Photo Contributed by:
Top Photo: Bobby Ely
Second Photo: Bobby Ely
Third Photo: Lincoln
Fourth Photo: LVC Fan
Fifth Photo: Arnie Ainsworth
Sixth Photo: Joel F. Naprstek
Seventh Photo: Charlie Parise
Eighth Photo: Michael & Mark Raspuzzi
Ninth Photo: Arnie Ainsworth
Tenth Photo: Bobby Ely
Eleventh Photo: Scott Kurtzner
TwelfthPhoto: Bobby Ely
Thirteenth Photo: Hotrod Created Collage
Fourteenth Photo: Arnie Ainsworth
Fifteenth Photo: Andy Skumin
Sixteenth Photo: John Gallant
Photo Credits:
Top Photo: Chuck Ely
Second Photo: Chuck Ely
Third Photo: Lincoln
Fourth Photo: Unknown DIRT photographer.
Fifth Photo: Unknown
Sixth Photo: Joel F. Naprstek
Seventh Photo: Unknown
Eighth Photo: Unknown
Ninth Photo: Scanned from a 1973 Schaefer 100 calendar.
Tenth Photo: Chuck Ely
Eleventh Photo: Kurtzner Family Photo
Twelfth Photo: Chuck Ely
Thirteenth Photo: Chuck Ely/East Lincoln Speedway Photo
Fourteenth Photo: Arnie Ainsworth
Fifteenth Photo: Kustom Keepsakes
Sixteenth Photo: John Gallant
Top Photo:
Not sure if this is a victory lane photo for Corellis, or a prop photo that Chuck Ely used to love to take? All I can tell is TC is strapped in, with what looks like a heavy duty back brace wrapped around himself and the old fashioned racing seat. Duct tape couldn’t have done a better job?
Second Photo:
T.C. talking the upcoming evening events over with an unidentified crewman. Remember when the cars used to pit right up against the old wooden boards separating the track from the pits, since You couldn’t leave your trailers in the pits? Of course, T.C. is in his familiar #1 pit stall that, until Donnie left Lebanon, was always utilized by a Corellis.
Third Photo:
A very personal favorite here, Tom Corellis drove this little beauty at Albany Saratoga Speedway in Malta New York. Dudley Billings owned, wrenched by the team of Dick Williams and Bill Kingsley, with the engine built by the late Denny Raspuzzi. This fuel injected small block modified was set up occasionally to run the Lebanon Valley oval. Dudley also did a fine job behind the wheel at the Valley.
Fourth Photo:
Many will mistakenly think this is the aftermath of the horrible flip that T.C. endured on the moody mile in one of the triple 20 heat races in 1990, but it is not. This picture was taken after a hot lap misadventure for Corellis and the John Schuman owned 57’s at Syracuse in 1988 I think, during the annual Labor Day show, another long standing DIRT racing fixture that doesn’t exist anymore. Not sure what transpired after this, as something tells me T.C. had a back up car at his disposal for the afternoon race, and something is always gnawing at my memory that this may have been the first wide bodied car T.C. tried. Again, I’m trying to dish out the info that happened over 20 years ago, I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t think there was a possibility of this, but don’t bet your house on it.
Fifth Photo:
Other that it looks like Malta, and that this is Tommy Corellis I don’t ever remember T.C. piloting this car, who owned this car, and for how long the team lasted, so I’ll just shut my yapper and take the rest of the afternoon off.
Sixth Photo:
An interesting shot of Top Cat Tommy Corellis coming out of turn four from Joel, who didn’t get out to LV too often, being a northern Jersey boy, but took this fantastic shot of T.C. in the Rosell fabricated, Leto owned 50.
Seventh Photo:
The intimidating and always fast Leto 50 with T.C. at the controls.
Eighth Photo:
Top Cat hard on the gas coming out of turn 2 aboard the Dudley Billings owned fuel injected small block that T.C. competed with against the big blocks every week at Malta.
Ninth Photo: TC posing as owner driver of the #1 that he campaigned for a single year.
Tenth Photo: T.C. has been known to drive anything anywhere. He’s run big block mods on Dirt and Asphalt, mini-stocks, Big Rigs and this nifty looking sprinter. Behind T.C. is the famous Hi-Way autobody #3 sprinter.
TwelfthPhoto: Back when Tommy was still shoeing the Leto 50’s was when this head shot of T.C. was taken.
Thirteenth Photo:
TC recently scored
a victory at East Lincoln Speedway in North Carolina at the ripe old age of 69!
I talked to Tommy’s son Donnie shortly
after that, and I quote Donnie, “He called me and you’d think he just won Syracuse
the way he was carrying on”.
Fourteenth Photo: I think it was 1975 when TC took the McNamee owned #72 to the Lebanon Valley track championship, all the while scoring numerous top 5’s, but never actually winning a race, proving TC could get it done whatever way possible.
Fifteenth Photo: This creation
unfortunately was the doing of the Hughes Brothers & TC and was the original version of the
"new body styles" in 1987. The car was built by Walt Schwinning and
had a-frame front end. Needless to say, it was not a hit and was discarded as
quickly as it was built.
Andy S.
Sixteenth Photo:
TC really had a love hate relationship with Syracuse, He’d loved
it, but the Moody Mile hated him.
Additional Comments: