“It’s a whole, new learning curve,” says the Brockton based Everett’s Racing Team Manager Bobby Gonneville. The organization, which sports several racing teams, is not the basic sponsorship operation it once was. If you’re driving or maintaining an Everett’s race car, you’re working on a vehicle which is owned by the team.
Before 2013 Roy Andrade was in the sponsorship mode but he wanted to become the car owner. The green and black Everett’s logo was already prominent on cars all over the track. Two big notables were Pro Stock helmsmen Dick Houlihan of Bridgewater and Bobby Tripp. But Roy had dreams perhaps of becoming a top NASCAR Cup team owner like Penske, Roush or Yates on a smaller scale.
Roy Andrade owns Everett’s Auto Parts of Brockton. It was built by and named after his father Everett Andrade. Now the company owns the biggest race team at the Seekonk Speedway to date. The white cars trimmed in black and green are hard to miss. Top-flight drivers are well supported by their ownership. Two Pro Stocks, a Late Model, one Sportsman, a Sport Truck and on Fast Fridays a Bandolero in the Seekonk Youth ranks.
“The Everett’s team is fantastic. The caliber of drivers is above the rest,” says driver Vinny Pangelinan. “Each week it’s always what can we do to get better, faster and stronger.” Vinny’s wife, Katie, adds “If we’re not winning, it’s gotta be faster.” It was the beginning of a learning curve, as Roy likes the idea of his cars winning races but he also wants to see his teams run like a business.
As Vinny Pangelinan brought his Sportsman into the team, the business of racing began to expand. Today it includes Fred Astle, Jr. and Pangelinan as well as a second Pro Stock in the hands of Dylan Estrella. A Late Model hustled around the oval by former Pro Stock champ Bobby Tripp, who was recruited back from retirement recently by Team Manager Bob Gonneville. This year Sport Truck driver Barry Shaw has been recruited. Shaw responded by winning the season’s opener and a few weeks later became the first dual-winner in his division.
There’s also Ryan Kuhn of East Bridgewater racing for the team on the American-Canadian Tour (ACT). The Kuhns still own their car as does Pangelinan. But Everett’s is the principal sponsor. Ryan is running fourth in the standings and leads in points for ACT’s rookie of the year.
Roy’s (Andrade) team expanded again this year. He looked into the Friday night racing divisions and brought in Joey LeMay from Seekonk’s Youth Racing Division with his Bandolero racer.
Houlihan and Tripp were his first two full sponsorships for Everett’s more than two decades ago. Everett’s Auto Parts footed the entire bill for their cars but the company did not own them. “Roy wanted to transfer from car sponsor to car owner,” said Gonneville. He made the arrangements with Fred Astle, Jr. in 2013 and the ownership changed hands. Now says Gonneville, “Everything Fred touches, Roy owns.” The same is true for the whole team, from Astle’s Pro Stock to Dylan Estrella’s, Tripp’s Late Model, Vinny Pangelinan’s Sportsman and Barry Shaw’s Sport Truck. But it produces a sharper team. “They want to win for Roy. He runs that kind of organization,” says Gonneville.
It’s been good for Astle, something Fast Fred puts into words, “ The Everett’s Auto Parts family that’s just what it is. It’s a great family. Myself and my team. We’ve had the best equipment we’ve had in my 38 years of racing.”
“Come down and see us race. I’m sure you’ll be impressed,” says Andrade at the close of the video they produced for the team. You can see the video at http://www.everettsautoparts.com/everetts-racing-team/ “Roy is very big on how the fans perceive the organization,” notes Gonneville. Ryan Kuhn, driver of the Everett’s car on the American Canadian Tour (ACT) says, in the team video, “He’s all about the fans. He loves the fans. He loves giving to the fans.”
Ryan’s father, the well known veteran racer Jimmy Kuhn, says, “Obviously, you want to win races, and you like to win races. But I don’t think that’s his priority. He doesn’t have to do this.” Then again perhaps he can’t help himself. Roy is a huge fan of racing. The Everett’s website says, “Roy’s enthusiasm for racing didn’t just translate to a great racing team but also a family atmosphere where all the drivers and their teams work together to succeed. He is both down in the garage seeing what the drivers need and in the stands cheering with the fans. His dedication is truly for the love of the sport.”
Everett’s business is not your average auto parts store. It is an entire recycling operation on a mega-basis, just a stone’s throw from Brockton’s Massasoit Community College. The operation is huge and automated. They recycle an average of 3,000 cars per month. There’s a self-serve area where customers can pull parts off the cars themselves, another where the company has stock that they have removed and warehoused.
For the current season, they bought new Pro Stocks for Astle and Estrella. Fred’s came from Eury Racecars of Mooresville, NC. Estella’s came from Distance Racing Products in Fairfield, Maine. The reward came on June 29th, as Estrella worked his way to the front, then had Astle on his right shoulder for a caution restart. Estrella was able to reclaim his lead and Astle jumped onto his back bumper to chase him to the checkers. The Speedway posted a great photo with the race summary that showed the twin white cars nose-to-tail with “Estrella” clearly on his windshield-top and “Astle” on the windshield of the car behind.
Information for this column came from Seekonk Speedway prress releases and personal notes