ProNyne Motorsports Museum

10/11/2026

1994 Ward Burton qualifying at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the #31 Hardees car. Car was screaming! Ran a 185.755 mph average speed.
Earlier this year the pole average was 182.852 mph smh.

2014 was a year that didn't see speeds even close to what they were running in 1r previously and never have since and likely never will. 2014 Kurt Busch qualifying average was 198.771 mph!!

Charlotte is a super fast track considering its a 1.5 mile and the corners are not sweeping like Texas or Atlanta, and it has 24 degrees of banking. I don't know, I was down there for the Bank of America 500 in 2014 and to see them averaging close to 200mph laps was unbelievable.

10/11/2026

Coming to an end of the 2026 racing season. Only 5 races left in the Cup Series season and then its 12 weeks until 2027 Daytona 500!

With that being said, this will be the last time I share out our fundraiser until next season. For the new members of our community, we are a historic auto racing museum in Pawtucket Rhode Island called the PRONYNE MOTORSPORTS MUSEUM. We are a nonprofit organization 501C3. We keep the doors open the lights on and racing history continuing to repeat itself solely on the support from visitors and supporters who donate and help us continue to keep the legacies of so many drivers alive!

WE APPRECIATE EVERYONE! WE UNDERSTAND MONEY IS TIGHT FOR EVERYONE RIGHT NOW. WE APPRECIATE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!

The ProNyne Motorsports Museum is New Englands first museum dedicated to auto racing history. … Ric Mariscal needs your support for PRONYNE MOTORSPORTS MUSEUM

10/10/2026

Geoff Bodine won the 4th Annual Thompson 300 modified race on September 17, 1978, at Thompson International Speedway in Connecticut, driving the No. 1 "Big Red Machine" Pinto.

Race Overview & Results

• Winner: Geoff Bodine led all 300 laps from start to finish without a single lead change.

• Field: A massive 50-car starting grid qualified out of over 100 entries.

• Non-Qualifiers Winner: Forrest Huff won the non-qualifiers race.

Remixed and edited by ProNyne Motorsports Museum within there archives (orig. a Don Bartlett video)

10/10/2026

Sights and Sounds from the 1988 DEWITT CONCRETE/RICHIE EVANS MEMORIAL NASCAR Modified Tour Prerace festivities at Oswego Speedway!
Excellent footage for being 40 years old!

From the ProNyne Motorsports Museum archives (do not know who orig filmd it)

10/10/2026

Jimmy Spencer won the 1987 NASCAR Modified Tour Icebreaker feature event held on March 29, 1987, at Thompson International Speedway in Thompson, Connecticut.

Race Details and Highlights

• Date: March 29, 1987

• Location: Thompson International Speedway (Thompson, CT)

• Tour / Series: NASCAR Winston Modified Tour (Race #3 of the season)

• Scheduled Distance: 75 laps (approx. 46.875 miles)

• Winner: Jimmy Spencer

Footage from ProNyne Motorsports Museum archives

10/10/2026

Richie Evans coupe and pinto on display to pace the field in 1989 for the Richie Evans Memorial NASCAR Modified Tour race at Oswego Speedway.

The Richie Evans pinto was one of the few first cars Pronyne Motorsports had in our care/possession at this time.

ProNyne Motorsports Museum archives

10/08/2026

Today marks 48 years since Fred DeSarro had a horrific crash at Thompson Speedway (October 8th 1978). He would ultimately succumb to his injuries on November 1st 1978.

Fred DeSarro crashed on October 8, 1978, during a practice session at Thompson International Speedway (now known as Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park).

• The Crash: He suffered a severe skull fracture when his #3 Chevy Vega ("Ole Blue") suffered a stuck throttle and launched over the turn-three barrier/sandbanks during warm-ups.

• The Passing: He remained in a coma and passed away weeks later on November 1, 1978.

From the pronyne motorsports museum

10/08/2026

Prior to NASCAR sanctioning the modified tour, the RACE OF CHAMPIONS Started in 1951 at Langhorne Speedway and ran there until 1971. Then from 1972 til 1976 they tan it ay Trenton Speedway. Th we n for 1977, 1978 and 1979 they moved to thec2.5 mile triangle Pocono Raceway (DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY FOOTAGE FROM THE RACE OF CHAMPIONS AT POCONO ON THEC2.5 MILE TRACK,? If so, I would love to see it. I mean I probably should ask my father Ric Mariscal since we most likely have some footage. Then 1980 - 1991 they moved it to my personal favorite, the 3/4 mile infield oval at Pocono Raceway. The 199w through 1995 it was ran at Flemington
After that the RACE OF CHAMPIONS unfortunately lost its prestige and became a modified series starting in 1996.

