Moe Gherzi was arguably the first true personality at the Waterford Speedbowl. Dressed in flashy shirts that drew attention, Gherzi was a big hit with the fans of the Speedbowl in the 1950’s. He brought a level of charisma to stock car racing in southern New England that was somewhat unprecedented at the time.
Gherzi co-led the Modifieds with 7 wins in the track’s first season in 1951. The championship battle went right down to the last event, with Gherzi missing out on the championships by 2 points to Dave Humphrey.
He returned in 1954 in dominating fashion driving the Garuti Bros. #14 car. Gherzi won 14 times, but this time lost out to Fred Luchesi for the Speedbowl championship. Moe’s nickname was Money Bags for his penchant to win races with big payouts. He won ten 50 lap Modified races at the Speedbowl during his career and a 100 lapper on Labor Day weekend in 1954.
Gherzi was the first person to win 2 races on the same day. On July 3, 1954 Moe won both the Modified race and a special Late Model race – both 50 lappers. Gherzi also won 2 Non-Ford races at Waterford in 1955. His last wins at the Speedbowl came during the 1957 season in the Modified division.
Away from the Speedbowl, Gherzi is also well known as the long-time Race Director at the former Plainville Stadium. Moe Gherzi passed away on July 11, 1991 and was inducted to the NEAR Hall of Fame in 2012.
STATISTICAL SNAPSHOT
| TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS | 0 |
| CAREER WINS | 29 – (26 Modified, 2 Non-Ford, 1 Early Late Model) |
| SPEEDBOWL FIRSTS | First driver to win 3 consecutive Modified races |
| First driver to win multiple Speedbowl races on same day | |
| First driver to win Speedbowl races in different divisions on same day | |
| OTHER NOTABLE STATS | won (10) 50-lap Modified races at the Speedbowl |
| AWARDS & HONORS | 2012 New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame inductee |
MOE GHERZI
SPEEDBOWL PHOTO ALBUM
