You have to wonder how Bobby Gunther Walsh is able to handle all that he is involved in. He is on air radio personality, a race car driver, a dad, and he is involved in a lot of charity work.
His morning radio show on NEWSRADIO 790 WAEB-AM in Allentown is at the top of the charts, part of the largest media company in the nation, iHeart Media. His show, on each weekday morning, is seen on Service Electric TV, and is available digitally.
The show is on the air 25 hours a week with a loyal following, surveys showing that most listeners are tuned in for at least 17 hours of
And there is his 22-year career as a race car driver. Walsh plans to put forward a full-time effort at NASCAR sanctioned Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville this season along with a partial schedule of Friday night events at Big Diamond Speedway in Minersville, where his schedule includes about 60-percent of their scheduled races.
Walsh will be seen in action along with many Modified racing standouts this Saturday night when the T.P. Trailers NASCAR 358 Modifieds are in action at Grandview Speedway in a 35-lapper that offers the winner in excess of $3,500 for the win. The BRC Late Models and Sportsman stock cars will also be in action. That racing will get the green at 7 p.m.
“Racing just allows me to take my mind off the high pressure of the radio job,” said Walsh. “Sure, there is pressure in the race car but it is different than the job pressure. I enjoy it.”
Something that makes Walsh stand out is the number of sponsors on his race cars, both at Grandview and Big Diamond. The major sponsor is Square One Markets. The entire list of sponsors, perhaps 30 or more, can be found at GuntherRacing.com.
He gives credit to his dad, Joe, being a racer that created his interest in going racing. His father still attends all the races that Bobby is in. He continues to rehabilitate from injuries suffered a few years back at another area track. He is 84 years old.
With all the time devoted to job and racing, it helps that his daughter and other family members support his racing. It makes him feel good that they all have seen him win qualifying events and last year he won the non-winners feature at Big Diamond, earning him a starting spot in their prestigious Coalcracker event.
One win that really stands out in his memory is the night two members of the Racing With Jesus organization were on hand, standing in the infield with Grandview Speedway track owner Bruce Rogers. As they watched the racers, they took a liking to Bobby and said a prayer for him. He ended up winning his qualifying event and he feels the prayer had a lot to do with it.
No one, at least no one I know, puts as much effort into charity work. Last year he was instrumental in raising $90,000 for the Children’s Home of Easton, which helps homeless children. His work with the Keystone Warriors, for Pennsylvania wounded warriors, brought in $56,000. The Allentown Rescue Mission, for the homeless, benefited from Bobby’s efforts to the tune of more than $90,000.
The highlight of the Allentown Rescue Mission work is the huge spaghetti and meatball dinner that he and others put on. More than 800 pounds of ground beef are turned into thousands of meatballs by Gunther and others. Many people pledge support the event by “sponsoring” meatballs.
Bobby is also a big supporter of animal charities with Animals in Distress being a big one. The list of other charities goes on and on.
When it comes to racing, Bobby depends on a great bunch of people that make up his crews. At Grandview he has crew chief Kenny Romig along with Randy Miller, Paul Ruppert and his dad. At Big Diamond the crew is made up of crew chief Stacy Fritch, his brother Joe and dad.
Last season he was very pleased with his efforts at Big Diamond as he made all the features that he attempted and won the Hard Charger award during one Friday night session.
At Grandview Speedway he switched to racing gas and it just did not seem to work for him. He made the majority of features, but not as many as he made in the 2014 season. Mechanical issues sidelined him a few times. However he did say that he was frustrated with the season at Grandview but he was sorry to see it end as he and the crew were just really started to get the problems sorted out. He is making the switch back to racing with alcohol this season which he hopes will help improve the performance.
When asked about retiring, Bobby indicated that he would keep doing it as long as it is fun. However he also pointed out that he has a couple of granddaughters and loves spending time with them. Perhaps in 2017 he will have to think about cutting back to one track.
For now, Walsh enjoys the racing and the fans. He loves the opportunity to meet fans when they line up at his race car when the racing action is over and he takes time to chat with them and share some of his sponsor goodies with them.
So for now fans should stop back in the pits when the races are over at Grandview or Big Diamond and visit with Bobby Gunther Walsh. You may ended up with something from Yocco’s The Hot Dog King or Mrs. T’s Pierogies or one of the other sponsors that support his racing.
