FASTRAK mourns the passing of Gary Knollinger
FASTRAK MOURNS THE PASSING OF STANDOUT RACER GARY KNOLLINGER
By Mike Leone
December 25, 2010 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Pulaski, PA)…The FASTRAK Racing Series is deeply saddened by the passing of its standout Late Model racer, Gary Knollinger, Jr. on Saturday. The Wheeling, W.V. resident was stuck by a car on December 18 in Triadelphia, W.V. near the Middle Creek Garage located along a busy stretch of U.S. 40. Knollinger was working for the garage when the accident occurred around 1:45 p.m. Knollinger turned 39 on Wednesday, and piloted the familiar #38K sponsored by Gumby’s Grab & Go and H.P. Excavating.
“Words cannot express the deep sorrow that is felt throughout the FASTRAK community over the tragic passing of FASTRAK competitor Gary Knollinger,” expressed Northeast co-Director Mike Leone. “In just a short period of time, Gary became one of the Northeast’s strongest and most competitive racers. We could always count on his presence no matter where we were racing. He was one of only two drivers that competed in all of the 2010 Northeast and Mid-Ohio Valley Touring Series events!”
Knollinger was the inaugural 2010 FASTRAK Mid-Ohio Valley Late Model Touring Series Champion and also finished fourth this season in the Northeast Touring Series points- just two points behind Butch Lambert. Along with a Weekly Series win at Dog Hollow Speedway on April 30, Knollinger won his first career Touring Series race on July 29 at Sharon Speedway.
After moving up the ranks from Stock Cars to Semi Late Models and on to Super Late Models, Knollinger joined the FASTRAK ranks in 2009 when his home track Tyler County Speedway added the division on a weekly basis. Ironically, Knollinger went out and captured the very first race at the Middlebourne, W.V. bullring on April 4 and added a second win on June 6 of that year.
Knollinger’s first ever Northeast Touring Series event also came at Tyler County on April 25, 2009 when he finished third. Knollinger went on to compete in all but two of those Touring Series races in 2009 and still finished 10th in points with five top four finishes including a pair of runner-ups at Mercer Raceway Park and Tyler County later in the season.
In 2010, Knollinger competed in all 20 Northeast Touring Series events as well as all three nights of the Grand Nationals. He also finished sixth in the National Event at Eldora Speedway on July 31, third at the September 2 Mid-Ohio Valley event at West Virginia Motor Speedway on September 2, and competed in several other Weekly Series events. Knollinger recorded 12 top 10 finishes in the 20 Northeast Touring Series events in addition to his sixth at Eldora and seventh at Roaring Knob in Night 2 of the Grand Nationals on October 9.
“It was obvious Gary loved racing,” stated Northeast co-Director Vicki Emig. “He logged thousands of miles throughout the season- probably more than any other FASTRAK Northeast competitor with his girlfriend Heather and crew chief John. He also had the continuous support of his loving parents, who accompanied him on many occasions. Gary will be remembered as a gentleman both on and off the track, while at the same time a fierce competitor. Regardless of what the night’s event brought, he always handled himself with the utmost professionalism. Through this, Gary will forever hold the respect of all that knew him, raced with him, and considered him their friend.”
Details of funeral arrangements and services will be released soon.
You can reach co-directors Vicki Emig and Mike Leone at the FASTRAK Northeast office at 724-964-9300. E-mail to info@fastraknortheast.com and snail mail to 4368 Route 422, Pulaski, PA 16143. The office is open daily late mornings and after 1:30 p.m. For more information, check out the FASTRAK Northeast website at www.fastraknortheast.com. Become our fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fastraknortheast.
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