2 minute read
In Memorium
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA LEGEND STEVE SMITH PASSES
THE MAN KNOWN forever as the Black Bandit, Steve Smith, passed away in early June after a lengthy illness. Smith leaves behind a legacy of technical virtuosity, kindness, competition and dedication that continues to shine through the industry with his son Stevie Smith.
Smith first got behind the wheel during the 1969 season after he moved from Florida to join the burgeoning Central Pennsylvania racing scene. The first of his 266 wins came at BAPS Motor Speedway (then called Susquehanna Speedway).
Although his first win didn’t come at Lincoln Speedway, it would quickly become his home track as he dominated the speedway to the tune of nine track titles, including an impressive stretch of consecutive titles from 1973 through 1978. He was also prolific at Williams Grove and he scored a track title there in 1989 and National Open victories in 1974, 1976 and again in 1981.
Smith won all over Central Pennsylvania through the 1970s and 1980s and even kicked off his fourth decade of racing by winning the inaugural Pennsylvania Sprint Car Speedweek title in 1991. He raced until 1996 when he garnered his final two wins at Lincoln Speedway with the All Stars and at Hagerstown at the World of Outlaws.
Smith was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2000.
THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE Vaughn Winter Sr., founder of Winters Performance, was an innovator in the racing world. Born April 16, 1931, in York, Pennsylvania, Vaughn joined the United States Air Force as soon as age would allow. While stationed outside of Cheyenne, Wyoming, in the early-’50s, he began drag racing a ’49 Olds 98 and building highperformance automatic transmissions for himself and other racers. Before long, his work was in high demand, with dealerships from as far away as Denver, Colorado, calling on him to rebuild transmissions. His informal business was off and running.
In 1958 he and his wife Madeline returned to York, Pennsylvania, and formally launched Winters Transmissions, which later became Winters Performance. In the decades that followed, Vaughn worked tirelessly to build Winters’ reputation as a leader in the racing and performance community. His creativity and ingenuity led to the development of countless components, from quick change rear ends to transmissions and other driveline equipment. Today the company Vaughn and Madeline built is known worldwide, providing high performance parts to racers and hot rodders in every corner of the globe.
Vaughn passed away on April 27th, 2021—just over a week past his 90th birthday. In a lifetime full of amazing accomplishments, perhaps his finest one is that his hard work allowed his family to take part in the business as well. Through 69 years of marriage, he and Madeline worked side-by-side, continuing to spend time at Winters nearly every day. He passed along his love of hard work and passion for racing to his daughter, Nina, and grandson, Bob, who are continuing his legacy of innovation and creativity at Winters Performance.
