Preserving the History of the Dirt Tracks of Schuylkill County, PA
Our long awaited display of local racing history will soon be on view for the public. Thanks to the Orwigsburg Historical Society, artifacts from the archives of Coal Region Racing will be accessible to the public.
Photographs from the Larry Alati Collection will be available to purchase at this event. Larry was the first official photographer at Big Diamond Raceway. He was also responsible for the first track program and press releases of the racing results. He will also be attending the show.
The story of the12th county race track at Lakeside is now posted as is the story of the 15th track, Little Diamond.
Anthracite updates are now complete.
Watch for the update to Big Diamond in the upcoming days.
This undated image is courtesy of Irv Yeict sent to us by Dennis Somers.
These are the earliest forms of race cars to compete in Schuylkill County. This photograph is from the Schuylkill County Fairgrounds in Cressona, PA. In the very beginning of automobile racing, machines such as these were common at county fairgrounds tracks across the country. As you can see, they lacked even the most basic safety equipment. Many a driver was injured or killed because of this. Two fatalities were recorded here, the very first casulty on July 4th and the second on August 4th, 1935.
Irv Yeict was the owner of S & Y Paints in Pottsville, PA and was a huge supporter of local dirt track racing by sponsoring dozens of race cars of all types through the years.
Many thanks to both Irv and Dennis for sharing this priceless photograph with Coal Region Racing
These are the earliest forms of race cars to compete in Schuylkill County. This photograph is from the Schuylkill County Fairgrounds in Cressona, PA. In the very beginning of automobile racing, machines such as these were common at county fairgrounds tracks across the country. As you can see, they lacked even the most basic safety equipment. Many a driver was injured or killed because of this. Two fatalities were recorded here, the very first casulty on July 4th and the second on August 4th, 1935.
Irv Yeict was the owner of S & Y Paints in Pottsville, PA and was a huge supporter of local dirt track racing by sponsoring dozens of race cars of all types through the years.
Many thanks to both Irv and Dennis for sharing this priceless photograph with Coal Region Racing
A true pioneer of dirt short track racing and, more importantly, a member of the Greatest Generation, Paul "Whitey" Kerschner passed away on December 28th, 2017. The 91 year old resident of Blandon, PA served his country in World War II in the U. S. Army. As with many veterans of that era, after returning home and starting a family, Whitey launched a career driving a flathead Sportsman at many area speedways including the coal region tracks of Gold Mine, Circle M, and Mount Carbon.
In this photo from Gold Mine Speedway taken in April, 2015, Whitey was getting a few more laps in around the little 1/4 mile bullring as a passenger. He was overheard telling the driver she could go a little faster after making the first lap. After 3 more laps, each one faster than the previous one, he said she needed to slow down because she going too fast! His friends from the Reading Fairgrounds Historical Society who brought him there said that's all he talked about for the next few weeks.
Whitey accomplished something only 8 other drivers in the history of the fabled Reading Fairgrounds did. He won feature races there in the flathead stock car era and in the mighty Modifieds that followed.
He was honored by the Checkered Flag Fan Club in 2015 with the Dick "Toby" Tobias Memorial award. The following year, the lifelong member of the Reading Fairgrounds Racing Historical Society, was inducted into the Reading Fairgrounds "Home of Champions".
For those who knew him well or those who had the honor of meeting him just a few times, they will always remember him smiling, his sense of humor, and his winning personality. These traits made him a fan favorite anywhere he went.
Coal Region Racing would like to extend their deepest condolences to his many family and friends.
In this photo from Gold Mine Speedway taken in April, 2015, Whitey was getting a few more laps in around the little 1/4 mile bullring as a passenger. He was overheard telling the driver she could go a little faster after making the first lap. After 3 more laps, each one faster than the previous one, he said she needed to slow down because she going too fast! His friends from the Reading Fairgrounds Historical Society who brought him there said that's all he talked about for the next few weeks.
Whitey accomplished something only 8 other drivers in the history of the fabled Reading Fairgrounds did. He won feature races there in the flathead stock car era and in the mighty Modifieds that followed.
He was honored by the Checkered Flag Fan Club in 2015 with the Dick "Toby" Tobias Memorial award. The following year, the lifelong member of the Reading Fairgrounds Racing Historical Society, was inducted into the Reading Fairgrounds "Home of Champions".
For those who knew him well or those who had the honor of meeting him just a few times, they will always remember him smiling, his sense of humor, and his winning personality. These traits made him a fan favorite anywhere he went.
Coal Region Racing would like to extend their deepest condolences to his many family and friends.
Here are two examples of what early sprint car racers appeared as in the 1950's and 1960's at such tracks as Brandonville, Ringtown and the inner oval at Mount Carbon. Since photographs from those tracks seem to be non-exsistant, these two photographs from the Circle M Ranch Speedway Reunion held on September 23, 2017 show what the sprint cars from that era really looked like.
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Brandonville raced what were known then as "Big Cars", early forms of what we have come to know as today's modern sprint cars before the wings. This is what those cars had evolved into during the 1950' and '60's that competed at the big, flat Brandonville 1/2 mile dirt track.
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Mount Carbon was known to have and inner oval that hosted midget racing and early forms of micro-sprints during it's tenure. Circle M Ranch hosted at least one event in 1955 while Mahanoy City, Ringtown, and possibly Brandonville and Sparky's also raced these early racing machines.
