Fred Borden Passes Away
NEAR Hall of Famer was 90
Fred Borden passed away on September 17, 2017.
Borden of Waltham, Massachusetts began his racing career at West Peabody, with at least two wins in 1950. He drove Sal Pinetta’s Jalopy to at least seven wins in 1952 at Medford Bowl, including an AARA record of four in a row.
Borden has an estimated 81 wins at Brookline, Medford, Norwood, West Peabody, and Westboro from 1950 to 1967. He also raced at Beech Ridge, Bryar, Hudson, Lonsdale, Pinecrest, Pines, Thompson, and Thunder Road. He won driving for Rick Falconi, Sal Pinetta, John Harty/the Harty brothers (in a one race deal) and Andy Smith.
He also competed at New London-Waterford (CT) Speedbowl.
“It was quite a racing career,” Borden said. Borden is the winningest driver at his favorite track, Westboro. “It was close by and we won more races there than anywhere.”
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By 1954, Borden was winning in the Cutdowns at Norwood Arena, including for Lee Spaulding.
“They were a little bit touchy, Borden said. “You had to be careful with them. … You couldn’t get on it right out of the turns. It would spin you right out.”
“I remember we raced down at Thompson,” Borden said. “We broke a record down there once; it was with Andy Smith the car #99.”
Borden won the 1956 Mid-season championship race at Norwood and finished third in the standings for John Falconi.
“At the beginning of his career, he ran the Medford Bowl in a car owned by (Pinetta), car owner Rick Falconi said. “I believe he had seasons where he won 20 or so features and they had a bounty on him for anyone who could beat him. That’s the story I heard when my father hired him to replace Joe Ross in his cut-down at Norwood. I remember them saying that he had won so much at Medford that he was ready for the big time at Norwood. … It was either 55 or 56 that he came to Norwood.”
His most successful partnership was driving the #10 cars for Rick Falconi. They won seven track championships, five at Westboro (1962-1963, 1965-67) and two at Brookline.
In 1962, his new driver Fred Borden led the old Brookline (NH) Speedway and Westboro in wins driving the Morton Welch flathead coupe. 1963 was an outstanding year; Borden claimed victories in 28 of his 32 starts.
“We had a good car, good mechanics, and good people,” Borden said. “All I remember is a few accidents and a lot of wins … I always started at the back of the pack.”
Borden retired in 1967.
Westboro closed in 1985. Borden owns the most wins at the high-banked quarter mile oval.
He was inducted into the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame in 2014.
Sources: Nicholas Teto/YankeeRacer.com
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