013 schedule is the Summer Knights Show on Sunday April 28 at the Berlin Fair grounds in Berlin CT. As part of the promotion this year for the event New England Antique Racers is listed on the promotional handout. Bring your car, wear our hat shirt or jacket and show support for this annual event with is a fund raiser. The event has excellent signage and is easy to get to off the Berlin Turnpike in Berlin Ct. The go kart club that supports the Plainville reunion will also be running so come on over the Car show that has been voted best spring show in CT. There is also a swap meet for those of us looking for parts. They will let us in as early as 7 A M and the show ends early 3 P M As always there will be food available So let us start the year off with a high car count.

Next up Is our first running show on May 18. at Monadnock Speedway on Route 10 in Winchester NH. Sign in for this event is 2 P M If you have the chance to run come on down and drive the track, If you want to display you are also welcome. Either way it is a nice evening to see vintage cars on the track. Our northern staff hard to get us a running date and we should show both our members and the track which supports for our event. We look forward to seeing you there.

The end of May for Memorial Day weekend Friday May 2 4 and Saturday May 25 New England Antique Racers will be at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville CT Sign in is off of White Hallow road. We will be placed by the track for Friday and Saturday dependent on the amount of space in the paddock and midway. On Friday we will have a still display and on Saturday time we will be given parade laps with consideration to the impact of weather and the timing of the show before the main events. Skip Barber and his crew have been most gracious with time, announcing our presence to the crowd and we have had been very well received and appreciated by the track and the fans in attendance. Come on out and enjoy the countryside Camping is available for those who wish to do so.

Please support these events which the event committee has arranged for the membership

Charles Leroy Elliott Passes
New England Racing Hall-of-Famer had a creative 75 year career

By Russ Conway
He built three new speedways with his own hands and refurbished three more. Some of the greatest drivers in auto racing history thrilled hundreds of thousands of fans on those race tracks, leaving decades of lasting memories.

New England Auto Racing (NEAR) Hall-of-Famer “Charlie” Elliott, 96, passed away in his sleep today, March 20, at his home in Hernando, FL.

Self-educated, his common sense approach, quiet vice-gripe handshake and humor matched by a determined work ethic were his characteristics, building a legendary career from New England to Florida.

He began racing open-wheel open-cockpit cars in 1936 on the old dirt Newmarket (N.H.) Speedway and later became involved in midget car racing. Rather than drive he preferred working on cars becoming a mechanic and expert welder. After working as a submarine welder through World War II at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, he began operating race tracks and building race cars. He built the first rear-engine race car ever to compete on an oval track.

Elliott’s operation of race tracks began in the late 1940’s, first in Sanford, ME and then the former Dover (N.H.) Speedway between 1953 and 1965. He was the originator of the first “Canadian-American” challenge race in 1958, matching top New England “cut down” car drivers against “invaders” – drivers he personally recruited from Montreal and Toronto.

Building Tracks
Nobody actually built more speedways in New England than Charlie Elliott. His vision for new racing facilities coincided with the formation of the New England Super-Modified Racing Association (NESMRA) in 1965. Teaming with Ken Smith and Russ Conway, the trio opened Elliott’s newly built Star Speedway, a quarter mile oval in Epping, N.H., in early August of 1967, just hours after the track paving had been completed.

Elliott didn’t stop there. He always had a “project” he was building. Star Speedway became a nationally-known short track, home of the annual September “Classic” race drawing drivers from coast to coast as well as Canada.

Another “Charlie Project” developed in 1978 when he purchased the dilapidated Hudson (N.H.) Speedway. Again with his hands and grit, the track was refurbished and returned to life. Along with help from Smith, Conway, and his family, Hudson flourished with successful events throughout the 1980’s.

Yet Elliott looked for more, purchasing the old Lee Raceway triangle track in 1982. He completely redesigned and built a new oval track on the site, Lee USA Speedway, which opened July 4, 1984.

In 1988, he again got the itch to build. His company purchased the dirt Canaan Fairgrounds Speedway in Canaan, N.H. Charlie’s hands and mind were working while he operated a bulldozer, grader and water truck restoring the track. He also built a banquet facility, rebuilt and purchased the former Benson Animal Farm Merry-Go-Round for the grounds, and then donated a new Little League Baseball park on the grounds to the town.

