Otto Harwi

{{short description|American Dirt Modified racing driver (1923-1964)}}

{{Infobox racing driver

| name = Otto Harwi

| image =

| birth_name = Howard Otto Harwi

| birth_date = February 2, 1923

| birth_place = Easton, Pennsylvania

| death_date = {{death date and age|1964|5|16|1923|2|2|mf=y}}

| last series= Modified racing career

| first year = 1949

| car number = 1, 999

| championships = 5

| wins =

| last finish = 1964

| titles =

| awards=

| updated=

}}

Otto Harwi (February 2, 1923 – May 16, 1964) was a pioneering American Dirt Modified racing driver from Easton, Pennsylvania.

Racing career

Otto Harwi began racing in 1949 and quickly established himself on the Mid-Atlantic dirt tracks. He would regularly compete at Alcyon Speedway in Pitman and Flemington Speedway, New Jersey; Victory Speedway in Middletown, New York; and Dorney Park in Allentown and Nazareth Speedway, Pennsylvania, the last of which he was five-time track champion.{{cite news|title= Dorney Park winner |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=z0QuAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA33&article_id=2032,3658695|newspaper=Reading Eagle |location= PA |date=August 30, 1961|page=33|via=Google Books|access-date = April 30, 2024}}{{cite news|title=Otto Harwi cops Nazareth stock feature race|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-morning-call/34210542/|newspaper=The Morning Call|location=Allantown PA|page=12|date=August 18, 1952|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 30, 2024}}{{cite news|title=Harwi, Malzahn feud set at Nazareth Speedway Sun. |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/pennsylvania/stroudsburg/stroudsburg-daily-record/1960/07-15/page-10 |newspaper=Daily Record| location=Stroudsburg PA|page=10 |date=July 15, 1960 |via=NewspaperArchive |accessdate=April 30, 2024}}{{cite news|title= Otto Harwi, Sonny Strup in dead heat |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=dvZGAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA8ARTICLE_ID=3700,1144931|newspaper=The Evening News |location= Newburg NY |date=June 11, 1962|page=6B|via=Google Books|access-date = April 30, 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://www.thethirdturn.com/wiki/Otto_Harwi/Results/NASCAR_Modified_National_Championship/1956|title= Otto Harwi/Results/NASCAR Modified National Championship/1956|publisher=The Third Turn|access-date=April 30, 2024}}

Otto Harwi sustained a fatal injury in a racing accident at Victory Speedway in 1964.{{cite news|title= Otto Harwi killed in New York crash |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ZyArAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA17&article_id=6633,1600937|newspaper=Reading Eagle |location= PA |date=May 18, 1964|page=17|via=Google Books|access-date = April 30, 2024}} He was inducted into the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame in 2001.{{cite news|last=Weidner|first=Nolan|title=DIRT honors long time racing writers|url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/new-york/syracuse/syracuse-post-standard/2001/05-27/page-23 |newspaper=The Post-Standard|location=Syracuse NY|page=C1|date=May 27, 2001 |via=NewspaperArchive |accessdate=April 30, 2024}}

References

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