Photo of the Day


-
Email us at info@coastal181.com

Previous Photos of the Day - PAGE 10 Previous Photos of the Day - PAGE 9 Previous Photos of the Day - PAGE 8 Previous Photos of the Day - PAGE 7 Previous Photos of the Day - PAGE 6 Previous Photos of the Day - PAGE 5 Previous Photos of the Day - PAGE 4 Previous Photos of the Day - PAGE 3 Previous Photos of the Day - PAGE 2 Previous Photos of the Day - PAGE 1

A

#2400 - Bummer! "Paul Tracy and team owner Barry Green were convinced the yellow light came on after Tracy passed Helio Castroneves in the third turn on lap 199 of the 2002 Indy 500. Green says he had irrefutable evidence, but his protest was rejected without a hearing. The bitterness of the questionable call, depriving him of a 500 win, remains with Paul today. "Quote and Photo from SECOND TO ONE: All But for Indy, by Joe Freeman and Gordon Kirby. (RMA/Swope Photo)
A


#2399 - There was a bit of confusion at the very end of the 1973 Octoberfest at La Crosse Interstate Speedway in West Salem, WI. The checkered flew for Billy Oas, and Marv Marzofka was decidedly unimpressed. "I knew I had won the race. I wasn't going to leave the track until I carried the flag. Funny how you get after 200 laps of racing. I never had an ornery bone in my body. My hair was standing on end with anger." He was given the win. (Photo and Quote from 67- REFFNER AND TRICKLE, by Fr. Dale Grubba.)
a


#2398 - An American racing family. Colby Weisz is shown a few years back with his Sprinter at the quarter-mile Marysville Speedway in Northern California, where he had more wins than anyone. That's his son Ben with him, a Dwarf-Car driver at the time. Colby's dad, Gary, also ran Sprint Cars. From GUIDE TO NORTHERN & CENTRAL CALIFORNIA RACEWAYS, by Saroyan Humphrey. (Saroyan Humphrey Photo)
a


#2397 - Steve Smith and Jan Opperman. Something big might have happened that August day in 1977 at Du Quoin. Or she must have been awful pretty! (John Mahoney Photo)
a


#2396 - Phoenix, Arizona in the heyday of the Copper World Classic. Things could get a bit hairy. (Speedway Illustrated Collection)
a


#2395 - Scant few outsiders have been able beat the regulars at the uniquely shaped half-mile clay oval at Fonda (NY) Fairgrounds. The lanky, bespectacled Ed Ortiz was one of them. In 1962 he began traveling hundreds of miles east on Thursday nights from his home in Ransomville, NY, to Victoria Speedway, a few miles east of Fonda. He did so well there against the Fonda folk that he decided to give that track a try in a couple of 50-lappers on Saturday nights instead of returning way back west for weekend events. He won both of them. His #0, sponsored by Pete Hollebrand, never looked like anything special. It must have been that exhaust system. (John Grady Photo, Coastal 181 Collection)
A


#2394 - "'Life expectancy,' Mario Andretti said, 'wasn't too long in sprint cars at the time, but that was the purest racing I've ever known, dog-eat-dog stuff. It was one tough school....' Andretti booked his initial victory in USAC competition in the grueling 100-lap Joe James-Pat O'Connor sprint car classic at Salem in 1964....Puckered up with his eyes closed, the passionate Italian moves in for the spoils of victory." Quote and Photo from FEARLESS: Dangerous Days in American Open Wheel Racing, by Gene Crucean. (Harry Goode Photo)
A


#2393 - It was the Trans-Am event at Watkins Glen in 1968. "Sam Posey (16) briefly led race winner Jerry Titus for second place. Titus passed Posey on the third lap. Posey described Titus' maneuver as the 'most beautiful pass I ever saw.' This only served to further infuriate Roger Penske, who thought Posey could have won. Not coincidentally, it was Posey's last drive for Penske Racing." Quote and photo from TRANS-AM ERA: The Golden Years in Photographs: 1966-1972, by Daniel Lipetz. (Peter Luongo Photo)
A


#2392 - "Racing in the All Pro series while on trial and under appeal [for trafficking in contraband], Balough remained a major player on the short-track scene. Here, he shares a laugh with Louisiana legend Freddy Fryar, while sneaky Donnie Allison listens in." Quote and Photo from HOT SHOE: A Checkered Past: My Story, by Gary Balough with Bones Bourcier.
a


#2391 - An 18-year-old Don MacTavish was all smiles in 1958 greeting Louisa Hennesy, trophy girl at Norwood Arena in Massachusetts after winning his first feature event. There was definitely something special about Mac - disarmingly likeable, sharp as a tack, and a little bit naughty. Over the next few years, he became a real fan favorite throughout the Northeast, especially among the young ladies. And he appreciated them just as much as they did him. In 1966, in an incredible season-long display of determination and endurance, he ran, self-sponsored, 122 shows and rocked the racing community by sweeping the NASCAR National Sportsman Championship. The next February, intent on landing a Grand National ride, he headed to Daytona to run the Permatex 300. That lasted but nine laps. He crashed mightily and died on the scene. (Photo from DON MACTAVISH Memorial Book, by Dick Berggren)
a


#2390 - The Prince of Power. Waddell Wilson, a graduate of Florida's infamous Hialeah Speedway, swapped his helmet for a torque wrench and gained fame by motoring Fireball Roberts to victory lane in the 1963 Southern 500. It just kept going. Wilson racked up 109 wins and was winning crew chief at the 1980, 1983, and 1984 Daytona 500s. (Robert Alexander Photo, Speedway Illustrated Collection)
A


#2389 - This past Wednesday I was sitting on my front porch having coffee and reflecting on what transpired on that fateful day 18 years ago. This photo came to mind. The NASCAR race at Dover International Speedway was the first race post 9/11. They had given the sell-out crowd American flags for the pre-race ceremonies, and it was quite a moving day for everyone. (I still have my flag.) Dale Earnhardt Jr. won that day's event and took a Victory Lap carrying the Stars and Stripes into Victory Lane, very much to the delight of the thousands of proud American fans in attendance. (Photo and Quote from Our Man from Amsterdam, Dave Dalesandro)
a



#2388 - In the spring of 1950, George Damon, an entrepreneurial lumberman from Norway, ME, partnered with the Pine State Stock Car Racing Association to build a track called Oxford Plains Speedway. As shown above, things were kind of gritty in the beginning and continued so until the 1960s, when the track was bought by Bob Bahre. Bahre, with great vision, topped and tailed it and brought it to profitability. He eventually sold the facility to build New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Oxford is currently owned by Tom Mayberry, mayordomo of PASS, and continues to present the Oxford 250 each August, clearly one of the top-notch short track events in all of the US. (Photos from OXFORD PLAINS SPEEDWAY: The First Three Years, 1950-1953, by Floyd "Zeke" Trask)
A


