Photo Courtesy of Judy Poirier

Bob Donahue, a NEAR member since 2006, first got into racing in 1981. Ten years later he built an ice race car for the ’91-92 season, running the car for 3 years on ice; which I guess is a big thing in the north and very fascinating to someone from the south.

One night, Donahue went to watch Monadnock racing (his favorite track) and a buddy of his wrecked his Enduro car…and after enjoying the benefits of Monadnock’s Beer Garden, Donahue offered to buy the car for $200. The next morning when he arrived at his shop, he wondered why the Enduro race car was there but didn’t think much of it until the owner showed up and asked for his money -- that’s when Donahue realized he bought it!

So he put the Enduro together and raced it for 2 years. Donahue took a couple of years off and then decided he was going to build a Pro Stock because he and another guy owned one in the late eighties…and he decided he wanted to build one of his own.

Well, the Pro Stock didn’t fit on his trailer, so he went to look at a ramp truck; which he bought and it came with a modified! He converted his Pro Stock motors to modified motors and in ’97 started racing modifieds…he has been having fun, and doing it ever since.

Photo Courtesy of Judy Poirier

In 1999 Donahue received the “Most Improved Driver” at Claremont -- making it one of his first memorable moments in racing.

And then in 2001, he had an opportunity to drive Pro Stock for someone else for two years. He got out of that for a year or two but during this time, always kept the truck and trailer. While at the Thompson Speedway Flea Market, around 2006, Donahue met Skip Sterns…and a Vintage Modified driver was born…over the years Donahue has owned a ’77 Pinto, ’36 Ford Coupe, ’84 Cavalier and ’72 Ford Pinto.

Photo Courtesy of Doreen Soskin

He drove the ’84 Cavalier with NEAR for a few years; in 2012 won the very first Vintage Outlaw race at Thompson and the next year, in a different race car at Canaan, won the first race again – which was “outlawed” – how funny is that, in an Outlaw race - his car was “outlawed”…

You can tell that Donahue’s race crew is his family; and since he runs a 1982 Troyer chassis, I’m sure you will not be surprised, he has a dog named Troyer…

Bob met the love of his life on May 12, 2013 and three years later, to the day, Bob made Lynn (aka Lynnie) his wife.

By Judy Poirier