Gentlemen & Ladies, Start Your Engines
Richie & Lucy Bruno
For the Brunos Rich, Lucy and son, Christopher, racing hot rods is definitely a family affair. Chris, now 24, started drag racing at Wall Stadium in Wall Township, NJ when he was five years old. Yes – you read that correctly – five years old.
The family would attend circle track races at Wall and when they began building a children’s track, Chris asked his parents if he could give it a try. Eight weeks of classes and training later, a Junior Drag Racing legend was born.
He did so well driving a Mike Bos Jr. Dragster that the Mike Bos Company gave him a free car. He was sponsored for eight years by the McDonald’s where Mom, Lucy, worked. During his time as a Jr. Dragster he won the Jr. Dragster Racing Championship, the King of the Hill in his class, and the Diesel Nationals in his Dually. For the uninitiated, that’s a souped up pickup truck. But the biggest prize was a Wally Award Chris won with a teammate in the 8 to 17 year-old category of Junior Dragsters at the most famous racetrack in the world, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indy 500.
Then a couple of years ago Chris faced some medical issues and was sidelined for a while. But his love of driving and need for speed helped with his recovery and he’s back behind the wheel racing again, planning to add new trophies to his collection.
It was only 10-years ago dad, Rich, who works at the Brickwell Construction Co. in Forked River, NJ, decided to get into the fun his son was having. He purchased a Nostalgic Alcohol Funny Car – that’s a car that runs on alcohol – with a ’71 Ford Mustang body. Since then it’s been like son like father and Rich has developed a real passion for the sport. He’s reached speeds of 201 MPH, doing a ¼ mile in 7.17 seconds in his Funny Car. Not so funny, but certainly thrilling.
Rich has also purchased a ’56 Bel Air Chevy at Old Town, a family favorite when they’re here at Tropical. They’ve been coming to the Resort for more than a decade and this year purchased a Sandcastle vacation cottage.
But the really big news is Mom. This year, after ten years of sitting on the sidelines rooting for her fellows, Lucy decided that just wasn’t enough excitement. So with the inspiration of turning 50, Lucy has joined her guys and gotten into driving. She’s got herself a classic muscle car, the ’75 Camaro, has been practicing weekend and is planning to get on the track at Raceway Park this year. And she’s vowing to make the fellows eat her dust. Talk about the Fast and the Furious – you’re talking about the Brunos.
The Walkers
Vic Walker has always liked working on cars. Twenty years ago he decided to build his own hot rod from a 1934 Ford pickup. Built for comfort not speed, it was what first brought Vic and his wife, Janet, to Old Town. From there, it was only a hop, skip and a jump – or more accurately, a short walk – to discovering Tropical Palms, where the couple purchased a Sandcastle vacation cottage earlier this year.
Vic’s next car was a 1941 Willy’s pickup that the handy Mr. Walker built from a kit. The car has the authentic look of a Willy, but its drive train and suspension are new. Vic drives it frequently, taking it to car shows nearly every weekend between Memorial Day and the end of September.
When the Walkers come here this winter, Vic will be driving a rare 2004 Chevy SSR, a car General Motors only made for four years. The front looks like a ’53 Chevy pickup and Vic is hoping to meet some other SSR owners in the Tampa/Orlando area when the couple spends their winter here. He’ll be showing it off at the Old Town car parade on Friday nights, one of the big attractions behind the Walkers decision to buy at the Resort.
In addition to his own cars, Vic has helped one friend build an Austin-Martin from a kit and another restore a ’68 Camaro, one of the truly classic muscle cars and the same car, different year, that Lucy Bruno drives.
You might want to stop by and say hello to Vic – he’s a good friend to have.
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