Ruskin, FL — The family of three quarter midget racer Fred Stutz has scheduled his viewing for 2-8 p.m. June 5 here at the Lewers Funeral Home, 308 College Avenue E.
Stutz, 79, of Riverside, had died of complications from an accident he had suffered while running his TQ midget at Punta Gorda’s Charlotte County Motorsports Park May 13. The five-decade-long driver had been a long-time Florida Midget Auto Racing Association member since moving to Central Florida from the New York City area.
Continue reading ‘TQ Racer Fred Stutz Funeral Set for June 5′
Norwood, MA — Sunny weather with temps in the high 70’s contributed to the largest turnout ever at the 4th Annual Norwood Arena Reunion this past Sunday. Among the competitors of the track that turned out included; Sprint Car and Midget driver Jim McGuire who traveled up from Bridgewater, NJ to take in his first event. Modified drivers on hand were Leo Cleary, Bill Slater, George Summers, Jerry Capazzolli, George Summers and Deke Astle. Also Don McCullough, Lew Austin, Pete Desjardin, Fred Luchesi, Dick Jackson and Doug McCarthy, Jeff Horn, Jim Callahan, George Savary, Jim Callahan and Doug McCarthy. Among the officials who turned out were Carlton Merrill, Dan Brundage, Earl Grant, Jim Power and Mike Scravani, Jr.
Race cars from NEAR, STARS and ACOT combined with a classic car show had a very strong turnout with over 60 vehicles in attendance along with other displays. Coastal 181, the racing publishing house, offered some fantastic new books for sale. Also the NEAR Hall of Fame mobile unit was on hand. Each vehicle received a dash plaque for the occasion. Don Seith of Brookline got the Classic Car Trophy for his very impressive restored ‘36 Ford Coupe street machine while Dave Poskitt of E. Bridgewater was awarded the Best Looking Race Car a Modified Coupe.
Continue reading ‘4th Annual Norwood Arena Reunion Pulls a Big Crowd’
Reino Tulonen To Attend Norwood Arena Reunion June 1
Fitchburg, MA — Wherever Reino Tulonen raced his sleek looking Cutdown racecar, a forerunner of the current Super-Modifieds, track announcers dubbed him “The Flying Finn From Fitchburg”. Tulonen started his racing career in 1946 and continued to race his radical looking machines at such venues as Westboro, Seekonk, Norwood, Manchester, NH, Peabody, Oxford, ME, The Pines, Hudson, NH and any other oval within reasonable driving distance of his hometown. He won many races and track championships at those tracks. He quit driving and building racecars in 1972. Tulonen is expected to be on hand for this Sunday’s, June 14, 4TH Annual Norwood Arena Reunion at the Bezema Buick, Pontiac, GMC on Rt. 1, the Auto Mile in Norwood. The dealership is just a mile north of the original site of Norwood Arena.
Reino will join such notable drivers as Bill Slater, Leo Cleary, Ernie Gahan and Bugs Stevens among several others. For racing nostalgia buffs this once a year get together will jog their memories as to how that era was the best racing ever in New England. At the time the fans, drivers and officials didn’t realize it until they take a critical look back in time. Also expected are drivers from the support classes such as Jerry Capazzoli who was a multiple Mini Stock Champion at the Norwood oval.
Continue reading ‘Fitchburg’s Reino Tulonen - Race Car Builder & Driver to Attend Norwood Arena Reunion’
Norwood, MA — Some of Fred Luchesi’s peers felt that he retired from racing too early. The Pawtucket, RI racer had a very impressive resume. Consider that he was a NASCAR Champion back in 1948 the year that sanctioning body was formed for his string of wins at the Kingston Fairgrounds in RI. From that point on Luchesi won a number of features at such venues as Lonsdale Arena in RI, Westboro, Norwood Arena, Thompson in Conn., Dover, NH and Seekonk Speedway among several other tracks. As a matter of fact, a knowledgeable observer revealed that Luchesi won just about every feature at Lonsdale in 1955 right up through Hurricane Carol which inundated the venue that ultimately resulted in the demise of that oval. Fred’s ability to win on both dirt and paved ovals proved his versatility. He even took in the big dirt track at Langhorne Speedway in Penn. “I was in that very famous wreck that took out a bunch of cars. The film clip hit all of the newsreels in theaters and the TV news programs at that time,” he said. The Ocean State driver wasn’t just limited to racing in New England and the northeast, either. He managed to take major events in Ontario, Canada.
Towards the end of his career, Luchesi confined his efforts to a two car team which raced at Seekonk Speedway with Fred driving one while the late Bobby Sprague of Foxborough, MA drove theother. During that era it was common to see drivers and teams competing on dirt tracks and taking the same machine to paved tracks. The only changes required were grooved tires for dirt and slicks for paved tracks and some minor adjustments to suspension systems. Unlike today where a pavement car is much different than one especially built to race on dirt. Some observers feel that the 50’s, 60’s and into the early 70’s were the best of times for stockcar racing. Racing several nights a week all over New England and the northeast were the norm.
Continue reading ‘NEAR ‘08 Inductee Fred Luchesi Plans to be at Norwood Arena Reunion on June 1′
Arlen Kurtis has been selected to serve as the Grand Marshal of the Vic Yeradi Memorial Oval Days during the 18th Annual Vintage Celebration at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Arlen will be representing Kurtis Kraft, a company noted for designing and building midget cars, quarter midgets, sports cars, sprint cars and Champ Cars. He became the head of Kurtis Kraft in 1968 when his father, the legendary Frank Kurtis, retired.
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From Tuesday, May 13 to Sunday, May 18, history will come alive as legendary racing machines from around the world gather to compete at the Eighteenth Annual Vintage Celebration at NHMS.
On Tuesday, May 13 through Thursday, May 15, many of the most famous Midgets, Sprint Cars, Champ Cars, Roadsters, and NASCAR stock cars will fill the Speedway’s 1.058 mile oval. Fans will have the opportunity to meet and talk with the drivers and car owners who wrote early racing history.
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