New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame Announces impressive lineup of presenters for the November 1st Ceremony
New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame Announces 28th Class of Inductees
Along with impressive lineup of presenters for the November 1st Ceremony
For Immediate Release NEAR-10082026-1
HOLYOKE, Mass. – The New England Auto Racers (NEAR) President April May Preston-Elms is honored and pleased to announce the 2026 NEAR Hall of Fame Class and the legends who will be presenting them. This year’s historic 28th class will consist of eight honorees for the region’s most highly regarded motorsports shrine who will be formally inducted into the NEAR Hall of Fame on Sunday, November 1, at the Log Cabin in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
A wide-ranging group of racing personalities will be doing the honors of presenting for the inductees, Bob Garbarino Car Owner, will present for Jerry Dostie, Peter Zanardi Journalist, PR Director will present for Dick Williams, Mark “Bones” Bourcier writerwill present for Maynard Troyer, Madysen Lent number one fan will present for Stan “Sly” Szaban, Justin St. Louis media and Series Director will present for Kevin Lepage, Mike Joy Announcer, Public Relations, Broadcasterwill present for John Holland, Ron Silk Competitor, will present for Phin Moran, and Karl Fredrickson Publisher of Speedway Illustrated will present for Mike Christopher.
Bob Garbarino NEAR HoF Class of 2010 began his career as a car owner-builder in 1959 at the Waterford Speedbowl. His signature V-4 Mystic Missile won the Connecticut State Modified title in 1965 before moving up to the NASCAR Modified division in 1966 and capped off the year with a win in the season ending World Series at Thompson Speedway. In the 1980s Garbarino bought a Troyer Chassis and a professionally built motor when Bugsy Stevens came on board. After 46 years of fielding Modifieds, Garbarino won his first NASCAR Modified Tour Championship in 2007 with Donny Lia. The duo won the title again in 2009. The following year, Bobby Santos III took over the driving duties and helped Bob win his 3rd series title in 4 seasons. The Mystic Missile team fielded some of the most competitive cars and successful drivers in the history of the NASCAR Modifieds.
Peter Zanardi Journalist has spent over four decades reporting on New England motorsports. He was a sportswriter for the Manchester Herald, Hartford Times and New Haven Register in Connecticut; contributed to several auto racing publications including Stock Car, Open Wheel and Trackside magazines and Speedway Scene and worked in media relations for Stafford Motor Speedway and New London-Waterford Speedbowl. As a baseball writer, he was inducted into the Hartford Twilight League Hall of Fame in 1975 and received multiple writing awards. Zanardi has served on NEAR Hall of Fame committees since 1998 earned the Frank Maratta Award 2000 and Dan Pardi Award 2012. He was inducted into the NEAR HoF in 2008
Mark “Bones” Bourcier is considered the number one motorsports writer in the country. Cutting his teeth on a pair of New England’s racing media outlets Speedway Scene and Trackside Magazine. In 1988, he began writing for Open Wheel, Stock Car Racing and Speedway Illustrated for Dick Berggren, and since 1999, has been a freelance writer. He has penned 20 books since 1999 and continues to pen a column for Speed Sport. He has won the sport’s most coveted journalism award – the Miller Racing Award of Excellence; the Eastern Motorsports Association’s Frank Blunt Memorial Award, NEAR’s Mitchell-Ratta 2014 and the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame 2024. Over the years he has been an instrumental figure in the NEAR Hall of Fame process.
Madysen Lent is a freshman in high school who loves auto racing and considers herself Sly’s number one fan. Sly, a “handpicked family member is a lifelong friend of Madysen and her mom Sharon.
When asked if she would like to present Sly for induction into the NEAR HoF her immediate response was yes. Sly could be considered Madysen’s number one fan, as she is now in remission, a cancer survivor, the true hero. She is bald, bold, and beautiful and excited to be able to be a part of this
historic event in Sly’s life.
Justin St. Louis Co-creator, co-host, and art director of Uncommon Deeds Motorsports Podcast and The Crunch Bunch Podcast and Series Director for the Sprint Cars of New England. Justin has overseen media, public relations, and social media departments for prominent short track stock car racing facilities. He has created, managed, and distributed communications and information for television, radio, print, and digital. He has also promoted weekly and special events with local and regional focus. Justin is at home behind the mike while broadcasting at track or on one of his many online and streaming podcasts. He is destined to make his mark as a historian/documenter of New England Racing circles. Justin is also former winner of the Ratta/Mitchell Award with NEAR for Excellence in Media Reporting for New England Motorsports.
Mike Joy Announcer, Public Relations, Broadcaster, is a renowned figure in American motorsports, best known for his extensive career as a NASCAR broadcaster. He started announcing at Riverside Park Speedway in 1970 while in college and soon expanded to other tracks. By 1975, Joy was handling both announcing and public relations at Stafford Motor Speedway and began freelancing for Motor Racing Network (MRN), where he became co-anchor, general manager, and executive producer. In the 1980s, Joy transitioned to television, leading ESPN’s first live NASCAR broadcast in 1981. He spent 15 years as a pit reporter for CBS before serving as lap-by-lap announcer, and worked with TNN and TBS. Since 2001, Joy has been the lead anchor for Fox’s NASCAR coverage and the television voice of the Daytona 500 since 1998. He was inducted into the Riverside Park Speedway Hall of Fame 2000, the NEAR Hall of Fame 2019, and the Eastern Motorsports Press Association’s Hall of Fame 2023.
Ron Silk Is a Whelen Modified Tour champion driving the No. 16 with experienced crew chief Phil Moran for Haydt Yannone Racing. Silk is the godson of two-time NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion Randy LaJoie. A long-time competitor of the series, he made his debut in 2003 and has since won two championships in 2011 and 2023. In 2025 Silk was a Legends Day Honoree at the New England Racing Museum for the Year of the Modifieds.
Karl Fredrickson Publisher of Speedway Illustrated is considered the country’s leading motorsports writer. Fredrickson’s lifelong passion for racing began at Hudson Speedway and evolved into a four-decade driving career, with wins in various classes. He gained early experience at Total Seal East after advice from Stock Car Racing magazine and later pursued journalism, joining Dick Berggren in founding Speedway Illustrated. Fredrickson’s work in motorsports media has earned several honors, including the Henry Ford Award for Motorsports Excellence, SEMA’s Robert E. Peterson Award, the Jim Hunter Writer of the Year, and the NEAR Ratta/Mitchell Memorial Award in 2022.
The New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame held its first induction ceremony in 1998. The 28th annual NEAR Hall of Fame induction dinner will be held for the Class of 2026 on Sunday, November 1, at the Log Cabin in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Still to be announced are recipients of NEAR’s annual special awards including the Mitchell-Ratta Media Award, the Ron Bouchard Award, and others. Induction dinner tickets are available now. Limited seating is still available, but you must order by October 15th. The form and more information can be found on our website and Facebook page, or you can email newenglandautoracers@gmail.com to request a form.
-30-
