NEAR Presents “Class of 2009” At 12th Annual New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame Inductions
East Windsor, CT. — On Sunday January 25, The New England Antique Racers (NEAR), presented the 12th 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.
Accepted into the Hall of Fame this year were the late Jim McConnell, Bobby Dragon, Paul Richardson, Bob Bahre, John Fitch, Rollie Lindblad, Art Barry, and Tom Curley. In the Veterans Inductee class, it was Bert Brooks, Harold Hanaford and Bertha Small. Chris Economaki was the recipient of the prestigious “Jack Ratta Memorial Media Award.”
McConnell was the builder of the Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, owning and operating the historical facility from it’s opening in 1949 until 1973. He was also responsible for forming the Maine State Stock Car Racing Association. Sadly, Jim passed-away in December. He was inducted posthumously by Tommy Elliman, a long-time associate and track announcer at Beech Ridge.
Inducting Bobby Dragon was renowned northern racing historian Cho Lee. Dragon began his career in the 1960’s and remains active today. A native of Milton, VT., he’s competed in many divisions over the years, notching multiple championships at venues such as Catamount Stadium, Thunder Road, and, Devils Bowl. He was the 1978 NASCAR North Champion. He joins his brother Beaver Dragon in the Hall of Fame.
Paul “Ricochet” Richardson raced and won in everything from Super Modifieds to Late Models. Beginning has career in 1965, he went-on to be one of the premier drivers of the New England Super Modified Racing Association where he’s 5th in all-time wins. Inducted by his Northern Massachusetts neighbor, writer, publisher, and racer, Lew Boyd, Richardson retired in 2004 while still one of the sports top-performers.
Bob Bahre got his start in racing as the owner of a Midget team. From there, he purchased the Oxford Plains Motor Speedway in 1964 running the successful track until he sold it in 1986. Fulfilling a lifetime dream in 1989, Bahre built the New Hampshire International Speedway bringing big-league NASCAR racing to New England. He remains a staunch-supporter of Modified racing, hosting the division yearly. Inducting Bahre into the Hall of Fame was his former NEMA associate and longtime friend, John McCarthy.
As a pioneering Sports Car racer, John Fitch won on circuits in America and abroad. A veteran of such major events of the 24 hours of LeMans and a former Mercedes team driver, his interesting career led him to become an innovator in motorsports safety. Among his accomplishments are the design of the Displaceable Guardrail, and the Compression Barrier. He was the first General Manager of Connecticut’s historical Lime Rock Park. Welcoming Fitch to his spot in the Hall Of Fame was renowned sports car racer and owner of Lime Rock Park, Skip Barber.
Following an early career in drag racing, Roland ‘Rollie” Lindblad went-on to produce some of the most dominant short-track machinery in the sport. >From his famed “Badger” Midgets (banned by a number of sanctioning bodies due to the speeds the design generated), to the ultimate in Modified, Super Modified, and Pro Stock design, Lindblad-crafted machinery has claimed victories too numerous to mention. A multi-time champion owner in the Northeastern Midget Association as well as the International Super Modified Association, Rollie was inducted into the HOF class of 2009 by acclaimed award-winning auto racing journalist Bones Bourcier.
For fifty-six years, Preston, Connecticut’s Art Barry has been at the top of his game as one of the premier owner-builders in all of Modified racing. His former drivers include New England greats like George Summers, Bob Potter, Reggie Ruggiero, and Greg Sacks in naming just a few. Barry is the proprietor of SPAFCO and Spearpoint Auto, long-trusted entities in the chassis-building business. George Summers, himself a Hall of Fame member, inducted his close-friend and former car-owner.
As the owner of Thunder Road in Barre, Vermont, Tom Curley presides over the most successful short-track operation in America. Driving for a short-stint in the 1960s, Curly left the sport for a time, finally emerging as an official in 1978. He went-on to form ACT, the American-Canadian Tour in 1985. It remains one of the most successful series in the country. His role in the sport has led him to receive many awards including the RPM Promoter of the Year, and the Don MacTavish Award. Introducing Tom as a member of the Hall Of Fame was award-winning writer and longtime announcer at Thunder Road, Dave Moody.
An award-winning journalist himself, Hall of Fame member Pete Zanardi presented the Jack Ratta Memorial Media Award to the “Dean of American Motorsports”, 88-year-old Chris Economaki. The editor of National Speed Sport News since 1950, he played a pivotal role in the early days of New England auto racing. He announced at, among other places, Thompson, West Haven and West Springfield speedways. Economaki is also a member of the National Auto Racing Hall of Fame, and Midget and Sprint Car Halls.
Presiding over the Veterans Committee Inductions of late Midget racing star Bert Brooks, multi-time Northern champion Harold “Hardluck” Hanaford, and history-making female car owner and mechanic Bertha Small, was acclaimed auto racing historian R.A. Silvia.
Silvia himself was feted for his generous contributions as a long-time New England auto racing historian as he was presented the prestigious Danny Pardi Memorial Award by former NEAR President Al Fini. A friend to many, the late Pardi was one of the founding members of NEAR and remained a strong-supporter of the club right-up until his untimely passing.
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Sources: Dave Dykes/NEAR PR