NEAR Hall of Famer Slater Dies
New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame member “Wild Bill” Slater has died. Arrangements are incomplete at this time.
A member of the first-class inducted into the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1998, Slater drove his first race at Lonsdale, R.I., in 1949 and for the next twenty years he won at tracks from Oxford Plains Speedway in Maine to Trenton, N.J.
He was a four time champion at the Norwood Arena and a two-time Sportsmen champion at Thompson. He won on the dirt at Stafford and on the pavement everywhere.
He was often a top-three finisher in the NASCAR National Sportsman championship run, even though he raced against full time drivers while he held down a weekly job.
Slater’s long list of accomplishments included winning 8 straight features at Norwood, and 7 straight wins at Stafford. In 1959 he posted twenty wins at Waterford. He also took down two championships at Waterford and one at Stafford.
He won the 400 mile race at Trenton New Jersey four times, and was a two time winner of the Utica-Rome 400 in New York. His biggest career victory was in his win at the Langhorne Penn. Race of Champions the first year it was paved.
He drove in The Daytona Permatex 300 four times from 1963 to 66. He is most known for his long time association with the Vitari-Bombacci owned V8.
He drove his last race at Stafford in 1969 and then became involved in the promotional side of racing at Stafford and later Thompson.
Posted by NSSN Staff
on Jul 15 2012 Filed under More, NORTHEAST, Racing Nation.
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