Frank E. Schneider (August 11, 1926 – November 11, 2018) was an American stock car, modified, midget, and sprint car racer. He had one NASCAR Grand National Series victory at Old Dominion Speedway in 1958 driving a 1957 Chevrolet. He also won the 1952 NASCAR modified title, where it is suspected that he scored at least 100 wins.[1][2] Schneider earned his nickname "The Old Master" through his ability to master anything with wheels.
| Frankie Schneider | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||
| Born | August 11, 1926 Maplewood, New Jersey | ||||||
| Died | November 12, 2018 (aged 92) | ||||||
| Motorsport career | |||||||
| Debut season | 1947 | ||||||
| Car number | 2 | ||||||
| Wins | 750+ | ||||||
| Finished last season | 1999 | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| 1952 NASCAR National Modified champion 1954,1962 Langhorne National Open 1967 All Star Stock Car Racing League Champion | |||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 27 races run over 7 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 20th (1957) | ||||||
| First race | 1949 Hamburg Speedway | ||||||
| Last race | 1958 Starkey Speedway | ||||||
| First win | 1958 Old Dominion Speedway | ||||||
| |||||||
Early life
editFrank E. Schneider was born on August 11, 1926, in Maplewood, New Jersey, not far from Newark. His father, Frank Sr, was employed at the Western Electric Company in Newark at the time. Frank is the oldest of 5 children, Eleanor, Lorraine, Robert, and Charles are his younger siblings.[3] He left home when he was 16 and he started racing cars when he was 21.[4]
Racing Career
editSchneider began his career on June 15, 1947, by winning $70 ($955.17 when considering inflation) for driving his streetcar to a seventh-place at Flemington Speedway.[2] Schneider is believed to have won at least 750 races in the next thirty years.[2] He routinely raced in several classes at eight races per week.[2] He reportedly scored at least 100 wins again in 1958.[2] Schneider won the Langhorne National Open, the country's top event for Sportsman and Modified racers in 1954 and 1962. In 1963, he won four track points championships—Middletown, Harmony, Reading, and Nazareth—in a car he bought for $1,000 ($9,952.17 when considering inflation).
He scored his last feature win on July 31, 1977, at the 1/2-mile dirt track Nazareth Speedway.[2][5] Although he competed in almost all 50 states, the Bahamas, and Canada, Schneider raced most of his career at the Orange County Fair Speedway, Reading Fairgrounds Speedway, Flemington Speedway, Harmony Speedway, and Nazareth Speedway.[4] The Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame inducted Schneider in 1992 as part of its inaugural class.[6] He was recently voted driver of the century by Area Auto Racing News.[2]
Schneider's career is the subject of the video "The Old Master: Frankie Schneider".[7] Schneider died at the age of 92 on November 11, 2018.[8]
Motorsports career results
editNASCAR
edit(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Grand National Series
editReferences
edit- ^ nascar.com article on NJ drivers
- ^ a b c d e f g Biography Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine at legendsofnascar.com, Retrieved July 20, 2007
- ^ http://www.theoldmaster.net/ The Old Master
- ^ a b The Morning Call [bare URL]
- ^ "The 'Old Master' did it best ** Frankie Schneider won the first, and most, races at Nazareth". The Morning Call. August 28, 2004. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ "Danny Johnson, Pat O'Brien & Ray Brown the 2019 class". Race Pro Weekly. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
- ^ Online Store
- ^ "Frankie Schneider, 92". Speed Sport. November 12, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ "Frankie Schneider – 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ^ "Frankie Schneider – 1950 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ^ "Frankie Schneider – 1951 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ^ "Frankie Schneider – 1952 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ^ "Frankie Schneider – 1953 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ^ "Frankie Schneider – 1957 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ^ "Frankie Schneider – 1958 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- "The Old Master, the Frankie Schneider Story" The Old Master
External links
edit- Frankie Schneider driver statistics at Racing-Reference
- Eastern Motorsports Press Association