DANBURY RACEARENA REUNION DRIVERS
DANBURY RACEARENA REUNION DRIVER

A suggested admission donation is $1 and items with the S.N.Y.R.A. Godfrey said that in addition to the cars and drivers, people can expect several events and activities, including 'Big Daddy Racing' - remote control race cars with the same colors and number as the cars that raced at the Danbury arena. This year's reunion will be July 31 from 11 a.m. 'They talk about old times and they say 'Remember when your wrecked me,' or 'I wrecked you,' or 'we had that accident?'' 'These guys get together now and everybody's friends,' Dinnen said. When the racers met up at the reunions, the rivalries were forgotten.

DANBURY RACEARENA REUNION DRIVERS

, who used to race at the arena and helps plan the reunions, said there used to be a lot of heated rivalry between drivers during the races. 'There was a lot of rivalry when the cars are on the track and everyone's trying to beat each other, but at the picnic everyone's a friend,' Evon said.

During the years the races were held, the group would hold an annual picnic at Hatters Community Park in Danbury, and Evon said they wanted to bring back the picnics' jovial atmosphere. The group held four banquets at the Amber Room in Danbury between 19, Seeley said, but the current reunions are the first ones to give fans a chance to get up close to cars and their drivers.Įvon said that when a few of the group members were talking about starting the reunions a few years ago, they were first considering a small picnic. 'I really feel sorry for people who don't have memories of the fair and the racearena.' 'They're in awe of seeing the cars, and of course they have no idea of what it's all about and their parents who were kids at the races will just greet the racers and talk,' Godfrey said. She said the youngsters have fun even though they never saw the races. Godfrey said that many of the fans who were young in the late 1970s brought their young children to the reunions.

DANBURY RACEARENA REUNION DRIVER

A popular one for conversation was when a driver crashed through a fence and hit a statue of one of Santa's reindeer. since the mid-50s, said every time the group gets together it talks about the same races. Jim Seeley Jr., who has been involved with the races and S.N.Y.R.A. 'It's just so much fun and you get so much gratification from seeing all the people and rehashing old times,' he said. 'Not only was it a big thrill for the fans, it was a big thrill for the drivers to see that after all these years they still have those fans who want their autographs.'Įvon said his favorite part of the reunions has been talking about old races. 'They were so engrossed in seeing the drivers,' Godfrey said. She said that 20 years later many of the fans who were young children at the time of the races jumped on the opportunity to meet the drivers in person. 'We never planned anything we never took a vacation until the end of October it was so much a part of our life.'įans of the races used to make heroes out of the drivers, Godfrey said.

Godfrey said her late husband's job as chief of Danbury Fairgrounds police made her family big fans of the races. He plans to bring it to display at the reunion.įans of the races, which started in the 1950s, would come every week when the races were held between April and October, Godfrey said. Surplus cars would be on display in the parking lot, instead of inside, she said.Įvon said he owns the car that won the last race held at the arena before it closed in 1981. 'We really don't know what to expect this year, we may get to a point where we may have to turn some cars away,' she said.

This year's event will also be held at the O'Neill Center, and Godfrey expects it to be at least as large. Godfrey said about 70 race cars of various styles were on display and about 3,000 people showed up. Last year, the event was held inside at the

He said 4,000 to 5,000 fans would show up at the tracks even when it was raining in hopes that the races wouldn't be cancelled. Dan Evon, who used to own a race car and helps run the reunions, said the race fans were no strangers to rain.

Danbury racearena reunion