with Race Voice
Sitting here, thinking back to the Wall of Fame inductions last night, I got to thinking. Dave Humphrey said something last night that kind of struck me funny. When he sat in the grandstands in May of 1946, the first time the gates opened here, he knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to race. But he was too young. He was 19 years old, just home from WWII. In the early years, you had to be 21 to compete.
Now a days, you can compete here at the age of 10 on a weekly basis, competing with the S.Y.R.A. It makes me wonder how far some of our heroes would have gone if they had that opportunity. Racing was certainly different in those days. One or two divisions to choose from in the early days, no rookie practices, rules that weren’t as restrictive, and cars that were much more innovative.
Then again, the safety was far behind where it is now. A leather helmet is all the drivers had. No roll cage, no 5 point seat harness belt, nothing. Many of the early pioneers were killed or seriously hurt due to some of the accidents.
These safety innovations have really made it easier for a lot of parents to feel comfortable letting their pre-teen boys and girls get behind the wheel on the race track. Walking through the pits last Saturday, I spoke with many of the Legends driver, and finding that some of them are as young as 12 years old. The safety innovations continue to evolve, giving peace of mind to the parents, knowing their children are as safe as possible. While it doesn’t guarantee there won’t be any injuries at all, they are safer than they ever have been.
Speaking of the Legends, and young drivers, Jake Johnson, at the young age of 13, picked up his second career Legends victory on Saturday. When he won on the final night of competition in September of ’15, he became the youngest Non SYRA winner in the 71 year of the track. Talk about the opposite end of the spectrum in age and experience between those inducted and young Jake.
Street Stock winner Tommy Adams is another of the young drivers coming up the ranks. He also picked up his second career win on Saturday night.
Keeping the youngsters in check were the other two winners of the night. 5 time Sport Truck Champion Mike Cavallaro and 4 time Pro Stock Champion Dave Darling. Both veterans were able to hold off the challenges of the younger drivers.
Speaking of the Sport Trucks, there seemed to be some confusion on what happened on the final restart. Mike Cavallaro took off as they got to the second line in the starting box, and the starters let the start stand, allowing Cavallaro to overtake John Paiva for the lead and the win. Other drivers stated the caution light was still on as the field came into the third corner, so they were under the assumption that they would not be going green that time, causing the leader of the race, John Paiva, to not take off as he usually would.
Yes, I watched the restart, and when the starters let it stand, my assumption was that John just did not go. I found out about the controversy later in the night. Was the caution lights out? I couldn’t tell you. I don’t know.
Coming out of the night, there was this note from Race Director Cory Boudreau to the Sport Truck competitors:
“Truck division we apologize for the miscommunication in last evenings racing event , going forward we will relay info more diligently.. and try to keep you informed. I look forward to seeing everyone next Saturday week #4 hope everyone has a great week thank you for your time. Pass this message on to anyone who is not on Facebook please
Cory Boudreau race director”
I can’t remember anything like this happening before, but the best thing to do when a mistake is made, is to learn from it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
So, looking at the stars that we have now, the champions, the winners, the drivers that continue to stay at the top of the board on a regular basis, who will have what it takes to make it onto the Wall of Fame?
There’s no doubt in my mind that Rick Martin, Fred Astle Jr and Dick Houihan will someday be on that wall, and maybe possibly the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame. But who else? Dave Darling? He certainly has the credentials. Gerry DeGasparre Jr? Mike Cavallaro? Dylan Estrella? Each of these drivers have at least 3 championships to their resume. How about Sparky Arsenault? Another 3 time champion. So is Nick Lascoula. What will be the deciding factor on each of their career accomplishments?
Now, it’s not my decision on who goes onto the Wall of Fame each year, it’s yours. The voting is public. When each of those, and others, are up for induction, be sure to vote for the most deserving driver. We will be putting up the next group for voting shortly. Be sure to help us in inducting the next drivers onto the Wall of Fame.
Being able to host the Wall of Fame inductions has been a complete honor to me over these past few years. The stories, the smiles, the memories, the tears have made lasting memories for me. I owe a big thanks to those that help me out.
This year, George Summers came in to help induct Leo Cleary. Unfortunately, Leo was not able to attend, as he had family matters to attend to in Florida. In fact, the whole family was down in Florida this past week.
Another thank you goes to Rollie Linblad. He was available, and happily so, to accept Leo’s award. Rollie and Leo had a ton of success here at Seekonk, and throughout New England. It turned out to be a perfect scenario.
Also, thanks go out to the office staff, making sure the details were done. Plaques hung on the wall, golf carts available, the plaques available to be handed out, the tickets ready for the guests, etc etc etc……. We have a great team here at Seekonk Speedway. I am super proud to be a part of it.