Don Diffendorf

Don Diffendorf Sr. wasn't just a frequent winner during his heyday racing stock cars throughout the East Coast, but he did so with considerable class and respect. Much like how he lived his life off the track.
"He was always a gentleman," said friend and former competitor Don Beagell of the Binghamton native and Windsor resident. "We've been friends ever since I was old enough to drive race cars, and he was always very kind and courteous."
He began his racing career at Five Mile Point Speedway in 1951, the year the track opened, and continued to race until his retirement in 1978. Diffendorf won over 100 features during his nearly 30-year racing career. He captured his first series title in 1962, winning 13 of 16 features to claim the modified championship at Five Mile Point. Six years later, he won the modified championship at Owego's Shangri-La Speedway, giving him the rare distinction of winning local track championships on both dirt and asphalt surfaces.
Along with Five Mile Point and Shangri-La, Diffendorf raced at dozens of tracks during his career. In 2000, he was honored as one of Five Mile Point's 50 Greatest Drivers.

"He was a real tough competitor," said Windsor's Chuck Akulis, who raced against Diffendorf at Five Mile Point and several other tracks. "Dirt or blacktop, he was always someone you had to consider when he was at a track and know what he was up to, because he could really race on any surface.
"And he did it the right way; I don't think I ever heard anyone call him a dirty driver."
Diffendorf was also quick to lend words of wisdom to up-and-coming drivers, much like he did for Beagell, like Diffendorf one of the area's all-time racing greats, when he first began competing. "He was at our shop whenever we were building cars; he showed us how to work the setups, what would work well for an engine," Beagell said. "He always gave us good advice. He drove one of my cars several times. Any time we wanted to go to a larger race, he would drive the car because he was that much better than I was."
Diffendorf also proved affable to those who didn't spend racing nights behind the wheel or under the hood. "He was pretty popular, and he was a guy that always thought of his fans," Akulis said. "He was always kind and friendly with them, and he always gave them a good show."