Pittsburgh Circle Track Club Photos
2006 Season Awards Banquet - January 27, 2007
Photos by Jody Halbedl
Higher quality reprints available upon request

Banquet Highlights by Don Gamble

The Pittsburgh Circle Track Club Annual Awards Banquet

The Pittsburgh Circle Track Club celebrated the 30th Annual Awards Banquet on January 27th at the Days Inn of Butler. Music was provided by R & R Music with Rick Kohler and Dave Conley. The evening started with the introduction of the officers and board members…President Robert McWilliams, Vice President John Miller, Secretary Jill Folkmire, Financial Officer Bob Stanford, Social Committee, Ginger Meloy & Cheryl Kennedy, Photographers, Bill Truby & Jody Halbedl, Historian Dave Burt, and Statistician Dave Slade.

Board Members include: Don Dahle, Don Folkmire, Don Gamble, Kathy Miller, Bobby Neill, Art Osmer, Marsha Schempp, Greg Simmons, and Jim & Jerri Slade. The Hall of Fame Chairman Walt Wimer, Committee members, Bob McWilliams, Don Dahle, Don Folkmire and Marsha Schempp

A Special thank you for Jerri Slade, Jill Folkmire, Bob McWilliams, Bob Stanford, John & Kathy Miller, Cheryl Kennedy and Alyson Rafalowski for helping with the awards presentations.

Special guests in attendance included: Gary Risch Jr., Vicky Emig, Mike Leone, Mike & Margaret Graham, Jack Crowell #1 Cochran Automotive, Jack & Jeanne Cooley from Twin State Auto Racing Fan Club, Estle Harp & Cindy Drushel from E-Racers Go Kart Park, Alan & Craig Neil, and Jim Steigerwald.

Friends in racing that passed away this year were acknowledged prior to the dinner. Dolly Angelicchio, Eric Betz, Jerry Bradich, Dave Cochran, Larry Germek, Jimmy & Stephen Nicola, Ralph Spithaler Sr., Al Straka, Ruth Viglione, and Linda Wirtz’s father Phillip Gallagher…

Appreciation was recognized to the following people: Jack Crowell, #1 Cochran Automotive, Estle Harp, Eracers Go Kart Park, Chuck Kennedy's Auto Sales, Haas Construction, S & S Repair and Remanufacturing, H.L. Bartley Trucking, Bobby’s Lounge, Isiminger’s Pennzoil, and Jamine’s Custom Cuts, special thanks also to Outdoor Life Lodge, Kelly’s Family Restaurant, Lias Tire, Trophy Works, Gear Designs Inc, Fox Trucking, Fox Water Service, and Linda Fennell for their contributions in to-night's banquet as well as their support during the season…

Current Hall of Fame members in attendance included: Gus Linder, Smokey Schempp, Walt Wimer, Jack Crowell, Bob Stanford, and Chuck Kennedy. The 2006 Hall of Fame inductees was a very prestigious group. Joe Borandi built his first car in 1949, a 1935 Chevy sedan. In 1953 Joe built a new car for Ed Fiola and the team broke all the records. Fiola won twenty six feature events. The team was the NASCAR PA Point Champion and finished sixth in the National Point Standings. That year Joe’s car won track championships at Latrobe, Claridge, Arden Downs, and Turnpike Speedways. The team received an invitation from Bill France Sr. to race at Daytona Beach in 1954 but mechanical problems spoiled the trip. Some of Borandi’s drivers were Jim Coleman, Irv Leach, Dick Bailey and Gus Linder.

Tracks where the team competed included Arden Downs, Blanket Hill, Butler, Canfield, Claridge, Debo Park, Ford City, Heidelberg, Langhorne, Latrobe, Mon-Duke, New Kensington, South Park, Spring Church, and Turnpike Speedway. Several of Borandi’s drivers, Fiola, Bailey, and Linder are in the Pittsburgh Circle Track Club Hall of Fame.

Carol Halbedl and his four sons have built a large number of pure stocks, amateur stocks, four cylinders, and e-mods for over thirty years. His daughter Ruth is Mrs. Red Miley. The Halbedl family’s roots in racing run deep. Carol has worked at the track with a tow truck, parts service, and tires for over thirty years. Carol Halbedl was a driver, car owner, builder, and mechanic 1953-1982. He started his career in a modified coupe at Green Valley Speedway. Raced in the Pittsburgh Racing Association, North Hills, Greater Pittsburgh Speedway, and several Outlaw tracks in the area. Many feature wins in the figure 8 division. He worked on Nick Garin’s cars and built Johnny Johnson’s first racecar. He competed on dirt and asphalt.

