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Over
the 2002 offseason, the possibility of building a site dedicated to covering local racing of Western NY was born to produce Mark Southcott's NYRaceZone.com - Western New York Racing News.
NYRaceZone.com's goal is to cover Western NY asphalt
racing like no one has ever have with in depth analysis of the
racing and the racers of our area. We started by featuring one
track, but we have expanded our weekly coverage to include four of the tracks of
the Western NY region (Holland, Lancaster, Spencer and Wyoming) plus one track in Northwestern Pennsylvania (Lake Erie). We also cover special events like the annual Oswego Race of Champions in September and are likely to visit other tracks even as far away as Florida for special coverage.
Coverage of each track and division will include up-to-date news, results, standings and rosters in a timely manner that no other source can provide. In addition to the aforementioned, other sections will include comprehensive racer profiles along with the addition of the retired driver profiles section,
an extensive links section that's surpassed 400 now, free classifieds, spectacular photography, an archive of past articles plus history that can be found throughout the site including past champions and win lists. There is also a special birthday section that lists the weekly birthdays for racing personalities.
Stay
tuned and keep checking back as NYRaceZone.com makes additions after we've entered our fifth year on the internet. Over 250,000 hits are registered each month and the audience approaches 450,000 monthly hits during the height of the racing season. We strive to include anything of interest to the racing community.
About Mark Southcott/Captain History:
"I've been around auto racing for a majority of my life. It's probably accurate to say it's in my family's blood too as my grandfather and father raced in past years. My brother is now involved with it as a car owner. I remember at an early age of sitting in track grandstands and watching race cars zoom around the surface. That love of being around auto racing hasn't diminished over the years.
My late grandfather, Alfred "Pee Wee" Southcott, raced Midgets and Jalopies at many local NY tracks and competed in several other states also in travels spanning many miles to many tracks including those in Massachusetts, North Carolina, Florida and California. The 1945 Civic Stadium Midget title was claimed by my grandfather; the paved 1/4 mile Civic Stadium was located in downtown Buffalo and my grandfather won one feature there driving a #55. He finished in the top eight in Civic Stadium Midget points every year from his 1945 title year through 1948. He ranks fourth in all-time Civic Stadium Midget points. He mainly competed on the dirt tracks where he was victorious at tracks including Ft. Miami (OH) in a 50 mile event in 1947, Heidelberg (PA), Caledonia (NY) and Lockport (NY). He drove several different rides from the late 1930s through his accident in 1948 until a brief return in 1952. Some of his more familiar rides were in the #2, #34 and #96 Midgets. He flipped seven times driving a Midget in practice at Heidelberg, PA in August, 1948 which left him unconscious for 21 days. That accident essentially ended his racing career while he was in his prime. He was inducted into the FOAR Score Hall of Fame in 2002 after passing way in 2001 at age 80. He was also inducted into the Niagara Frontier Racing Hall of Fame in 1977. He was included in the 2006 release "Daredevils of the Frontier" by Keith Herbst with some pictures.
Alfred "Pee Wee" Southcott with his Ben Avon Offy Midget #2 circa 1948.
Photographer: unknown/Southcott collection.
My father, Harold Southcott, competed on the dirt surface in Perry's Semi-Late Model and Amateur classes in the late 1960s with a #70 and finished out his career in Ransomville's Late Model division by the mid 1970s driving a #6. He won some Ransomville features. He sponsored the Lancaster Street Stock (now Late Model class) #60 rides of Gene Schulz that were driven by him to the 1982-1984 Lancaster Street Stock titles and the 1984 Perry Street Stock title. His last racing experience came in twin Perry Enduro features in 1986 where he finished in the top 5 of both features with a #18 on that day including a second place finish.
Harold Southcott with his #6NY circa 1973 with Medina, NY sponsors Jake Callara (Jake & Son Dyna Service) on left and Terre Paige (Paige's Motor Sales) on right.
Photographer: unknown/Southcott collection.
Brian Southcott, my younger brother, is currently a Sprint car owner on the ASCS/PSG (American Sprint Car Series, Patriot Sprint Group) and Dave Schulz drove the #6 for him during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Dave scaled down his racing schedule after 2005. Dave is one of the four racing sons of Gene Schulz. Chuck Hebing currently drives for my brother with the #45 and finished second in 2005 PSG points. Chuck was the 2006 and 2007 PSG champion.
Former FOAR SCORE Club President Russ "Butch" Fleetwood (on the right) presents the "Special Recognition" award to me at the 60th Annual FOAR SCORE Club Banquet on January 26, 2008. Photographer: Rob Micoli.
I'm a historian of the local racing scene with my research of the facts and statistics from the past. That grew out of my wanting to know more details of what happened in the past, who were the track champions, how many features a driver had won at a certain track, what was the background/details of a certain race and other assorted things like that. Most of that type of information wasn't readily available and that bothered me that the past of our sport wasn't preserved better or even around. I've contributed information and statistics to books like the 2004 release "Richie! The Richie Evans Story" by Bones Bourcier and the 2003 release "The Pine - The Unauthorized Biography of Jim Shampine" by Andy Fusco and George Caruso, Jr. along with creating the history section chronicling the 1965-1976 years in the 2005 release "Lancaster Heroes - A Look Back At The Golden Age of Racing In Western New York" pictorial book by former Lancaster announcer John Bisci. Track web sites including Tioga/Shangri-La, Fulton, Ransomville, Genesee, Brewerton, Utica-Rome, Yankee Racer plus the Vintage Racer and RacerHub (Long Island Jam and Pocono Thunder) sites have also used my research and information. The Canadian Racer and Motorsport Memorial sites have also used my submissions. I'm a frequent contributor to the message boards on RaceNewYork.com and LongIslandJam.com. My NYRaceZone.com website started in 2003 and is an outlet for my love of the sport. The FOAR Score Club has awarded me two "Contribution to Racing" awards at their annual banquets in 2003 and 2005 along with a "Special Recognition" award in 2008. Wyoming County International Speedway awarded me the "Media" award at their 2004 banquet. Holland Speedway recognized me with a "Media" award at their 2007 banquet. I'm the author behind the 'Captain History's Corner' column for the Dunn Tire (Lancaster) Raceway Park Raceday program. I wrote a column for the Wyoming County International Speedway program in the past also. I became the FOAR SCORE (Friends of Auto Racing Seeking Cooperation Of Racing Enthusiasts) Club's Recording Secretary in March, 2008 and was also appointed with the Historian position for the oldest active fan club (60 years strong) in the United States.
Local motorsports announcer Dave Buchanan gave me the "Captain History" nickname that has certainly stuck as many people address me with that rather than my first name! I've met many great people through auto racing and that part I really appreciate as some of my closest friends came through the sport. Auto racing in whatever form is like breathing to me: I can't live without it in my life."
Updated: April 12, 2008
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