Frank E. Schneider (August 11, 1926 – November 11, 2018) was a

stock car Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...

, modified,

midget Midget (from ''midge'', a tiny biting insect) is a term for a person of unusually short stature that is considered by some to be pejorative due to its etymology. While not a medical term like "dwarfism", a medical condition with a number of ca ...

, and

sprint car Sprint cars are high-powered open-wheel race cars, designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular primarily in the United States and Canada, as well as in Australia, New ...

racer. He had one

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...

Grand National Series The name NASCAR Grand National Series refers to former names of the following NASCAR series: *National-level stock car series: **NASCAR Cup Series (known as NASCAR Grand National Series between 1950 to 1970, then the NASCAR Winston Cup Grand Nation ...

victory at

Old Dominion Speedway Dominion Raceway is a motorsport complex currently operating in Thornburg, Virginia. The facility includes 4/10-mile oval track, a 2-mile road course, and a 1/8-mile drag strip. The track hosts NASCAR, SCCA, and Superkart events along with amat ...

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.nascar.com article on NJ drivers
/ref> Schneider earned his nickname "The Old Master" through his ability to master anything with wheels.

Career

Schneider began his career on June 15, 1947, by winning $70 ($ when considering inflation) for driving his streetcar to a seventh-place at Flemington Speedway.
at legendsofnascar.com, Retrieved July 20, 2007 Schneider is believed to have won at least 750 races in the next thirty years. He routinely raced in several classes at eight races per week. He reportedly scored at least 100 wins again in 1958. 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 $1,000 ($ when considering inflation). He scored his last feature win on July 31, 1977, at the 1/2-mile dirt track

Nazareth Speedway Nazareth Speedway was an auto racing facility near Nazareth in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania which operated from 1910 to 2004 in two distinct course configurations. In its early years, it was a dirt twin oval layout. In 1987 it was reo ...

. 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,

Flemington Speedway Flemington Speedway was a motor racing circuit in Flemington, New Jersey which operated from 1915 to 2002. The track was once known for being the fastest 5/8 dirt track in the United States. Early history Flemington Speedway was created as a ...

, Harmony Speedway, and

.http://articles.mcall.com/2004-08-28/sports/3554261_1_race-frankie-schneider-car The Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame inducted Schneider in 1992 as part of its inaugural class. He was recently voted driver of the century by Area Auto Racing News. Schneider's career is the subject of the video "The Old Master: Frankie Schneider". Schneider died at the age of 92 on November 11, 2018.

Early life

Frank 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.http://www.theoldmaster.net/ The Old Master He left home when he was 16 and he started racing cars when he was 21.

References

* "The Old Master, the Frankie Schneider Story
The Old Master

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schneider, Frankie 1926 births 2018 deaths ARCA Menards Series drivers NASCAR drivers People from Maplewood, New Jersey Sportspeople from Essex County, New Jersey Racing drivers from New Jersey USAC Silver Crown Series drivers USAC Stock Car drivers