New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame Announces 27th Class of Inductees
HOLYOKE, Mass. – The New England Auto Racers (NEAR) President April May Preston-Elms is honored and pleased to announce the 2025 NEAR Hall of Fame Class. This year’s historic 27th class will consist of nine honorees for the region’s most highly regarded motorsports shrine who will be formally inducted into the NEAR Hall of Fame on Sunday, November 2, at the Log Cabin in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
A wide-ranging group of drivers, car owners, crew chiefs, media personality, and racing officials, Mark “Bones” Bourcier, Richard “Brooksie” Brooks, Bruce Cohen, Ervin “Brother” Eastman, Steve “SJ” Evonsion, Tony Hirschman Jr, Barry “Sarge” Kuhnel, Phil Scott and Bruce “Gomer Taylor will join the NEAR Hall of Fame, raising the total to over 290 members enshrined.
Mark “Bones” Bourcier Connecticut native may be the number one motorsports writer in the country. Cutting his teeth on a pair of New England’s racing media outlets – namely Speedway Scene, where he was hired at the age of 19, 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 won the sport’s most coveted journalism award – the Miller Racing Award of Excellence – twice; the Eastern Motorsports Association’s Frank Blunt Memorial Award and NEAR’s Mitchell-Ratta Award. He has penned 20 books and counting since 1999, including biographies of NEAR Hall of Famers like Ron Bouchard, Bugsy Stevens, Richie Evans and Ed Flemke. Now residing in Indianapolis, Bones continues to pen a column for Speed Sport. He was also an instrumental figure in the NEAR Hall of Fame process. He was also inducted into the Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2024 and the EMPA Hall of Fame in 2025.
Richard “Brooksie” Brooks Connecticut, car owner/builder, track and touring series official. He started his racing career as a race car owner in the 1960s. In 1970, he became an official at the Waterford Speedbowl, before moving to Thompson Speedway the following season. Over the years he has held numerous positions there, including long stints as Head Flagman and Race Director. 2025 was his 55th consecutive season as an official at Thompson Speedway in some capacity. He also worked at Westboro Speedway, Waterford Speedbowl, and Riverside Park Speedway. Brooks was the original flagman for the modifieds at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida during Speedweeks and later Race Director into the early 2010’s. He was also an official for the NASCAR Modified Tour since it’s inception in 1985 through the 2023 season. He was also the original Race Director for the North-South Shootout when it debuted in 2003. He is considered one of the most prominent flagmen in Southern New England during the 1970’s and 1980s.
Bruce Cohen Massachusetts, media personality and historian began his career in motorsports as a car owner for the Jewish Lightning race team fielding the dirt modifieds that were driven primarily by Lew Boyd and also Dick Berggren at numerous tracks in the northeast. That trio would go on to create the Spring Sizzler race at Stafford Speedway in 1972, unique at the time for being a marquee event early in the season instead of the fall. The rights to the event were bought by Stafford track owner Jack Arute the following year and continues today as one of the biggest traditions in modified racing. Columnist for Area Auto Racing News and author of Yankees Flipping’s Column in NSSN for over a decade. He was the founding member of NEDOC, and co-hosted the popular radio show “Speedline” with John Spence Sr., Bruce was also an instrumental figure in the foundation of the NEAR Hall of Fame and its selection process. He won the NEAR Frank Maratta Award in 2011.
Ervine “Brother” Eastman Vermont, driver was a dominant force at Bear Ridge Speedway for 20 years. He ranks third all-time in championships at the Bradford VT dirt track with nine. He earned his first title in 1971 followed by three more in a row, then coming back to win back-to-back championships in 1976 and ’77, giving him six in seven years. In 1978, he tried the asphalt at Catamount Stadium and Thunder Road he was successful running multiple nights a week on both clay and asphalt. Championships came again in 1984 and ’87. From 1971 to 1989 Brother and CV Elms would capture 17 of the 20 championships at Bear Ridge. In 1993 he won the Sportsman division championship in his second year at Canaan.
