***PAINESVILLE SPEEDWAY***

...Comments by Daniel Chervenak:

Johnny Ray (now deceased), raced 'Rat Racers' in Sport Stocks at Painesville. His last car was a 57 Chevy.

You had a class at one point called 'Hurricanes' where they used 6 cylinder full sized hardtops or convertibles in the 60's.

Painesville Speedway once had 'Pony Car Class', which consisted of: Camaros, Mustangs, Challengers, etc. with drivers such as: Bob Burt, Lanny Laughlin, Bob Smelcer, and Ray Thomas.

Before Sportsman, they were called 'Sport Stocks'... And Bob Fatica is the only one left who raced them then and now. He first started in spectator stocks and then moved into sport stocks in the late 70's when they created the class.

Some of the drivers from these classes: Jim Sharpe, Marc Colegrove, Mark Ungar, Joe and Denny Vargo, Mickey Caranci, Leroy Caranci, Dan Fults (First 4 time sportsman Champ), Kenny Bender (First 4 in a Row Champ), Mayo Spence, Dale March, Jim Cohagen, Gordon Allen, Dave Lawson, Giselle Evola, Denise Williams, Stu Martin III, Alonzo Henderson.

From '73 to '79 you had a class called 'Superstock', which would later evolve into Super Latemodels; they ran in what was called the 'Russ Rubino Buckeye World Series of Racing' that would include Painesville Speedway, Lorain Speedway and Cloverleaf Speedway.

Super Latemodel Drivers: Rusty Adams (First 3 in a row Champ at Painesville), Kenny Adams, Thingy Adams, Muttly Kurkowski (1983 ASA Rookie of the Year), Terry Adams, Glen and Marc Bolen, Denny Vargo, Bill Neubert, Brian Volk, Bill Dave (Not Billy Davis).

You've also had some great figure 8 racers: Spyron Figure 8 Team (Usually about 6 to 8 cars), Track Patrol (The Mason Brothers), Big Daddy Fade, Kyle and Bubba Matttson, George Puskas, Herbie Reynolds (Greatest Figure 8 Racer Ever), Jeff and Craig Marvin, Jeff Kokish, Kenny Bender, Ray Fairbanks, Of course the Infamous Joe March (Also Good), Bill Lett Jr. (Now in North Carolina building Street Stocks, racing and in a Stock Car Racing magazine article).

Some other notable:
Jeff Hooker, who went to race in Winston Cup, raced at Painesville Speedway.
Kenny Adams would go on and race in ASA.
Muttly Kurkowski of coarse in ASA.

These are just some of the tidbits about the track. It would be great to have an 'Oldtimers Night' to remember some of these guys before they all pass.

Other drivers in Rat Racer or Sport Stock: Ray Kieran Sr., Gary Ahola, Joe Caranci, Jim Taylor, Jim VanGunten Sr., Jay Kovacs, Larry and Mike Winters (Shifters Dad). Slow John Marcuson, Bill Serles (Great local Black Racer), Herb Gindelsberger, Jake Walker, Jimmy Lewis, Gary May, thingy and Rich Krotz, Tony Delillo, Thingy Arnold, Don Fitzgerald, etc.