Val LeSieur, publisher of the popular Speedway Scene racing paper passed away on Friday, December 27th. LeSieur was 82 years old.
LeSieur started with a focus on modified racing in the northeast in 1971. The paper became known as much for its attention grabbing columns and columnists as it did for reporting the news of racing. It proved to be a place where the words of some of the great journalists of motorsports could be found. Over the years giants of motorsports journalism like Mark “Bones” Bourcier, Pete Zanardi ad Dick Berggren could be found in Speedway Scene.
LeSieur also founded the original Race-A-Rama trade show in West Springfield, Mass., which ultimately became the unofficial most important offseason racing event in the Northeast annually.
LeSieur was known well for outwardly sporting a curmudgeonly façade that would give way to an unmatched warm and welcoming wit to go with a seemingly infinite wisdom of all things short track racing. His greeting of “Good-n-you” became a signature around pit areas and press boxes at short tracks throughout the country.
LeSieur was inducted into the NEAR New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2011.
