Peanuts was a racer and built Jyard chassis modifies that raced and won championships at Motordrome and Jennerstown Speedway! RIP Peanuts!
Howie
John "Peanuts" Yustince has passed away
Started by HowieB, Jan 14 2014 11:58 AM
7 replies to this topic
#1
Posted 14 January 2014 - 11:58 AM
#2
Posted 14 January 2014 - 03:41 PM
RIP prayers for the family.
If you ain't live'n life on the edge, yer taken up to much room.
#3
Posted 14 January 2014 - 07:36 PM
Remember When by Don Gamble
Peanuts Yustice story
If I did a story on John J. Yustince you would not have a clue as to who I was talking about. If we talk about Peanuts we don't even need a last name. Everyone knows the "King of the Modifieds". His involvement in racing was divided between driving and chassis building for the past 60 years. He started racing in the Hooligan Division of the Pittsburgh Racing Association when he was 15 years old and needed borrowed a friend's driver's license to get in the pits. His involvement in the sport spans seven decades.
As a car owner and crew chief he won multiple Modified Championships with Mike Bakalon, Mark Flick and Gary Scott. Some of the other successful drivers in the J-Yerd Chassis include Dave McManus, Harry Opher and Marion Reno.
Peanuts has competed on dirt and asphalt in everything from the Hooligans to the Late Models. He really came into his own with the Modifieds. He felt that the best part of racing is just being around the cars and driving and the toughest part is listening to all the whining and complaining.
Hobbies include building race chassis and performing "mojo" for racers. His most memorable moment in racing was wining seven races in one weekend. Peanuts got involved in racing is in the 1950's when cars were the big thing. There was no money and no malls then and everyone helped each other. The racers went to the junkyard for parts and built their own cars.
The photo is a clear indication of who his favorite driver was. Peanuts late model at Heidelberg was a carbon copy of David Pearson's NASCAR Ford. He didn't have a driver he would most like to be compared too Peanuts said "I'm one of a kind the last of the old breed". People assume that he is too old to race but he kept coming back every year! His goals in racing were to continue building the Modified Class at Motordrome into the best racing at the speedway. In 1996 when I was promoting the races at Motordrome I met Peanuts and he made a believer out of me. When I convinced the track owners to add the modifieds to the racing program it was an uphill struggle. Peanuts said that "we can make this the biggest and best division at Motordrome".
Job-site Sandblasting and J-Yerd Race Chassis are his passion and he was always the first person to help the competitors. Tracks where his teams have competed included Arden Downs, Clinton, Green Valley, Heidelberg, Jennerstown, Latrobe, Lernerville, Mon-Duke, Motordrome, Schmuckers, Sharon, South Park, and Midvale Ohio. A true ambassador for local racing and a great story teller...RIP my friend.
Peanuts Yustice story
If I did a story on John J. Yustince you would not have a clue as to who I was talking about. If we talk about Peanuts we don't even need a last name. Everyone knows the "King of the Modifieds". His involvement in racing was divided between driving and chassis building for the past 60 years. He started racing in the Hooligan Division of the Pittsburgh Racing Association when he was 15 years old and needed borrowed a friend's driver's license to get in the pits. His involvement in the sport spans seven decades.
As a car owner and crew chief he won multiple Modified Championships with Mike Bakalon, Mark Flick and Gary Scott. Some of the other successful drivers in the J-Yerd Chassis include Dave McManus, Harry Opher and Marion Reno.
Peanuts has competed on dirt and asphalt in everything from the Hooligans to the Late Models. He really came into his own with the Modifieds. He felt that the best part of racing is just being around the cars and driving and the toughest part is listening to all the whining and complaining.
Hobbies include building race chassis and performing "mojo" for racers. His most memorable moment in racing was wining seven races in one weekend. Peanuts got involved in racing is in the 1950's when cars were the big thing. There was no money and no malls then and everyone helped each other. The racers went to the junkyard for parts and built their own cars.
The photo is a clear indication of who his favorite driver was. Peanuts late model at Heidelberg was a carbon copy of David Pearson's NASCAR Ford. He didn't have a driver he would most like to be compared too Peanuts said "I'm one of a kind the last of the old breed". People assume that he is too old to race but he kept coming back every year! His goals in racing were to continue building the Modified Class at Motordrome into the best racing at the speedway. In 1996 when I was promoting the races at Motordrome I met Peanuts and he made a believer out of me. When I convinced the track owners to add the modifieds to the racing program it was an uphill struggle. Peanuts said that "we can make this the biggest and best division at Motordrome".
Job-site Sandblasting and J-Yerd Race Chassis are his passion and he was always the first person to help the competitors. Tracks where his teams have competed included Arden Downs, Clinton, Green Valley, Heidelberg, Jennerstown, Latrobe, Lernerville, Mon-Duke, Motordrome, Schmuckers, Sharon, South Park, and Midvale Ohio. A true ambassador for local racing and a great story teller...RIP my friend.
#4
Posted 14 January 2014 - 08:07 PM
Godspeed Peanuts. RIP.
#5
Posted 15 January 2014 - 03:22 PM
Peanuts was a racer and built Jyard chassis modifies that raced and won championships at Motordrome and Jennerstown Speedway! RIP Peanuts! Howie
Age 73, of West Elizabeth, passed away on January 14, 2014. Loving husband of Patricia A. Yustince for 40 years; proud father Brandon P. (Rebekah) Yustince; grandfather of Carter and Alexandra Yustince; brother of Anne Hoge, Frances Kelly and the late Helen Guthrie, Pearl Pirch, Mary Margoni and Stella Cvetan; son of the late Joseph and Stella Yustince. He leaves behind a legacy of racing. Visitation will be on Thursday and Friday from 2-4 & 7-9 p.m.at the Jefferson Memorial Funeral Home, Inc., 301 Curry Hollow Rd., Pleasant Hills, where a service will be held on Saturday at 10 a.m. A graveside service with military honors will follow at Jefferson Memorial Park.
#6
Posted 15 January 2014 - 03:57 PM
I really didn't know Peanuts personally, but sure knew about him and efforts with the Modified class at Motordrome!! Condolences to all his family and friends R.I.P."Peanuts"
Walt
#7
Posted 15 January 2014 - 09:33 PM
rest in peace John...I remember watching him race at Heidelberg driving the #17 if I remember right...again rest in peace!
#8
Posted 16 January 2014 - 03:03 PM
Just met Peanuts about 3 months ago........I do believe that the racing world has lost a whole bunch of Old School knowledge with the passing of Peanuts......I didn't get to know him as well as I would have liked to, but I will always remember him for the kind person he was.....May he rest in peace.
1 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users