#2387 - It was rollerball at Terre Haute on April 30, 1972. The late, great Gary Bettenhausen, always on the pedal, climbs over Carl Williams' wheel and goes aerial. He was defending champion. (Ken Coles Photo, Speedway Illustrated Collection)
A


#2386 - One of New Jersey's best, Billy Pauch, wheels with Kenny Brightbill, legend of the Keystone State, at the "Aristocrat of Race Tracks," Penn National Speedway in Grantville. Both of these showmen found victory land countless times before the grand facility shut down in 1996. (Quote and Photo by Mike Feltenberger)
A


#2385 - 1960s and '70s era Wisconsin racer Ed Knupp was a piece of work. He was dedicated to Flatheads - so much so that he'd do anything to beat the Chevys, whether he was legal or not. Here he shows his tri-power carb set-up and dual radiator cooling. His bride Pat was something, too. One night while she was filling Ed's radiators with the engine running, a competitor's wife came by to complain about the Knupp machine. Pat responded by redirecting the water spout to the fan and delivering a soaking spray. (Photo from THE HISTORY OF A-F Speedway, Friendship, Wisconsin, by Matt McLaughlin)
a


#2384 - A gentleman school teacher and family man from Dayton, Ohio, Everett Saylor was king of the banked tracks and CSRA champion in 1937. Known by fellow racers as "Sassy Britches" for his spiffy apparel, Saylor pulled into Cape Girardeau, MO, with Pop Dreyer's Sprinter for one of the very last events before racing was banned during World War II. The track was ungodly dusty, and, as Saylor and Chitwood came off turn four, Saylor apparently lost sight off the track and blasted through the wall and perished. (Newspaper sketch from RIM RIDERS: The World's Fastest Racing Circuit, by Buzz Rose)
A


#2383 - Dirt slinger, Earl Wagner, a legendary member of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, raced this Supermodified to the Knoxville championship in 1961. He was on some kind of tear in the early 1960s, triumphant in Iowa at Waterloo, Rockwell City, Des Moines, Mason City, and Boone, as well as Knoxville. Forays over the state line flew under the checkered at Marshall and Kirksville in Missouri and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He passed away in September of 2007. One has to wonder if he wore hearing aids. From The History of Knoxville Raceway and The Marion County Fairgrounds, Vol. 1, Pre 1954-1970, by Bob Wilson. (Ed Cole Photo)
A


#2382 - It was the start of the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway on August 19. "Little did anyone know that half a lap later Takuma Sato (#30) would be involved in horrendous tunnel turn crash. Graham Rahal (#15) just avoided the incident." (Quote and Photo by Mike Feltenberger)
A


#2381 - Oilzum is a familiar name to aging racing railbirds, but few know how far back it really goes. Oilzum, one of the very first branded motor oils, was introduced in 1905. It was labeled "the Choice of Champions," and the label became increasingly familiar to racers in the 1920s. In BOARD TRACKS: Guts, Gold and Glory Dick Wallen explains, "Once savored, the aroma of burning Castor oil from a race car exhaust - that exciting, exhilarating, pungent odor - is never forgotten. All the oil's bad qualities were compensated for by that wonderful essence. Combine this earthy aroma with that of burning gasoline and scorching-hot rubber tires, let the warmups, time trials, and the race continue till a haze runs over the track, and a notion forms of what the racing devotee's heaven should consist. Castor survived as a racing oil until the '20s, when mechanics and drivers began to prefer Oilzum, a special racing oil developed by the White and Bagley Company..." Oilzum was soon used widely in land-speed competition, and it helped keep several Indy 500 winners lubricated until the checkered. And in the 1960s, White and Bagley launched a successful marketing campaign into short track racing. Oilzum signs, now collectible, hang in many garages still today. In 2007, White and Bagley was purchased by Dennison Manufacturing, and the product can still be found today. (Quote and illustration from BOARD TRACKS: Guts, Gold and Glory, by Dick Wallen)
A


#2380 - Here is Jim Lowrey, winning yet again. This time it was Best in Show at the North East Motor Sports Museum for his incomparably beautifully restored 40 Ford, housing a flathead engine that was the talk of New England racing when in Leon Hurd's winning cutdown in 1953. Jim is a gentle, centered man, so there is no braggadocio whatsoever. Who would know that he is likely one of the very most versatile racers in all of the Northeast, having won in Midgets, Sprinters, Big Block Supers, Small Block Supers, Dirt Modifieds, and Asphalt Modifieds. He is well remembered for a day at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, when he and his friend Ray Evernham showed up with their favorite Modifieds and treated all present to one of the most thrilling duels ever seen on the mile. (Dick Berggren Photo)
A


#2379 - It may have been challenged by a pesky rainstorm and by some controversy, but Karl Fredrickson of Speedway Illustrated described it as "the race that reminded us why we fell in love with racing in the first place." It was Saturday night August 17th, the third night of the Centennial Race Weekend celebrating 100 years of racing at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Middletown, NY. With pomp and intensity, the finest of the Northeast Big Block Modifieds set out for the 160-lapper paying an unprecedented $100,000 to win. Matt Sheppard, Danny Johnson, Brett Hearn, and a wall-banging Stewart Friesen, all right on the edge, looked to have a shot at it. But, in the end, it was young Matt Williamson, driving the race of his life, under the checkered. It was particularly pleasing that he was aboard the Behrent Performance Warehouse #3, in a retro wrap, reminiscent of all the years the Behrent family has supported the track. (Speedway Illustrated magazine Photo)
a


#2378 - Gene Marderness sent us this shot taken 42 winters back. Sammy Swindell was at Tampa's Golden Gate Speedway for the Florida 500. He was driving the Davis Sprinter - and working on his facial hair. (Gene Marderness Photo)
A


#2377 - Former Midget racer, Algona, Iowa's celebrated Les Wildin, is shown in the 1960s at the Clay County Fair in Spencer, Iowa, aboard a very cool coach. (Chad Meyer Collection)
a


#2376 - Craig Whyte captured this evocative moment a few years back at the Rebel Yell Super Late Model race at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, GA. (Craig Whyte Photo)
a


#2375 - "I had to include this happy picture because this is another of the very important ladies in my life. Patti Wallace has been married to Rusty for many years, but when I was 10 years old she was my babysitter! And, pssst, don't tell anybody, but she used to dress me up and put make-up on me." Photo and quote from INSIDE HERMAN'S WORLD: The Kenny Wallace Story, by Kenny Wallace with Joyce Standridge. (Kenny Wallace Collection)
A


#2374 - "Then on lap 50 [of the 9/7/1970 Champ Car race at Du Quoin], the unthinkable happened. Foyt slid high in the third turn after blowing out his right rear Goodyear and flipped his Sheraton Thompson Special. The crowd fell silent as Foyt's car came to rest upside down. It was the first and only time A.J. would find himself in that position during a championship event. As the yellow appeared track workers ran out toward Foyt's car, which had its front wheel wedged under the guardrail. After a few tense moments, Foyt crawled from the wreck and got slowly to his feet as the crowd gave the grand champion a five-minute standing ovation. With just minor injuries to his foot, Foyt refused medical care as he was helped from the track." From THAT MAGIC MILE: The National Championship at Du Quoin 1948-1970, by Thomas Nasti. (Southern Illinoisian Photo)
a


