Guest Contributor: Steven Ovens - turnfivemedia@gmail.com
(POTTER BROOK, PA) - Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "It is not length of life, but depth of life."
Woodhull Raceway lost one of its own on Monday afternoon, when a friend to all in Mark Fay lost his incredibly brave and fast battle with cancer. Fay was a fixture at the Raceway for at least the last 8 years as a track prep master, mechanic and tech inspector/official. Nicknamed "Skinny," his contributions and friendships were anything but.
Fay was bit by the racing bug long before his tenure as a track employee. "Skinny" was a self-employed mechanic who used his knowledge of man-made vehicles to help turn wrenches on Fred Amann's No. 1a mounts back in the day. But a forged friendship with Ted and Brandi White, not long after they took ownership of Woodhull Raceway in 2009, would allow Fay to pay his efforts forward to race fans each Saturday night every Summer.
"Skinny" took incredible pride in the racing surface as he, White and Scott Drake all spent their blood, sweat and tears manicuring the third-mile bullring each week. Fay was famous for sending out Facebook videos in recent years, showing off the positive results of their work. Weekly competitors at Woodhull have become accustomed to that week in and week out surface, but Fay really enjoyed when traveling series racers came in to race and would note how racy Woodhull was for them.
"Mark was far from just a dedicated track employee," said Woodhull Raceway owner and promoter Ted White. "Mark was family to everyone at the track and he was a big part of mine and Brandi's family. He joined us often for dinner, helped wrench on our son's go-kart and enjoyed non-racing related trips with us. This is a big loss for our immediate and extended racing family."
In an effort to keep the memory and legacy of "Skinny" fresh in everyone's minds, White is proud to announce that the 30-lap, $500-to-win Hobby Stock race on September 28 will now memorialize Fay. The race now known as "The Skinny" will feature a division Fay enjoyed early in his racing career and later as a rules/tech official who spent a great deal of time crafting a fair set of rules with his fellow tech inspectors. On top of the regular purse, each of the 30 laps of "The Skinny" will be sponsored to contribute to an event worthy of Mark Fay's lasting legacy.
As we prepare to race on without a member of our racing family...
"Be the things, you loved most about the people who are gone."
Rest in peace Skinny. We love you. We will miss you. But we will never forget you.