'One big racing family' gathers for Windber Speedway reunion
Aug. 15—WINDBER, Pa. — Drivers, fans and others who were once involved with Windber Speedway gathered for a reunion on Sunday at Windber Recreation Park.
The event featured food, music, raffles, a classic car show and memorabilia from the speedway, as well as racing cars used in the 1970s.
According to Bill Custer, a member of the committee that organized the event, the speedway started in the 1950s and 1960s, when it shut down until about 1985. After that time, the speedway ran until about 2000, when it closed for good.
"It's been 23 years in the making," he said of the reunion. "We talked about it for years and never come to fruition."
Custer, known as Billy Ray, got involved in the speedway at a young age and eventually became an announcer.
Darrell Whetstone, from Woodbury, was at the reunion with one of his race cars, a 1979 Chevrolet Monza. The 70-year-old said he has been racing all of his life, including time spent at Windber Speedway. He was first put in a race car by his father at age 4.
Patty Lee, of Windber, said she and her family were enjoying their time at the reunion. Her husband, Dan, was a six-time track champion at the speedway. The Lees met when Patty lettered Dan's race car.
"It's been really good to see everybody and talk about how much fun they had," she said, describing the whole racing "family" as being "very close-knit."
"We're one big racing family, and the speedway is near and dear to our hearts," Custer said.
