Danbury Racearena 1952-1981
by Kevin Brown

From 1952-1958, Danbury was a ½ mile dirt track. In 1958, during the season, the decision was made to pave the track. The driver’s raced in the dirt one week and on pavement the following.

The construction of the cars was almost the same for either surface. Cars were no more than stripped won coupes and coaches from the 1950’s. Roll cages were added, but were not much more than pieces found laying in the shop. Drive shafts and angle iron were common materials used. Doors still opened and had to be held shut with either a leather strap or piece of chain. A single door bar was the only production for the driver from a side impact. Helmets were not very useful, most were a plastic cap with leather side straps. Not much protection  compared to today’s technology. Seat belts were either someone’s pants belt or a piece of rope. No shoulder harness for those guys. Seats were welded to an old tire rim that was in turn welded to the floor. The more fortunate drivers used an old aircraft seat. Firesuits hadn’t even been thought of. Shirt sleeves and wingtips were the uniform of the day.

Cars were flat towed to the track. Spare tires were carried inside the car. If a car was involved in a wreck, the car had to be repaired in the tow home. IF the car was  beyond repair, it was common to purchase another car for $50 and have it ready for the next weeks race.

Not many remember the fact that the SNYRA didn’t race at Danbury in 1956 and 1957. The club ran in Arlington N.Y. The club returned in 1958 and ran there for the duration. Past champions from the 50’s include Bill Crew, Morris Waters, Chick Stockwell, Ev Pierce, Kenny Webb, and Paul Pettit. Other drivers started their careers in the 50’s and drive until the last 70’s. One young guy that comes to mind is Andy Montanari. He started in 1952 and drive until the late 70’s. Today he is still into fast cars, street rods are his passion.

This is just a glance at Danbury in the 1950’s. The 1960’s would see technology improve the cars. Faster speeds and more exciting races were the result.

The 60’s saw the cars become more sophisticated. People were coming up with all sorts of inventive ways to make the cars faster. In other words, they were chearing more creatively. Sturdier roll cages were installed and helmet technology were far superior. Not by today’s standards but leaps above the 50’s. The 60’s eras was dominated by Chick Stockwell and Jimmy Smith. Between them they on the point championship in 9 out of 10 years from 1960-1970. Dick Barlow being the only other driver to win a championship. He did it in 1964. In 1966 Jimmy Smith won the championship without ever winning a race. Not a heat, consi or feature. It was the only time it was ever done. In May of 1964 Jimmy Smith was also involved in the only race ever declared a tie at Danbury. In the Conrad Memorial race that year he tied with Don LaJoie. This was also Don LaJoie’s first ever feature win, but not his last. Don went on to have 50 feature wins in his career at Danbury.

I started to attend the races in the spring if 1967. The crowd I went with every Saturday night sat in the main grand stand at the exit of turn 4. I remember well the cars exiting the pits during warm-ups and doing their brake checks. I always loved the smell the cars produced at the Racearena.

One night is that the top of my list of memories, July 8th 1967. Anyone who attended that night should remember the story. It was the 50 lap Mid-Season championship race and they had a sell out crowd of over 9000. The gates were closed at 8:15. Two things happened that night.

Chick Stockwell had blown a head gasket on his 151 and had to borrow a car from the Rudenis Bros. team. The car was #23. On the very first lap of the feature, Lenny Webb was rammed from behind and sent sailing over the 3rd turn fence. The car landed on all four wheels and Kenny drove the car back into the track to a standing ovation. Chick started in the 22nd spot and by lap 20 he had taken over the lead. George Rzeszutek took the lead on lap 34 and held it until lap 27 when he had engine trouble. Chick regained the lead and was never really challenged for the win. As the car crossed the finish line, it ran out of gas and had to be pushed to the line for the trophy presentation.

