(4-14-26) When this Friday evening’s April 17 races take place at Big Diamond Speedway, the night of action-filled dirt track racing will be sponsored by Frank DiMarco Autobody and Auto Repair of New Philadelphia.
It will be a very busy night too as not only will there be all of the regularly scheduled events that include the BQ Concrete 358 Modifieds, USS Achey Inc. 602 Crate Sportsman, Red White and Blue Autos Inc. Roadrunners and the Big Creek Concrete Rookie 602 Crate Sportsman, but also on the card will be last week’s rain-postponed features for the Crate Sportsman and Rookie Sportsman classes.
DiMarco has just come onboard as part of the proud family of marketing partners at the speedway and is very eager to be having a night dedicated to his business.
“I’m really excited about it, and I went and ordered a bunch of koozies and cards and stuff to give out, especially to the kids,” said DiMarco.
“This came on kind of quick with Jake (Smulley/track owner) and I, and we’re really looking forward to it.”
DiMarco is well-known throughout the Schuylkill area through his business and especially at Big Diamond Speedway. For the past several years he has been a sponsor of 2023 Roadrunner champion Chuck Fayash.
His time spent at the track goes back to the early 1990s when he first got the racing bug. As his business began to grow it turned out that several of his key employees are also diehard fans. His top body man Bob Boyer rarely misses a Friday night and his secretary, Nicky Shappell, is also in the grandstands each week cheering on the drivers.
“I have been a fan of Big Diamond for years and I’m pretty familiar with it,” said DiMarco.
“My ace body man here at the shop is Bob Boyer and he is literally at the track every Friday and he is really in to the races. So, this is going to be like a family ordeal for us.”
For DiMarco, Friday night will also be special to someone who was very near and dear to him and so many others at the track. Long-time fan Nina Schell recently passed away, and she meant the world to him.
“Nina Schell, who just passed away and was always in those stands and was a huge fan of the track, she was my secretary’s stepmom,” shared DiMarco.
“So, I’m going to give the hospitality room and all that to Nina’s family and let them have it.”
Friday night also marks the first race out this season for Fayash and his trademark No. 157. The first two Roadrunner features were indeed barnburners that came right down to the wire, and one can only imagine how much that thrill level will peak with the addition of Fayash.
“Chuck is a good guy and sometimes he may have that (Dale) Earnhardt style to him but he’s very good at his craft,” said DiMarco.
DiMarco’s business is located at 92 North Valley Street, Route 209 in New Philadelphia. And it’s not just about autobody but everything when it comes to auto repairing.
“We are a full autobody repair shop, and we are also a certified NAPA Auto Car Care Center. So, you have Frank Dimarco Autobody and Frank DiMarco Tire and Auto under NAPA Car Care,” he noted.
“We do brakes, state inspections and we’re a tire dealer too. So, we do everything, complete auto repair. And I need to give a big shout out to our secretary Nicky Shappell. She keeps everything running smoothly for us.”
Pit gates will open on Friday at 5:00 pm with grandstands at 5:30 pm. Hot laps get underway beginning at 7:00 pm followed by racing. Pit admission is $35 for Big Diamond Speedway members and $45 for non-members. Adult general admission is $20, students 10-15 are $10 and kids 9 and under are free.
Big Diamond Speedway is located at 392 Forest Lane, Pottsville, Pa. For up-to-date news and information logon to the official track website at https://bigdspeedway.net/ and follow on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=big%20diamond%20speedway