If the Pettys are the first family of NASCAR and the Unsers are the first family of Indy Car racing, then the Illinois-based Folk clan shares the same distinction at the Moroso 5-Day. Brothers Ron, Randy, and Steve Folk were at the inaugural event and rarely has a year gone by when one of them hasn’t made headlines. Ron’s sons, Brian and Nick, have enjoyed success at the 5-Day. All told, the Folk family has appeared in ten final rounds, scoring five wins and three overall championships. Ron and Randy are also among the fortunate few racers who have raced in all 24 previous Moroso 5-Day events.
Since its inception, the Moroso 5-Day E.T. Championships have crowned 118 individual winners and 23 points champions. A total of 22 drivers have won multiple races, including Scotty Richardson and Kenny Underwood, who have each won five races. Four-time winners include Edmond Richardson and Anthony Bertozzi, and Jeg Coughlin Jr., and Don Strickland are three-time champs. By a conservative estimate, close to $5 million in prize money has been awarded since the inaugural event. Using 350 entries as an average car count, simple math also dictates that more than 40,000 entries have participated in 5-Day events in the last 24 years, making it one of the largest motorsports events anywhere in the world.
While the Moroso 5-Day remains a highly competitive event, it has retained its popularity simply because it is a fun place to race. Year after year, the race is remembered as much for its sideshows and after-parties as for its spirited on-track action.
Few who witnessed it would ever forget the drama that surrounded the 1987 event, when noted racer and track operator Royce Miller came up with an innovative way to sell his Camaro race car. Miller assembled a field of 32 of the best E.T. racers in the country, charged them each a $1,000 entry fee, and let them race for his car. For five rounds, the drama heightened until the final that pitted 5-Day regulars Danny Bastianelli and Steve Cohen. Cohen won the car, but Bastianelli, the self-proclaimed “Delaware Destroyer” was crowned the champion of the memorable post-race celebration that followed at a local eatery.
Bastianelli (at right with Dick Moroso) also has a runner-up finish at the inaugural event, but in Moroso 5-Day lore, he is best known for his ceaseless pursuit of the low E.T. trophy, which is annually awarded to the driver who makes the quickest run of the week. Racing a Ford-powered dragster, Bastianelli is often willing to forgo a shot at the $10,000 winner’s prize in order to claim the small wooden plaque that denotes the Low E.T. winner.
Any racer who is willing to travel hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles to race against hundreds of other competitors is likely to be a gambler at heart, which might explain why the annual Moroso Champion’s Casino Party has become such a popular attraction. Featuring Las Vegas-style gaming including blackjack, craps, and a roulette wheel, the annual casino party has proven to be a successful fund-raiser for local charities. It is also the sight of some of the Moroso 5-Day’s more entertaining extracurricular activities.
This year, the casino party will return, bigger and better than ever. Scheduled for Wednesday, November 15, the casino party will feature music, a dinner buffet, cocktails, and of course, gambling. The proceeds of the event will be shared equally between the Darrel Gwynn Foundation, the Drag Racing Association of Women (DRAW), and the American Cancer Society’s R.O.C.K. program, which benefits kids with cancer.