To make it a multi-track facility, he built a new paved quarter mile oval speedway at Canaan, only 800-feet from his dirt oval track. That was followed by a motorcycle mountain climb competition trail, also in Canaan.

Home to the Stars
From legendary Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt Sr., “Daytona 500” champions Cale Yarborough, Buddy Baker, and Geoff Bodine, to Hall-of-Fame super-modified icons Ollie Silva, Bentley Warren, Don MacLaren, Nolan Swift, Jim Shampine, to Chris Perley, Russ Wood and many more, they have all raced his tracks.

Elliott was also the first to operate winter super-modified races in Florida. Beginning in the late 1960’s, he ran races in Hollywood, FL, a fore-runner of the NESMRA Winter Series during the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Extended Family.
Born October 18, 1916 in Dover, N.H., he was the son of Fred and Flora (Miller) Elliott. He leaves his caring wife of 30 years, June (Erikson) Elliott; four daughters, Carol Planche and her husband Thomas of Berwick, ME, Joyce Elliott of Portsmouth, N.H., Barbara Allen of Hernando, FL., and Diane Elliott of Dover, N.H.; two sons, Charles of Leland, N.C. and Wayne of Portsmouth, N.H.; a step-daughter, Donna Drolet and her husband Marc of Manchester, N.H., and a sister Doris Kennedy and her husband Frank of Somersworth, N.H.

He also leaves five grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, his beloved step-granddaughter Angela and her son Cameron.

He was pre-deceased by his wife Helen, the mother of his children who died in 1993, and Dorothy, who died in 1973.

A memorial service will be held Sunday August 25, 2013 at the Canaan Fairgrounds Speedway where family and friends will gather to celebrate Charlie’s amazing life.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations in Charlie Elliott's name be made the Northeast Motor Sports Museum at 7 Bayview Road, Ipswich, MA. 01938.

New England Antique Racers (NEAR) Announce 2013 Schedule, Club Elections Completed

NEAR has announced its 2013 schedule with the season opener slated for Sunday, April 28th at the Berlin, Connecticut Fairgrounds. A “rain or shine” Summer Knights still-show, sign-in starts at 8:00.
NEAR visits several New England speedways from Connecticut to Maine throughout the 2013 season presenting both still and running shows.

Also on the agenda are several reunion events and auto shows. Newly-added for 2013 is New England Auto Racing Hall of Famer Billy Greco’s First Annual NEAR Picnic. The event takes place on Sunday, August 11th the Polish American Club, West Spring Street in West Haven CT. A still-show highlights the day.
 
A detailed schedule with full information on each event will is on the NEAR website at www.near1.com.
 
As a result of recent club elections, Al Fini will serve as President with Bill Henry as Vice President. Rhonda Blanchette continues on the Board of Directors as Treasurer, as-does Mare Harlow as Secretary.
 
Others serving on the Board of Directors are Val LeSieur, Pete Newsham, R.A. Silvia, Pete Zanardi, and Dave Dykes. Advisors are Brian Bancroft, Paul Masse, Rich Mayo, Bob Seller, Rod Seller, Rich Belmonte, and Nick Teto.
 
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, NEAR has inducted 166 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.

Success Story; Billy Greco’s New England Auto Racing Hall Of Fame Fundraiser

Photo By Nick Teto

(WEST HAVEN, CT.) When New England Auto Racing Hall of Famer Billy Greco decided to host a NEAR Movie Party fundraiser, he really wasn’t entirely-sure how things would turn-out. He needn’t have worried. Saturday, December 8th bought a packed house to the Polish-American Club on 194 West Spring Street in West Haven, Connecticut. Held to benefit the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame, the evening consisted of plenty of great home-style food, good conversation, lots of memory-fueled bench-racing, and a ton of super raffle prizes. The event follows an equally-successful New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame Pioneers Induction Ceremony which was held in November. Complimenting the night was a steady-stream of historical New England racing videos displayed on a pair of wide screen monitors. Kenny Meisenhelder of KGM Video and Tom Ormsby of speedwaylinereport.com were among those contributing videos for the evening.

