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Harvey Tattersall Jr. built, owned, and
drove midget race cars in the pre-WWII era. He later assumed the
role of an official when he became a handicapper and later, a
scorer.
In 1948 he foresaw the increasing
popularity of stock cars and formed the UNITED STOCK CAR RACING CLUB
along with his fatherand announcer Tom Galon. They quickly began
promoting stock cars at such tracks as Candlelight Stadium in
Bridgeport Conn., Savin Rock in West Haven, Plainville Conn., and
Longsdale R.I.
In 1949 he took over the
promotional reins at the 1\5 mile asphalt speedway at Riverside Park
in Agawam, Mass. Riverside soon became the lynchpin of his whole
operation.
The 1950’s saw Tattersall
promoting late model racing through the Grand American Division at
tracks in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, and
Massachusetts.
After being forced out of
Riverside Park in 1976, he and his wife Helen bought and operated
the Waterford Speedbowl until his retirement in 1988.
Tattersall was instrumental in
establishing point funds for drivers, and was one of the first
promoters to provide racers with insurance policies. |
