This weekend's question: 

What race drivers lived near where you grew up/live now, and/or, what race cars were garaged near you/now?

Could be it was the same town that you grew up in... or maybe even on the same street....

Let us know the driver's name and or info on the car, along with the town/other where the car was kept, and let us know if you ever stopped by to chat or to take a closer look.

I'll get the ball rolling with the Norcia #81 "Black Horse Racing Team," with drivers Billy Osmun, Sammy Beavers, and others.  The car was built/kept on Black Horse Lane, not far from Rt 130 right near the North Brunswick/South Brunswick Township line.  I grew up about 3 miles from there.

Dave Bodine 69 and Dave Witte 7 in Washington NJ

I grew up in Whippany NJ and at one time in the late 60's there were five racers within two miles of our shop. Ironically the 73 was last to get into the sport. We had Tom Napolitano 151, Ralph Napolitano, Bob Benson B4, Joe Soulpy 13, and a Sprint car owned by I think a guy with last name Nicholi (sp). Ironically the 73 was the last to get into the sport. About five miles away the Messler #24 that Strupp, Hendrickson, and Tas drove . I honestly think these guys (who were all friends and brothers) highly influenced each other.

We weren't the only racers in town. Woodbridge cop and East Windsor sportsman driver George Cook lived in Woodbridge. We were all friends. Drag racer Pat Musi was one town over. The Chevrolet dealer I worked parts  at would deliver to Musi's shop. Lizy Musi wasn't a toddler. Lol

I grew up in Cookstown and for a while Jim Morris lived next door. He drove the #J-9 sportsman at East Windsor a few times. 

My great-uncle Frank Myronchuk lived in New Egypt. My dad would take me to his garage to see the #84 before the Trenton races. Gil Hearne lived next to Frank so some days he might be outside and we would visit him. I remember Bob Rossell stopping by one afternoon too. 

- David 

Moved a number of times but a list would include, Bob Rossell, Gil Hearne, Walt Emery, Herm Versnel, Charlie Kremer

I grew up in Denton,MD. We belonged to a church in Ridgely MD that happened to be in front of Modified driver Bobby Walls garage (70's to early 80's). Our Sunday School was held in the building beside the church. Funny thing was my brother and I rarely made it to Sunday School as we "got lost " and ended up hanging out at the garage with Bobby and crew as they would be servicing thr car after Delmar's Saturday night races where we just saw them less than 10 hours ago. Thanks for putting up with us Bobby and crew.

Allen

Ivins Voorhees that ran EWS and Wall Stadium sportsman lived 3 doors down from us in Fair Haven.  He drove a #201 at Winndsor and #44 at Wall.  I went to high school at RFH with future paved track star Pete Brittain.  Back then he had red #72's and won a sportsman feature at EWS.

ATMQRA current TQ driver Joey Bailey is from the same town. 

ATMQUA current TQ driver Joey Bailey is from the same town.  His family back in the 1/4 midget days would load up the cars up the street from me. I spoke to the father one time back then for about a 1/2 hour. Now one of the trailers is kept on a side street by me in Monroe.

I grew up in Westfield the nearest cars were located on the border of town at the time. In Mountainside a Shell station had a yellow coupe that ran Sportsman at Flemington. On Terrill Road in Scotch Plains by Rt 22 was a Red Mustang stuffed in a Garage Bay. The closest car was the Ed Darrell midget at the Gulf station in Clark. I mentioned that a few times here in the past. We would go to Burger King right down the road, and on the way back the Midget would be sitting in the far right bay. Sadly the Gulf Station was sold and then eventually torn down. 

Grew up in Edison, NJ. Dale Clickner 32A housed on Meadow Rd., Michaels Bros. 51M on Rosewood by my high school. Star 7, kept in body shop (Star Auto Body?) near Metuchen. Ed Kimble, Kimble's Garage in Linden lived around the block for a short time in the mid '50s & would sometimes keep the car in front of the house overnight. Tommy Cimpko was my uncles brother in law & would sometimes have various cars sitting on the farm on Grouser Rd. in Middlebush, if they were there during a visit I could check them out up close, I was fascinated by every detail about them.

Originally from Upper Black Eddy, Pa, so plenty. Hoop Schaible, the Monninghoff brothers, Jeff and Rod Hanna, Bob Stull, Horace Drake, Ray  Pursell, Chris Breithoff, and many others. We lived in nearby Revere by the time we started racing, within a few miles were Mike Auer, Bill Case, the Chuck Jones 28, Shawn Husvar, Ken Wismer, Jr.

Hatboro Area: deasey707. markovich 96, quinlan12 ,eiser73, John schmoltz, John marotz, lew Blair, coffey 27, Wayne kerper, zilly pat rissi, many more

Living in the Wall Township area my brother and I visited with John & Harry Megill quite often when John was running Windsor and Nazareth. Always enjoyed the visits and for a few seasons we'd go with them to Nazareth. 

