Professional Drag Racing Career
Freddy began his professional drag racing career in 1967. His racing pseudonym was "'Broadway Freddy' DeName". He raced almost exclusively on the East Coast, at Madison Township Raceway Park, Englishtown, New Jersey; Atco Raceway, Atco, New Jersey; New York National Speedway on Long Island, New York; Lebanon Valley Speedway near West Lebanon, New York; New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire; Maryland International Raceway at Budds Creek, Maryland; and at Richmond International Raceway in Henrico County, Virginia. He raced some in southern California during the winter of 1968 or '69, notably at Lions Drag Strip in Wilmington (Long Beach). After he sold his fuel dragster, DiNome switched to Funny Car with a 1970 Chevrolet Camaro that ran at most twelve to fifteen races a season. After his Camaro, DiNome raced a 1972 Ford Mustang, a Chevrolet Monza and a 1976 Buick Skyhawk that he called "Saturday Night Fever", the name taken from the movie starring John Travolta. Frederick never won a major race. He competed once or twice at the NHRA Summernationals, the UHRA (United Hot Rod Association) Summer Nationals, the New England Funny Car Nationals at New England Dragway and some of the Don Garlits' PRO (Professional Racers Organization) races of the mid-1970s. Except for the UHRA shows at New York National and the Epping race he never qualified for any of those races.
In 1976, his busiest season, he raced ten times: his first race was at the Cars Magazine event at Atco where he lost to Roy Harris driving Gus Wunsch's "Brutus" Mustang II. His last race was at the Lakeland International Raceway, now the USA International Raceway in Lakeland, Florida, for the Don Garlits PRO race, where he did not qualify for entry with an 8.10-seconds run. His best run of the season was a 6.91, but at that time he had Harlon Thompson behind the wheel. Thompson drove two rounds before losing to Gary Burgin. He stayed on as an owner in 1977, with Thompson as the main driver.
In 1978, Thompson competed in just three events. In his first race in 1978 at an eight-car show at Englishtown, New Jersey, he ran a 6.69 which made him a runner-up to Jimmy King in the King & Marshall Chevrolet Monza. Roy DeMeo, his cousin Joseph Guglielmo and Albert DeMeo attended his races.
After a near fatal car crash during one of his races, his drag racing career floundered before he finally gave it up for good to pursue a career in organized crime. Roy DeMeo, who was at the near fatal race in the stands, said about the horrifying incident, "I went to watch Freddy once and he crashed. He climbs out of the car and he's on fire. He looks like an astronaut who has crash landed. The firemen are hosing him down, but he looks up at me in the stands and begins to smile and wave like some kids were squirting him by the pool. Don't tell me Freddy is crazy. I know he is fucking nuts."
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