Performance Tech Crew Chief Passes Away

Longtime Performance Tech Motorsports cree chief Frankie Parzych passed away Monday from a heart attack. Parzych was 58.

Parzych, who first joined friend and team principal Brent O’Neill in the early 1990s as a customer, had played a crucial part in the Florida-based squad’s success, which has included class victories in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen.

“Frankie was my best friend and my brother,” O’Neill said. “Performance Tech is a family.

“Losing Frankie is a loss to everyone who has ever been a part of this family, regardless of job or title. He will be missed by everyone. This team would not have had the success it had without his genuine care and hard work.

“He always had a smile on his face, and he made everyone else smile, too. He was a hard worker; he’d do anything for anybody.

“We’ve supported a lot of kids and people over the years, every charity event you can think of he was there to support them. He was always there for us, no matter what the situation.

“This was so sudden. We’re all going to be numb for a while.”

Born in Brooklyn, Parzych had previously worked in construction in New York City, including helping build landmarks such as the Marriott Marquis in Times Square and the Ted Weiss Federal Building.

He also discovered the African burial site that would later become the African Burial Ground National Monument in lower Manhattan.

Parzych is survived by his mother, Gail; sisters, Kim and Georgia; brothers, Chris and John; and girlfriend, Mary Lou.