A race at Riverhead Raceway to see who is best in family

Bill Wegmann has a crease on the front fender of his 1974 Oldsmobile with an inscription above it that reads "Ray was here." Ray is Bill's stepson. After a quick glimpse around the car, Wegmann noticed another dent courtesy of Jason Wegmann, his grandson and Ray's nephew.

Just another day in the life of the "racing grandfather."

Being the patriarch of three generations of racing, Bill Wegmann, a 66-year-old who resides in North Bellmore, knows trading paint with family on Saturday nights is part of the gig. And he wouldn't trade it for the world.

"I absolutely love it," Bill Wegmann said about racing with Shannon, 49, and Jason, 16, in the Blunderbust division at Riverhead Raceway. "I look forward to it. It's competitive, but we always help each other out. It's very satisfying at the end of the year."

Wegmann began racing at Freeport Speedway in 1964, and then brought his stepson along to share his hobby.

Shannon took a nine-year hiatus from the Riverhead pavement when he moved to Charlotte, N.C., to work as a track mechanic in the Busch Series. Shannon is back living in Centereach and he has a new will to win, as he is donating his entire season's winnings to a 6-year-old girl with leukemia whom he heard about through a racing friend.

"That's just the way I am," he said. "I don't like to see kids suffering."

Shannon currently has the family bragging rights as he sits in sixth place with 176 points. Wegmann, whose best finish in the division was third in 2005, is eighth with 168, and young Jason of Patchogue is 14th with 124.

Said Wegmann: "We're having a lot of fun with it."

Said Shannon, laughing: "It's fun until my nephew freaking wrecks me."