Canadian chauffeur Joe Plazek started his racing career in 1973 on motorcycles in motocross racing for the Canadian Motorcycle Association. In 1977, on a request from dad and mom (and because of their fear of injury to their son), Joe traded two wheels for four. “Dad didn’t like the moto-cross stuff because it was hard on my body and so he pushed me towards cars,” Joe explained. “There was no carrot or anything, just a lot of encouragement.”
Purchasing an asphalt compact car, and racing Cayuga and Flamboro Speedways, he cut his teeth as a 16 year-old against most competitors old enough to be his father. He ran a Late Model in 1979 and a Mini-Stock for a coupe of years after that. In 1982 Joe could see the demise of the Ontario asphalt circuit that he competed on and decided he would move his racing efforts to the DIRT sanctioned tracks and started racing a Sportsman Modified on the clay ovals on both sides of the Niagara Frontier as well as in Central New York State. But when the 1983 racing season came around Joe was behind the wheel of a mighty Big-Block Modified.
Subject ID: 81134
MoreCanadian chauffeur Joe Plazek started his racing career in 1973 on motorcycles in motocross racing for the Canadian Motorcycle Association. In 1977, on a request from dad and mom (and because of their fear of injury to their son), Joe traded two wheels for four. “Dad didn’t like the moto-cross stuff because it was hard on my body and so he pushed me towards cars,” Joe explained. “There was no carrot or anything, just a lot of encouragement.”
Purchasing an asphalt compact car, and racing Cayuga and Flamboro Speedways, he cut his teeth as a 16 year-old against most competitors old enough to be his father. He ran a Late Model in 1979 and a Mini-Stock for a coupe of years after that. In 1982 Joe could see the demise of the Ontario asphalt circuit that he competed on and decided he would move his racing efforts to the DIRT sanctioned tracks and started racing a Sportsman Modified on the clay ovals on both sides of the Niagara Frontier as well as in Central New York State. But when the 1983 racing season came around Joe was behind the wheel of a mighty Big-Block Modified.
“It was a fast progression, but that was the way to do it,” Joe said. And over the next 18 years, the Plazek family spent the weekends racing. At first it was just he and his siblings and his parents. Then when he married, wife Sue went to the ovals with him.
The accomplishments on the DIRT circuit would make a career for most but after wrapping up his career behind the wheel of a DIRT Modified, Joe went asphalt racing in the CASCAR Super Series in 2002. Now, driving a black full-fendered Chevy with half the power of his Modified, Joe showed his versatility by becoming the series’ rookie of the year in ’02. Yet after racing a couple of seasons with CASCAR he lost his sponsorship and decided to call it a career.
“We did well in the series,” he said. “But we lost our Sony Play Station sponsorship. They pulled the plug and that was the end of my racing. Seeing how things have evolved I wish that maybe I had stayed in DIRT a little longer,” he reflected.
Today, “Canada” Joe Plazek works at the family auto recycler business in Caistor Centre, Ontario and limits his motoring activities to cross-country motorcycle riding and snowmobiling.
Subject ID: 81134
Subject ID: 81134