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Post Info TOPIC: Gene Bergin
openwheelracer


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Gene Bergin
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Gene Bergin was one of the most versatile drivers in New England auto racing history, having driven Modifieds, Midgets, Sprint cars, Indy cars, and Grand National cars in his career.

Bergin first started racing in the early 50's at the Riverside Park Speedway collecting many feature event wins and the 1962 Modified track championship.

He then in 1964 moved on to the Stafford Motor Speedway winning several features on the still dirt surface driving Sharkey Gaudiosi's #44, and also holds the distinction of being one of only two drivers to win a feature event on both the dirt and asphalt surfaces at Stafford, ( The other being Ernie Gahan).

Gene also holds the honor of being the first Modified track champion on the asphalt surface at Stafford when he drove Beebe Zalinski's M6 to the 1967 crown.

In yet another groundbreaking moment Bergin was the first driver to win a feature event at Stafford in a Pinto bodied race car when he drove Bob Judkins # 2x to victory lane in 1971, thus ushering in the Pinto revolution.

Other car owners who Gene drove for were Bob Garbarino and his Mystic Missile #4 and Billy Simons and the Excavator Special #9.

Bergin was a first year inductee into the NEAR Hall of Fame in 1998.


-- Edited by openwheelracer at 20:35, 2007-10-21

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yankeeracer


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He was successful in the NEMA Midgets with wins at Thompson in Aug. 1969 and Aug 1973 at the old Lakeville Speedway in Massachusetts. Gene also attempted several USAC Champ Car races in 1968



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Pete Corey 3


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You forgot to mention he drove the Flying 0 out of East Windsor Ct.  The owner's name escapes me at the moment but it will come to me.  Darn, this Old Timer's Disease.

Bergin also took a nasty tumble at Stafford on the dirt in the mid 60's (again the old timers disease creeping in).  I was there and he barrel rolled the Gaudiosi 44 Sedan all the way down the backstretch and broke his arm.confuse

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WhelenModifiedTour


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More About Gene Bergin
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A link to more about Gene Bergin from LegendsOfNASCAR.com:

http://www.legendsofnascar.com/Gene_Bergin.htm

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NASCAR MODIFIEDS...WHERE IT ALL BEGAN.  LET'S REMIND NASCAR OF THEIR ROOTS.
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