Kyle Busch.... neighbor ,he has calmed down lately.  See him in the grocery store with the family. Not many shops on this side of the lake anymore, Mike Harmen is about it now.

HACKETTSTOWN, NJ - Don, Bob and Mike Hendershot (most cars #80;  Sandy Rochelle lived here;  Don Walsh (W-2) and Ron Zuckerman (73J) had their shop (RZ Engineering) in town; Bob Armstrong had #00 here;  Dave Pace kept his early cars at B&S Body Shop at 509 Washington Street and Bob Burke (the "B" of B&S) ran several #509 cars and last but not least my brother Norm's novice K-9 was sponsored by and stored at Hagaman's Shell, Hackettstown and Norm ran his #21 coupe from his store here "Norm's Auto Parts".  Ray Lemasters

I've mentioned this before that I grew up right next door to Chic Ronan on Monmouth Road (Rt 537) just outside of Jobstown, NJ. Chic owned/drove a limited sportsman from 1965 thru 1975.  Irv Emery (Emery's Garage, Rt 528, New Egypt) did all the work on our cars (Mom  and I) in the 60s and 70s.  Since Irv's garage was only about 15 mins. from my house, I would stop in even if he wasn't working on our cars. Chances were better than not that you would see Bobby Rossell, Frank or Larry Myronchuk, or even Pee Wee Griffin  at Irv's garage.  For awhile Gil Hearne worked for Irv so you were guaranteed to see him.  Since my Mom was good friends with Augie and Virgina Moschera, we would see them frequently, as well as their son Jackie, and son-in-law, George Idell. I recall that George ran a limited sportsman for a short time.  Don't remember the year but Al Tasnady was getting apearance money to run New Egypt (may have been called Fort Dix Speedway at the time) on either Wed or Thurs nights.  Augie supplied the hot rod which was a blue coupe with a red and white striped top # S-1a.  Was never a fan of Tas until I had the chance to talk to Tas at the Moscheras before heading to New Egypt/Ft Dix. Rooted for him after that. Also spent alot of time at Cal Mowrey's Exxon (corner of Rt 206 & 68, Bordentown).  Cal was a good friend of Chic's and also a limitied sportsman racer. Cal ran East Windsor and maybe Flemington in his red and white #7c coupe , which was a former Statewide hot rod.  Scott Ely  

Belvidere, NJ.  I hung out with Earl Howell, owner/driver of the Limited Sportsman #29. 

Jay Beers shared a building with Earl Hoyt who was also had an excavation business.  He had the Shandor 13 there one winter when he drove that.  He also built the 10 coupe in the new building he and Earl built that was across the 7th street from Earl Howell's place. 

Jack Coulsen kept his 25 and the following year the 22 at the Bend Mobil, his sponsor. on Water Street  I would hang out when the Jack was there. 

Brad Dalyrumple had a sportsman car #20 Falcon for a short time that he kept on Wall Street.   

Wayne Laucious kept his ATQMRA 3/4 midget at his body shop on Greenwich Street.  I hung around with Wayne; my Dad and I went to the races with him.  Pop even towed the cars a few times. 

Dick Lynch kept the 99 sportsman that Steve Christine drove at Shoemaker and Lynch Used Autoparts just out side of town off of Route 519 in White Township.  I would ride my bike or walk the railroad tracks out there to hang out (walking the junkyard was a plus). 

Crane's junk-yard was on the Belvidere-Martin's Creek road just across the river in PA.  Chet kept the 02 that Billy Tanzosh drove there,  He also had the 71E that Carl Van Horn drove in the early 60's slumbering in the junk yard.  It is now restored.

And,  other than my ill-fated Figure 8 car that was under construction when Nazareth announced that the class was dropped, that is it.  Of course, after I got my license, my roving area incressed.  I had the time of my life hanging out and crewing for Jim and Billy Ramm from Columbia.

I lived about a block away from where they kept the #22 Flathead driven by Tommy McAndrew and Paul Blatt. My friends brother kept it in their garage, or behind it, My friend and I would play race car driver sitting in the car.

Within a mile of my parents house were the mushroom plants in Temple where both Meme DeSantis Sr. & Sock Valariano maintained the H & J 14 's & the 6Jr Mushroom Specials & along the 5th Str. Highway, Hal Reifinger maintained the Bob Wertz owned #57's at his gas station when he drove for Mr. Wertz .  The service station sat right in line overlooking the Reading Fairgrounds . Bruce Young's #37 's could always be seen at his shop in Blandon behind his family's general store .    

lee devault, don garwood, al and mark horger, jim walters, tom and frank eppolite all lived within 2 miles of me.  lee and don were about three blocks from my house.  al was within a mile and frank and tom were 2 mi. away.

thanks paul aydelotte

Ken Davis 104 (Billy D, Paul Rochelle) was about a mile from where I lived. There was a driver (can’t remember his name) who lived a few hundred yards away. Harry Stickle was my high school bus driver. Whip Mulligan lived one town over and I went to high school with his son Lee.

