Bill Welch became involved in racing as an owner of midgets in the days before WWII. He first built Offenhousers and later switched to Fords. After the war when midgets popularity started to wane he switched his interest to Stock cars.
He was a popular motor builder for this division also.
Welch later became involved in the promotional end of racing as an officer of the Atlantic Auto Racing Association which promoted at Brookline, New Hampshire, Westboro, MA, and Thompson, CT.
From his responsibilities as a promoter he soon assumed duties as a Track Announcer at several speedways. His soft spoken style and thorough knowledge of the sport were his trademarks.
Bill Welch totally understood the business of auto racing. Jackie Arute , Mike Joy, and Dick Berggren all credit “Welchie” with helping them develop their careers and helped them develop their own style.
According to auto racing writer Pete Zanardi, “Bill was an unpaid consultant to everybody. As a writer I went to “Welchie” a hundred times to check a source or get a fact straight. The sport never had a greater gentleman than Bill Welch.” |