Many attendees bought along photo albums featuring vintage images to share, giving guests a glimpse of the “golden age” of stock car racing in New England.

Long one of the most-winning & popular short track racers in the region, Greco was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999 following a stellar career that included multiple track championships at Riverside Park and West Haven Speedways. His was always among the largest of fan bases no-matter where he competed.

“We’re really happy about the way things turned-out, and everyone seems to be having a good time” stated Greco. “It was a team-effort, and a lot of people contributed. I really appreciate that. The Hall of Fame is a truly important thing to racing people in our region and this is our way of helping-out.”
Pete Zanardi, award winning auto racing journalist and himself Hall of Fame member, was among the familiar faces in attendance. “It’s simply been a nice evening. Interest in NEAR and the Hall of Fame remains high, and people have a desire to be involved as proven by tonight’s turnout. That’s obviously a great thing for the club,” he said.

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, NEAR has inducted over 100 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.

For more information visit NEAR on the web at www.near1.com

Inaugural NEAR Pioneers Induction Banquet Plays To Packed House

On Sunday afternoon November 18th hundreds of victories and untold contributions to auto racing during the sports early era in New England were celebrated before a packed-house at the Inaugural New England Antique Racers Pioneers Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony held at the Thompson Speedway Clubhouse.

The selection of inductees followed a lengthy and comprehensive voting process administered by a committee of New England’s foremost auto racing historians.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame were stock car drivers Tony Mordino, Sparky Belmont, Hank Stevens, “Big Ed” Patnode, Johnny Georgiades, Wally Silva, and Ray Brown.

Midget racing standouts Eddie Casterline, George Rice, Al Pillion, Billy Tibbert, Frank Simonetti, Charlie Ethier, and George Monsen completed the open-wheel inductees.

Also taking their place among the most-celebrated personalities of our region’s short track racing history were car owners Anthony “Beebe” Zalenski, Ed Stone, Wen Kelley, Bob Oliver, and Gordon Ross. Joe Tinty, owner & promoter of Connecticut’s former Plainville Stadium, is now also a member of the Hall of Fame.

All members of the Inaugural Pioneer Class have passed-on, but not before leaving an indelible mark on the sport in their own unique way.

“It was truly a feel-good event,” stated Hall of Fame Executive Committee Chairman Bruce Cohen. “We had started putting this together a number of months-ago, and it’s obvious by today’s turnout and the appreciation expressed by those present that it was the right thing to do. The entire team with the project worked hard to make this a reality. We could not be happier for the families and friends of today’s very-deserving inductees.”

NEAR President Val LeSieur himself a Hall of Fame member, echoed a similar sentiment. “This being the first-time we presented a Pioneers Induction Ceremony, we’re particularly pleased with the turnout. The day could not have gone better,” he said.

“It appears that we hit-upon something very-special today,” stated presenter and well-known racing historian R.A. Silvia. “Whatever it-was, things just aligned perfectly making for a very-enjoyable celebration of racing’s early days. So-many segments of the sport’s history were well-represented today by a group of very-deserving new inductees.”

Popular Matt Buckler served as Master of Ceremonies. Presenters were veteran New England racing personalities Bones Bourcier, Lew Boyd, Dick Monahan, and R.A. Silvia. In a particularly poignant speech, Hall of Fame member Billy Greco made the presentation for Sparky Belmont. The pair had been both friends and competitors for years.

Renowned New England racing photographer & writer Steve Kennedy served as the day’s official lensman.

Well-received by attendees were several memorabilia exhibits along with the popular NEAR Mobile Museum. Longtime racing photographer John Grady was on-hand with a huge display of vintage photographs charting the sport all the way back to the post-war era.

Since 1998, NEAR has inducted over one-hundred individuals into the New England Auto Racers Hall Of Fame, which is administered by the New England Antique Racers. Notable inductees include Richie Evans, Ron Bouchard, Bugs Stevens, Rene Charland, Pete Hamilton, Fred DeSarro, Ed Flemke, Sr. and Billy Greco among others. For more information visit NEAR on the web at www.near1.com

New England Antique Racers (NEAR) Publish Limited Edition Hall Of Fame Calendar

Since 1998, The New England Antique Racers (NEAR), have inducted over 100 individuals into it’s prestigious New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame representing the region’s greatest names of the sport.

