On the Unity Township farm that Paul F. Schmucker had once tilled with a team of mules, race cars driven by Bobby Unser and Bobby Allison thundered around a half-mile dirt-track raceway. And Mr. Schmucker loved every minute of it, said his daughter, Marjorie F. Weyandt. Paul F. Schmucker, 90, of Unity Township, died Monday, July 28, 2003, in Westmoreland Manor, Hempfield Township. Mr. Schmucker, who was raised on a farm near Whitney with 11 brothers and sisters, bought his own 100-acre farm near Latrobe in 1942. “He was a good farmer and a smart businessman,” said his son, Ronald P. Schmucker. Although farm life was difficult, Ronald Schmucker said his father built the dairy up to one of the biggest in the area. And Mr. Schmucker was ahead of his time when it came to technology. “He bought anything new,” his daughter said. “He was interested in anything that would make life easier.” The farm was a family affair, with his former wife and three children tapped as helpers. Mr. Schmucker helped start the Ligonier Valley Horsemen after his children became interested in horses through 4-H, Weyandt said. The girls bought quarter horses in Florida and Indiana. Every once in a while Mr. Schmucker would take his former wife, Fay C. Schmucker, dancing at the Possum Hollow Club. He was a good dancer, Weyandt said. He taught his daughter how to polka by having her stand on his feet. Mr. Schmucker loved to have a good time wherever he was, she said. He also liked to take the family to stock-car races at area racetracks. Ronald Schmucker started driving race cars when he was 19, traveling the country on the racing circuit in the late 1970s. He quit driving in 1984 and went into the construction business. One day Mr. Schmucker decided he’d had enough of working the 4 a.m. to dusk farm schedule and announced he was going to put the property to other use. He said, ‘I want to build a racetrack,'” his son said. Construction of Schmucker’s Speedway began in 1965. The facility opened in 1966. It was Mr. Schmucker’s love. “He loved that racetrack. That was his biggest love,” Ronald Schmucker said. A second farm that raised Mr. Schmucker’s holdings to 230 acres played a key role in the operation of the racetrack. Water from a pond on that farm was sprayed on the racetrack before the races every Saturday evening, Weyandt said. Once again, the family was pressed into service, building the stands that would hold 3,000 to 3,500 spectators. Mrs. Schmucker worked the concession booth and the children performed other chores. Bobby Unser drove sprint cars at Mr. Schmucker’s racetrack and Bobby Allison drove late model stocks, Weyandt said. That was long before NASCAR became a household name. “NASCAR was solely in the South. They didn’t come this way,” Ronald Schmucker said. Unser would go on to win the Indianapolis 500 three times. Allison, who racked up 85 NASCAR wins, was named one of NASCAR’s 50 greatest drivers. Mr. Schmucker sold the raceway in 1977. But it remained idle for about 19 years. It is now operated by Chester M. Aretta as Latrobe Speedway. Aretta said Mr. Schmucker was very instrumental in helping him get the place running again. “This place was idle all those years and was pretty overgrown. He knew where everything was,” Aretta said. Mr. Schmucker often expressed regret over selling the track. “He said many times he wished he never sold it,” Weyandt said. Mr. Schmucker is survived by his son, Ronald P. Schmucker and wife Judy, of Latrobe: two daughters, Sandra V. and husband Milos Sinan, of Home; and Marjorie F. and husband Daniel Weyandt, of Latrobe; 11 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren and his special friend, Marie Henschel. Prayer services will be held in the Kepple-Graft Funeral Home Inc., 524 N. Main St., Greensburg, at 10:30 a.m. today, with the Rev. Chad Ficorilli officiating. Interment will follow in St. Vincent Cemetery, Unity Township. In lieu of flowers, the family recommends memorial donations to the Alzheimer’s Association, 1011 Old Salem Road, Greensburg, PA, 15601.

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