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Text From The NEMA
Website
 It
is with deep sorrow that we report the passing of Nick Fornoro, a
former champion, long time flagman and the father of NEMA champions
Nokie and Drew Fornoro.
In recent years, armed with a host of racing stories, Nick was
always welcome at NEMA events.
A member of the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame, the New Jersey
native won an ARDC (1950) and a NASCAR (1953) championship over a
10-year career that ended in 1956. He went on to become one of the
sport’s premier flagman, advancing to Chief Starter for the
Championship Auto Racing Teams Indy Car Series from 1979-1992. He
was the honorary starter for the 1993 Indianapolis 500.
In addition to Nokie and Drew, he is survived by his wife of 59
years Elizabeth (Bette), daughter Cindee Bertling, sisters Celeste
Weisgerber and Constance Abdalla, brother Billy Fornaro and seven
grandchildren: Jessica Fornoro, Nofri, Lanson and Jarett Fornoro,
Tara and J.J. Bertling and Marie Fornoro, and many nieces and
nephews.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the
Checkered Flag Fan Club Injured Drivers’ Fund; P.O. Box 79;
Kutztown, PA 19530 or the Joey Bella Memorial Fund, Inc. (15 Myers
Ave., Denville, NJ 07834) that provides direct assistance to
families in need during catastrophic illness.
Cards may go to Nokie Fornoro, RR3 - 3578, Stroudsburg, PA 18360
Biography From The New England Auto Racers
Hall of Fame (NEAR) Web Site
 In
1947, Nick Fonoro, Sr. enrolled in a driving school taught by Lew
Folk and George Fonder. Sitting in that class of 25 or 30
prospective racers, Nick learned "the basics" about driving a
racecar. He competed mainly in midgets and sprint cars, although he
remembers competing at Langhorne, PA, driving a Porsche in an extra
distance race. "I had a string around my neck, with a couple of
lemon slices for when I got thirsty. As I raced, I had the radio on
listening to a Yankees game", remembers Nick.
He was a contender from the start, winning the ARDC Championship in
1950 and the Nascar Midget Championship in '53. When asked about his
greatest racing accomplishment, Fonoro says that it was meeting his
future wife, Elizabeth. She was a fan at West Haven and at New
York's Kingston Armory. Sitting with her mother and father in the
balcony of the indoor Kingston facility, she pointed Nick out. "See
that driver down there?" she told her parents. "I'm going to marry
him someday." "Someday" turned out to be 1948, and, according to
Nick, "We've been married now for 54 years, and I ain't won a battle
yet!"
Fonoro retired from driving, but not from racing, in 1956. "I was 2
points out of the lead for the division championship, and my wife
had a premonition that something bad was going to happen. I went
right to my car owner and announced my retirement. My family has
always come first, every time and every way."
Racing was still in Nick's blood, so he accepted a position as
flagman, working ARDC midget and sprint races before signing on as a
starter for CART, a position that he held from 1979 until his
retirement in 1992. His sons Nick, Jr. and Drew are both successful
racers. Nick Jr. is a 6 time ARDC Champion, and Drew is a 9 time
Northeast Midget Champion.
Sources: www.nemaracing.com
NEMA
www.near1.com
NEAR Photo Credits: NEMA Web Site
NEAR Web Site |
