Frank Ferrara

Flagman, Competitor, Car Owner, Track Owner, Promoter
CLASS OF 2010

The best way to describe Frank Ferrara’s near life-long involvement in New England auto racing would be multi-faceted. His generosity and loyal involvement to the sport have made him one of the driving forces in local racing for more than 40 years.

He became a car owner in the 1950s at Riverside Park Speedway (MA) where Karl “Swede” Anderson was his driver. Ferrara also served as one of the mechanics on the car. Frank served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War as an airplane mechanic, yet when he returned he noticed his driver was now wheeling midgets.

The open-cockpit cars are what turned Ferrara’s direction to flagging. He spent a decade waving flags for the Northeast Midget Association (NEMA) and two years (1966-67) as the chief starter at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway.

His early involvement at Stafford led to his sponsorship of the annual 100-lap July modified race, named in his honor, The Ferrara 100. Every driver who competed in the modified division wanted to win the race because Ferrara treated them grandly. Race winners received a tool box full of silver dollars and top 3 received fruit baskets.

*Frank with his sprint car and driver Rich Woods at Racearama*

The legendary drivers who won that race include Ray Miller (3 wins), Bugsy Stevens (2), Ron Bouchard (1) and Charlie Jarzombek (1).

At the rather older age of 54, Ferrara turned to driving in 1987. He drove mini-sprints at both the Sugar Hill and High Groove Speedways in New Hampshire. He also had success with drivers like Richie Wood wheeling his cars.

In 1995, Frank joined forces with Bill Guertin, and eventually Dave Pighetti to build Whip City Speedway in Westfield, MA on the Westfield-Barnes Airport property. The track was an immediate success and ran for 16 seasons, yet issues with the property lease led to the track’s closing after the 2010 season.

Frank Ferrara was presented the Frank Maratta Award for outstanding contribution to auto racing in 1995. He passed away on January 5, 2015 at the age of 82.