RPW Exclusive: RacingJunk.com, Race Pro Weekly, NYSSCA Dedicate Lebanon’s ‘The Old Buzzard 30’ To Bobby Chalmers
Column By: ROBERT SYMONDS / RPW – LEBANON, NY – It is no secret that Bobby’s favorite class was the DIRTcar Pro Stocks which has been a staple of dirt racing since its inception. At Super DIRT Week, when most fans are just settling into their seats, Bobby was ready to watch the Pro Stock drivers compete for the ultimate prize. At his home track, Bobby had started and continued to promote two marquee Pro Stock events, the Bubba Tanner Classic and The Old Buzzard 30. After his passing earlier this summer, questions arose about The Old Buzzard 30 which was scheduled for August 23rd at the Lebanon Valley Speedway.
These questions were answered thanks to NYSSCA. NYSSCA is a great organization aimed to the dedication of racing. If a driver gets seriously hurt, NYSSCA is there to assist. Being an annual NYSSCA member himself, Bobby was a dedicated voice for organization. Cheryl Catman and Frank Mckay from NYSSCA stepped up to ensure Bobby’s race didn’t fall through the cracks. Cheryl and Frank worked with NYSSCA and RPW’s own Jann Ivancic-McGaffin to get in contact with Scott Stetz from RacingJunk.com to dedicate The Old Buzzard 30 to Bobby Chalmers.
Having worked with Bobby closely as his director, Scott knew the best option to honor Bobby, was ‘The Old Buzzard 30’ at Bobby’s home track, the Valley. This race was originally created in memory of the legendary driver Jimmy Langenback and was one of Bobby’s favorite to watch. Shortly after working with Scott, Jann made the call to Bobby’s father Bob, who was completely open to the idea of dedicating this race for his son. With Lebanon’s approval, the race was set.
With the date set and the invitations sent out, the day soon arrived for The Old Buzzard 30 at the Lebanon Valley Speedway. The entire group enjoyed watching the entire events unfold as the night went on. During the evening, Brian Bedell spoke of Bobby and Jimmy Langenback and explained further how the entire race came to be which was very insightful. Later in the evening, the checkered flag flew for ‘The Old Buzzard 30’ as Frank Twing picked up the win. Scott Stetz from RacingJunk.com along with Bob Chalmers and Jann Ivancic-McGaffin presented the winning check and trophy custom made for the Dedication to Bobby Chalmers. The check was made by DH Graphix and the trophy hand crafted by TC Creations.
The entire Race Pro Weekly team would like to thank Cheryl Catman and Frank Mckay from NYSSCA along with Scott and RacingJunk.com for working with Jann and Bob to help put this entire evening together and dedicate ‘The Old Buzzard 30’ in Bobby’s memory.
