Pocono Note: This Month’s Fan Spotlight is dedicated to Kris Karcher! Kris was nominated by his Best Friend, Jerry Vernold. Kris, a 25 year Pocono Veteran, passed away last year. Jerry and their crew will be in Spot #131, so stop by say hello and take a tour of the Scud Bus. Jerry, thank you for nominating Kris. We are sorry for your loss and look forward to seeing you in June!
This is Kris Karcher’s Story
Kris Karcher, nickname, “Karch”, and I were lifelong friends. My Dad, Bill, owned a stock car and his Dad, Harold, drove it. They raced predominately at Five Mile Point Speedway in Kirkwood NY, near Binghamton.
Good Times, Good Friends!
In 1987 Kris and I attended are first Winston Cup race together and saw Tim Richmond win. The next year my favorite, Geoff Bodine won, and he got so tired of me running my mouth that he threatened to throw me out on the way home.
For the next five years we would go and usually make the 1 1/2 drive down and back the same day. We lived on the NY/PA border with Kris living in Winterdale Pa. and me in Hancock, NY.
Kris’s Dad had a school bus route and he decided that once a bus was unworthy for transporting kids and taken off the road, he would transform it into a race day camper. With a lot of help from another close friend, Andy Falsetta, it was born. Kris gave it the name, Scud Bus. It was his way of poking fun at the inaccuracy of the missiles used by Iraq in the Gulf War.
The first trip was to the June 1992 race and it made every race until it’s retirement after the June 2009 race. Every year when we pulled in the fans went nuts and Kris absolutely loved it.
He absolutely loved going to Pocono each June. We would talk about it for months prior. The memories we have of Pocono are priceless and thankfully we will always have them. We never had any trouble with the facilities at all.
This years race will mark the 25th anniversary of Kris and I going to our first race together. Over the years I missed one race for a friend’s Mom’s funeral. Kris didn’t miss his first race until 2010 because of work, and last year because of his cancer.
Loungin'
I don’t have any idea how many times he used the excuse that his grandfather died in order to attend, but he had a lot of grandfathers. lol
It’s going to be tough this year but we will be in our normal spot #131 next to the tunnel turn exit and would invite anyone over for Scud Bus reminiscing.
Spot #131
**If you or anyone you know would like to be in the Fan Spotlight, e-mail us at poconoposse@poconoraceway.com at tell us “why?”.