#2373 - Wisconsin's Father Grubba, racing's beloved and joyful spiritual leader, just can't seem to get off the gas. Along with his unending services to his flock, he trains for marathons - New York is next - and he continues to pen books about racing history. His latest is 67: Trickle and Reffner that chronicles the 1972 season, when Dick Trickle (the "White Knight") racked up an astounding 67 wins, and 1975, when Tom Reffner (the "Blue Knight") followed suit. (Kristin Radtke Photo)
A


#2372 - Talented lensman Alan Ward captures this fabulous image of Bobby Hackel (#97), Kenny Tremont (#115), and Brian Berger (retro #606) doing their thing at the recent Big Block/Small Block Challenge at Devil's Bowl Speedway. Mike and Alayne Bruno and Justin St. Louis are getting it done up there in the Green Mountains of Vermont, having passionately and energetically revitalized the scenic half-miler. (Alan Ward Photo)
a


#2371 - "Dale Earnhardt's #3 Chevrolet begins a wild, upside-down ride down the backstretch on the 189th lap of the 1997 Daytona 500. Earnhardt had just been passed by Jeff Gordon for second place when the Goodwrench Chevrolet glanced off the wall. Dale Jarrett, Ernie Irvan, and Terry Labonte got stacked up behind Earnhardt's in a chain reaction. Earnhardt's car tumbled over and landed on its wheels. While sitting in the ambulance awaiting the mandatory trip to the infield care center, Earnhardt said he 'noticed the wheels were still on the car. I got out of the ambulance and asked the guy in my car to crank it. When it fired, I told him to give me my car back.' Earnhardt drove the remaining laps and salvaged a 31st-place finish. 'My chances of winning the Daytona 500 were over,' said Earnhardt, 'but I can still win an eighth Winston Cup championship.'" Quote and Photo from NASCAR: The Complete History, by Greg Fielden
a


#2370 - Profiles in courage. L-R, Glenn "Fireball" Roberts, Parnelli Jones, A.J. Foyt. From LEGACY OF JUSTICE: An American Family Story, by Tom Madigan with Ed Justice, Jr. (Justice Family Collection)
a


#2369 - On March 18, 1978, the very first World of Outlaws event was held - at the late Lanny Edward's racy Devil's Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, TX. It was won by a highly competent Californian racer, Jimmy Boyd, in an industrial-looking Trostle. Boyd raced far and wide, even spending several summers chasing the Posse in Pennsylvania. On one trip east he met Jay Opperman's widow, Betty, in Montana, and they married. We are not related, but, if we were, you can bet I would have pushed to have that Trostle in our barn today. (Coastal 181 Collection)
A


#2368 - You can take it to the bank that anyone who ever witnessed the CRA Sprinters at Ascot Park will never forget it. Clark Templeton and Bob East make the case why. (Coastal 181 Collection)
A


#2367 - Jack Kromer's incredible capture of Randy Wolfe at Syracuse, NY, in 1978. Wolfe suffered a broken back. (Coastal 181 Collection)
a


#2366 - Did anybody ever run harder than Bobby Unser? (Coastal 181 Collection)
A


#2365 - Jack Follweiler, sponsored by CMS Racing Engines, beat 'em all to victory lane at Big Diamond, PA, on the Summer Solstice of 1991. There he was greeted by the comely Midi Miller, sponsored by Ken's Tire. (Don Marks Photo, Speedway Illustrated Collection)
a


#2364 - The remarkable Lewis Hamilton, the first and only black driver to compete in Formula 1, is also the most successful Britisher in the series. He is shown here having just clinched his world title number 5 in Mexico City last year. (From FORMULA 1: THE KNOWLEDGE – Records and Trivia Since 1950, Second Edition, by David Hayhoe. (Mercedes-AMY Petronas Motorsports Photo)
A


#2363 - Vintage racing enthusiast Archie Banks sent along this cool image from 1966. The place is the then-tri-oval at Lee, NH, and the cars were spiffy Frank Barthell-built uprights competing in the first year of the New England Super Modified Racing Association. Looking relatively relaxed after a trip into the dunes was Eddie West in his familiar 61Jr. Somewhat more agitated was Milt Blood aboard Chet Richardson's. The Supers of the International Super Modified Association (ISMA) will return to Lee, now a high-speed, high-banked third-mile oval, on August 9 for the popular Ollie Silva Memorial Mid-Summer Classic. (John Eramo Photo)
a


#2362 - Kyle Larson (in car) and Tyler "Sunshine" Courtney check out qualifying times in the Grandview (PA) Speedway infield during the first leg of the USAC Midget Eastern Swing. Larson set fast time with Courtney .013 seconds just behind in second. Courtney was quicker in the feature with a runner-up finish, while Larson was 8th. (Mike Feltenberger Photo)
a




#2361 - Connecticut's traveling lensman John DaDalt sends along this note and these cool images. "I went to three nights of Indiana Speed Week last week. Good times! I went into the turn-one tower at Lincoln Park Speedway to shoot hot laps and heats. A different vantage point for sure. How many grooves!?!" (John DaDalt photos)
a


#2360 - Is there anything America's favorite female racing journalist can't do? A highly competent marketing contractor, graphic designer, and writer by profession, Joyce Standridge is wife to Rick Standridge, a former Late Model and Sprint Car champion with hundreds of wins who's still seeking more. Weekends, she's seen changing tires and bleeding the brakes at tracks all over Tennessee. Weekdays, her columns have spiced up Speedway Illustrated for decades; she writes racing books; she lays out many of our titles at Coastal 181; and she serves as a calming psychiatrist to most everyone she knows. Last weekend, Joyce and Rick visited New England. It didn't take them long to find the races, even if they were at Bear Ridge Speedway, a racy gem way up in the Green Mountains of Vermont. The folks there knew exactly who she is and placed her on high. Here she is waving the green for the Modified main. (Alan Ward Photo)
a


#2359 - On Friday, July 19, with great success, New Hampshire Motor Speedway opened a quarter-mile dirt oval known as the Flat Track, down past the first turn, next to the North East Motor Sports Museum. Featured were Legends cars and the DMA/USAC Midgets, and they played to an enormous crowd. Even the fresh track surface held up admirably during the warm summer night, and it led to some aggressive racing. Skip Matczak, kingpin behind the Midget group, fielded several cars and two of them ran one-two. Seth Carlson won it, chased exhaustively by Sprint Car star Will Hull (pictured), who thrilled fans with his old-time, Reading, PA-like groove, pitching it by the starter's box. (Photo by everyone's favorite bluesman, John DaDalt)
a


