Despite the fact that he has less than a dozen modified feature wins to his credit, Donnie Corellis knows the feeling all too well. Things are a little different for him, though. He doesn't get booed because he's won too often. He gets booed because of the way his father dominated the high banks of Lebanon Valley Speedway ... a quarter of a century ago.

     Donnie doesn't seem to mind. He smiles, shakes his head and says, "yeah, they're (the fans) pretty tough". He doesn't take it personally, because "it's all just part of racing".

     Give the guy credit. Most of us couldn't shrug off the things that he does ... on or off the track.

     Other drivers look at beating Donnie as if they're stealing a piece of the legacy. And rightfully so. There's something more meaningful about a victory when you had to beat a Corellis to get there.

     At a diminutive 5'6" and weighing a mere 145 lbs., Tommy Corellis left a set of shoes for his son that any 6'6" 245 lb. man would have a hard time filling. At 5'6", 145 lbs., and a near clone of his father, Donnie fills the shoes. If not for inheriting the lighter colored hair and some facial features from his mother, Donna, you wouldn't be able to tell Donnie from the old man. Once he gets behind the wheel, you can't tell the difference. Donnie is a racer right till the end. To see him come out of the fourth turn, one would easily mistake him for ... well ... his father.

     It's not fair to compare Donnie to his father, or to hold any expectations of him. Unfortunately, his perfection of the trademark Corellis slide makes it impossible to not draw the comparisons. His career win total isn't in the ball park with his father's, but many things have to be considered when measuring Donnie's success against Tommy's. Take a look at Dickie Larkin and Kenny Tremont as examples. Both should be slowing down and much easier to beat then they were when Tommy raced against them. Both have gotten tougher.

     Even though Lady Luck seems to be in the habit ofturning her back on him, Donnie has continured to improve and has continued to add wins to his resume. It's obvious that he's maturing as a driver, and using his head (almost) as much as he uses his foot. (Hey ... the guys last name is Corellis ... the foot comes first).

     Mark it on your calander, Donnie Corellis will be the Lebanon Valley modified high point man. It's inevitible. And he'll do it more than once.

     The toughness of the competition has already made Donnie improve ... and the timing couldn't be better. He's right at the age that his father was when he stepped ahead of the pack. Watch for Donnie to start bringing home more checkered flags, and making a run at returning the Lebanon Valley crown to the Corellis family. He has what it takes to do it.

     Off the track, Donnie is just an everyday guy. Once he's comfortable around you and his natural personality is revealed, you quickly see that he's a fun person to be around. Any guy that can laugh about his car running like a popcorn machine has to be pretty easy going.

     Personally, Kenny Tremont is the only driver I've ever met that is better with kids than Donnie. That's saying a lot because Kenny even loves the kids that hate him, and is in more of a league of his own with kids than he is on the track. The kids who meet Donnie love him, and are quickly converted to being his fan. The adults aren't so easy to win over.

     Every Saurday night, a chorus of boos still erupts when Donnie's name is announced. Even though it bothers him as much as it would anyone else, he takes it with a grain. He knows that he stepped into a big pair of shoes, and he knows that some people will always hate him just for being Tommy's son. It's a heavy price to pay for carrying the torch that has been handed to him, but it's a price that he's willing to pay. After all ... he is 100% Corellis.

     As such, he'll return to victory lane many times in the future, and will be a factor in every race. It's everything or it's nothing. The legend truly continues ...