Son remembers Ernie 'The Wrench' Maynor

Roger Maynor remembers The Wrench whenever he's around a car.

Ernie "The Wrench" Maynor, Roger's father, was tragically killed in a Figure Eight race at Islip Speedway in 1982. Roger was in the same race and had the harrowing scene unfold right in front of him, as his father's car was clipped at the intersection, sending him airborne.

"All I thought was 'O.K., he'll have to drive my car next week,' " Roger said. "I didn't think it was that serious at first. He was a tough guy."

Roger convinced his father, who fostered his love for racing, to compete that season. The son had just come back from a 41/2-year stint in the Air Force and knew 1982 would probably be the last chance for the two to race together. Ernie won the first week of the season, and chose to skip a friend's wedding to race that fateful night, just two days shy of his 48th birthday.

"He was hemming and hawing over it," Roger said of his father's decision to race that day. "It was a freak thing. Things happen very fast and you don't realize things like that sometimes."

Roger, now 51, didn't allow the accident to deter him from racing. The Bay Shore native, who bought his old house from his mother after his father's death and still lives in it today, won his first race in 1985 and has won 100 more at Riverhead Raceway since then. His 101 victories are the most of any driver in any division on a Long Island track. Last year he won his eighth Figure Eight title.

In every race, the memory of The Wrench is not far off. Ernie's number 82 is retired at the track, so Roger flipped the numbers and his Chevy Impala wears number 28. It also has the inscription "Remember The Wrench," which the track does every year with the Ernie Maynor Memorial Figure Eight race. This year it is June 26.

"Some guys think, 'Oh, you are crazy,' " Maynor said about his love for Figure Eight racing, which tends to be the most dangerous because it's the only race with an intersection. "It looks scarier in the stands than it is in the car."

NASCAR Charger standings

(after three races)

1. Chris Turbush, Riverhead, 146

2. Kevin Orlando, Calverton, 136

3. Chris McGuire, Shirley, 134

4. Jeremy McDermott, Riverhead, 132

5. Dan Turbush, Riverhead, 130.

Saturday

Racing begins at 5 p.m., featuring Modifieds, Figure Eights, Late Models, Chargers, Super Pro Trucks, 4-C Supers, 4/6 Cylinder Truck Enduros and a Skid Plate Race.