Steve “SJ” Evonsion Connecticut, driver/car owner, began racing at the age of 15 at Riverside Park Speedway in the Novice Division. He finished 5th in the Novice point standings in 1964. In 1965 he won the Grand American Super Sport Championship driving for Bill Lyons in a Sportsman Modified followed by the first of two United Racing Club Sportsman Modified Championships in 1966. He scored the Modified Triple Crown Championship in 1972, as well as the 1972 Riverside Park Speedway Modified Championship. SJ was a highly desired hired gun, driving for the likes of John Cosmus, Leo Matte, Jack and Bob Moccio, Lenny Boehler, Jim Fournier, Bob Garbarino, Joe Brady to name but a few. In 1973, after winning the modified championship at Riverside he moved to Stafford and Thompson to compete at the NASCAR level. In 1985 he ran the full NASCAR Modified Tour. SJ won the last race on the old Riverside flat track and the first race on the new banked track. SJ had over 50 Modified wins between Riverside, Westboro, and Monadnock. He was awarded the NASCAR Sportsmanship Award in 1991. In 1998 he stepped aside from driving, after 40 years
Tony Hirschman Jr Pennsylvania, driver is a New England household name when it comes to Modified racing. He is a five-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion: 1995-96, 1999, 2004-05. He is one of three drivers to win at least 5 championships, along with Doug Coby and Mike Stefanik. His 41 poles rank second all-time. He was the third-winningest driver with 35 wins when he retired. 22 of his series wins came in New England at New Hampshire, Stafford, Star, and Thompson. He was the 1991 NASCAR Busch North Series Rookie of the Year. He won several major victories in the region: the 1990 Thompson Ice Breaker, The 1989 & 2003 Thompson World Series, 1999 CARQUEST 300 at Stafford, the 2003 Thompson 300, 2005 Spring Sizzler and back-to-back Stafford Fall Finals (2004-2005). His 7 NWMT victories at New Hampshire Motor Speedway are second only to Mike Stefanik (8), He was named the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Most Popular Driver in 2005-06, one of the 50 Greatest Modified Drivers at Stafford and widely expected to be named in the final round of the 40 Greatest Drivers of the NASCAR Modified Tour later this summer.
Barry “Sarge” Kuhnel Massachusetts crew chief/mechanic/car/builder has a legendary career in the Modified ranks in New England. Barry was the crew chief for Bob Polverari when he scored 3 straight Modified Championships at Riverside Park Speedway from 1975-1977, then a 4th championship together in 1982. Kuhnel joined the Beal & Bacon Motorsports team in the mid 1990’s as a crew chief for Mike Stefanik where they won and incredible 31 races from 1995-1998, including a record 13 alone in 1998 and back-to-back NASCAR Modified Tour championships in ’97 and ’98. In 1999 Kuhnel worked with Gary Cretty and Jim Gallante which resulted in a championship for driver Tony Hirshman. When Hirshman moved on Ted Christopher was hired to pilot the 26. Barry later reconnected with Mike Stefanik‘s Flamingo Motorsports team in the mid-2000’s where they won another championship together in 2006. Kuhnel was not just a great crew chief, he was also a car builder and outstanding mechanic. The Sarge had wins at Beech Ridge, Lee, NHMS, Riverside Park, Seekonk, Stafford Springs, Thompson, and Waterford during his long career.
Phil Scott Vermont Driver is not only a racer, he is also Governor of Vermont. Scott’s competitiveness started as a young boy racing handmade wooden buggies down the streets of Barre. Throughout his teens he worked on race cars for notables like Joey Kourafas and Robbie Crouch. In the 1980s, he was racing snowmobiles and motorcycles throughout New England and Canada. Scott loved to compete, and make things go faster. He started stock car racing in the early 1990s at Thunder Road and in 1996, won his first late model race. He has two Thunder Road Milk Bowl wins and nine American Canadian Tour (ACT) late model wins. To this day he holds Thunder Roads track record for the most career wins (31) in the late models. In 2002, he became a three-time champion at Thunder Road while also winning the Airborne Late Model Series track championship and the ACT championship. In 2017 and 2019, Scott won again at Thunder Road and is believed to be the only governor on record to win while in active office. Scott feels racing is similar to politics in several ways– first, you go around in circles a lot. Second, you need to surround yourself with talented people with the right chemistry in order to succeed.
Bruce “Gomer” Taylor Massachusetts driver began racing at the Golden Spur Raceway, later called Lakeville Speedway. Gomer began his winning ways in 1969 in the 6-cylinder Mod Class. Considered a serious hard-nosed racer; he was one of the guys to beat if you wanted to be a champion. He raced hard and clean for decades earning the respect of all drivers. A young protege out of the Boehler shop in the 1970’s when Fred DeSarro piloted the famed Ole Blue, Gomer considers the B-main win during the Fred DeSarro Memorial Race at Thompson Speedway in November of 1978 as his most memorable win. In 1982 he drove Boehler’s 3 at Seekonk and won the modified championship that year, the last year the track ran tour-type modifieds weekly. In 1984 he was co-Modified Champion at Waterford Speedbowl, which was ironically also the last year that track ran full blown modifieds on a weekly basis. Gomer had 12 wins at Seekonk, Westboro and Waterford. He ran Pro Stocks at Seekonk, Lee, and Thompson. He is a lifelong racer who embodies the love and joy of racing, and still campaigns his now vintage #03 Chevette on the NEAR racing circuit
Complete bios for each of our inductees can be found shortly at newenglandautoracer.com. The New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame held its first induction ceremony in 1998. The 27th Annual NEAR Hall of Fame induction dinner will be held for the Class of 2025 on Sunday, November 2, 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. Seating is limited so get your order today. 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. If you would like to congratulate an inductee in our HoF coffee table booklet, please send us an email and we will get you the information.