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This recently discovered auto racing ad from the Lebanon Daily News dated October 12th, 1935, shows how racing events were promoted before the advent of television and the internet.
A special thank you to noted auto racing historian Larry Jandras, Jr. of Sykesville, Maryland for finding and sharing this piece of Schuylkill County automobile racing history.
A special thank you to noted auto racing historian Larry Jandras, Jr. of Sykesville, Maryland for finding and sharing this piece of Schuylkill County automobile racing history.
One of the early pioneers of the Street Stock division at Big Diamond Raceway recently passed away. Dave Blickley, who achieved an incredible win record in a very brief racing career, passed away on Sunday, August 13th at his home in Joliett at the age of 65.
Beginning in 1978, Dave took to the 1/3rd mile clay oval in a Chevelle powered by a Ceganick Machine Shop engine and certainly made his mark. Between his first win on July 6th, 1979 and his final checkered on September 12th, 1980, he would amass 12 feature wins. Three of the those would occur in 1979 with the remaining 9, which would become a single season win record, during his last year of competition in 1980. His win percentage of .405 would rank him 3rd all time and his 12 wins rank him 7th all time when the track was still known as Big Diamond Raceway.
In the years since his remarkable racing career, the 65 year old was a self-employed mechanic.
Coal Region Racing extends its sincerest sympathies to his family and friends.
Beginning in 1978, Dave took to the 1/3rd mile clay oval in a Chevelle powered by a Ceganick Machine Shop engine and certainly made his mark. Between his first win on July 6th, 1979 and his final checkered on September 12th, 1980, he would amass 12 feature wins. Three of the those would occur in 1979 with the remaining 9, which would become a single season win record, during his last year of competition in 1980. His win percentage of .405 would rank him 3rd all time and his 12 wins rank him 7th all time when the track was still known as Big Diamond Raceway.
In the years since his remarkable racing career, the 65 year old was a self-employed mechanic.
Coal Region Racing extends its sincerest sympathies to his family and friends.
The local racing community lost yet another of its brethren with the passing of Kenny Brennan on July 3rd at the age of 66. He lived in Cressona.
Kenny began his racing career at Anthracite Raceway driving a 1955 Mercury built on Llewellyn Road in Llewellyn and competed in the Hobby Car division. He was also a teammate to Wayne Evitts who drove a '56 Mercury nearly identical to this one but numbered 550. Both cars were kept on this same piece of road only a few hundred feet away from each other. At one point, he was also known to have raced a 1957 Chevy numbered 7A7 constructed very similar Searle Brown's '57 Chevy numbered A7.
After Kenny hung up his helmet, his brother Elvin would resurrect the family racing tradition and build a late 1960's Chevy into a Street Stock in 1980 and race for one year.
Now his nephew, Elvin III carries on the tradition having raced in the Road Runner class, similar to the old Hobby Cars, at Big Diamond for many years before joining the Street Stocks last season.
In his racing retirement, he belonged to the Cressona American Legion and the Forestville Fire Co. while being a long-time employee of James Quandel & Sons Concrete.
From everyone at Coal Region Racing, we send our sincere condolences to his many family members and friends.
Kenny began his racing career at Anthracite Raceway driving a 1955 Mercury built on Llewellyn Road in Llewellyn and competed in the Hobby Car division. He was also a teammate to Wayne Evitts who drove a '56 Mercury nearly identical to this one but numbered 550. Both cars were kept on this same piece of road only a few hundred feet away from each other. At one point, he was also known to have raced a 1957 Chevy numbered 7A7 constructed very similar Searle Brown's '57 Chevy numbered A7.
After Kenny hung up his helmet, his brother Elvin would resurrect the family racing tradition and build a late 1960's Chevy into a Street Stock in 1980 and race for one year.
Now his nephew, Elvin III carries on the tradition having raced in the Road Runner class, similar to the old Hobby Cars, at Big Diamond for many years before joining the Street Stocks last season.
In his racing retirement, he belonged to the Cressona American Legion and the Forestville Fire Co. while being a long-time employee of James Quandel & Sons Concrete.
From everyone at Coal Region Racing, we send our sincere condolences to his many family members and friends.
Coal Region Racing would like to thank the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing for allowing us the time on March 19th, to present the history of racing in Schuylkill County and its 13 known dirt tracks. We learned many more details about racing in our area as did the wonderful people at EMMR and all those who attended. Thank you to Dick Maberry, Dennis Somers, Wilmer Weiss, Roy Weist and Leroy Felty along with Mark Purcell of Mark's Service Center (son of Fran Purcell, Sr.) and Ned Beck for adding many details to the presentation. Hope we can do this again next year!
Coal Region Racing is proud to announce our website is now linked on the 3WidesPictureVault website. Check out their website if you haven't done so yet by clicking on their web address near the bottom of this page.
Bill Yerger, who constructed the Drick Hendricks 13X replica that competed locally at Circle M Ranch Speedway in Auburn, PA back in the mid to late 1950's, wanted us to list some of the unused parts that are sitting around his garage in Florida. If you are interested or have any questions about anything seen in this series of photos, please contact him directly at the numbers listed at the bottom of the parts list.
Anthracite Raceway
Aerial Views of the Dirt Tracks of Schuylkill County
Please be sure to check out these historical racing websites
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www.readingfairgroundsracing.com
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Thank you to Mark's Service Center for all the help and support in preserving the history of racing in Schuylkill County. |
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