Former Eriez champ Kania dies at 63
Former Stateline-Eriez Circuit racer Andy Kania of Greene Township, Pa., the 2005 Super Late Model Late Model champion at Eriez Speedway and in recent years the crew chief for his Late Model-driving son Steve, died Thursday. He was 63.
According to a GoFundMe fundraiser to support the family's medical costs, Kania had been hospitalized since Oct. 6 with Covid-19 and associated complications.
The driver of the No. 76 entry who ended his racing career in 2013 was the third-generation owner and operator of Hammett Motors.
In announcing his death, Eriez Speedway mourned the loss of the "competitor, colleague and friend" who rarely missed an event at the Hammett, Pa., oval. "Next season will be a little more empty, without Andy, who always brought his tow trucks and was always willing to help wherever needed," the track's Facebook post said.
Besides his son, Kania is survived by his wife Denise and a daughter, Carly Beibel. The funeral was today at St. Boniface Church in Erie, where Kania was a life-long member, with burial at Mount of Olives Cemetery. Find a complete obituary at schmidtfuneralhomeerie.com.
