| JOE DONAHUE ~ DON DIFFENDORF ~ JOHN MANNY #49/10 |
| The 'Teardrop' was built for the 1960 racing season by Joe Donahue Sr. for long time Binghamton car owner, John Manny. 'Irish Joe' campaigned the car through the 1960 and 1961 seasons at Five Mile Point and Susquehanna (Penn - Can) Speedways with much success. So much in fact that Donahue brazenly added a 'baby bottle' to the roof of the car for all the 'crybabies'. Clearly, Joe enjoyed running roughshod over the competiton and I'm sure he believed that it wasn't braggin' - 'if you could back it up.' By 1962 Irish Joe had jumped to the Wes German #04 mount leaving the Teardrop seat open for young leadfoot Don Diffendorf. The team replaced the faithful flathead with small block chevy power and renumbered the car 9. 'Dif' ripped off 9 straight wins in the car and when he won his 10th, the car had a new number as well. Diffendorf dominated the 1962 season at 5MP, winning 13 of 16 features and the track championship. By 1967 he was in the Glenn Scott S/360 and won the track champioinship at Shangri-La, one of only three drivers to win championships at both Southern-Tier Flagship tracks (the others are Bill Stroshal and Jerry Hayes). This 1934 Ford coupe is a replica dedicated to the memory and ccomplishments of both drivers. Built by Richard Ackerman of New Berlin, NY it houses a stout 21 stud racing flathead, '39 Ford toploader three speed and a 'locked' banjo rear. The frame is '34 Ford, steering is GMC truck and a 'big wheel' according to Carl Nagel. A 'dead ringer' according to Joe Donahue Jr. & Dif alike, the chassis was raced in Pennsylvania and the body in NY. Look for it at our shows in the Southern Tier. |
