Here’s another image from the formative years of Connecticut’s former Plainville Stadium. George Clark was one of the best at Joe Tinty’s racy little ¼-miler during the much-heralded “Coupe Era.” We’re not-sure of how-many features George scored, as Plainville records are sketchy at-best. However, a scan of our collection of early copies of Illustrated Speedway News indicates that he was quite the racer during his era. In later years, George became a NASCAR official. (Photo Courtesy Tom Ormsby).

Captured here following a feature win at Plainville Stadium during the 1953 campaign when he was the chauffer of the Gaudiani #99 cut-down, popular Joe Palenski was also a main event winner on the United circuit at Riverside Park where he scored a total of 4 features between 1954-1959. (Photo Courtesy Tom Ormsby).     

One of the real pioneers of the New England Modified scene, Buddy Krebs was simply among the greatest racers to ever strap-in behind the wheel, especially at Massachusetts’  late Riverside Park Speedway as captured here. Inducted into the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2000, Krebs started racing in 1947, and before it was over, won an estimated two-hundred features while competing in Modifieds, Sportsman, and Grand Nationals. Among his accomplishments were six Riverside 500 victories – a record never broken. Known primarily for his feats during the Tattersall/United era, he won at virtually all the tracks that once dotted the New England landscape including the late Plainville and Candlelight Stadiums in Connecticut, and Millers Falls and Westboro Speedways in Massachusetts. A founding member of the New England Antique Racers, Buddy passed-away in January of 2006 at 74. (Photo Courtesy Tom Ormsby).            

Plainville Stadium could be a tough-joint, and skirmishes were frequent on the flat little Connecticut ¼-miler. This classic early-1970s image at “Tinty’s Place” captures the #22 of Nick Nickerson, “Lil' Dan” Gaudioso in the potent Sharkey #4 coupe, and Bill Brown in his #100 coach mixing-it-up “Stadium-Style.” (Photo Courtesy Tom Ormsby).

While it was a short oval, Plainville could pack a wicked-punch for those drivers that got on the bad-side of her. See here reeling after an impact is Skip Ziegler in his familiar #126 coach. In the hat & red jacket on the left is New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame member the late “Moneybags Moe” Gherzi, who at the conclusion of his accomplished racing career became the longtime Racing Director at Plainville. Also behind Moe int the white driving suit is another of the greats, Elton Hill. (Phil Hoyt Photo).

Nicky Porto remains one of the best to have ever-competed at Plainville Stadium. Another driver that spent the formative years of his career competing at West Haven Speedway where he snared multiple victories, his reign at Plainville was nothing-less than spectacular. Leaving the local scene for a brief period in the mid-70’s, he headed to Riverside Park during what was arguably one of that track's most-competitive eras becoming an almost instant feature winner (May 17, 1975 to be-exact). Porto later returned-home to “Tinty’s Place” picking-up where he’d left-off as a winner. (Phil Hoyt Photo).                

That's it for this week. Email me at: foreveryounginct@gmail.com