Now, NEAR is publishing a 2013 Hall of Fame calendar containing over fifty images in brilliant full-color of the Hall of Fame members that helped propel New England auto racing into the national limelight.

The wide selection of vintage photos (some rare & one-of-a-kind), are culled from the portfolios of some of the greatest lensmen to have ever shot at tracks all over the Northeast during the early years of the sport.

A limited-edition collectable, all sale proceeds go to fund the Hall Of Fame Mobile Museum which travels to racing events throughout the year allowing fans an opportunity to pay homage to the pioneers who contributed so-heavily to racing in our part of the country.

A $15.00 donation will secure your calendar, certainly an item to be cherished for years by any fan.

To get yours, send your donation to NEAR Hall Of Fame Truck Fund, PO Box 300, North Easton, MA. 02356-0300.

Make all checks payable to NEAR.

All calendar purchases after September 30 will require a $2.50 postage & handling fee.

For questions, email NEAR President Val LeSieur at vallesieur@aol.com

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.

New England Auto Racing Hall Of Fame Member
“Wild Bill” Slater Passes At Age 83

By Dave Dykes

It was learned Sunday, July 15 that New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame member “Wild Bill” Slater has passed-away.

Arrangements are incomplete at this time.

A member of the first-class inducted into the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1998, Slater drove his first race at Lonsdale R.I. in 1949 and for the next twenty years he won at tracks from Oxford Plains Maine to Trenton New Jersey.
 
He was a four time champion at the Norwood Arena and a two-time Sportsmen champion at Thompson. He won on the dirt at Stafford and on the pavement everywhere.
 
He was often a top-three finisher in the NASCAR National Sportsman championship run, even though he raced against full time drivers while he held down a weekly job.
 
Slater’s long list of accomplishments included winning 8 straight features at Norwood, and 7 straight wins at Stafford. In 1959 he posted twenty wins at Waterford. He also took down two championships at Waterford and one at Stafford.

He won the 400 mile race at Trenton New Jersey four times, and was a two time winner of the Utica-Rome 400 in New York. His biggest career victory was in his win at the Langhorne Penn. Race of Champions the first year it was paved.

He drove in The Daytona Permatex 300 four times from 1963 to 66. He is most known for his long time association with the Vitari-Bombacci owned V8.

He drove his last race at Stafford in 1969 and then became involved in the promotional side of racing at Stafford and later Thompson.

NEAR Presents “Class of 2012” At 15^th Annual New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame Inductions

(East Windsor, CT.) On Sunday January 29, The New England Antique Racers (NEAR), presented the 15^th annual New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame Inductions. Award-winning sportswriter Matt Buckler served as Master of Ceremonies for the well-attended event held at LaRenaissance Banquet Hall in East Windsor, CT.

Receiving induction honors this year were drivers Reggie Ruggiero, Joey Kourafas, Moe Gherzi, Jerry Humiston, and Roland Lapierre Sr., owner/mechanics Mario Fiore and Jim Jorgensen and track operator Irene Venditti.  

Though not present due to prior commitments, longtime Northern media personality Dave Moody was the recipient of the prestigious “Jack Ratta Memorial Media Award.” Veteran auto racing journalist and Hall of Fame Member Pete Zanardi received the Danny Pardi Memorial Award for his many contributions to NEAR over the years. 

A pivotal figure during the formative years of the sport and truly one of the regions earliest stars, Moe Gherzi came to stock cars following a brief fling with midget racing during the busy post-war era. Gherzi won for some of the best teams in the early days of the sport while displaying a flashy style which became his trademark. Nicknamed “Moneybags” owed to a knack of winning many big-dollar events, he tasted success at virtually all of the regions tracks. He later served as the longtime Racing Director at Connecticut’s Plainville Stadium. Accepting for her late father from presenter Dave Dykes was Ms. Alma Michaud. FULL STORY & PHOTOS <CLICK HERE>

NEAR….the Beginning

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 conception can be traced to the 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>>