The Old Master, the Frankie Schneider Story

Dennis Keenan moved to Sergeantsville NJ, in 1949.  He was a small boy at the time, but met a young man that was to have a profound effect on the rest of his life.  His name was Frankie Schneider and he had been a stock car racer for just about two years.

A snapshot of the preface by Dennis Keenan

When you're young, somtimes you don't full understand what's going on around you.  I guess that's what happened to me.  I was having a lot of fun hanging around the garage, going to the races, working in the pits with Frank in the early 60's.  I knew he was good, we were winning a lot of races, but it never sunk in just how important to the rise of stock car racing in the Northeast he was until one Sunday when we raced a 100 lap event at the Olive Bridge Speedway outside Kingston, NY.  It was an afternoon race, on that featured a great battle with another Northeast legend, Bill Wimble.  We won that race and then headed for the evening show at Nazareth PA.  It was a long haul, made longer by the road I had picked out.  "It's a straight run," I told Frank, "Route 196 straight to Nazareth."  It was straight all right.  Straight up one hill and straight down the next!  The brakes on the Chrysler took a real beating.

 We got to Nazareth during the intermission.  All the heats had been run and our only chance to make the feature was through the consolation race.  But what I remember was the roar that went through the granstand when they spotted us coming into the pits.  It was then that I realized what a special position I was in, and how lucky I was to know and be able to help this man.  I know that we qualified and I think we won the freature, but it was the roar of the crowd that sticks with me still.