Bill Tanzosh's barn race shop was right up the street maybe a mile away from my parent's house and Kevin Collins' basement garage race shop was another mile from there. If I had to guess, I hung out at Kevin's maybe 30 or 40 times and as far as Bill's shop goes, I was there a couple hundred times, sometimes every night or every other night for a while some years between 1976 and the early 80's--even in the off season, just to hang out with the guys. Del Buss was a couple miles south of us and I went there only a time or two. There was a barn in the alley by our house that at one point in the 1960's had a bare frame with a coupe body tacked on it--not much else--I think maybe it had axles and tires but not fully attached or finished. I used to ride my bike up to that barn and try to get a look at the race car through the small gap in the barn doors and check on the progress. But I don't recall it ever getting anywhere near finished. No one seems to know who that could have been or who owned it and that barn is long gone now.

Bill Tanzosh and Mel Stettler 1976 Nazareth PA

Kevin Collins 1977  (my old camera case there on the floor on the lower left) Cherry Hill (Nazareth PA)

Del Buss and Willie 1977 Hecktown, PA

Grew up in Laurys Station now home to Grandview's Ryan Grim.  Our bus passed John Kumernitsky's shop in beautiful Ironton and many of us peeked in daily.

Sal Mosschella used to keep the number 3 gemlin he drove at Pville speedway around 1977 or 78 that was the first stockcar that i worked on Sal was let go from the Jim Bruno 75 which was garaged 3 streets from my house the good olds of Pville speedway there were stockcars all over south jersey then

In Harmony NJ I went to school with Russ Stecker's sister. Russ was a top runner in the limited sportsman division at Harmony driving a blue #3 coach and coupe in the early/mid 1960s, and in our 4th grade she got me Russ's autograph (which I still have). 

Jay Beers and Joe Shandor shared a red limited sportsman #13 in Harmony's early years. Jay later raced a yellow #10 coach and coupe, Joe later raced a #13 in the hobby car division. Dick Kutzler raced a blue #000 in the hobby car and late model divisions. All three guys were also members of the Harmony Twsp Fire Company, as was my father, so got to know them and see them regularly. Their kids were also classmates of mine.

Jay and Joe's #13 was kept in Joe's garage on River Road, I always looked for it when we drove by. Russ's car was kept at the Stecker family farm on Belvidere Road, at times you could see it loaded up on the trailer. 

Years later, married with kids and living in PA, I worked in Phillipsburg NJ. My regular route to/from work took me down Lehigh Drive in Easton allowing me to pass by Tom Hager's garage. More often than not the garage doors were open and Tom was hard at work. Always a thrill to see the #43 and give Tom a wave.

Mark Lenhart and Kerry Schloder both lived within a mile of my home in Fairless Hills.  Ron Terlitz about 2 miles away, kept his car at the gas station.  About 5 miles away was the Taylor Garage in Fallsington. Got my first experience with alcohol when I made the mistake of walking behind the car while George Sr. had it running.  And my father grew up on the same street in Morrisville as Ray Neary, 1 block away. Across the street from Ray was Red Walker's garage. And 1 block over from my Grandfather's house was the Piscopo Bros. garage with the 39.

Had alot of cars and drivers around my dads car before my time as a kid Bob Rossell down the street in New Egypt Taylor twins down the road Moshera garage on lakewood road and abit older in our own driveway my brother Phil's 21H ,my 25H and my oldest brothers Tony's 50+ Jimmy Rossel 84 and old Myrochuck car,Then it was Eddie Crammer 115,Jimmy Spense 11S ,little Leroy Tayors 7 ,Richard Search 39,Jimmy and Micky Search 14 all within a few miles

Almost every day after school, I'd ride my bike over, and help hand wrenches.

Frankie Schneider, Rich Polenz, Bobby Pickel, Billy Pauch

Budd Olsen, Leon Manchester, Sonny Ponder, Pee Wee Griffin. Davey Jones, Dave Stanton. DRAG RACERS Phil Pyle, Herbie Richmond, Chipper Gerst, Frank Wurst.

FARMINGDALE,N.J.  #66 KEVIN CONOVER   ZX3 EARLY NOVICE AND MODIFIED--- LATER #32  JOHNNY LUHRS #99 RONNEY AYERS  [ BOBBYS AYERS  OLDER BROTHER ]  2 jr  VARIOUS DRIVERS   #33 DIRT CAR BUILT BY BILL MAUSER  [ TOM MAUSERS FATHER ]  THIS CAR RAN FLEMINGTON / EASTWINSOR USUALLY DRIVEN BY LEE TAYLOR.  THESE CARS EXCEPT THE 2jr CAME OUT OF OR CLOSE TO MAUSERS GARAGE WITCH I LIVED ACROSS THE STREET FROM.  WONDER WHY I GOT INVOLVED IN RACING?  FOR ME IT WAS AN EXCITING TIME!

mousey morris-beaver dam motors #5 dave hulse pt pleasant 

jack ely sr. # 10 sportsman -manasquan