FORESTVILLE — There’s little doubt that Gordon’s Kris Ney was meant to race.
Take last Friday, for instance.
The 19-year-old North Schuylkill High School graduate took his date to the Mahanoy Area High School prom, but only for a short while.
Minutes before warm-up laps at 7:45 p.m., both Ney and his date had changed clothes and were walking through the pits at Big Diamond Speedway as he prepared to race his No. 54 roadrunner.
No one who knows Ney should be surprised. Racing is a tradition firmly rooted in the Ney family tree.
“In 1981, my grandfather built the car for Curt (Troup) and he wound up winning the championship,” Ney said.
In fact, the open trailer with the wooden deck upon which the team hauls Ney’s No. 54 is the same one that carried Troup’s street stock — also with No. 54 — in his championship season.
That number has followed Ney throughout his career.
“Back in sixth grade, I got my first go-kart to run at Selinsgrove
Raceway Park on Friday nights,” he said.
Three years ago, Ney abandoned the go-kart for some heavier equipment.
“I’m not the smallest kid here and the go-karts didn’t haul me around faster, so I built a roadrunner,” he said.
The expense was a fit for Ney’s family.
“I like this class,” he said. “It’s built off junk yard parts and anyone can do it.”
But such work comes naturally to Ney, who attended the Schuylkill Technology Center South at Mar Lin as a high school student.
“I started my collision repair with Ed Pollack. I give him a lot of credit,” he said.
These days, Ney, who turned 19 on May 16, attends the Automotive Training Center in Exton, Chester County, to continue his study in the same field.
“I’m actually thinking about teaching collision repair,” he said.
Otherwise, he said, he hopes to eventually land work at a car dealership or body shop.
Ney also said the instruction is handy because his family likes to restore cars, particularly Ford Mustangs.
“My dad bought a ’69 (Ford) Mach I for a complete restoration when I was a kid. That’s in the garage.
“The ’69 is not done yet, but we have a ’70 Mach I we just got.
“Two summers ago, I actually bought an ’83 Monte Carlo SS. I’m not cutting that one up for a race car. That’s a nice car. I bought it for $800.”
Ney has other plans for it.
“Maybe when I’m done racing, I’ll put a 383 stroker in it and have a little fun on the streets,” he said.
Until then, Ney is intent upon continuing the tradition of racers from Gordon, a small community with a rich history.
“Back in the 80’s, there was Glenn Alden. The ‘Gordon Ghost’, they called him,” Ney said, adding current 358 modified driver Colt Harris, who now resides in Valley View, also is a Gordon native.
“My dad remembers Colt as a little baby,” he said.
With two feature wins, including his first 20-lap roadrunner victory May 10, Ney adds to the tradition.
“I find it funny, he said, “When I was a kid racing go-karts, I’d sit in the (Big Diamond) stands watching Colt when he started. I remember Chris Holland’s first car. I remember Jeremy Becker, watching him as a kid. Now I’m out here running with them.
“It’s a little bit of irony, I think.”
Today’s races
Where: Big Diamond Speedway, Forestville
When: 8:15 p.m. Gates open at 5 p.m.
Program: Mark’s Service Center Night/Gone But Not Forgotten Memorial for 358 modifieds, sportsmen and roadrunners
Admission: General admission, $15; Senior citizens, $13; Active military personnel and children ages 12 and under, free.