RPW Column: Not Even A Pandemic Could Stop Joe Judge’s Fundraising Efforts

Column By: MIKE TRAVERSE / RPW – ACCORD, NY – It’s commonly agreed upon that 2020 was an absolute disaster of a year. Those of us that live in New York know what a big hit the state took early on in the Covid-19 pandemic.

Only those businesses that were considered essential were allowed to keep operating. The state regulations forced so many businesses to close for an indefinite period, putting many people out of work. It was a sad sight to drive by usually busy places and see an empty parking lot.

For some, it was a struggle just to keep their family supplied with the minimum necessities.

But as it goes with any crisis, there are those who will rise above it all and show us what they can accomplish with perseverance and determination in the midst of overwhelming odds. The year 2020 showed us who those people were that would keep on going with their pre-pandemic goals, no matter what obstacles stood in their way.

In the world of Northeast Dirt Racing, Joe Judge is one of those individuals.

In 2019, wanting to give back to the community, the longtime Accord Speedway driver had a fundraiser for the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital located at the Westchester Medical Center complex in Valhalla, NY. Joe’s main sponsor, RYCOR HVAC, agreed to match up to $5,000 worth of donations.

It was the great care at Maria Fareri’s for someone Joe knew that inspired him to do the fundraiser to benefit the hospital.

It was a proud day for Joe, his family, his sponsors and his team in September of 2019 when he was able to present a $10,000 check to the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at their Going The Distance event.

In early 2020, Joe made his plans to have another fundraiser for 2020. RYCOR HVAC was again on board. Everything was moving forward.

Then, the calendar flipped from February to March and life got drastically different in our country.

It became apparent very quickly that any type of large gatherings would not be allowed and that of course included racing. For quite a few weeks, many were wondering if any type of racing would be occurring in 2020.

This created a dilemma for Judge. He and his racing team did much of their fundraising at Accord Speedway. Fan donations and the sale of Joe Judge Racing merchandise made up a large portion of the fundraising total in 2019. In May of 2020, with no racing scheduled to occur at Accord in the foreseeable future, Joe realized that it was going to be a rocky road to meet the fundraising goal. Their options for raising funds in order to have a successful outcome to the fundraiser were slim.

At this point, a lesser person might have just thrown in the towel and say, “We will try again in 2021.” But giving up is not Joe Judge’s style.

“A lot of our fundraising is done in person. When it became apparent that Accord would not be open to fans in 2020, I knew that our team would have to travel,” Joe said.

Pennsylvania relaxed their restrictions enough that racing with some fan attendance was allowed to resume. Judge decided to do some Friday night racing at Penn Can Speedway, a long, nearly 3 hour tow from the team’s home base. But it turned out to be a successful venture for the fundraiser.

“Penn Can Speedway and the Folk Family welcomed us with open arms,” said Judge. “They had heard about what we were doing with fundraising and they offered us any assistance that they could. They allowed us to set up and sell our merchandise. The track and the Folk Family made a nice donation. A big thank you goes out to Penn Can Speedway and their fans for all they did for us in 2020.”

And as often happens in the racing community, some of Joe’s fellow competitors got involved when the Short Track Super Series made a stop at Penn Can.

“With the help of track management and Brett Deyo, we had a group of drivers go into the stands to collect money for the fundraiser. Brett Tonkin, Alan Rudalavage, Matt Sheppard, Stewart Friesen, Richard Smith and Tyler Dippel all took time to go through the stands. I had never even met some of these guys and yet, they were right there helping us.”

As the racing season got off to a very late start, Joe had to get a little creative as the deadline approached for completing the fundraiser.

“I had an idea to do some online raffles that were very successful. The first raffles were models of my Accord and STSS cars,” Joe said. “Then we did some flags from the Stories In Stripes Flag Company that went well. I have some ideas for some great looking flags for this year.”

Joe, with the help of his sponsors, RYCOR HVAC, Tactical Defense Armory, Mainetti & Mainetti Law Firm and United Petroleum Services, had a special super heroes body made for the 3J that was planned to be on the car for the 2020 Walking The Distance event at Maria Fareri’s. When it became apparent that the event would not be happening, Joe made arrangements to display the super heroes car at Penn Can the following week. Unfortunately, Joe had a bad crash with his 2016 Bicknell car and it was a write off. But Joe and his team were able to fix up the car enough to put the super heroes body on it and bring it to Penn Can to display the following Friday. Many of the younger fans and probably some of the older ones were glad to have a look at and take photos of this unique car. It just goes to show what dedication that Joe has to his fundraising and to racing fans.

And one can only imagine the the satisfaction that he, his team and sponsors felt when their hard work paid off when they were able to present a check for $10,500 to the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital.

“To stand in Victory Lane is a great feeling,” Joe said. “But to give to the hospital a check that you know will benefit a child and their family is the best feeling. It’s hard to explain, but it’s what I love to do.”

Joe is extremely grateful to his sponsors who play such a big role in his fundraising and his Maria Fareri car.

“Scott and Tracy Arnold from RYCOR HVAC have been so great to our team and the fundraiser. They have donated $5,000 for two years now and it’s just awesome for them to do that.”

“Garry and Jody Thomsen from Tactical Defense Armory are the ones that keep me on the track. Garry is my crew chief and he does so much of the work that I just can’t get to. I can’t thank them enough for what they do for our team.”

“Mainetti & Mainetti Law Firm in Kingston are a great group of guys. It is great to have them on the Maria Fareri car.”

“Steve Lowitt from United Petroleum Services sponsors our motors. We’re glad to have him on board.”

For 2021, Joe will once again be a regular at Accord.

“We will be racing Friday’s at Accord and all of the Short Track Super Series North races. We did a couple of races in the south series, but we can’t schedule them all in. We will be getting a new Bicknell car in May.”

2021 sponsors for the Judge Racing 3J include RYCOR HVAC, Tactical Defense Armory, United Petroleum Services, Tow Riffic Auto Services , Solid Waste Disposal Service, Absolutely Automotive, Jansen Lawn Maintenance, Viera Trucking, Matthew Keller ESQ, Royal Cleaners and Mainetti & Mainetti Law Firm.

Joe’s crew consists of Garry Thomsen, Jody Thomsen, Joe’s dad Bill Judge and Bentley Thomsen. And Joe’s wife, Brianne, is involved with the team as well.

“Brianne has started a side business. She noticed when she went to racing events that some apparel like women’s hats were lacking,” Judge said. “She made some hats to sell at Selinsgrove and Port Royal. But she sold out of them before we made it to Port Royal, they sold well.”

Joe would like to invite any business that would like to sponsor his team or the Maria Fareri car to contact him at joe@judgeracing.com. He is an excellent representative for all his sponsors.

Joe Judge is one of those people that one can take an instant liking to, he just that type of person. He always has time for the fans and he’s one of those who work hard to give back to his community, not only in his role in racing, but as his occupation as a New Paltz Police Detective. His work for Maria Fareri is so admirable, especially in the tight economic circumstances of 2020. My sons and I are proud to not only to be his fans, but his friends. The world could sure use more people like him.

Best of luck in all you do in 2021, Joe.