It is with sadness that I report the passing of David Ziuchowski, lifelong racer and track owner. Dave passed away unexpectedly in his sleep on January 31.
Dave was most noted as being the owner of Stanley J's raceway in Spokane, WA. Located originally in the back of Dave's Comfort World mattress store, the raceway began with a 6-lane Monza track, but upgraded significantly with the addition of a Hasse-built King, a smaller road course known as the paperclip, and a drag strip. The Monza, which began its life in West Seattle Speedway, was refurbished near the end of the raceway's life, but was never again raced. The raceway closed in about 2006. I was so appreciative of the way Dave ran his shop. He ran a weekly race series that included Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced racers, allowing kids and newbies the opportunity to work their way into the sport. I can think of perhaps 8 or 10 fathers and sons who raced together over the years.
Dave and Paul Dwyer attended several wing car races together, and the track raced both wing cars and flexis, but in later years dropped the wing cars and added retro racing. Following the closure of the raceway, Dave would attend some local club retro races, which is where this picture was taken. Dave is on the far right.
When Dave passed, he still had 7, and possibly 8, tracks in storage. These will be either liquidated or disposed of shortly. Look at the track section for more details.
Rest in peace, Dave.
Respectfully submitted,
Ken Bryan