#2358 - A couple of Northeastern dirt slingers discuss the day ahead at the Gander 150 Truck race at Pocono, PA, last week. Tyler Dipple (L) started 20th and soldiered home to an 11th-place finish. Stewart Friesen (R), currently running fourth in points, had qualified for the third starting spot, but it didn't last long. Disappointingly, he was in a mix-up on the very first lap, was knocked out of the event, and finished 32nd. (Mike Feltenberger Photo)
a


#2357 - Wes Pettengill will run 40 cars shows out of doors in the Northeast before winter sets in this year. In his 25th year at Skip's Snack Bar in Merrimac, MA, over 500 hot rods, customs, rat rods and dazzling high-end cars and trucks filled the field behind the restaurant in mid-August (above). How organized is Pettengill? With a start time for show vehicles to enter and 14 parkers, the first 240 were in place in 40 minutes. Wes's shows are so big that coastal city Newburyport, MA, closes nearly its entire downtown to host one every summer. He has also been a consistent supporter of motorsports for decades. In the 1960s, he traveled the circuit following the colorful early Supermodified adventures of Bentley Warren, and today, with friend Rick Eastman, he runs the popular mobile Ollie Silva Museum. (Quote and Photo by Dick Berggren)
A


#2356 - Remarkable sportswoman Divina Galica (shown here in 1975 at Brands Hatch, Kent, UK) proved to be one of Britain's most accomplished skiers ever, participating in the Olympics in 1968 and 1972, serving as team captain on both occasions. She has also been an early female standout in motorsports, speeding her way up to Formula Two and Formula One, later concentrating on sports cars and trucks. Subsequently she came Stateside and worked with Skip Barber and IRacing.com. From FORMULA 1: THE KNOWLEDGE - Records and Trivia Since 1950, by David Hayhoe. (GP Library Photo)
a


#2355 - Dr. Dick Berggren was a big winner in his Edmunds Sprinter back in the early 1970s, particularly at Beech Ridge Speedway near Portland, ME. He hung up his helmet and went on the road, developing a career as a racing journalist and TV personality. He has been fabulously successful, most recently spearheading the North East Motor Sports Museum in Loudon, NH. But he will admit even today that his "favorite days and nights" were back on the dirt. (Pete vonSneidern Collection)
A


#2354 - Back in 1982, Muscatine, Iowa's Tom Hearst hustled to the initial NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series national championship. He steered this Dirt Late Model to 26 wins in 50 starts. It was built by Gary Oliver (Tri-City Buggy), the engine by Keith Simmons (later promoter of Dubuque, Farley, and West Liberty (Iowa) Speedways). They outgunned other strong point chasers such as Richie Evans, Sam Ard, Ronnie Sanders, and Doug Williams. From WHERE STARS ARE BORN - Celebrating 25 Years of NASCAR Weekly Racing, by Paul Schaefer. (Motorsports Images and Archives Photo)
A


#2353 - Fifties-era open-wheel star Jimmy "Go Go" Reece was decidedly multi-dimensional. "Boy, there is a guy who had about 14 different personalities," Johnny Boyd laughed as he described his friend Reece to writer Terry Reed. "He'd get on a health kick and become the Pope's altar boy. The next time I'd see him he'd be so tipped over he wouldn't even know who I was." Quote from National Speed Sport Newsletter, from UNITED STATES AUTO CLUB: 50 Years of Speed and Glory, by Dick Wallen. (Armin Krueger Photo)
A


#2353 - A beautiful piece at the North East Motor Sports Museum in Loudon, New Hampshire. It's the fuel-injected Pontiac-powered Badger Midget owned by Gene Angelillo and wheeled by Drew Fornoro in 1989 to both the owner and driver championships of the Northeast Midget Association. (Norm Marx Photo)
a


#2352 - Veteran racer Matt Pupello notched a notable $7500 victory last Saturday night at Lebanon Valley (NY) Speedway. He outgunned the field with an experimental 500-inch aluminum big block built by "Motor Mike" Petrucci. The engine was cleverly envisioned and custom machined to come in at approximately half the $60,000 it usually takes to field a big block for the high speed "Valley." Needless to say, the win caused a lot of commotion, some very positive, some negative from competing teams. But no matter how you look at it, something must be done to save big block Modified teams from the simply unsustainable expenses they now face. (Photo Mike Petrucci Jr.)
a


#2351 - This is Version II of Photo of the Day #1981. The unparalled racing guru, Nebraska's Bob Mays, has sent in answers about what was going on (we had asked for feedback from anyone familiar with the scene). "It was May 19, 1959 at Langhorne, and the winner was John Dodd in the #72. It looks to me like that's Loyal Katskee in his Ferrari lined up against the Stock Cars. Loyal was a Ferrari and Maserati dealer in Omaha as well as a Midget racer turned Sports Car racer. In the mid-1950s IMCA and NASCAR okayed the use of foreign cars in their series, and Katskee was one of the few to take the bait. He even won an IMCA 100-miler at Sedalia, Missouri." (Mike Ritter Collection)
A


#2350 - That's Antoine Rizkallah "Tony" Kanaan at Pocono last year. The 44-year-old Brazilian is from a wealthy family that lost everything after his father died. Tony earned every penny he now has - reportedly $20 million worth - through racing. He worked hard. He is tied with Sam Hanks for the most attempts (12) at the Brickyard before his spectacular win there in 2013. (Mike Feltenberger Photo)
a


#2349 - Rich Bickle with his KFC Chevrolet at Indy in 1997. "With forty laps to go, I'm thinking I'm going to drive right to the front of the Brickyard 400... I'm still wide open down the back straight and make the high arc to go into turn 3. Man, all hell breaks loose. I had a flat right-rear tire, and the car swapped ends before I could even react... [It hit the wall] dead flat against the left side door bars, pushing them over nearly a foot. It hit so hard my seat moved over to where the transmission tunnel and driveshaft had been. My head actually hit the wall and I was out of it. ...They transported me to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, and the nurse says to me, 'You're really busted up. Is there anything I can give you for the pain?' I told her a couple cans of Miller Lite would be good... They wound up shooting me up with something that put me in Froot Loopville. The x-rays showed that I had broken my ribs pretty bad.... It was probably my worse wreck ever." From BARNYARD TO BRICKYARD - The Rich Bickle Story, with John Close. (Photo, Jackie Bickle Collection)
a


#2348 - Jerry Marquis, out of Broad Brook, CT, and shown here at Riverside Park in Agawam, MA, was the 2000 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Champion. He also has seven Busch North victories. He was popular - and fast - and appeared to have a good time racing, wouldn't you think? (Photo by Our Man in Amsterdam, Dave Dalesandro)
a


