Email Lew at lewboyd@coastal181.com
 

Each year we present the Coastal 181 award in conjunction with NEAR, the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame. The award goes to an individual who has made strong and continuing contributions to auto racing. This year the award was given at Speedway EXPO, and the recipient was Wes Pettengill of Salisbury, MA. Wes has been active with the supermodifieds for many seasons and recently has hosted a series of fabulously popular banquets called “Legends of Auto Racing.” Standing, left to right, are Racing Historian R.A. Silvia, Lew Boyd, and Wes Pettengill. Kneeling are NEAR President Pete Newsham, left, and author Bones Bourcier.

That’s 16-year-old Bethany Viets, a student from East Granby, CT. Daughter of long-time racer Scott Viets, Bethany has been looking really good on the dirt at Whip City. For ’08 she will be aboard Charlie Gunther’s midget. At Speedway EXPO, Bethany tried on a few modifieds for size. She said she did like the #181, but admitted that she hopes her first full-sized ride will not once have been driven by dinasours!

Coastal 181 launched our most recent book, ED OTTO – NASCAR’s Silent Partner, at the Indigo Lakes Golf Club in Daytona Beach as a part of Speedweeks 2008. Written by Otto’s son Edgar and journalist Joann Biondi, it details the dramatic contributions Otto made to the development of motorsports in the United States. Quite the group of racing luminaries showed up for the party, including Crocky Wright, Ralph Liguori, Rex White, Bill Wimble, and Frankie Schneider. In this photo that’s Jim France on the right with the book, Edgar Otto, co-author Joann Biondi, and Edgar’s wife Nina.
(Photo by Karen Wardle)

Here’s Dave Blaney and his son Ryan in the Coastal 181 booth at Motorsports in Atlantic City this January. Dave is holding a copy of the book on his family’s Sharon Speedway. Ryan, as it turns out, is a racer. He is looking really good in the legends cars. His dad isn’t bad, either.

Coastal 181 will be at Speedway EXPO again this year with a major presence.  The show is at the Big E in West Springfield, Massachusetts, from Friday, February 29 to Sunday, March 2, 2008.

Last year we sure had a lively cast of characters at our booth.  The moment that may have taken the cake, though, was when two of racing’s most accomplished comedians carried on about our books and videos.  They just don’t come any funnier than Kenny Wallace, left, and Pete Newsham.  Kenny was signing copies of his autobiography, INSIDE HERMAN’S WORLD. Pete Newsham, President of New England’s great racing Hall of Fame organization, NEAR,  had everyone doubled over in laughter, as usual.

Not sure what we can do to top that this year.  Perhaps Linda Vaughn?

On September 30th of 2007, Charlie and Mary Lima, the energetic couple behind New England’s Senior Tour Auto Racers (seniortourautoracers.com), held a reunion at the old Lakeville Speedway in Massachusetts. They certainly did their work getting ready.

The huge half-miler had not been open for 30 years, and the STAR folks literally cleared and cleaned the whole facility. Cars took to the track for parade laps, and that old Lakeville mystique was suddenly back.

That’s Ric Mariscal aboard the Coastal 181 coupe, bringing up the rear of this group. Ric is a major player in New England racing. Along with historian R.A. Silvia, he heads up the Pronyne Museum in Pawtucket, RI. It has a breathtaking collection of old time racing photos, records, trophies, memorabilia, and authentic race cars and equipment.

Now there’s a duo! Keith Herbst (right) has his glasses off, making a point with New York City’s own “Jalopy Jack” at Area Auto Racing News’ MOTORSPORTS show in Atlantic City, January 2007.

Keith authored DAREDEVILS OF THE FRONTIER, the acclaimed old-time midget and sprint car history published this year by Coastal 181.

Jalopy Jack hosts a racing phone-in information line that changes each week. You can reach it by calling 718-707-1052.

Jack Johnson, one of the winningest and most enduring dirt modified racers of all times, signs FONDA! books at a Coastal 181 signing. Jack is known for his edgy, on-the-gas, right rear style. He likely got it from watching his Dad and the other heavies of upstate New York "back ’em in" on the heavy dirt tracks of the sixties. "Barefoot Bob" McCreadie once said, "You only need to watch Jack run for half a lap and you know where he is coming from!"

Dick Berggren and Clint Bowyer solve the world’s problems outside of Coastal 181’s booth at the Speedway Illustrated Speedway Expo, March 2007. Maybe they were discussing what it must have been like for Clint to have just finished his first Daytona upside down. That really impressed Bergie – and all of us.

Ken Schrader and Joyce Standridge sign copies of GOTTA RACE! at Paducah International Raceway in Kentucky. The track has been purchased and revitalized by Kenny and his partners Bob Sargent and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

That’s Karin Fredrickson giving Chris Economaki the scoop on how she won the tricycle race at Speedway Expo in Springfield, MA this spring. Karin’s dad Karl is a modified racer and editor of Speedway Illustrated magazine.
Chris was at the Coastal 181 table at the show signing copies of his book,
LET ’EM ALL GO.

Susan Kelly Hearn sure can sign an autograph. Here she shows an inscription of MARTIN AND TJ 'S RACE CAR REPAIR, a children’s book she wrote for Coastal 181. The popular book is perfect for early racers aged 4-7 and includes a fun tool search at the end of the story .

Left to right, that’s Pete Hamilton, Eddie Flemke, Jr, and Paula and Ronnie Bouchard at the 2007 Spring Sizzler at Stafford, CT. The occasion was the launch of Bones Bourcier’s autobiography on Eddie Flemke, Sr, STEADY EDDIE. Would you pay a dollar to know what Bones is whispering in Paula’s ear?

An oldie but goodie! The late, great Kenny Shoemaker puts his John Hancock on a fan’s head at Fonda, NY Speedway. Our very first book, THEY CALLED ME "THE SHOE", was released that night. Folks came from as far as Chicago to see Kenny, but luckily most of what he signed were books!

Who says Buggo has never been to a book store!?! Here Bugsy Stevens engages a young fan at the Barnes & Noble in Windsor, CT. BUGSY -- The Life and Times of Bugs Stevens is one of the most popular short track books ever published.

He was moving so fast, we could hardly capture him! That’s the caffeinated Kenny “The Hermanator” Wallace plugging his book INSIDE HERMAN’S WORLD at Pocono. Kenny is a wonderful, guy-next-door kind of dude. But that doesn’t mean his book is any faster than his friend Kenny Schrader’s.