The races that night and their finishing order:
1st  Heat (8) laps – Ev Peirce, Don LaJoie, Bill Darragh
2nd Heat (8) laps – Bob Janesky, Joe Campanella, Freddie Foshay
3rd heat (8) laps – Billy Bottge, Kenny Webb, Willie Beardsley
4th Heat (8) laps – Phil Smith, Bones Stevens
Feature (50) laps – Chick Stockwell, Jimmy Smith, Don LaJoie, George Bouley, Nick Giardina

As much as this was one of my fondest memories, the mose tragic was the night in 1968 when Joe Campanella had his horrible wreck. I was a Campanella fan from the beginning having been born in Ossining, N.Y., Joe’s hometown. Joe would recovered and try to comeback, but JohnW. Leahy himself banned Joe after he raced one time in an old Bones Stevens coupe. Even with his career cut short, Joe finished 4th on the all time feature winners list with 22. His last feature win was August 5th 1967. He was one of the best I ever saw and is fondly remembered by his fans.

The 1970’s  began what was to be a transition period for the SNYRA. The cars were becoming more creatively designed and the little flathead motors were just not up to the task. Parts were becoming scarce and very few racing organizations were still running the flathead’s. The rules still required the cars to run the same motor, body and frame combination that the car was originally built with. The club ran under these rules through the 1972 season. At that time it was decided that the club would allow overhead motor’s beginning in 1973.

1973 became a year of change. Flatheads were removed and new small block Chevy and Ford engines were put in their place. Danbury had a cubic inch rule and the motors could be no larger than 311 cubic inches. The reason for the cubic inch rule, it kept the cars from competing at other tracks which allowed bigger motors.

Motors were allowed to be set back. Firewall’s were either cut back or removed completely. The cars took on a totally different look in 1973. Chevrolet had come out with the 203 cu. In. motor in 1967 and Ford had the “Boss” 203. These became the motors of choice at Danbyry. What a difference it made in the speeds of the cars. The little coupe’s and coaches could really move around the track.

Opening night in the 1973 season was a real crowd pleaser. The very first heat race with the overhead motors was won by Archie Brill driving the Ford coupe #37 owned by Bud Squire. This car was originally a Dick Stebbins car purchased by Bud and run with both types of motor’s.

Many of the drivers  made the transition from the flathead days to the overhead. Names like Stockwell, LaJoie, Smith, Webb, Spada, Funk St. and Jr., Stevens, Brill, Bouley, Barlow, Book, Bottge, Layda, Ducanic, Beardsley, Pierce, Foshay, Giardina, Rzeszutek, Montaniari, Judson, Seymour, Sunderland and Jenkens, all drove in both era’s
The new stars of the seventies had names like Benincasa, Leary, Popowski, Patchen, Riley, Denis Pierce, Broderick, Kerslake, Smeriglio, Sasso, Perry, Scott, Nadeau, Horn, Lukos, Bonefoont, Cookman, Chowansky, and DInnen.

1974 saw another change. The Pinto revolution had begun. The bodies were now a combination of both Coupes, Coaches, Vega, Pinto and Gremlin style cars. Frames no longer had to be stock for the body style. Scout framed cars started to appear along with cars fabricated with 1957 Chevy frames. Cars were lower. By now, “stagger” had become a word known to many. With the giber motors, handling became key. Many different combinations were used. The Flemke front end was popular. Quick change rears were now allowed. This was a revolutionary time at Danbury.

Times were changing in the late 70‘s and early 80’s. Now chassis builders were coming into the picture. Maynard Troyer had been a name known throughout racing circles as a driver. IN the late 70’s he started to build and sell cars. Troyer cars were the hot set up. Driver like Jimmy Leary who had known only moderate success in previous cars, came into his own when he bought a Troyer care for the 1979 season. Johnny Kerslake would also purchase a Troyer car in the late 70’s. Bob Cuneo owned Chassis Dynamics and played a big part in driver Don Popowsk’s driving areer at Danbury. Bob also designed front ends for some of the cars. Fed Drumm used one in the ##45 Gremlin he drove. RGM Chassis was another  name known in Danbury circle. Drivers like Kenny Webb on the #21 and Richie Laytons #39 Pinto used RGM. Linblad chassis were used by drivers Bobby Horn #85 and Joe Chowansky in Mickey Speiers #55 Mustang II.