#2347 - Sprint Car legend Chuck Amati out of Freeman Spur, Illinois, was considered one of the original "Outlaws." "His first big accident occurred in 1964. When his car crashed through a fence, a two-by-six board nearly took his right arm off. It ripped his bicep and damaged nerves, tendons, and ligaments. The damage was so severe it took him nearly a decade to heal. By this time he was making his living from racing, and he couldn't afford to be idle until his wounds healed. He devised a leather harness and sling that held his right arm in his lap while racing. He steered with his left hand. Within two weeks after the accident, he was back on the track. Amati continued to win despite the injury, and people soon talked of that "one-armed bandit" who would roll into town, beat the locals, and take the prize money home with him.... His free-spirited style captivated three generations of race fans.... Chuck Amati passed away on November 18, 2008 after a heart attack." Quote and Photo from SOUTHERN SUPERMODIFIEDS and Other Early Racers, Vol. II, by Gerald Hodges
A



#2346 - NASCAR Truck star Stewart Friesen (#44 and with checkered flag) and ("Super Matt" Sheppard #12) are on the top of their games with East Coast center-steer dirt Modifieds. Last week they offered up the show of shows to an overflow crowd at the resuscitated Fonda (NY) Speedway as they battled for the win at a Wednesday-night special event. Sure looks like they enjoyed it a bit themselves. (Photos by Our Man from Amsterdam, Dave Dalesandro)
a


#2345 - On August 3, it will be 14 years since a truly historic finish at the historic Indianapolis Speedrome. Stephanie Mockler (M), Alison MacLeod (L), and Erica Santos (R) finished 1-2-3 in a USAC National Ford Focus Midget event. From UNITED STATES AUTO CLUB: 50 Years of Speed and Glory, by Dick Wallen. (Phil Rider Photo)
A


#2344 - Three drivers with storied careers take on Pennsylvania's high-banked Grandview Speedway in the early 1980s. "Chargin' Charley" Gilmore (#7) has Hall of Fame runners Dave Kelly and Freddy "the Kutztown Komet" Adam (#42) to his outside as they negotiate the second turn during a MODCAR event. Gilmore, who passed away recently, was known to make the most of his resources that often seemed the least. Kelly went on to a dominant career aboard Sprint Cars and won the final event held at Reading (PA) Fairgrounds on June 29, 1979. Adam, a fan favorite wherever he ventured, topped the final Langhorne 100 when the circular mile was still dirt. (Quote and Photo by Mike Feltenberger)
A


#2343 - COOL CARS, SQUARE ROLL BARS: Photos and Recollections of Fifties Hot Rodding in New England, by the Shuman Brothers, is an informal but captivating trip through very early drag racing, especially at the infamous airport strip at Sanford, Maine. The book presents hundreds of photos and captions detailing the early evolution of the technology of going faster. "Even as construction quality improved, a few questionable features continued." How about the steering shaft in this Competition Coupe secured against the galvanized roll bar upright with a muffler clamp? (Author Photo)
a


#2342 - Bill Vukovich, Fred Agabashian, and Jack McGrath hustled their way to the coveted front row spots for the 1953 Indy 500. You would think the specter of the race would have captured their attention, but apparently not as much as actress Jane Greer did. Photo from FABULOUS FIFTIES: American Championship Racing, by Dick Wallen. (Russ Reed Photo)
A


#2341 - One hundred years ago, Indiana native Roscoe Sarles was quite the shoe. The former hill climber achieved national recognition in a road race in Santa Monica in 1919. Leading the pack, he noticed a child right on the track and he took evasive action, driving into a sand bank, narrowly escaping death. He would run Indy four times, his best finish being second to Tommy Milton in 1920. In September of 1921 he went to Kansas City to pilot a Durant Special as a favor. Before the event he told his wife, "After today I am through with this game." He sure was. He broke a steering knuckle, bounced off Pete de Paolo's car, plunged over the fence in flames, and died. Photo from THE DEVIL'S DISCIPLES: Early Drivers of the Rough Tracks, Vol. I, by Gerald Hodges
a


#2340 - It's been quite a while since the last race track was built in the Northeast, so everyone was watching when, last month, the New Hampshire Motor Speedway opened a quarter-mile dirt oval. Located right next to the North East Motor Sports Museum, it opened with a motorcycle race, and, as shown above, the show was a thriller. The next event will be a Midget race, held on the 19th of this month, the Friday night of Cup weekend at the big track. (Dick Berggren Photo)
a


#2339 - They say that burly Bill Morton out of Church Hill, TN, was quite the bruiser. According to his son, Tony, "At one time he was probably banned from every race track he ever raced at - and he visited emergency rooms from Bristol to Chattanooga.... He got his start in NASCAR in 1955 at the Memphis-Arkansas Speedway in Lehi, Arkansas. He and my mother drove a 1955 Buick Racemaster down there, took the headlights out of it, took the hubcaps off, and he raced. He blew a tire, went through the fence, and turned it over. It was a four-door, and they couldn't get the doors open. So they had to crawl through the windows and drive it all the way back from Arkansas without windows. They got it beat back out so they could get the doors open; he went to Columbia, South Carolina, the following week and wrecked it again." Over the subsequent seasons, things did get a little better. In the 1960s and '70s he concentrated more locally on Tennessee facilities, averaging some 20 wins a season and earning multiple championships. He raced until 1981 and died 20 years later. Quote from A HISTORY OF EAST TENNESSEE AUTO RACING: The Thrill of the Mountains, by David McGee. (Photo Courtesy Ernie Collins)
a


#2338 - "Herman 'Turtle' Beam (19) spent much of his career driving slower than others but still assembled some impressive credential.... On the day Junior Johnson discovered drafting and drove an under-powered Chevrolet to victory in the 1960 Daytona 500, Beam finished 32nd. He was lucky to start the race at all. Three days before, Beam became the first driver black-flagged at the massive Daytona Speedway because he forgot to wear his crash helmet. It took eight laps and John Jostek crashing on lap five before officials recognized what happened. He spent the remainder of that qualifying race parked as punishment." From A HISTORY OF EAST TENNESSEE AUTO RACING: The Thrill of the Mountains, by David McGee. (Carl Moore Collection)
a



#2337 - By mid-summer 1949, railbirds were beginning to realize that the season was dark with tragedy. The clincher came in July at a Sprint Car race at Salem, IN. Popular AAA runner Tommy Matson (top left) started on the pole with Norwegian Erling "Chick" Barbo (top right) alongside him. In the lower photo they parade-lapped prior to the start. It didn't last long. The two tangled and launched over the banking and down into the parking lot. They both perished. From DISTANT THUNDER: When Midgets Were Mighty, by Dick Wallen. (Dick Wallen Collection)
a


#2336 - Good luck trying to contain Kevin Olson, the infamously non-stoppable "KO." The 60-something former National Midget Champion is still racing competitively and still somehow manages to spice up his every encounter. We asked him where he would be running this weekend, and he said, "Well, I guess it won't be Sycamore [Sycamore Speedway, IL]. I kinda got tossed out. You see, last time I was there I was going for the win and someone drilled me in the nerf bar. That got all bent up and, wouldn't you know, the throttle linkage did, too. Wide open. Well, I was taught to overcome adversity, so I just kept going, turning the kill switch on and off as necessary. Maybe my line got a little ragged, and apparently the officials didn't like what they saw. But my hearing is so bad after all these years that I couldn't hear them when they were carrying on over the radio. They made themselves pretty clear when I got back to the pits...." From CAGES ARE FOR MONKEYS: Unleashed with Kevin Olson, Racing's Zaniest Hall of Famer, by Kevin Olson and Lew Boyd. (Father Dale Grubba Photo)
A


