The "A" Car
Featuring Cars Fielded by Car Owner Barry "Big B" Schenck
There have been many car owners over the years, and for those who were around dirt track racing in the 70's and beyond, you are probably familiar with the "A" cars, always painted "Grabber Blue." The cars were always some of the best looking of their day, and that was a reflection of Barry, or as most called him, "Big B."
I was fortunate to meet Big B in the late 80's/early 90's, and spent a few years helping out as small part of the crew, usually meeting every week on Tuesday nights, when the car was kept at a garage on Crosswicks Hamilton Square Road (just east of the NJ Turnpike underpass)and always on race nights (Bridgeport/Flemington/East Windsor). Although in a very minor role, there was something special about being a member of the crew of the "A." My responsibilities usually didn't exceed much beyond scraping the clay from the belly pan, or touching up the rims with silver paint... But on race night, especially when the unexpected happened, and time was of the essence, I always made sure to have a flashlight and a flat blade screwdriver at the ready just in case it was needed in short order. I was pretty much just an extra set of hands when needed, but that didn't matter... There was a since of pride being part of Barry's team, wearing the "A Team" shirt on race night. Barry always made all of us like important members of the team. And with Barry around, it was always... let's just say, "an experience!"
It was a fun time... Barry could always be counted on for a few one liners here and there to keep the mood light and create a fun environment for the team during work nights in the garage. One of Barry's lines that I'll always remember is if any of the crew guys were needed for an additional night in the shop that particular week in preparation of that weekend's racing, Barry would say... "Do any of you guys need a note?", referring to that if our girlfriend/spouse "might" be concerned/suspicious that we were going to be out for an extra night that week, that he would gladly provide a note to help smooth things over!
For those on the team, a definite "perk" was a late night breakfast after the races, regardless of how the team did that night... In the early 90's, after Flemington paved and East Windsor became the main track for the A car, the official racing night didn't end until finishing off a full breakfast at either Jim's Country Diner (Rt 130 Windsor NJ), or Mastoris (Rt 130/Rt 206 Bordentown NJ.) It was definitely a nice gesture on Big B's part as a way of showing appreciation for those who were on his team, and to make sure that we had a good mind set for whatever was in store for the next week.
Almost everyone knew "of " Barry for sure, and it seemed that everyone actually really did "know" him. Drivers, other car owners, other team's crew members, track staff, photographers/media... Everyone. On any giving night in the pits, it was a who's who of those stopping by the trailer to say hello to "B." Some would just stay for a minute or so, and some would take a seat on the trailer and just kind of settle in for some conversation. Barry was a big man, and his personality was even bigger. Away from the track, Barry had a very successful career in sales (Parker Printing) and with it, a personality that invited folks to just naturally want to get to know him, and once they did, it became a friendship for many years.
Although always taking his racing, and the preparation/presentation of his cars extremely seriously (including sponge washing the car before feature time and even Armor All'ing the tires), Big B had a sharp wit, and a confidence that made him a great car owner, and a great leader.
Prior to becoming a car owner, Barry was a huge Al Tasnady fan, and was involved for a while with the Dave Piscopo #39.
That's Barry "Big B" Schenk (left) next to driver Al Tasnady with the "Polecat"crew (Morrisville PA.)
Barry also spent time with the Ed Goeke and Lenny Martin's (Trenton NJ) racing efforts:
Barry (right) seen here as part of the Ed "L'il Abner" Goeke #19X team
Barry (top left) with the #4 of Lenny Martin team out of Trenton NJ. (Car owner/driver Lenny Martin bottom row center.)
At some point, Barry made the move to becoming a car owner. Barry began fielding the #10 coupe pictured below. (Driver's of the #10 were Ed Connor and Dick Taylor.) With "Parker Printing" on the side, and "Big B" written on the nose, this was the car that was setting the stage for what would follow in the decade of the 70's and beyond.
#10 Coupe (first car to have "Parker Printing" as a sponsor.)
Notice the "Big B" on the nose of the #10In the early 70's, Barry begin fielding a self built Falcon bodied sportsman, painted "Grabber Blue", with a white #1 on the side, driven by Dick Taylor, with noted engine man Charlie Ancelo taking care of underhood needs. Charlie's son "Chuck" took over the driving duties on the #1 and the car competed at Flemington, Harmony, and other area speedways.
At some point, a sister Falcon bodied racer was built, which looked identical to the original.... also painted Grabber Blue, and also with a gold #1. After a week or so, the scorers informed Barry that they could not tell the two cars apart, and that he needed to do something to the #"s to differentiate them, so the quick fix became make one of them #1A, and the other #1B, with the #'s now written in a gold color.... Drivers of these cars were Chuck Ancelo, John Scarpati, and Rich Varone.)
That solution didn't last that very long as the scorers still said they were having an issue, so Barry decided to make one car the #A, and the other the #B. (I think you guys see where this is going....)
At some point, Barry sold one of the Grabber Blue Falcon's to Andy Horne who painted that car a different shade of blue and used the #15A. This left Barry with one car, and instead of going back to his original number of "#1", or #1A, Barry decided on just keeping the "A"."
That "number" (if you can call it that...) of "A", along with the striking Grabber Blue paint, would be on every car that Barry fielded from that day forward.
During the mid 70's, Barry had driver Larry Kline behind the wheel, and team experienced a lot of success, with a Flemington Sportsman Championship in 1977. Barry would partner with Dom Ragno, who helped out with big power under the hood as the team made the move to modified racing in 1979, and it would become known as "Schenck/Ragno Racing into the early 80's. In addition to Kline, driver's Newt Hartman, Tom Hager, and Phil Meisner would also wheel the #A to Modified feature wins in the early 80's.
Throughout this time, Barry's son Bill had a lot of interest in the race cars, and once old enough, became a major part of the team's efforts. With driver's Phil Meisner, Randy Wolfe, Rick Holden, Al Michalchuk, and Danny Klockner, it was a team effort between father and son when it came to fielding the A cars each week for competition. It was Bill who became very instrumental in building the cars, making the bodies, and making sure that everything was 100% ready to go come race night.
Bill would take over the driving duties in the 1990 Rookie Division at Flemington Speedway, earning a victory in the very competitive division, and finishing 2nd in the final Rookie point standings to driver Sammy Martz. Billy and his father Big B would team up, and would field cars into the early 90's.
We hope you'll take a moment, and click on the thumbnail images below, and enjoy the amazing ride that was all made possible by the one and only "Big B."
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