Remembering Iron Mike
Got some time to spare? Like a funny story? If the answer is “yes” to both, catch Northeastern Midget Association president Mike Scrivani Jr. and request a tale about his late dad “Iron Mike” Scrivani Sr. Be prepared to laugh.
Saturday night June 22 NEMA and the NEMA Lites will run the “Iron Mike” Memorial at Monadnock Speedway. The affair memorializes one of the club’s most iconic characters, a charter member of NEMA who left behind a host of “stories” on his passing on Feb. 28, 1983.
Proprietor of the legendary “Mike’s Truck Stop” in Waltham, MA, Scrivani’s car-owning career began in the 1930s with the Big Cars and it included a successful run with the Modifieds in the late 1960s and early 70s, but Midgets, were clearly his first love.
Jerry Russo drove the Scrivani car in NEMA’s first race at Seekonk Speedway on Memorial Day of 1953. The first of many wins for the Scrivani team came in 1956 at West Peabody with Russo aboard.
Butch Walsh and Nokie Fornoro won NEMA championships in Scrivani cars and are part of an extended list of drivers to have won in Scrivani equipment in both NEMA and ARDC. The group includes Dave Humphrey, Ray Burke, Dick Brown, Leigh Earnshaw, Hank Williams, Al Pillion, Billy Eldridge, Al Herman, Gene Bergin, Bert Brooks and Johnny Coy Sr.
Before Iron Mike’s induction into the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame in 2008, young Mike was convinced to reminisce about his dad. Coy’s win at Stafford was among the stories.
The family had two cars at Stafford, the upright wrenched by Mike Jr. and a Badger under the care of long-time family confidant Hop Harrington. It amounted to a car in each of two warring camps. They came to Stafford, stockcar ace Geoff Bodine in the Badger and Coy in the upright. Coy passed Bodine on the last lap to win.
“Hop came unglued,” Mike Jr. continues. “’You beat the hometown favorite he yelled. The place would have gone nuts if Bodine had won.’” Coy, however, wanted none of it. Mike Jr. being in the owner’s championship battle (which he won) was also a factor.
At first, Mike continues, “the old man didn’t care. It was a good race. Then he reconsidered. He was always an upright guy. He loved the uprights. He used to call the badgers door wedges. He decided he liked what happened.”
Sources: Pete Zanardi/NEMA PR