#2335 - In 1969 Hubert Platt, the "Georgia Shaker," partnered with Randy Payne, was captain of the glitzy East Coast Ford Drag Team. California's Ed Terry, partnered with Dick Wood, ran the West Coast operation. Lively, comical, and very busy guys all, they made appearances at dealerships and held seminars. And they raced - very competitively. In their very first race with their new factory-backed rides, the '69 NHRA Winternationals, Payne and Platt both won their classes. Platt set a new national record. From HUBERT PLATT: Fast Fords of the "Georgia Shaker," by Allen Platt. (Doug Boyce Photo)
A


#2334 - "Hector Stratton had the gold in his eye. The popular Bennington, Vermonter had been a grand performer at Lebanon Valley, NY, in the Sportsman cars since the early '80s, emerging with the nickname "the Slide for Life" for his enthusiastic driving style. In 2003, aboard his own Modified #87, things had not been going well, and he was thinking of replacing himself in the cockpit. On one night in August, though, he was fast and he was out front. Then came a leader's worse nightmare. Brett Hearn had surged past Kenny Tremont for second with two to go - and both of them were right on the bumper of the #87. Entering turn one on the final go around, pegged to the mat, Hector was just a little too exuberant, slid up, and the nose of Hearn's Budweiser car was right there. The crowd was on its collective feet as the two roared down the backstretch side-by-side. Everyone knew that what came in turn three would define the character of the players. Were they about to witness a huge, dramatic wreck? Hector later told Robin Yasinsac, "My heart was pounding when I went into that last turn, but I got back by him." The #87 was the winner by inches in a photo finish. Hector's heart was likely still pounding when he went on tell Robin, "I can't say enough about Hearn and Tremont. Beating them made that first Modified win a little sweeter. They race hard, they race to win, but they will race you clean.'' Quote from MODIFIEDS OF THE VALLEY - A History of Racing at Lebanon Valley Speedway, by Lew Boyd. (Beberwyk Collection)
A


#2333 - Back at the turn of the '60s, Dick Volante was a noted builder of Cutdowns in the Northeast. Here Dick checks the pressure in the right rear M&H of a pretty, but certainly minimalist, #33. He always used #33, his dad's number entering Ellis Island. Meanwhile, his normally caffeinated driver, Gavin Couper, appears to be quietly contemplating the universe. (Coastal 181 Collection)
a


#2332 - Far-away eyes! Born in Oklahoma in 1933 during Dust Bowl days, the great Harold Leep Sr. was to become the King of Sprint Cars before Steve Kinser even saw the light of day. Leep had already been racing for over three decades when he ventured into the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds for a NCRA Dirt Champ Car event in 1984 when this happened. He ended up flipping with some 20-foot high endos down the back straight. He was sidelined for most of the balance of the season, but did come back to finish out his career by 1990. Ten years later he was inducted into the Sprint Car Hall of Fame. (Jeff Taylor/Fast Lane Photography, Speedway Illustrated Collection)
A


#2331 - "In the early days of Lee (NH) Speedway, competitors brought some frightening looking cars, including this one driven by Lou Horton in 1967." Tragically, Horton lost his life at Lee six seasons later in an early Pro Stock. Quote from THE HISTORY OF AUTO RACING IN NEW ENGLAND: A Project of the North East Motor Sports Museum. (Jimma Twombly Collection)
A


#2330 - "Ed Hedrick's 'The Fuschsia One'" Cobra is one of eight Shelby 'Super Snakes' built specifically by Shelby for quarter-mile action.... It was initially campaigned by Bruce Larson, who sold it to Hedrick in 1966. Between Larson and Hedrick, 'Dragon Snake' was a record holder in A.B. and C/SP and it won seven NHRA Sport Production titles. In 1967 Hedrick cleaned house, winning the Winternationals, Springnationals, and U.S. Nationals. At the World Finals, he took the crown with a record 11.65 at 117.80 mph." Quote from 1001 DRAG RACING FACTS, by Doug Boyce. (Doug Boyce Collection)
A


#2329 - "The 1981 car had a lot of downforce, and we didn't know how to handle it with the springs and shocks. They needed to be a lot stiffer than anything we used before. To make it work we cut out holes underneath to reduce the maximum pressure on the sidepods. That made the car manageable. Chief mechanic Jack Starnes said if we had known how to handle all that downforce, no one would have touched us. Even at that, A.J. put it on the front row. He later told me that somebody send him springs from a railroad car for Christmas." Quote from THE ART OF RACE CAR DESIGN, by Bob Riley. (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Photo)
a


#2328 - Looking a just a bit questionable with his pencil 'stash look, "Mark Donohue won all four Trans-Am races held at St. Jovite, Quebec, from 1968 through 1971. His 1970 victory was his third in four races. Ford now led AMC by just 13 points in the Manufacturers Championship, with just three races remaining. Donohue is shown here with his wife, Sue, and Hurst-sponsored race queen Linda Vaughn." Quote from TRANS-AM ERA: The Golden Years in Photographs, 1966-1972, by Daniel Lipetz. (Peter Luongo Photo)
a


#2327 - Charlie Mincey shown with the Levi Day Chevrolet at Rome (Georgia) Speedway in 1970. "Charlie Mincey was born in the 'rough' Bellwood section of Atlanta on November 31, 1931. After hauling moonshine for several years, his dad and others were becoming fearful that his luck of never being caught might soon run out. So, in 1950, in order to get Mincey away from the 'shine business, 'Bad-Eye' Shirley decided to let Charlie drive a Billy Hester-built jalopy he owned at the Peach Bowl, a recently opened quarter-mile in Atlanta. He responded by winning the first two races he entered.... Subsequently, during his long and successful racing career he won over 600 races, sometimes 40 or 50 feature wins a year." Quote from RED CLAY AND DUST: The Evolution of Southern Dirt Racing, by Gary L. Parker. (Charley Mincey Collection)
A


#2326 - The late, great Maynard Forrette takes a quick puff on his inhaler before climbing out for the post-win merriment after his last feature win at New York's Lebanon Valley Speedway. According to his mentee, Erik Mack, "Maynard was famous for getting bored easily and whupping up some action in his life, but it wasn't all pranks. He was the hardest working person I have ever known. I do remember his last win so well. It was the day before he turned 65. After the celebration, he came all the way back to Amsterdam, hooked up a set of doubles at Buanno Transportation and drove them to Springfield that night." Quote from MODIFIEDS OF THE VALLEY: A History of Modified Racing at Lebanon Valley Speedway, by Lew Boyd. (Mark Brown Photo)
A


