On Friday, May 5, the northeast racing community lost a legend when Ward Crozier Sr., passed away. Crozier was 79-years old and resided in Lehighton with his wife Dottie, whom he was married to for 56 years.
Crozier was race driver from the 1960’s and into the 2000’s on both dirt and asphalt and although he had limited success, he is best remembered for his exploits as a track promoter and Harmony, Nazareth and Mahoning Valley Speedway’s.
It was Mahoning Valley Speedway in his hometown of Lehighton that Crozier rose to his most noted prominence, which he and Dottie ran from 1987 to 1993.
At the end of the 1986 season Dorney Park Speedway in Allentown closed its doors leaving the many faithful pavement racers of the area without a track. The cars at Dorney, Sportsman and Late Models, were somewhat exclusive to that track. Thanks to the heads-up thinking of Crozier, he stepped in knowing that a track was available to keep alive the racing.
In early 1987, Ward and Dottie where able to make a deal with land owner Charlie Abrachinsky to reopen Mahoning Valley Speedway, a ¼-mile oval that had been sitting dormant the past 10 years.
With the help of family, friends and racers, the Crozier’s went to work installing grandstands (the old Nazareth National dirt track stands) for the first time and also built a concrete outside wall, replacing the old wooded guard rails. A number of other upgrades were made and when the track held its first race meet on May 9 of that year, the Crozier’s were rewarded with a packed house and full pit area.
The weekly races under Crozier’s reign where considered some of the best years at Mahoning. Crozier was able to build a solid and loyal base – fans that had a true passion for the sport and the drivers they deeply supported.
He introduced new classes starting in 1988 with the Pro 4 division which at first was known as the 4-Cylinder Stocks. The class grew so big that he split it into a 4-Cylinder Convertible division. 29 years and 636 races later and the class is still going strong.
In 1993 he initiated the D/A Mod class, D/A standing for dirt/asphalt. That class launched the stock car careers of such notables as Nevin George and Anthony and Amanda Sesely.
George Wambold and John Markovic, the 1987 Mahoning Modified and Late Model champions respectively, are still going strong today.
Crozier had a uniqueness all his own, doing many things in an unconventional style, from the cars he drove to the way he ran his track. He was the “MacGyver” of short track racing.
He once built a makeshift water pump out of half a car that was lying around the Nazareth Speedway property. The wreckage was towed to the pit area and placed next to the second turn water hole. From there, Ward made a pump using the car’s engine as the method of propulsion. As time marched on, parts and pieces fell off the car but the device itself was still pumping on Nazareth’s final night of racing.
When faced with a problem one week of a backup in the ladies’ bathroom in the Nazareth pit area, Ward ultimately solved the clog by blasting it with a fire hose. He later observed that the commode was filled with what he referred to as ‘woman’s unmentionables’. “There was also a spark plug in there,” Ward noted. “I have no idea what that was being used for.”
When contemplating taking over Mahoning Valley Speedway and rebuilding it, he was looking for investors. One he asked about it was Steve Barrick from Program Dynamics Inc. (PDI). The two met for dinner at Nazareth Diner in mid-winter. They talked for the better part of four hours.
During that time the pair drank a dozen cups of black coffee. Ward said he drank coffee to that extent every day of the year. Steve was up for the next two days, coming off an acute caffeine high. Steve ultimately could not be involved with Ward’s venture, instead becoming a concessionaire as the track’s program publisher. According to Barrick Mahoning Valley was at one time PDI’s most successful track for program book sales.
It is safe to characterize his relationship with Nazareth promoter Jerry Fried as often contentious. Jerry was particularly disenchanted with Ward racing at Nazareth when he was on the track payroll.
One night, Ward was in the third Modified heat race of the night and as it happened, the third heat was the key race of the night in that its completion meant that more than half of the races were run, thus voiding the rainchecks. Ordinarily unimportant, this was a hot button issue this night because the skies overhead became leaden with rain. At the beginning of the fifth lap in the ten lap heat race, Ward slammed into the first turn fence, tearing the front end off his car. The red flag came out, then as if on cue the rain poured down. Race cancelled, race incomplete, rain checks were good, and Jerry blamed Ward for costing him a race.
Nazareth track photographer Bob Snyder recollected a harrowing incident on one particular night.
“Ward got the bright idea to hang me out over the backstretch on the old electrical ladder truck they used to photograph a modified heat race. Reluctantly I agreed and he hung me over the track. As the Modifieds took the green and came roaring down the backstretch the ladder started to drop. I screamed at Ward and he pulled out just as the cars passed underneath. Needless to say I never got the shot!” recalled Snyder.
In their first season as Mahoning Valley’s promoters, Ward and Dottie donated the proceeds of one of the mid-summer races to the family of a young child who was fighting a battle against cancer.
On a venture to New Smyrna Speedway during Speed Weeks, Crozier was sitting on the grid alongside the late Richie Evans. While the entire field was in the contemporary low-slung pavement Modifieds, Crozier brought one of his homebuilt upright cars as to which Evans yelled out to him, “Hey Crozier, how’s the weather up there, Is it looking like rain?”
Even though Crozier sold his share of the track in 1993, he remained a fixture every year since. His son Ward Jr., daughter, Betty Christman, son-in-law Barry Christman Sr., grandson, Barry Christman Jr., and son-in-law Rich Pursell are all winning race drivers there.
His viewing will take place on Tuesday, May 9 at the Reichel Funeral Home, 323 E. 21st Street in Northampton, Pa. from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm and on Wednesday from 10:00 am to 11:00 am.
It seems fitting in a way that his Tuesday viewing comes 30 years to the day that he and Dottie re-opened Mahoning Valley Speedway.
The Crozier legacy has lasted these past three decades and it is with heavy hearts that we bid a sad farewell to Ward, perhaps the person most responsible for keeping pavement racing alive in eastern Pennsylvania throughout that time.
MVS PR
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