2006 Legacy Award

A legacy is a gift from a predecessor or the past.  This award holds special meaning to the Emig Family, as it is put in place to honor and remember the late Bill Emig.  It is his love of racing and people in general that has now laid the foundation that is now in place at Mercer Raceway Park. 

To know that Bob Felmlee won his 100^th and what was thought to be his final sprint car race at Mercer, that the speedway was part of Jimmy Hawley’s 1999 tri-track championship season, Lou Blaney’s next-to-last lap pass of the great Billy Decker, the spectacular achievements of Alan Dellinger and Erin Crocker, Tommy Kristyak’s 100^th career Mercer win and 2004 championship, and Rod George’s spectacular season last year are all moments that legacies are built upon and the Legacy Award has honored.

This year’s recipient of this prestigious award is probably one of the few people who is here tonight that truly knew Bill Emig.

Over the years he would sit across from Bill at his desk and listen to and watch Bill’s shenanigans…he would borrow Bill’s rifle each year for deer season, and one day he would load up and take home his first race car out of Bill Emig’s garage.

He changed his car number from 3 to 99 the year that Mercer Raceway Park became Bill Emig’s legacy, and to 1G this past season in a move that if the truth be known was probably a little cat and mouse game with Bill’s daughter.  Ironically the 1G carried him to his first track championship and victory in two of the speedways biggest 358 modified events- the Jeff Hoffman Memorial and the T3 All-Star Series Little Guy Nationals.  The number had been good to him, as it had so many times before for Bill.

Tonight, if Bill could be here, I’m sure he would be the first to stand in line to congratulate him. He’d tell him how proud he was to see him achieve his goals and remind him to always take good care of those little girls.  Then with that mischievous sparkle in his eye, Bill would wink and say “I wouldn’t get too comfortable with that number, I’d be willing to bet that there’s one car in particular that’s looking to see if you might need to change that number again!”

What do you think Frankie, doesn’t that sound like Bill!?!?

Ladies and Gentlemen: I give to you this years Legacy Award winner:  Frank Guidace