|
One of Winsted’s Best Keep Secrets
By Joe Cadrain, Winsted
Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!! echoes in the hearts and minds of a group of hard working, talented locals who are now at a point where most in town thought they would never be. Plain and simple, these "racing track warriors" are now auto racing with the big boys. Starting with a father and son team in 1995 with little more than desire and a positive attitude, a number of their dreams have now become reality.
It all started in 1961 when Arnold (Skip) Travaglin joined the pit crew for Winsted’s racing legend, Martin Riiska, and his famous "Yellow X" car when it was racing at Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam, MA. Today, with a crew of twelve spirited regulars known as the Kozy Shack Racing Team, they continue to maintain a unified positive attitude for their racing team’s future. Each team member possesses special talents, together with experience and knowledge that bonds him or her to the team.
The team’s driver is Skip’s son, Donny Travaglin, who started his racing career at Riverside Park Speedway, where in his second year he became the track champion. In 1998 Donny moved to the late-model division at Stafford Motor Speedway and finished 24th out of 36 drivers in the points category. This was an excellent record, because he only drove for half of the season. The owner of the car is Skip Travaglin, a well known Winsted resident who is currently an inspector for the Department of Motor Vehicles here in Connecticut. Time flies when one is having fun, and Skip has been the racing arena for over 40 years.
Skip’s right hand man and team manager is Paul Amenta, who was also in the Riiska pit crew with Skip. Aside from racing, Paul has spent 35 years in the insurance industry. The crew chief is Brian Barnard, who builds race cars with his brother at their shop in Montague, MA. Other locals on the team are Gaton (Gator) and Rita Gangi, Danny Ellis and Mike Windsor, just to name a few.
One of the keys to the success of any race team is having a corporate marketing partner. In 1999 Donny inked a three-year contract with Kozy Shack Inc., a pudding company based in Hicksville, NY. This endorsement gave a very young and talented driver the opportunity to display his racing skills.
In his first year with Kozy Shack, Donny earned his first NASCAR feature win and finished 14th in the overall point standings. Since then, every year has been better and better. In 2000 he finished 10th in the points standings and began to compete in some of the premiere races of the modified division class at Stafford. The year 2001 saw Donny win the NASCAR SK Modified Rookie of the Year title at the Stafford Motor Speedway. Skip noted that solid teamwork by the crew, both on and off the track, has contributed to the fact that the team is a year ahead of schedule.
When Donny and his team entered the SK modified class fulltime in 2001, they wanted to have everything in place to make them contenders. They have the car, a driver and a team, plus the will to win. Although Donny and the team did not get to victory lane, there were several nights when Donny was in contention to win the race. He did manage to compile a record of five top-5 finishes and fifteen top-10s in twenty-two attempts.
As the team prepares for the 2002 season, they are also planning the future of the Kozy Shack Racing Team. While this team has not revealed all their plans, I get the feeling that they will not be satisfied until they get to Daytona. For more specific information, check out their website at <www.kozyshackracing.com>. Should you not have access to the Internet, call the team manager or owner, who would be more than willing to answer your questions. Another option would be to get away from your daily drudges and indulge yourself in the exciting world of racing. The new season will begin in April with Friday night races at the Stafford Motor Speedway. Come on up!
|
|
)