William Catania

William “Bill” Catania, 74, of Westfield, NY, passed away on Dec. 1, 2025, at Twinbrook Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Erie, PA, after a lengthy battle with complications from diabetes. A devoted father, proud grandfather, grape farmer, skilled craftsman, “self-taught” engineer, and lifelong racer, Bill lived a life defined by hard work, passion, and a deep connection to his community. Born on Aug. 2, 1951, Bill was raised in Westfield, where he graduated from Westfield Academy & Central School in 1969. Shortly after, he served in the National Guard before beginning a career rooted in his natural talent for mechanics and auto body repair. He worked at Burgess Chevrolet before opening his own business, Bill’s Auto Service, in 1974. For more than 25 years, Bill proudly served customers throughout the region, earning a reputation for integrity, skill, and fairness. His expertise was nationally recognized when he was selected to serve on the GM ASE Advisory Board, an honor reserved for the top one percent of auto body technicians. Alongside his work in the garage, Bill was a lifelong Concord grape farmer, following in the footsteps of his father, Marion. He spent his early years helping on the family farm, later establishing his own on North Gale Street, where he made his home. Bill also worked with the pioneering Lucky 7 grape harvesting group, which his father co-founded with six other local farmers; Bill eventually purchased an ownership stake, continuing the family legacy in the region’s grape industry. Catania served as a Delegate on the National Grape Co-Op Board, representing the interests of local farmers like himself. But Bill’s greatest passion–one that shaped nearly every chapter of his life–was stock car racing. His love for the sport began at age nine, helping his father maintain a race car co-owned with Carl “Swede” Larson and driven by Don Strain at Westfield’s Coon Road Speedway, Arkwright Speedway, North Collins, and Stateline Speedway. At just sixteen, Bill built his first stock car with Danny Chapman and Billy Batson; that car made several starts at Stateline and Eriez in 1968. In 1974, Bill began racing regularly at Stateline and Eriez Speedways, with early mentorship from local legend Dick Gilbert, who shared driving duties until Bill fully came into his own. He went on to win track championships at both Stateline and Eriez in the Cadet division, along with the Circuit Championship. His knowledge and leadership earned him a role in helping the original Stateline Speedway ownership draft the rulebook for a new class–the Limited Late Models, which replaced the Sportsman division. Bill was a mainstay in the Limited Late Model class from its founding in 1983 until his final start in May 2000. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, he was known for his consistency, talent, and his distinctive paint scheme inspired by his hero, Richard Petty–a blend of Petty Blue and fluorescent red, with a style uniquely his own. Bill earned multiple feature wins and countless top-10 points finishes during his career, capturing his final feature victory in 1998. One of Bill’s greatest personal passion projects was the full restoration and replication of the original No. 18 stock car–the very car his father co-owned and the one that sparked Bill’s lifelong love of racing when he was just nine years old. The replica, a meticulously restored 1941 Ford powered by a 1949 flathead engine, was a labor of love that connected Bill to his roots and to the early history of local racing. Today, the car lives permanently at Stateline Speedway, where it is displayed for fans throughout the season and serves as the pace car for special events. In recent years, special guest drivers–including his good friend Mark Joy, grandson Christopher Catania and family friend Jon Breads, all of whom share Bill’s commitment to preserving racing history–had the honor of pacing the field in the beloved No. 18, carrying forward the legacy Bill worked so hard to keep alive. Even after retiring from driving, Bill remained deeply connected to the sport. In 2014 and 2015, he served as General Manager of Stateline Speedway, working alongside his son to rehabilitate the facility. He helped lead a team of 40 workers over an intense 60-day period, installing new grandstands and revitalizing the track, ensuring its continued operation and eventual sale to a new owner. His last visit to the place he loved most–Stateline Speedway–came on July 5th, when he was able to see many of his racing friends one final time. Outside of racing and work, Bill had a wide range of interests. He loved traveling to Daytona for Speedweeks, often driving straight through the night to cheer on Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. He was an avid gardener, took great pride in caring for his home and plants, and in later years became known for his cooking, delighting family and friends with his many “secret recipes.” Bill is survived by his children: William (Lisa) Catania of Oakland, Florida, and Carri (Kenneth) Knapp of Beaufort, South Carolina; his grandchildren Matthew Catania, Christopher Catania, Jenna Catania, Madelyn Knapp, and Claire Knapp; and his great-grandson, Grayson Catania. He was preceded in death by his parents, Marion Catania in 2008 and Mary Lou Catania in 2023. Bill will be remembered for his unwavering dedication, his quiet strength, his unmatched mechanical talent, and the way he poured himself into everything he loved–his family, his farm, his craft, and the roar of a Saturday night at Stateline Speedway. His legacy lives on in his children, grandchildren, and the countless people whose lives he touched throughout his remarkable life. A celebration of life will be held in the spring at Stateline Speedway.