Ollie Butler Jr. Passes
Ollie Butler with his #5 Late Model racer at Flemington, a number with a deep history for the Butler Racing Family.Oliver “Ollie” M. Butler, Jr., 58, of Tinicum Township, PA, passed away peacefully on Friday, March 17, 2023 at his home with his family by his side.
Ollie was a core part of one of short track racing's most respected racing families, and he was part of our family here on 3Wides. From meeting him through the Flemington Speedway Historical Society, and at other racing related events, he was "Ollie"... a person who once you met, you looked forward to saying hello to each time, and could easily pick up the conversation from the last time you spoke, as if no time at all had passed.
Racing Historian Rick Shive has been a friend of the Butler Family since the sixties. "I lettered a bunch of cars for almost all of them, plus I spent time helping on their crews in the early eighties at Nazareth" Rick said. "Spent a lot of time at their house/garage. I remember once we pulled an all nighter to change an engine. When "Mom Pat" came out to the garage in the morning, she was surprised I was there that early. I said, I never went home!"
Ollie with his #97 Chevelle at Nazareth SpeedwayRick added:, "Back when they ran street stocks, you would cut the cage out and reuse it. Me, Ollie and Rich Robbins spent Memorial Day listening to the Indy 500, while gutting a Chevelle in preparation for racing..... Great memories.... Ollie didn't race all that long compared to the rest. Instead, he concentrated on starting his family. But racing was always there."
A Celebration of Ollie’s Life will take place at a later date. Arrangements are under the care of the Johnson-Walton Funeral Home, 24 Church Road, Milford, NJ.
https://johnsonwalton.com/obit.cfm?obitid=1224
Memorial contributions may be made to the Pluckemin Medical Equipment Ministry. Please make check payable to Pluckemin Presbyterian Church, 279 U.S. 202, Pluckemin, NJ 07978 and write in the check memo MEM or Medical Equipment.
Thoughts and prayers are with the Butler Family, and to everyone out there that is feeling the same way we are all feeling this weekend at the loss of our friend.
Racer Stan Janiszewski Passes
Stan Janiszewski in victory lane at East Windsor Speedway3/1/23 We are saddened by the news of the passing of Late Model Champion racer Stan Janiszewski.
Those who knew Stan the best say that he was a natural race car driver. While he raced in different divisions during his career, it was in the Late Model class that Stan really dominated. Forever to be known as the "All Time Late Model Feature Winner at East Windsor Speedway (EWS)," Stan was the Late Model Champion in 4 of the 7 years he competed there. In 1984, Stan's success at EWS included 17 wins in 20 Late Model features, backed up by winning 14 out of 18 features the following year in 1985*.
Stan Janiszewski in victory lane at Bridgeport SpeedwayIn addition to his accomplishments at East Windsor, on a few occasions, Stan would venture elsewhere, and the result was often the same, with Stan standing in victory lane at the end of the night, a measure of his true talent behind the wheel, wherever he raced.
Fellow racer/car builder & friend John McCaughey offered the following when hearing of Stan's passing:
Stan lost his battle with cancer early Saturday morning. He was my friend. Not just a guy I built a car for, a guy that I could hang out with or talk to on the phone and reminisce about some great times. One of the few people that called me "Johnny", lol. A guy that my dad would actually lend a motor to without wanting anything in return, just to run the hell out of it and spend days building headers to fit a big block in a late model because he genuinely respected his abilities behind the wheel. A guy that always had plenty of help at the shop because he was just one of the guys...a real sense of humor but very quiet until he knew you. I always thought he had the talent to go further, it just didn't work out that way.
I'm sure I'm speaking for a lot of people when I talk about what a good friend he was and a fun guy to hang out with and a helluva racer...and I've spent all day thinking about him and Kim and his son and daughter...a lot of people are going to miss him...I think about that 50 lapper he won at Grandview, the work we all put in to get ready for that race, changing a transmission after warmups, missing the heat, qualifying thru the consi, starting in the back, getting caught up in a tangle and going to the rear and blasting thru the field to take the lead with about 5 to go...he wanted that race so badly and won it...so many other stories - winning an open comp race at BP, battles at Nazareth...God it was fun... and now it's over and a lot of us are going to miss the guy.
Godspeed Stanley, you were one of the good guys...
Service Information: https://obits.nj.com/us/obituaries/trenton/name/stanley-janiszewski-obituary?id=48648348
We offer our condolences to the friends and family of Stan Janiszewski at this very sad time.
*Statistical information source: ARRA