#2325 - On the podium in the Golden State. Outlaws Brad Sweet, Shane Stewart (winner), and Paul McMahan (L-R). were fastest at Kings Speedway in 2015. The 0.375 mile banked clay oval, located at Hanford's King County Fairgrounds, has been the hub of racing in the California's southern Central Valley since the 1950s. Promoter Brandon Morse commented, "This track is user friendly. The drivers appreciate all the extra space. If you run off the track, you are in farmland." Quote and Photo from GUIDE TO NORTHERN AND CENTRAL CALIFORNIA RACEWAYS, by Saroyan Humphrey. (Saroyan Humphrey Photo)
a


#2324 - When Chris Larsen, CEO of the huge construction outfit Halmar International assumed a five-year lease of the Orange County Fairgrounds, he launched a major renovation of its century-old dirt track in Middletown, NY. Many railbirds say, though, that the moment that would signify the completion of beautification would be a guest return of Kimberly Whitehead, Ms. DIRT Motorsports 1997, to the flag-stand. (Bruce A. Bennett Photo, Speedway Illustrated Collection)
a


#2323 - So often a stuck throttle implies special delivery to an unknown destination, and this one was certainly case in point. "The newly-bodied Pat Kelley '57 Chevy driven by Dumont Smith went off the end of the track at Orlando on July 9, 1965, due to a hung throttle, knocking a bomber car right off its trailer. Chick Nutting and crew worked all night in getting the car ready for the next day's Platinum Coast 100 at Eau-Gallie, sans front sheet metal. They fell out there with motor trouble about halfway." Quote from Quote from FLORIDA MOTORSPORTS RETROSPECTIVE PICTORIAL, Vol 2, by Eddie Roche. (Charles Greco Photo)
a


#2322 - No question that in the 1940s and '50s, Illinois' Tony Bettenhausen, "The Tinley Park Express," was one of the most talented and lauded of all American race car drivers. But somehow in his 14 attempts at Indy, he was able to end up on the podium just once. "Bettenhausen was badly injured a few months after Indy in '54 in a crash during a Midget race at Chicago's Soldiers Field stadium. His skull was fractured in the accident and he was in critical condition for a few days. At the end of the year he gamely came back for a couple of races in preparation for 1955.....Worried about his physical strength after the Midget accident, Bettenhausen shared his '55 ride with his friend Paul Russo, who drove from laps 57-133. Bettenhausen took over for the final stint, finishing second more than two minutes behind winner Sweikert. With Russo's help his car had accomplished the full 200 laps at Indianapolis for the first time." Quote and Photo from SECOND TO ONE: All But for Indy, by Joe Freeman and Gordon Kirby. (Hitze Photo)
a


#2321 - It was not that long ago. The California 500. May 2, 1999. What in the world happened with NASCAR crowds? (Kristen S. Block Photo, Speedway Illustrated Collection)
a


#2320 - "Heading through a turn at Stock Island in 1967 were Bill Blaylock #3, Buddy Griffin #7, Billy Collins #10, and Mike Diezel #12. The junkyard appearing improvised fencing material often would not hold up to contact, and cars frequently would careen off the track and onto the street. However, there was only one reported fatality there." Quote from FLORIDA MOTORSPORTS RETROSPECTIVE PICTORIAL, Vol 2 by Eddie Roche. (Charles Greco Photo)
a


#2319 - Posing in 1989 with the first of his five NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series national championship trophies is Larry Phillips, joined by presenter Jean Liles. "We've probably won 600 features and almost every major race in this part of the country [he's from Missouri], and the most attention we have ever gotten is a two-inch story in the newspaper," said Phillips, quickly adding that he was not seeking fame. "I am not a glory-seeker. I don't wear a shiny uniform. I get dirty. I like to work on things. But you do like to have pride in the fact that people know you, and when you go someplace, people talk to you and have respect for what you do. That makes you feel good." Quote and Photo from WHERE STARS ARE BORN: Celebrating 25 Years of NASCAR Weekly Racing, by Paul Schaefer. (David Allio Photo)
a


#2318 - Warn the wives and widows. There's a Sprint Car Hall of Famer and a USAC National Midget Champion on the prowl at Indy! Shane Carson and Kevin Olson. (Shane Carson Collection)
A


#2317 - In the autumn of 1960 there could be no question that young Bobby Marshman was headed for the heights of racing glory. On September 16 he wowed the crowd at the Indiana State Fairgrounds with a spectacular performance in Wally Meskowski's Champ Car, ending up second to A.J. Foyt and earning Rookie of the Year honors. But he and his bride, Janet, did not stay long for the celebrating. They drove all night to the pavement mile in Trenton, NJ, where Bobby hopped into the Konstant Hot Racing Team Midget for the ARDC 100. He took no prisoners and won handily, setting a record of 98.633, eclipsing Tony Bettenhausen's previous mark. Unfortunately, the good times were numbered, and in December of 1964 he passed away, following a horrible, fiery crash testing a Lotus-Ford at Phoenix. (Eastern Auto Racing Museum Photo from Michael Argetsinger's fabulous new book, AN AMERICAN RACER: Bobby Marshman and the Indianapolis 500.)
A


#2316 - A chip off the old block. Larry Foyt, AJ's son, wowed a full house of fans in this purple #14 by setting a blistering all-time ASA record of 114.972 mph qualifying for the ASA 400 at Winchester, IN, in October of 2000. A veteran of kart, SCCA, ARCA, ASA, Infinity, and IndyCar racing, since 2016 he has served as President of A.J. Foyt Enterprises. (Bob Fairman Photo, Speedway Illustrated Collection)
a


#2315 - "Grandson to Ironheart, son to Ironhead. They call me Hammerhead." Quote and Photo from RACING TO THE FINISH: My Story, by Dale Earnhardt Jr. with Ryan McGee. (Earnhardt Family Collection)
a


#2314 - This was September 2, 1968 at the Daffodil Cup at Western Speedway in Victoria, British Columbia. The C.A.M.R.A. Supermodifieds were on the sixth of 150 laps when Ray Pottinger #23 and Gerry Lundgren got together. It looks like Lundgren's raised arms would have been a futile, rote exercise to stave off contact, but they might have helped somehow. There were no injuries, and Lundgren was able to rejoin the fray after the restart. (Barrie Goodwin Photo, Speedway Illustrated Collection)
a


#2313 - Back in 1954, looking for a place to race, the Greater Miami Racing Association built a 1/3-mile, flat, paved oval out in the sparsely populated cow country to the northwest of Miami. Hialeah Speedway became a hit, soon widely known as one of the most popular and challenging of American short tracks. It spawned such talents as Bobby and Donnie Allison, Gary Balough - and even some dirt slingers like Nokie Mallory and Pee Wee Griffin. It lasted five decades before being shuttered, yet another victim of urban sprawl. It had certainly left an impression. Its winningest all-time driver was the legendary Bobby Brack. His two boys, Keith and Steve, also became accomplished competitors. Steve, the 1981 Street Stock champ, was a key part of a PBS Television documentary on the track called "No Guts, No Glory" and he won an EMMY award for his role, as shown above. See the documentary HERE. (Photo, Brack Family Collection)
a