Carol was the owner or crew member for several cars driven by son Kurt. Kurt has over 100 feature wins, championships: 1981 street stock, Motordrome, Cavalcade. 1987, 1989 4-cylinder champion at Jennerstown. 1993 UMP Champion and 1994 E-Mod Champion at PPMS. He has competed on dirt and asphalt in seven different racing divisions; street stocks, four cylinders, e-mods, limited lates, late models, and pure stocks. Tracks include North Hills, Lernerville, Motordrome, Jennerstown, Sharon, and Pittsburgh and New Smyrna Speedway.

Dave Hoffman of Renfrew is one of the top Late Model drivers of all time in the western PA area. Hoffman started at a young age in the early 1960s driving in the old six-cylinder “Hardtop” coupes back before there were any “Late Models”. One of his early rides was the #169 of Bob Rodgers. He moved into Late Models around 1968 with one of his first rides being the gold #42 Ford owned by Ron Stanley. He later drove for such well known car owners as “Tub” Tessean, Bob Brockett, Gator Harris, Skip Bertges and Tom Glass, winning many times for all of them. He is believed to have won a total of 299 feature races, most of them in Late Models. He won four Lernerville Late Model titles including three in a row 1975-77 and came back for a fourth one in 1991. Those four titles included two for Tessean and singles for Brockett and Harris.

Rollie Smith got his start in stock car racing at Samson’s Speedway later renamed Mon Valley Speedway located outside of Monongahela, PA. He was a mechanic on a car driven by a friend. Rollie entered four of these events and won all of them. He realized that racing the cars was a lot more fun than fixing them.

He built and maintained several of his cars in the early days. He raced at Mon Valley Speedway and other tracks in the area until 1955 when he became a regular with the Pittsburgh Racing Association. He competed at Heidelberg, South Park, Mon Duke, and William Penn Speedway.

His favorite car was the V8. Other cars that he ran in the PRA were, 38, 27, 44, and 24. In 1962, he became a regular competitor at the Greater Latrobe and Jennerstown Speedways. When Motordrome Speedway opened in Ruffsdale, he ran there on a regular basis. Although the V8 was his favorite car, he had the most success running the George Kittey, McGill Motors #4. He continued to race in the late 60’s and early 70’s.

Gary Risch Jr. accepted the Art Smillie Award for Linda Fennell who was unable to attend due to illness.

The Ruth and Glade Neil Memorial Sportsmanship Award is presented to someone the represents Youth Involvement, Family Awareness, Fan Involvement, Sponsor Involvement, Commitment to Excellence, is an Ambassador to Racing, and Lends a Helping Hand. The award presented by Alan and Craig Neil to Marsha & Smokey Schempp.

Bill Steinbach Memorial Media Award is recognizing an individual who carries on the task of telling everyone about the greatest sport in America and for the promotion of Auto Racing in Western Penna. This year’s award went to Walt Wimer. Wimer has quietly celebrated his 39th year covering racing in Western Pa. Wimer currently writes for RPM MAGAZINE, and does a regular radio report for RAPPIN” on RACIN’. He also compiles a point listing for all the divisions in Western PA. and awards the Western PA. Cavalcade Rookie of the Year Award and the #1 Cochran Automotive Cavalcade of Champions Award. Walt has a wealth of racing knowledge. Within his archives is perhaps the most complete set of records on Western Penna. Racing. Walt has books with the top three finishers from just every local racetrack and dates back to 1968. He has covered about 90 to 95 percent of the races run in this area for the past thirty years.

Walt has spent time behind the microphone at virtually all the tracks in this area. His regular jobs have included Mercer, Penna. Motor Speedway, Sharon, and Tri-City. His wealth of knowledge extends to all types of racing, at any number of tracks. While many associate Walt with the Modifieds he is widely respected in other areas of the sport, and greatly enjoys many types of racing. He is a member of the National Sprint Car Poll, and usually can be found at the ASA races when they visit Jennerstown. He doesn’t mind people associating him with the Modifieds, but hopes people realize his interests do extend beyond that division. TSARFC Bud Crum Memorial Good Guy Award Walt Wimer

The 2006 Rookie of the year is Richard Mason, Young Gun Driver at Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Motor Speedway. This year’s champions were Ryan Young Go-Karts, Fred Casagni Senior Series, Robby Torrens Amateur Stocks, Craig Kamicker and car owner Bill Dietz Pure Stocks, Russ Dunn and car owners Dan Dunn and Dave Olivieri E-Mods, Crate Late Models Dirt, Kirk Young, Lou Bradich and car owner Bill Kessler Jr. Dirt Late models, Adam Kostelnik Asphalt Street Stocks and Asphalt Modifieds, Jimmy Stokes Chargers, and Richard Mason the Young Guns.

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