Upstate New York, mid 50's, Saturday night....you were probably at the drive-in with the smell of hot buttered pop corn or you were at Fonda Speedway where oil smoke, spent gasoline from open headers and burnt rubber filled your head. And your popcorn had a sprinkling of clay dust.
If it was the latter, like me, you were the lucky ones.
Seems like, at this time, everyone had a hero, b-ball, f-ball or what ever. Mine drove a black 37' Ford coupe with white flames and red #22 on the door.
My hero was Pete Corey. Winner of the 1955 Langhorne Championship race.
(BTW,...some say that's how Fonda got it's nick name "The Track of Champions").
Pete Corey. You didn't have to like him. Lord knows many fans and competitors didn't and I never fully understood why.
Maybe it was that special gold metal flake helmet of his or that cocky swagger or maybe that cold stare that left you with no doubt of his seriousness. I don't know.
Serious.....Oh, he was absolutely serious. Ask any competitor how he felt about having Pete Corey tapping his bumper with two laps to go in the feature. Pete didn't come to Fonda or anywhere else to finish second.
I do know from the first night I saw that black #22 run and Pete smiled and shook this twelve year old's hand......I've been a Pete Corey fan.
Photos are believed to have been taken by Russ Burg, Fonda track photographer
updated by @dave-wager: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
