jim_chiappelli's avatar
Author:
Jim Chiappelli
Login For More
Rate this article:
  • 0/5 Stars
  • Related Photos
SPEEDtv.com Store
Grand National:America's Golden Age of Motorcycle Racing, by Joe Scalzo
Joe Scalzo’s book captures the spirit of the Golden Age of motorcycle racing.
Our Price: $39.95
Visit Button
Buy Button
Man-Made Thunder
The book examines the sport of stock car racing through the eyes and ears of the men behind the wheel and the wrenches.
Our Price: $49.00
Visit Button
Buy Button
Unisex Sandwich Cap
Unisex Velcro back hat with SPEED logo on front. PINKS logo embroidered on left and PAO logo on right. One size fits all.
Our Price: $24.95
Visit Button
Buy Button
Speedway T-shirt
Men's 6 oz. 100% Cotton Jersey Short Sleeve Tee. SPEED logo imprinted on the front center chest.
Our Price: $24.99
Visit Button
Buy Button
Ferrari Red Classic Hat
100% cotton twill. Ferrari shield embroidered on front, piping on the peak and Ferrari logo embroidered on back strap adjuster.
Our Price: $30.00 ($27.00 Member)
Visit Button
Buy Button
Footer Bg
  • Zoom More Photos Button
  • Camera Icon
CHIAPPELLI: Ralph The Racer (1929-2009)
Written by: Jim Chiappelli   
06/18/2009
Charlotte, NC
 
Ralph the Racer loved to tell stories. Masterful at delivering punch lines to corny jokes, this self-employed auto mechanic spent most of his adult life providing for his family by solving other peoples’ problems while mingling in grease and grime.
Finishing position didn’t matter to Ralph. At his age, he was excited just to be part of a sport which he loved. (Jim Chiappelli) » More Photos
Cancer recently got the better of Ralph the Racer, who left this world in February after 80 years, nearly all of which were spent in the Western Pennsylvania coal-mining community of Cairnbrook, where he was born.

His obituary, printed in the local paper, recounted his business leadership, community service and devotion to his family, which includes six children, 13 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

However, Anne, his beloved wife of 58 years, realized there was something missing in the brief paragraphs which chronicled his life.

“We forgot to mention the racing,” she lamented.

That chapter of Ralph’s life began in 1984, when he purchased a race-ready sprint car, complete with spares and trailer, from a driver who competed with the United Racing Club.

It was a Ben Cook chassis; a black car bearing the number five. The paint scheme and lettering was left largely intact, except for changing the name of the driver and sponsor, Ralph’s own Cairnbrook Garage.

Shortly thereafter, despite a lack of racing experience, this 55-year old rookie and life-long racing fan climbed behind the wheel of an open-wheeled, open-cockpit car with an engine that generated nearly 700 horsepower.

Along with his son Tom, already an experienced 410 sprint car driver, Ralph regularly made the short tow to Jennerstown Speedway and the 2-hour haul to Lernerville Speedway north of Pittsburgh, where father and son shared the track—Tom ran with the lead pack while Ralph almost always brought up the rear.

Finishing position didn’t matter to Ralph. At his age, he was excited just to be part of a sport which he loved.

Never shy, Ralph would talk to anyone about chassis set-ups, top-wing angles and tire pressure. Afterward, he’d offer them some of his wife’s homemade fried chicken, brownies and a cold drink to go with the fellowship.

His efforts caught the attention of Johnny Beaber, Western Pennsylvania standout and former World of Outlaws regular.

“Still having fun Ralph?” Johnny would yell in the pits as he passed.

“Sure am, Johnny,” he would reply.

“Atta-boy, Ralph,” was Johnny’s usual response.

One night at Jennerstown, Ralph tried to use that casual relationship to his advantage. Heat race starting spots were determined by the pick of a pill, and Ralph drew the pole, with Beaber slated to start alongside him on the front row.

“C’mon Johnny. Just let me lead one lap,” he pleaded. “There’s
another piece of chicken in it for you.”

Beaber rejected the offer and won the qualifying race by a wide margin.

That’s not to say Ralph the Racer never had success behind the wheel of a sprint car.

He once finished fourth in a special 30-lap feature at Jennerstown thanks to a short field that became depleted through attrition.

I think he earned $600 that night.

Unlike some of today’s field-fillers or start-and-park operations in the big leagues of racing, Ralph didn’t race for money. He ran for fun.

Fellow competitors complimented him for always holding his line and never driving over his head.

He even made a competitive passes of Jim “Cowboy” Kennedy, who at the time was several years younger than Ralph and still races today well past his 70th birthday.

It was fun watching those low-budget backmarkers battle for position, then chuckle about it afterward.
Despite a lack of racing experience, this 55-year old rookie and life-long racing fan climbed behind the wheel of a car with an engine that generated nearly 700 horsepower. (Jim Chiappelli) » More Photos
For Ralph, the joy of racing was diminished one summer night when he allowed his youngest son to hot-lap the car at Jennerstown. For months, the teenager had ridiculed his dad’s efforts and bragged that he “could show him how to drive that thing.”

The kid promptly planted the sprinter into the turn one wall, sustaining serious head injuries.

Ralph, despite feeling responsible for the boy’s broken bones, replaced the mangled chassis and continued to have fun through the summer of ’85.

After two fleeting seasons of racing, Ralph’s driving career ended as quickly as it began.

His elderly mother suffered a stroke and required around-the-clock care. Ralph and Anne moved in with her. With no extra time for racing, the car was sold.

Two decades later, the escapades of Ralph the Racer were repeated at his wake, bringing smiles to the dozens gathered at the funeral home.

I miss Ralph the Racer every day.

Sorry I crashed your car, Dad.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, SPEED, FOX, or NewsCorp.

Jim Chiappelli is SPEED’s News Director. He has worked in broadcast journalism since 1986, producing or overseeing the production of more than 6,000 newscasts and sportscasts in a career that began at network affiliates in Johnstown and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania before shifting to the NBC affiliate in Pittsburgh, where he spent 11 years, leaving as Executive Producer in 2001.

Before graduating from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Jim briefly competed in the limited late model division in Western Pennsylvania for his family, which has been involved in racing for nearly 35 years and continues to campaign a 410 sprint car team.


View All Comments