Charlie Langenstein, who works at Hendrick Motorsports will be honored as Mechanic of the Year Award during Northeast Modified Hall of Fame 2008 Induction Ceremonies on Sunday, May 25. Langenstein has molded a successful career that has carried him from the Syracuse Mile in New York State to the superspeedway of Daytona International in Florida. Currently residing in North Carolina, the New Jersey native first ventured to Nazareth, Reading and Flemington (NJ) Fair Speedway in 1972 and over the next two decades surfaced as one of the top wrenches in the Northeast. From 1976-82 Langenstein accompanied George Smith’s Statewide Racing team with Jimmy Horton behind the wheel, then joined forces with big-Block star Brett Hearn before building a car for notorious owner Tony Ferraiuolo and his driver Ken Brenn Jr. to close out the 80s. Charlie relocated to the Tar Heel State and helped Rob Moroso capture the NASCAR Grand National title in 1989 before working at the Kneisel Speed Shop in Pennsylvania from 1992-95 and serving a one-year stint with Team Freightliner owner Ray Bramall. Today, he is the technical supervisor for Hendrick Motorsports on the Cup circuit, overseeing everything mechanical for the cars driven by internationally acclaimed touring stars Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. More info at dirtcar.com.(4-4-2008)
