Stephanie Eckl Memorial Next on Tap for America’s Motorsports Park

Greg and Val Eckl of St. Mary’s had three children, Mike, JJ and Stephanie. They were all together for Thanksgiving in 2004, for the first time in four years due to college. Stephanie had to be back to work in the morning, so she left Thanksgiving night. On her way home she hit a patch of black ice, lost control of her car and spun counter clockwise several time before being hit by another car. She died instantly of a broken neck.

 

“Stephanie was 20 years old and had the whole world in front of her and so much opportunity to manage her own store,” her dad said. “This all happened on Thanksgiving night November 25, 2004. That’s when our lives ceased as we knew it and things changed forever.”

 

Prior to that fateful night, her dad Greg and her had become friends with Late Model standout Bob Close of Eldred and had become members of his pit crew.

 

Several weeks after the funeral, while at work plowing snow, Greg was thinking about how to remember his daughter in a special way, then it came to him, a memorial race for her, a fan of the sport who loved super late model racing. He called Chris Zuver, director of the United Late Model Series (UMLS) and posed the idea to him and he thought it was a great one.

 

The first race was in 2005 at McKean County Raceway in Smethport with Todd Andrews the winner.

 

For the first four years the winner received a trophy with Stephanie’s picture on but her dad wanted to do something more, something special. He thought about it over and over and came up with the idea of building a 1/10 scale remote late model, which he used to race, so he contacted Barry Hill at go fast race parts, Chappell Hill, NC for a chassis which he donated. Mike Ottinger at C&M Bodies of Newport, TN donated a late model body, Bruce Tripplet of RC 4 Less donated tires, Howie Robinson of Diversified Wood Products, St Mary’s donated the trophy stand, Nick Deangelis of Shermanstown grooved the tires like American racer late model tires, Heath Cousins of Cousigns Designs in Eldred did graphics for the body and Greg painted it. There is a picture of Stephanie on the trophy along with metal name plates showing the past winner’s names.

 

The winner will keep the revolving trophy for one year then they will receive a plaque to commemorate the win.

 

So far the race will pay $2,500 to win. The Street Stocks are also on the card with the winner getting $500, the Pure Stock winner will get $400 to win and the Four Cylinder winner will take home $250 to win.

 

The race carries a Sunday, Sept. 29 rain date with gates opening at 1 p.m. and race time at 4 p.m.

 

 

2005 Todd Andrews

2006 Todd Andrews

2007 Robbie Blair

2008 Todd Andrews

2009 Mike Knight

2010 David Scott

2011 Robbie Blair

2012 Greg Oaks

2013 ????