A crowd over 300 people attended last Saturday night’s 65th edition of the Metropolitan Auto Racing Fan Club (MARF) awards ceremony, which was held at the Mechanicsville Fire Hall. Three tracks were represented for their season-long campaigns that included Dominion (VA) Raceway, Winchester (VA) Speedway, and Maryland’s Potomac Speedway.
Reigning club president Matt Tarbox was overwhelmed with the support the event received. “We sold a little over 300 tickets this year and could have easily gone to 400,” Matt stated. “I’ve been a nervous wreck all day, and to see it all come together the way it did, I just can’t thank enough all the people who pitched in to make all this happen.” Tarbox intends to keep the club pointed in the right direction. “This is a great club with a lot of history with it.”Matt explained. “I plan to make as many improvements as possible with this club while I’m the President.”
Highlighting the evening’s festivities were the annual Hall of Fame awards, as six very worthy inductees took their place in the MARF record books. Accepting honors were Ronnie and Denise Hollidge of Potomac speedway, Dirt Late Model standout David Williams, Former Potomac Four cylinder driver Wayne Graves, longtime regional Dirt Late Model car owner Larry Fultz, 9-time Hagerstown (MD) Speedway Late Model champion Roy Deese Jr. and veteran Pure Stock and Limited Late Model driver Dennis Lamb.
Pre-Season Notes-
Late Model standout Jamie Lathroum has accepted the driving chores of Jonny Olivers Rocket no.67 for the upcoming Limited Late Model season at Potomac. Lathroum’s Late Model effort has been sidelined as the Longhorn car he drove last season has been sold, and his Andy Durham-built power plant is on a lengthy waiting list for re-freshening. Lathroum is no stranger to Potomac’s Limited class, as he’s collected 3 track titles and 35 feature wins during his class tenure…
Semi-Late ace Jasen Geesaman plans to call Hagerstown Speedway home in 2023. Jasen was a 4-time division feature winner last season and has his sights set on the 2023 track championship…
After parting ways with car owner Bruce Kane, Late Model veteran Dale Hollidge is still without a ride for the 2023 season. Hollidge has hinted about putting a Limited Late Model car together but stated he’s still waiting for the proper funding to make it happen…
Potomac Late Model driver Brent Bordeaux has sold his Rocket no.40 to the Cameron/Mann-owned team, as they will utilize this car as the team’s backup mount for current driver Tyler Emory. Car owner Pete Cameron stated they would hit as many of the higher paying races in the region for 2023 and compete with the ULMS Series…
Stevie Gingery, a Street Stock winner at Potomac last year, will be back with the class in 2023, piloting a car owned by his uncle Marty Hanbury…
Hall of Fame inductee David Williams will be back behind the wheel of the Adams/Quade-owned Rocket no.23 for the upcoming Limited Late Model campaign. Williams stated it took him just about all season last year to get the feeling he was looking for a should be a contender for the class championship.
The 2023 schedules for Winchester, Potomac, and Hagerstown have all been released and will be touched on in next week’s column.