Calvin Brooks’ Grandson Has Franklin County Championship in Sight

Virginia teenager Gennaro Palumbo is hoping to put the final touch on a Hollywood-esque script at Franklin County Speedway as he enters the Charger division finale with a 22 point lead at the same track his grandfather, the late Calvin Brooks, won a championship at during his career.

Palumbo, 14, from Bassett, Virginia, began racing when he was nine after spending weekends at the track with Brooks, whom he was close with, and picked up four wins in Franklin County’s Stock-4 division last year.  Earlier this year, Brooks passed away after suffering a heart attack during a Late Model race at the Virginia bullring.

With the help of Jimmy Mullins and Mullins’ team, Palumbo carried on the legacy of the no. 00 car.

“Getting in my grandpa’s car after he passed made me just want to make him proud and do my best,” Palumbo told Short Track Scene.  “It was hard to even look at the car, but I said I’m going to make him proud and try my best and every race is definitely for him.  Me and my family dedicate every race to him because, if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be racing at all.”

Last weekend, Palumbo scored his first win in a Charger car and on Saturday night, he could clinch the division championship.

“It was crazy,” Palumbo said about his first Charger win.  “I’m just glad we came out on top.  It means a lot [to be leading points] because this is only my first year driving bigger cars and I’ve already come so far.  I love Franklin County Speedway and there are some awesome, die-hard racing fans there.”

Winning the championship would be a Hollywood ending to the season for Palumbo, and for the fanbase at Franklin County Speedway – many of whom who were at the track the day Brooks passed away.  Brooks’ loss was especially hard for Palumbo who considered Brooks more than a grandfather, but also a mentor and a best friend.  Despite the emotional difficulty, Palumbo wants to keep making Brooks proud.

“I was really close to him,” Palumbo explained.  “He wasn’t just my grandfather, he was my best friend, we went everywhere together.  I wouldn’t be the driver I am today if it wasn’t for him.  It’s been really hard losing him but I just think of the memories I had with him.  I wish I could make more memories but I’m going to make the best with all I had.  I love him and my goal is to make him proud.”

If Palumbo is destined to win the championship on Saturday night, he will most certainly accomplish that and join his grandfather in the record books as a champion at Franklin County Speedway.

Gennaro Palumbo takes a ceremonial lap around Franklin County Speedway in honor of Calvin Brooks in the race following Brooks’ death.