George Mahaffy
{{Short description|American racing driver (1924–1980)}}
{{Infobox racing driver
| name = George Mahaffy
| image =
| birth_name = George E. Mahaffy
| birth_date = {{birth date|1924|2|2|mf=y}}
| birth_place = New York, New York, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1980|5|17|1924|2|2|mf=y}}
| last series= Modified racing career
| years active= 1951-1965
| car number = 33, 38, 64
| championships = 1
| prev series =
| prev series years=
| wins =
| last finish =
| titles =
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| updated=
}}
George E. Mahaffy (February 2, 1924 – May 17, 1980) was an American dirt modified stock car driver.
Racing career
George Mahaffy lived just ten minutes away when the Brewerton Speedway, New York, began operating in 1950, and he quickly got involved in racing stock cars.{{cite news|title= Torrese, Ingison win Brewerton feature races|url= https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/new-york/syracuse/syracuse-post-standard/1951/07-01/page-33|page=31|date=July 1, 1951|newspaper=The Post-Standard|location=Syracuse NY|accessdate=April 14, 2025|via=NewspaperArchive}} By 1952 he began travelling to Northern New York to compete with the Adirondack Stock Car Club, which sponsored races at the Edgewood Speedway in Alexandria Bay, and the Watertown Speedway.{{cite news|title=Dick Warner displays skill in winning stock car feature|url= https://nny360.newsbank.com/doc/image/v2%3A12A5AC0AEA465C7B%40NGPA-NYNNTS-176B77EBACF1B7D2%402434152-1769CCFF1C90A412%4022-1769CCFF1C90A412%40?search_terms=|date=May 19, 1952|newspaper=Watertown Daily Times|location=NY|via= NNY360 Archives|accessdate=April 15, 2025}}
When the Northern Stock Car Club took over promotion of the Watertown Speedway in 1956, Mahaffey won the track championship.{{cite news|last=Case|first=Jack|title=Sports Trail|url= https://nny360.newsbank.com/doc/image/v2%3A12A5AC0AEA465C7B%40NGPA-NYNNTS-176A2428F2D2D28C%402435799-17682071AA54AEF9%4013-17682071AA54AEF9%40?search_terms=|page=14|date=November 21, 1956|newspaper=Watertown Daily Times|location=NY|via= NNY360 Archives|accessdate=April 15, 2025}}{{cite book |last=Stoodley |first=Dave |title=The Legends of Watertown Speedway |date=2003 |publisher=Speedway Press |isbn=9780967743844 |page=48}} He continued to compete for another decade, and eventually joined up with car owner John Wawrzyniak and teamed with Art Gallo and driver Fred Barrisow to campaign twin 1939 Fords.{{sfnp|Stoodley|2003|pp=80-93}}{{cite news| last=Farney|first=Floyd|title=In the pits|url=https://www.nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=tam19970523-01.1.10&srpos=1&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-%22George+Mahaffey%22---------|page=10|date=May 23, 1997|newspaper=The Adirondack Mountain Sun|location=Lowville NY|via=The NYS Historic Newspapers |accessdate=April 15, 2025}}
Mahaffy's son, Andy, continued the family presence for racing fans by working as the colorful starter "Rags" Mahaffey at the Can-Am Speedway throughout the 1980s and 1990s.{{cite news|last=Trickey|first=Roswell|title=Record crowd turns out to watch Can-Am races|url= https://nny360.newsbank.com/doc/image/v2%3A12A5AC0AEA465C7B%40NGPA-NYNNTS-176C19A9C6C8FE09%402446202-176A3712E746CCCC%4033-176A3712E746CCCC%40?search_terms=|page=3|date=May 16, 1985|newspaper=Watertown Daily Times|location=NY|via= NNY360 Archives|accessdate=April 15, 2025}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=134366386740839&set=a.134365526740925 George Mahaffy and the Wawrzyniak 38]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahaffy, George}}