*****WITH THAT BEING SAID, OUT OF THOSE 5 CONFIGURATIONS OF TRACKS THEY RAN THE RACE OF CHAMPIONS AT. WGAT ONE WAS YOUR FAVORITE!?

Fred DeSarro drove Lenny Boehler's "Old Blue" #3 to victory in a memorable photo finish over Bugsy Stevens at the 1974 Race of Champions hosted at Trenton Speedway in New Jersey.

Event Overview

• Winner: Fred DeSarro (driving the #3 "Old Blue" modified owned by Lenny Boehler)
• Runner-Up: Bugsy Stevens (Carl Stevens) in a photo finish
• Location: Trenton Speedway, New Jersey (the third year the event was held at Trenton after moving from Langhorne Raceway)
• Average Speed: 104.829 mph
• Margin of Victory: 2 feet
• Cautions: 9 cautions for 53 laps

Top Starting Field Highlights

• Paul Radford ( #26) – Started 1st
• Harry Gant ( #46) – Started and as we mosr likely
• Charlie Jarzombek ( #1) – Started 3rd
• Merv Treichler ( #58) – Started 4th
• Maynard Troyer ( #6) – Started 5th
• Lloyd Ashby ( #00) – Started 6th
• Sonney Seamon ( #60) – Started 7th
• Satch Worley ( #45) – Started 8th
• Richie Evans ( #61) – Started 9th
• Geoff Bodine ( #99) – Started 10th
• Bugs Stevens ( #15) – Started 11th
• Fred DeSarro ( #3) – Started 23rd (won the race)

*****BELOW IS THE PHOTO OF FRED DESARRO BARELY BEATING BUGSY STEVEN'S BY A COUPLE FEET IN 1974 AT TRENTON SPEEDWAY RACE OF CHAMPIONS!

THEY WERE FIERCE COMPETITORS ON T H E TRACK BUT ALSO GREAT FRIENDS. AS YOU CAN SEE IT WAS ALL SMILES ON VICTORY LANE!

from the ProNyne Motorsports Museum archives

10/08/2026

1969 at Fulton Speedway Season (Modified track champion Maynard Troyer)

• Track Configuration: In 1969, the facility operated as a 1/3-mile paved oval (known then as Mil-Ray Raceway or Fulton Speedway) before it was paved over and later converted to clay in 1978.

• Track Champion: Modified racing legend Maynard Troyer was the top-performing Modified driver and track champion at Fulton Speedway for the 1969 season.

The track originally opened in 1961 as a 1/3 mile paved oval called Mil-Ray Raceway (Millard Ben way and his brother Ray built the track). It stayed paved until the end of the 1978 season. In 1979 it transitioned to a 3/8 mile clay oval.

*****In 1986 Benway presented the first OUTLAW 200 event featuring small block modifieds. Dubbing it the Victoria 200 in honor of his rescently deceased wife. The event grew to be one of the most prestigious Modified races in the Northeast still running to this day. INFACT, THE 40TH ANNUAL 200 LAP OUTLAW 200 WAS JUST RAN THIS PAST SATURDAY OCTOBER 3RD! (It was a 3 day event in total Thursday October 1st through Saturday October 3rd)

Talk about a healthy car count....

There were 69 Modified entries for the 200 lap event

72 Sportsman entries for there 50 lap event

33 Stocks

34 NoviceSportsman

40 - 4 cylinder open cars

18 Mod Lights

27 Empire Super Sprints

21 Pro Stocks

Footage edited from the ProNyne Motorsports Museum archives (orig. Don Bartlett)

10/07/2026

A segment on the safety rules NASCAR implemented to keep the drivers safe! Footage is from around 1963 give or take a year or two.
Fireball Roberts qualified for the pole at thec1963 Daytona 500 at an average speed of 160.943mph! In traffic with the draft Johnny Rutherford sid a fastest lap of 166.161mph average speed the same year at Daytona. Top speeds of over 170mph and this is what they had for safety!! Gladiators!!

Footage from the ProNyne Motorsports Museum archives