Rookie sportsman driver “Little” Ronnie Solomon won his first feature at Grandview Speedway on Saturday. That victory at the Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania, dirt oval came in part because of a group of people, such as Kevin Hirthler (pictured), supporting the teenager.
Solomon comes from a line of racers. His grandfather, Ronnie, and his father, Ronnie, also had raced.
“Driving a modified and winning a feature is something I dreamed about since I was a little kid,” Solomon, 15, of Hatfield, Pennsylvania, said. “I just wanted to follow in my family’s footsteps.”
His father passed away in 2017, which was devastating to a young Ronnie. Fortunately, his grandfather stepped up to help him achieve his aspirations.
“My grandfather is the only reason I can [race],” said Solomon. “He’s 64 years old and he is here for me every day. We keep the car in his home garage. My uncle Billy used to help my dad and he helps me now.”
In addition to his grandfather, another familiar face to the family helped Solomon — Kevin Hirthler.
“My dad bought his first car from Kevin Hirthler, and we bought my car from him,” Solomon said. “Kevin took a liking to me. He helped me out more than I ever expected. He taught me how to drive, taught me about throttle control and how to stay calm in the car. Not only that, he taught me everything about the car we bought. We went completely through it, and he taught me all the basic, but important things about it, stuff like packing bearings.”
Hirthler was among the many people happy to see Ronnie Solomon earn his milestone win.
“My grandparents, my aunt Stephanie, and my uncle Billy were there,” said Solomon of those that met him in victory lane. “So was Kevin Hirthler. He was so happy. He said, ‘I’m proud of you, buddy.’ That meant a lot to me.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
