Marvin Elected to NEAR Hall of Fame Class of 2015
Posted By Tj Ingerson On September 5, 2015
Categories: Regional | Thunder Road
PHOTO: LBethlehem Bombshell Ronnie Marvin has been elected to the NEAR Hall of Fame Class of 2015 by way of the veterans committee. (Cho Lee Collection/Coastal181.com photo)
MERIDEN, Conn. -- The “Bethlehem Bombshell” Ronnie Marvin has been elected to the NEAR Hall of Fame Class of 2015 through the group’s veterans committee.
Marvin was a mainstay in the Vermont racing scene that began at tracks in Concord and Waterford before he etched his name firmly into Thunder Road International Speedbowl history when he became the track’s first champion in 1960.
He earned nine feature wins at Northeastern Speedway in Waterford, which included four-in-a-row. He was the track’s champion in 1961.
Marvin also claimed wins in Thunder Road’s prestigious Memorial Day Classic and Labor Day Classic in 1964. He also became the first driver to win two Milk Bowl segments without winning the overall in 1965.
He was a dominant force throughout northern New England in the Flathead Coupe era that continued with the introduction on the V8 Sportsman cars still driving the Flathead Coupe. Marvin disappeared near the end of the 1960s, but returned in the early 1970s and continued his storied career until his retirement in the mid-1980s.
Marvin will be joined by fellow Vermont mainstay and current driver, owner, and promoter Joey Laquerre at the induction ceremony on Sunday, November 8 in South Windsor, Conn.
Marvin is joined by Hamden, Conn. native Joe Fontana and publisher Jim Moffat as the veterans committee’s selection.
Other Class of 2015 inductees include road racer and longtime Sportscar and Formula 1 journalist Sam Posey, former Modified champion and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Greg Sacks, former International Super Modified Association championship car owner Paul Dunigan, Lee USA Speedway promoter Red MacDonald, drivers Jim McCallum and Stan Greger, and racer, promoter, journalist, and publisher Lew Boyd.