During the week, the Burke family was like any other busy West Chester neighbors—commuting to work, cooking dinner and mowing the yard. But when the weekends came, they would head to the nearest racetrack for a weekend of amateur car racing.
The need for speed started at the foot of the Duryea Hillclimb in Reading, Pennsylvania, where high school sweethearts Barry and Cookie both grew up. The road was named after Charles Duryea, the first American gasoline-powered car manufacturer—the Duryea Hillclimb was a practice track for his cars.
“Racing and cars were always in my blood,” Barry says. “It wasn’t until 1979 when I first got involved in autocross in Cincinnati, racing a Camaro Z28.”
Soon they bought a red Lotus 51, an open-wheel Formula Ford that both he and his daughter Jennifer drove in autocross races, with Crew Chief Cookie in the pit on the headset. Everything shifted into high gear once Barry got a taste for the competition.
“I took the Lotus back to Pennsylvania and raced Duryea Hillclimb two or three times,” he explains. “I decided I didn’t want to just race it—I wanted to win it.”
He never did win the Duryea, but Barry did set a record for another race.
“I set a track record for the Pagoda that lasted 11 years,” he says with a smile.
Eventually they traded the Lotus for a Formula Atlantic class car, FA32, and began calling Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course their home track.
“Mid-Ohio is the closest track to us, but it’s also one of the nicest in the U.S,” says Cookie.
When the checkered flag dropped, it was all business.
“Mid-Ohio is a very challenging track,” says Barry. “In its 2½ miles, I would shift 26 times a lap. In the backstretch, I’d go from 160 miles per hour to 50 in about a 100-foot length, and then make a 90-degree turn,” he explains.
“Brakes were important,” Cookie states, eyes wide.
Barry and Cookie enjoyed the world of racing for more than the competition and thrill of the challenge: racing became their social lives and a second family.
“We made friends from all over the U.S and all around the world,” says Cookie. “It’s a really good family. Even through today we have really close friends from racing. The friendships we’ve made have been for a lifetime.”
In 2005, the Burkes retired from racing, but they went out on top.
“When it got to be more work than fun, it was time to retire,” Barry shares. “In 2005, we had 2 pole [positions], 2 firsts and 2 seconds. I said, ‘Okay, I’m done,’” he says.
Barry and Cookie are still a team; they celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary in April. Their racing era is preserved in a room in their home: photos, trophies and gear are on display to stir up happy memories for the racing couple.
“It all started with the Hillclimb,” Barry says.