Wayne “Mr. Mysterious” Smith claimed most of his Waterford Speedbowl success in the support-division classes, his full-fender endeavors being of the championship variety. As this shot illustrates, “Mt. Mysterious” also turned some laps in the Modified wars at the Connecticut 1/3-miler affectionately known as the “Shoreline Oval.”  This little coupe was one of his earliest efforts in Waterford’s premier division (Dugas Photo).         

Few drivers of the much-heralded “Coupe Era” were more traveled than New England Auto Racing Hall of Famer, Billy Harman. Growing-up in the shoreline community of New London, Ct. it was only natural for the speed-crazed young kid to get-involved with the happenings at a track located just outside his hometown. After many successes in his backyard, Harman took to the road, maintaining a hectic schedule that rewarded him accolades at venues from coast-to-coast. This 1960’s pitside shot captures Billy with car owner Dick Brooks at the track where it all began for him, the “New London-Waterford” Speedbowl. (Dugas Photo).  

It’s August of 1978 at Connecticut’s Waterford Speedbowl, and this one captures Chris Banta and crew celebrating in victory lane following a mid-week Street Stock event. Banta had competed in the class since its introduction in 1977, and remained one of the division’s top drivers for a number of seasons. The Street Stocks eventually developed into Waterford’s Late Models. (Kennedy Photo).

Seen here during the earliest days of his career as a Novice division pilot at the late Connecticut ¼-miler known as Joe Tinty’s Plainville Stadium is Jo Jo Farone. Member of a Connecticut racing family that also included the late Butch “Seymour the Clown” Farone and standout Stadium competitor Beetle Farone, Jo Jo progressed from these humble beginnings to wheeling Modifieds in the New England region. Plainville’s support divisions always had high car-counts and were ultra-competitive. This guy was one of the top racers in the class. (Faust Photo).    

Winner, mentor, and innovator, few individuals meant more to New England Modified racing than the late “Steady Eddie” Flemke. Starting his career during the emerging popularity of stock cars in the post-war era, it’s estimated that he won over 500 feature events during a career which spanned 3-decades. Along the way, he helped many young drivers get their starts, including Daytona 500 winner Pete Hamilton. As an expert car builder, he designed the “Flemke Front End” a chassis component that remained the standard in Modified construction for years. This shot captures Eddie and the Bob Judkins crew after a Plainville Stadium open competition victory. Both Flemke and Judkins are members of the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame. (Hoyt Photo).             

In the “RTT” archives are a number of early photos that are unfortunately, filed under the “Unknown” category. This is one of those shots. We can tell that the location is definitely what was then known as Connecticut’s “New London-Waterford” Speedbowl, and that it’s the 1950s. If anyone can identify the chauffer of this spiffy-looking little #71 coupe, please feel-free to contact us! (Shany Photo).

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