By JODI SOKOLOWSKI
Buffalo Law Journal

Some area lawyers let their competitive streaks carry over from the courtroom to the racetrack.

"There are a million ways to lose and only a few ways to win. It's like trial work - you either get to be good or you're just one of the crowd," Paul Cambria, a Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria LLP partner, said of racing.

West Seneca solo practitioner Jim Partacz said the same mental skills he uses in his law practice give him an edge when he's factoring variables like weather and track conditions into his race strategy. What most attracts him to the sport, though, is the "nonpretentious" interaction between drivers.

"Even though it's intense when you're racing, the whole atmosphere with your comrades is relaxing," he said. "It can't be farther away from the practice of law. You're all there to have fun."

Both Partacz, who practices in the area of plaintiffs' personal-injury law, and Cambria, known primarily for his criminal-defense and First Amendment work, particpate in drag racing, in which two cars go head-to-head down a one-eighth-mile straightaway.

"The attraction is the speed and acceleration. It's really a rush," said Partacz, who drives a 1974 Plymouth Duster.

Cambria says the attraction of competing with others - including his wife, Paula, who also races - is secondary to the fact that racing is a family-friendly hobby that provides opportunities to travel and make friends across the country.

"We're basically camping out for the weekend with campfires and s'mores," he said. The couple's six girls, who range in age from 5 to 19, and the family dog often come along on racing trips.

Cambria holds a commercial driver's license that allows him to drive a semitrailer to haul his and Paula's three racing cars, which are maintained by a pit crew. They own a 2000 Pontiac Firebird and 1994 and 2000 Chevrolet Camaros.

His love for racing encouraged him to buy an interest in the Dunn Tire Raceway Park, formerly the Lancaster Motorsports Park. A partnership led by Ralph Galluzzi recently renovated the track and concession stand there.

"That track was on its last legs," Cambria said. "We've really revived that whole track."

Taking a break

Amherst matrimonial lawyer Sheldon Benatovich is currently taking an "intermission" from road-racing Ferraris because of the expense. Road racing is done on closed courses that curve in both directions and are often timed, with one car on the track at a time.

"In real life I'm a lawyer. In my heart I'm a race-car driver. It costs a lot of money but doesn't pay very well," he said.

During his last race, he broke two gears that will together cost about $16,000 to repair. His first Ferrari, a 1979 model, cost $44,000, while his most recent one, a Testarossa, cost $150,000.

Benatovich officially began road racing in 1979 but first started drag racing with a 1958 Pontiac Bonneville on an abandoned Air Force base in Dunkirk.

James Sandoro, director of the Buffalo Transportation/Pierce Arrow Museum, also used to drag race in the early 1960s.

"I'm not embarrassed to say the ‘in thing' (then) was street racing," Sandoro said of gathering at hot dog stands around Sheridan Drive and Parker Boulevard to race. "People would gather at 7 or 8 at night, then challenge each other and go out to various wide-open roads."

Sandoro, who holds a law degree, does not practice law but often serves as an expert witness on automotive issues. He used to race a '63 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport coupe against his uncle, who drove a '62 Plymouth Sport Fury max wedge, one of only 43 manufactured.

Sandoro plans to restore the Plymouth in memory of his uncle, Richard Scinta, who died after being hit by a car while riding a bicycle in Las Vegas last year.

"I'm going to get it fired up for next season," Sandoro said.

Good for your health?

While he's addicted to racing, Benatovich said, the habit serves as preventive medicine.

"When you're done, you don't need a shrink or a cardiologist, because if you didn't die on the racetrack from an adrenaline rush, you don't even need a stress test," he quipped.