There is No Place Like Local Racing for Paul Donnelly
There is No Place Like Local Racing for Paul Donnelly
By Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media
Hometown racers make a special contribution to the sport. Their combination of dedication and determination makes them winners before ever turning a lap on the track.
After beginning his motorsports career as a crew member for several different dirt and pavement racers, Mallorytown, Ontario's Paul Donnelly switched his racing focus to the other side of the starting line-up. He made his first start in the Novice Sportsman field at Brockville Ontario Speedway. Despite getting a later start than some of his competition, Donnelly still managed to score 4 qualifying event checkered flags and a trio of feature race wins before making the switch to the Sportsman-Modified division during the 2024 season.
"I learned so much while working on cars driven by George Herbison, Paul Pekkonen and former Brockville Speedway Sportsman-Modified and Pro Stock champion Chris Herbison over the years, it really made me want to put together a deal of my own," said Paul Donnelly. "Because I hadn't been playing hockey and the other sports I loved because of the pandemic, I was able to round-up some funds and a few years ago, purchased a car Jarrett Herbison had in his shop and Black Cat Motorsports – named after my cat Leroy – was born."
While the initial laps of his hometown racing tenure were spent at the controls of a No. 9 machine, as a fan of dirt track racing legend Bob McCreadie, Donnelly switched to the No. 98D that he still uses today after the untimely 2022 passing of his good friend Paul Pekkonen. Competing in only 5 feature events, the 49-year-old racer was 21st out of nearly 40 Sportsman-Modified runners. He finished 9th in the 2024 Novice Sportsman standings.
"Whether helping out behind the scenes on someone else's equipment or running my own stuff on a weekly basis, its easy to understand what makes racing such a popular sport," said the father of 2, who works as a dispatcher at Shouldice Trucking. "I've been lucky to make some new friends. I love the family aspect of local racing, especially the way everyone steps in to help without a minute of hesitation."
Even with the new schedule just around the corner, Donnelly still hasn't confirmed his plans for the 2025 season. Because of some recently diagnosed health issues, he may be faced with a decision to focus on some of the spotlight events on Brockville Ontario Speedway's upcoming line-up, including the Ogilvie's Triple Crown Series dates and the annual Northeast Fall Nationals.
Paul Donnelly's No. 98D Sportsman-Modified is proudly supported by Hodge's Flooring, Deluxe Auto Glass & Trim, Larry's Auto Works and Plooy's Plumbing. In the shop and at the track, crew members Pete Stapper, Ezzy Waterworth and the driver himself get the car ready for battle.
Stay up to date with Paul Donnelly at the track or like and follow Black Cat Motorsports on Facebook.
Photo attachment: Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media
Mallorytown, Ontario DIRTcar Sportsman-Modified racer Paul Donnelly (No. 98D) is making plans for the upcoming 2025 schedule at Brockville Ontario Speedway.
Prepared by: Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media
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