Harvey Tattersall Jr

Hargreaves “Harvey” Tattersall Jr was a renowned racing promoter and track operator. His family’s United Racing Club was the most prominent sanctioning body in southern New England during the 1950’s and 1960’s, the hub of which was Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam, MA. By the mid-1970’s, only Riverside Park was left as part of the United circuit of tracks. Tattersall bought the Speedbowl prior to the 1975 season, operated both tracks that season. But Riverside Park went to a NASCAR sanction for the 1976 season, leaving the Waterford Speedbowl as the last track to ever hold a United sanction.

Harvey brought his promotional style and rules to the Speedbowl for 1975. He changed the Sportsman Sedan division to his United Grand American rules and created a Sportsman class with in the Modified division to help support the lesser-powered teams. He then created an entry-level fendered division called Street Stocks for the 1977 season. When the Grand Americans outpriced themselves and failed to draw adequate car counts, Tattersall dissolved the division and rebranded the Street Stocks as Super Stocks as the new 2nd tier division to the Modifieds.

In conjunction with Star Speedway & Thompson Speedway, Tattersall co-created the Yankee All-Star League in 1975. It brought the biggest names in modified racing to the Speedbowl twice a year for Wednesday night 50 lap features. It would expand to involve other tracks through 1978, which was the final season of the series. It was arguably the most star-studded series of events at Waterford during the 1970’s.

Tattersall also revived his late season Fall Stinger promotion he started at Westboro Speedway in the early 1970’s and brought it to the Speedbowl. He also created the season opening Blast Off event, which drew some of the best Modified drivers of the era to the shoreline oval. He also held several double-point events and even a few with quadruple points during his time operating the track.

Harvey also served as the Race Director from 1975-1977 while his son Harvey III operated the track as General Manager. John Janisaitis became the prominent media arm of the Speedbowl, acting as track announcer, Public Relations Director and Editor-in-Chief of the track program.

Tattersall stepped away from the day-to-day operations in 1978 and leased the track to Dick Williams, but then returned in 1979 after only 1 season away. His new operating regime for 1979 was called The Summer Corporation and included himself, Janisaitis, Al Peck and Dick Jensen. They would operate the track for 2 seasons before Tattersall retired from the race promoting business for good. He would continue to own the track through the 1988 season, leasing it to various other groups in the 1980’s.

Harvey Tattersall Jr relocated to Florida after selling the Speedbowl. He passed away on July, 1995 at the age of 79. He was posthumously inducted into the NEAR Hall of Fame as part of their inaugural Class of 1998 for his contributions to New England auto racing.

OPERATIONAL TENURE AT A GLANCE

OWNERSHIP TENURE	1975-1988
OPERATIONAL TENURE	1975-1977, 1979-1980
SANCTIONING BODY	1975-1977, 1979-1980 United Stock Car Racing Club
DIVISIONS INTRODUCED	1975 Grand Americans (evolved from the existing Sportsman Sedans)
	1977 Street Stocks (evolved into Super Stocks in 1980)
DIVISIONS DISSOLVED	1979 Grand Americans
EVENTS INTRODUCED	Blast Off (1975-1996)
	Fall Stinger (1975-1976, 1979)
	Yankee All-Star League (1975-1978)
	Bi-Centennial 200, subsequently rebranded Waterford 200 (1976-1980)
REGIONAL SERIES INTRODUCED	1975 American TQ Midget Racing Association
OTHER NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS	lifted the admission ban on women into the pit area
	dropped “New London” from the track name, promoted as simply Waterford Speedbowl