10/07/2007

SONNY "KING" RICHARDS MEMORIAL AWARD
TO BE PRESENTED AT THOMPSON WORLD SERIES

    This weekend the friends of Sonny Richards will proudly present the 7th Annual Sonny “King” Richards Memorial Award. This honor, presented in memory of one of Modified Racing’s most beloved personalities, is bestowed on the individual who has best represented the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, both on and off the track. The winner has been selected by members of the media from nominees that were determined by a panel of esteemed motorsports journalists and close friends of the King.
    Previous winners have included Art Barry, Tony Ferrante, Sr., Ralph Solhem, posthumously Tom Baldwin, Sr., and Jerry Marquis. The most recent recipients, photographers Howie & Mary Hodge, continue to represent the Tour with a pride and dignity reminiscent of the King himself.
“This is a very emotional time of year,” said Award Administrator, Dale Wolbrink. “We pause to remember a real racer, a great man and a better friend. Although he has been gone for some time now, the spirit of Sonny Richards lives on in our fondest recollections. We continue to make new memories as we pay tribute to the man we loving called the King”.
    In pre-race ceremonies on Sunday morning, October 14, 2007, the name of the 2007 Sonny “King” Richards Memorial award winner will be announced. The recipient will be presented with a plaque to commemorate the occasion. Like those who have come before, this year’s honoree will surely cherish the award. The winner’s name also will be added to the perpetual plaque that hangs in the Thompson Speedway office.
    In the twilight of his life, Sonny’s first love was for people, followed by his love for Auto Racing, most notably the Modified Tour. The King was a mainstay in Modified racing, the staunchest supporter of the division and its owners, drivers, and crews. The Memorial Award has been established to help keep his spirit alive within the racing community.
    Known to many as the “King”, Sonny Richards was a longtime supporter of Modified racing and friend to the entire Motorsports community. A fan since the days of the coupe, Sonny was a fixture at Modified races throughout the decades. He began his love affair with auto racing as a journalist covering the sport for a local Connecticut daily newspaper and later as the field representative for Speedway Scene. Sonny passed away at his home in Hartford, CT in July of 2001 after having enjoyed an action-packed Modified race at New Hampshire International Speedway.
    Shortly after his death, in a further effort to honor this great man, the Sonny Richards Memorial Fund was formed at the Rockland Trust Company to provide a scholarship fund for the children of the Whelen Modified Tour. Any active participant in the Modified Tour or their families, who is currently enrolled in a collegiate program is eligible to receive the “Education is King” Sonny Richards Memorial Scholarship. Previous recipients include Megan Clifford.
    For more information regarding the scholarship or to make a contribution to the Sonny Richards Memorial Fund, please contact:
 Dale Wolbrink at (508) 847-0565 or via e-mail at racinpr@aol.com.

Source: Dale Wolbrink/Sonny Richards PR
Posted:  October 7, 2007