It took Jim Normoyle six years to win once again at Utica-Rome Speedway in Vernon, New York. The old adage that the second win would come easier was no joke. Two days later, he found himself in victory lane again, dancing on his roof, just as he had when he won the track championship in 2007.
“I was younger then [when I won the championship], and it was a lot easier to dance on the roof,” Normoyle, 60, of Salisbury, New York, said. “This time I had to think if I was going to make it up there or not.”
This year marks Normoyle’s 48th year in oval-track racing. He started in the sport at age 12.
“I don’t ever remember winning back-to-back features,” said Normoyle. “It is really hard to win in this division. There are at least 15 drivers that can win on any given night.”
Normoyle races pro stocks regularly at Utica-Rome Speedway on Fridays and at New York’s Fonda Speedway on Saturdays. He and his son-in-law, A.J. Walters, operate out of a two-car garage at Normoyle’s home. Walters finished second to Normoyle on Friday.
“We were trying to have a one-two finish all season,” Normoyle said. “It could have been the other way around, and it would have been just as good for me. It is great to race with your son-in-law, especially when you have both cars side-by-side at home and you work together every night.”
Can Normoyle continue his hot streak? Tonight, he’ll attempt to visit a different victory lane as Utica-Rome Speedway gave the pro stocks the night off. Jim Normoyle will head to Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, New York, for a $10,000-to-win Pro Stock Autism Awareness Event.
“Am I looking for a hat trick?” said Normoyle. “No doubt I am. It would be a good one to win. Three in a row would have me dancing again.”
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.
