DIRT North East Hall of Fame to Honor W. PA's Modified Owner, the late Joseph Pitkavish

http://www.autoracingdaily.com/article.php?cid=11440

The DIRT NorthEast Hall Of Fame Inductions will take place at the DIRT Headquarters located at the Cayuga County Fair Speedway in Weedsport, New York (13166), May 28, 2006 at 2:00pm. The 2006 induction ceremonies will take place in the Hall of Fame and Classic Car Museum. Glen Reiners, Kenny Brightbill, and Bob "Barefoot" McCreadie are the honorees. The Management of Lernerville Speedway is proud to announce that the "Gene Dewitt Outstanding Car Owner" Award will be presented posthumously to one of Western Pennsylvania's greatest, Joe Pitkavish, Modified owner of the famed black and Orange #1.

The late Joseph Pitkavish, of Brackenridge, was a well-known race car owner. He passed away in February 2002 at the age of 88. Pitkavish built and owned dirt track race cars for over 30 years. It is estimated that cars owned by Pitkavish won over 200 races in the western Pennsylvania area from the 1950's through 1986 when the long time auto repair shop owner retired from the sport.

In the 1950's, Pitkavish's first race car was a flathead Ford that was driven by Bucky Walters. Paul Walters, Bob Schaefnocker and Dick Hecker also drove the Pitkavish cars until the 1960's when Pitkavish teamed with hard charging New Alexandria driver William O. "Blackie" Watt. Watt said, "I watched his cars; they never broke down on the track, and I wanted to race for him." For the next 25 years the combination clicked like few others along the Western Pennsylvania-Ohio circuit. The pair reached a pinnacle in 1974, copping 36 feature wins and laying claim to season point championships in the Keystone State at Lernerville, Motordrome and Schmuckers (Latrobe) Speedways.

Together, they became one of the teams to beat on the Penn Western Racing Association circuit 1960's, Pitkavish built a new car especially for pavement racing. He took it to the Langhorne Speedway, north of Philadelphia, for the biggest Modified race in the country. The car was heavily damaged in a preliminary race crash. It was later rebuilt for local dirt track racing. The car was a 1937 Chevy coupe with a Dodge Hemi engine, and before the orange and black race car was retired, it transported Watt to 110 victories. That #1 was replaced by a car with a special Tobias racing chassis, with Watt winning many more races before Pitkavish retired. When Pitkavish finally hung up the wrenches in the 1986, he and Watt had spent an amazing 25 years together as a team, something nearly unheard of in the volatile world of motor sports. Blackie Watt said, "Would you believe that we never had a disagreement?"

Over the years, many of the early records have been lost, but from the late 1960's until 1986 the pair won no less than 144 races together. That list included 61 at Lernerville and 59 at the Schmuckers Speedway, which is now known as Latrobe speedway. They also won at Motordrome Speedway, when that track was dirt, North Hills Raceway, Pittsburgh's PA Motor Speedway and Tri-City Speedway.

Also in the remarkable year of 1974 the Pitkavish/Watt Team won a record 14 races at Lernerville and another 14 at Schmucker's on his way to this fantastic season. Watt was named the top Modified driver in annual Western Pennsylvania #1 Cochran Cavalcade Points. He repeated that honor in 1976 but had to share it with arch rival Ed Lynch Sr. His single season record still stands at both tracks today. Bob Wearing Sr won 10 at Lernerville in 1987, but that is the closest anyone ever came to date. Although Schmuckers closed in the early 1980's, Watt and the Pitkavish car almost tied their own record of 14, with 13 victories in 1976. They added another 11 in 1977. Watt is still 3rd on the Lernerville Modified All-Time Win Chart with 61 victories.

Most car owners and mechanics have relied on "Chevrolet power" for short track race cars over the years. Not Pitkavish! He was a true believer in Chrysler engines, running and winning with such power plants under the hood for over 25 years. Although a quiet man, who let his race cars do the talking, Pitkavish was willing to leave the local tracks challenge the best in the east. The twosome went to major Modified races at larger tracks such as Langhorne and the New York State Fairgrounds at Syracuse. In the early 1960's Watt turned fast time for the annual "Race of Champions" at Langhorne when that famed mile oval was still dirt. In 1972 the team took the well known "Hemi-coupe" to Syracuse for the first of what is today the biggest race in the country for Modified type cars. The pair also made the field for the 1974 Syracuse race, but lady luck never gave them much of a break at either Langhorne or Syracuse.

Watt said, "Joe Pitkavish was an honest man that never cheated; He went by the rules." He further added, "Joe was like a father to me."

Jimmy Pitkavish organizes an annual DIRT Modified race at Lernerville in his grandfather's memory each season.

Joe Pitkavish Recognized with DIRT NE Hall of Fame Car Owner Award

Dirt Motorsport (DIRT)

http://www.racefan.com

by: Brian Spaid

FRANKLIN, Pa. -- The late Joe Pitkavish will receive the DIRT MotorSports NorthEast Hall of Fame 'Gene DeWitt Outstanding Car Owner' Award in 2006. The 15th annual induction ceremonies are scheduled for Sunday, May 28 on the Cayuga County Fairgrounds.

Born in 1913, Joe Pitkavish became one of the best known car owners in Western Pennsylvania. During the 1950s, Pitkavish contructed his first race car, which was a flathead Ford. Drivers such as Bucky Walters, Paul Walters, Bob Schaefnocker and Dick Hecker were well-known racers that drove Pitkavish’s cars during this era. The auto repair shop owner from Brackenridge, Pa., became one of the top car owners of the Penn-Western Racing Association at tracks such as Jennerstown Speedway and Latrobe Speedway.

Then, in the late 1960s, Pitkavish joined forces with New Alexandria, Pa., driver William “Blackie” Watt. Together, Pitkavish and Watt were an amazing team. The duo was best known for it’s exploits in the big-block modifieds, which were called “coupes” in Western Pennsylvania for many years. In 1974, Pitkavish and Watt won 14 feature races at Lernerville Speedway and Schmucker’s Speedway, each in one of the region’s most successful race cars, a black and orange 1937 Coupe No. 1 with a Dodge Hemi engine. Those single-season win records still stand to this date.

Watt was Walt Wimer’s #1 Cochran Calvalcade Coupe champion twice. Pitkavish and Watt also displayed their success at other tracks throughout the 1970s such as Motodrome Speedway, North Hills Raceway, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Motor Speedway and Tri-City Speedway.

Over the years, it is estimated that Pitkavish amassed over 200 feature wins. Watt earned 144 of those victories by the time Pitkavish retired in 1986. Pitkavish died in 2002 while Lernerville Speedway continues to run an annual DIRT Modified race in his memory.

*Photos are available for viewing under thez history section of Joe Pitkavish at his grandson’s website, http://enter.193motorsports.com/index.html.

The DIRT MotorSports™ Advance Auto Parts Modified Series is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire and Sunoco Race Fuels. Promotional partners include AMB i.t. and the University of Northwestern Ohio and the contingency sponsors are Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, DART Machinery, Holley HP Carburetors, Integra Shocks, MSD Ignitions, Miller Electric Manufacturing Company, Penske Shocks and Wrisco Industries.