Many of the teams still build their cars the old way.  Don LaJoie never drove someone else’s chassis at Danbury. Bones Stevens continued to build his own cars. No matter who built the car, in the late 70’s cars were lower and nicer looking then at any other time. Speeds were up and the action was better then ever.

In 1979 came the Sportsman stars. La Joie, Drumm, Ginty, Plecity, Paswuence, Gunning, Hoffman, Bresson, Archiere, Stebbins, Hansen, Agor, Donnelly, Ely, Hutwohl, Cyr, Prior, Keeler, Meken, Ross and Barta. This division was basically a modified with a stock motor and 2 barrel crburator.

The Sportsman division made it’s debut on April 21, 1979. Although there was much skepticism about the division, it was a delight to see them run. When you think that not one of the sportsman division driver’s ever raced at Danbury prior to the opening show, the first nheat was run without a single incident. The winner was Lou Prior. Danny Archiere won the second and also won the feature on the first night.

John Hoffman was the first star of the sportsman division. Using consistency throughout the season, he became the first sportsman division champion. He won his first feature of the year of May 26th and on July 78th. He claimed his second. John was the only sportsman driver that year to qualify for all 14 feature races.

The 1980 season would be an exciting one. Art Davis would win the modified title with owner Ted Turiano and their Troyer built Chevy powered Pinto #32. John Paswneuce would win the sportsman title after a year long battle with rookie Randy LaJoie.

Art Diavis was the first Danbury resident to win the title since 1953. He did it by winning 5 heat races. # of the last either features and finished the year with 1040 points followed by Randy LaJoie with 1007 and Fred Drumm with 928.

During the 1980 season Chick Stockwell and Don LaJoie would battle back and forth for the lead on the all time feature win list at Danbury. Don with win his 50th on July 12th , Chick would pick up his 41st on July 19th. Don would pickup his 51st on August 23rd and number  52 on September 6th, putting him in the lead.

Going into the 1981 season, the fairgrounds had been sold to a developer. The 1981 season would be the last at the Racearena.
When the 1981 season rolled around, several new cars and drivers would be on hand for he final season. John Kerslake would have new Troyer mouns as would Art Dvis. Lou Funk Jr. would e using a Bo-Dyn machine in the 1981 season. Gone was the Rzeszutek coupe campaigned since the 1974 season. It was replace by a Troyer car purchased from Jim Leary. Chick Stockwell would be driving a Chassis Dynamics car owned by Lou Funk Sr. Rit Patchin would still be teamed up with Peter Maxted and Troyer Pinto for the season. Al Gombos in the sportsman rans would be the lone couple bodied car in 1981.

Rookie modified drivers for the 1981 season included Ray Ackerly, George Cipows and Billy Stebbins who would move up from the sportsman division. In the sportsman division Harry Hansen, Gary Syer, Ron Barrett, Paul Jackson and Serman Fobell.

For the sixth time Chick Stoockwell would win the “Most Popular Driver” award in the modified division and John Pasquence would win in the sportsman division.

A practice session was held on April 4th. Opening night for the final season would be April 11th. Little did anyone know the kind of  seasons the LaJoie race team would have when Bob Riley won the opening night modified feature. Randy La Joie would pick up his first of many sportsman features the same night.

September 12th was week twenty-three. Lou Funk Jr. would capture the 50 lap Leahy Memorial trophy in the final points race of the season. In the sportsman feature no one was declared the winner as the race was called after 14 laps. 15 was needed to make an official race. Time was getting short and with all of the accidents it was decided to call it to get the 50 lap modified feature going. At the end of the night, Rit Patchen and Randy LaJoie would be declared the final point champions at Danbury.

September 19th would be the final night of racing at the Racearena. The Racearena 100 would be won by Bill Layda and the final sportsman race would be won by Sean Donnelly.