Raceway wedding gets pair off to a rolling start
BUFFALO TWP — The newly wed Hunkeles walked away from Lernerville's Victory Lane as winners in the sport of life.
Daniel and Heather Hunkele, maiden name Mayhugh, of Tarentum were married between race sessions Friday night at the speedway.
The groom wore a checkered shirt and the bride matched him with checkered leggings.
The bride said she couldn't have imagined her special day any other way.
“It is definitely unique. I couldn't be happier that we're doing this,” the new Mrs. Hunkele said. “I never thought I'd be the center of attention. All these crowds are looking at me and my husband.”
The couple basically took a break from work for the ceremony. Heather works in the concession stand. Daniel was hired as a flagger a little more than a year ago.
Heather said it was Daniel who got her into racing.
“He's been into racing since he was a little kid,” she said.
Daniel Hunkele said he had butterflies in his stomach beforehand, but he was also excited. That didn't stop him from flagging the first few heats of races before the ceremony.
Daniel said he was thankful to have the support of the Lernerville staff. Every so often a staff member would stop by and ask how he was doing.
“We brought it up to them, and with open arms, they were glad to have us do it here,” he said.
Daniel said he grew up in Pittsburgh, so he mostly went to races there, but every so often his family would make the trip to Lernerville. He said the sport was an important facet in his family.
“My dad had taken me (to a race) every weekend,” Daniel said. “It just stuck with me. It's in my blood.”
Daniel said there is no doubt that racing will be part of the couples lives moving forward.
“We'll be doing this for the rest of our lives,” he said, smiling at the track. “Going to races together and spending time together.”
The ceremony itself was short and sweet, and officiant Dan Bogan threw a few jokes in too.
The couple walked across the track hand-in-hand and hustled off back to work while simultaneously thanking those, friends, families and strangers who witnessed their vows.
Bogan said he lives a few houses away from Heather, and as an avid Lernerville spectator met Daniel through the races.
He said the ceremony involved special people and a special place, and it will always mark the first time he married a couple on the track of a racing venue. “It was an honor and a pleasure,” Bogan said. “I loved doing it. I loved doing it here.”