#2312 - It can even happen to two NASCAR National Champions. In Bones Bourcier's words, "That's Richie Evans and Mike Stefanik at Thompson, CT, in 1981. Mike (in the Allard #66) went flipping into the old turn-one pit entrance. It was just a racing thing. They had bumped wheels, side-by-side, just past the flag stand and couldn't seem to come untangled. And, ironically, the previous October, Richie had given Mike a very high-profile ride in his backup #61x, an experimental straight-axle car. That had been a major breakout moment in Mike's career." (Herb Dodge Photo, Speedway Illustrated Collection)
a


#2311 - The late Rich Vogler ran hard and was willing to undergo the consequences. Here he was at Eldora on April 28, 1984, on the ground outside his car. In flames. Remarkably, this time he escaped with just burns on his hands. (Diana Lovett Photo, Speedway Illustrated Collection)
A


#2310 - In the 1950s, much of the most spirited pavement racing in the Northeast was with the infamous "Cutdowns," described by star wheelman Gavin Couper as "so dangerous you could get hurt just looking at one." However, at the turn of the 1960s, following a bitter strike, the management of Norwood Arena replaced them with NASCAR coupes and coaches, altering the future of New England racing forever. Losing their base Saturday-night home, the Cutdowns wandered off to straggly, one-off shows. It was a sad situation. This car turned up for an afternoon show at Thompson, CT, but no one can remember the rather motley car or the driver. (Any ideas?). The division was soon to be reborn, however. That followed another strike, this one further to the north at the Pines Speedway in Groveland, MA, in the mid-1960s. This time, the strikers were more organized, forming a planning committee of the late Kendall Smith, Ollie Silva, Bob Cloutier, and the non-stoppable Russ Conway. The result was the widely known New England SuperModified Association that lasted decades, promoting over 1000 races from Canada to Florida. (Coastal 181 Collection)
A


#2309 - It was on September 23, 1983 at the Hoosier Hundred on the Indiana State Fairgrounds that the most elderly competitors in the field got together, Ralph Liguori in the #11 and Jim McElreath in the #18. Now everything about the event, first run in 1953 and once the biggest paying race on the circuit other than the Indy 500, will soon be old news. On May 23, 2019, the final Hoosier Hundred will be run on the Indy mile, after which the surface will be forever changed to all-weather limestone to allow for year-round harness racing. The entire open-wheel community has fingers crossed as good guy race promoter Bob Sargent searches for a new venue for 2020 and beyond. (Photo - Larry Van Sickle, Speedway Illustrated Collection)
A


#2308 - Happy days. Frankie Schneider (with suds) and Doug Wolfgang at the Coastal 181 book signing an AARN Motorsports show. How many races did they win? (Coastal 181 Collection)
A


#2307 - The Miller Motorsports Show, held in January 1991 at the Valley Forge Convention Center in Pennsylvania, seemed to have a more expansive approach to the Ms. Motorsports contest. The popular and incredibly comely Midi Miller took the win by at least a half a lap. But there were other divisions that year. Eight-year-old Pamela Bolton out-smiled all Little Ms. contestants, while Robert Klein out-muscled the other Misters. (Photo: Arthur Ruppert, Speedway Illustrated Collection)
A


#2306 - That was Harry Boyer starring in action at Pennsylvania's Silver Spring Speedway on June 26, 1982. The guys on the back of the truck sure were paying attention, and the two gals were understandably clutching their coffees. But the guy sitting in the truck seems pretty chill.... (Jeffrey L. Kline Photo, Speedway Illustrated Collection)
A


#2305 - It was "Barefeet" at the old Syracuse mile in the late 1990s. Bob McCreadie (suited up) passes along tips to the "Master of Going Faster, Generation II", his son Timmy. (Photo by Our Man from Amsterdam, Dave Dalesandro)
A


#2304 - Everyone stood up when Richie Tobias attacked the mile at the Syracuse Fairgrounds, whether in a Silver Crown car or a Modified. Last Saturday, however, Richie ran a longer track: 13.1 miles over three rivers and through city neighborhoods. It was the Pittsburgh Half Marathon, his first, which he finished handily with his bride Margaret Ely. He is so psyched that he is now carrying on about doing a full one. Everybody move back! (Tobias Collection)
a


*#2303 - A page from A Quarter Century of Racing, '46-'72, St. Louis Auto Racing Association, Inc.*
A


#2302 - Jan Opperman and his daughter, Jay Lou, at the Brickyard. Photo from INDIANAPOLIS 500 YEARBOOK, 1976, Carl Hungness Publishing.
a


#2301 - Don Robison, a Honeywell employee from Portland, OR, put together the Vollstedt/Offy for Len Sutton to run at Indy. Seeing the design, the irreverent Smokey Yunick commented, "Grease the wall, because on the first turn he is going to hit the wall and he doesn't want to damage the car too much. The rear-end weighs too much and he will never be able to make it steer." Sutton proved Yunick wrong, qualifying the car in 8th and soldiering on to a 15-place finish in 1964, plagued by a faulty magneto. And the next year, an ultra-impressive newcomer named Billy Foster out of Victoria, British Colombia, was in the seat. He turned the fastest laps ever run by a rookie at the Speedway. He qualified at an amazing 158.416 for a sixth-place starting position. He made 85 laps before dropping out with water manifold problems. Needless to say, it was a launch pad performance for Foster who entered USAC and NASCAR competition. Unfortunately, he was killed on January 22, 1967 at NASCAR's Motor Trend 500 at Riverside, CA. He had become a very close friend of Mario Andretti. Andretti is said to have been so affected by the tragedy that he commented he would never again form such a close relationship with a fellow racer. Quote and Photo from BILLY FOSTER: The Victoria Flash, by Bob Kehoe. (Robison Collection Photo)
a


#2300 - Isn't it something the way that the top rung of racers in this country seem to interconnect? Seen at a recent WoO show at Perris was this scary triad: Jimmy Oskie (left), Bentley Warren (right), and Shane Carson (front). The three extraordinary Open Wheelers all ended up racing nationally, but consider what they meant to their respective regions, Jimmy on the West Coast, Shane in Mid-America, and Bentley East Coast. (Shane Carson Collection)
a


#2299 - It was in the genes. The Flock family out of Ft. Payne, DeKalb County, was often considered the most adventurous and daring family in Alabama history. Bob, Tim, Fonty (Fontell), and Ethel (along with Tim's riding monkey "Jocko Flocko"), were among the first stars of NASCAR back in the 1940s and '50s. They were so colorful that they were labeled the "Mad Flocks" and usually received top billing before any events. Fonty offered up a typical performance by sweeping to victory in the 1952 Southern 500 at Darlington. After the checkered, there was none of that burnout stuff. Fonty, attired in Bermuda shorts and argyle socks, climbed out of his car on the frontstretch, scrambled up to stand on the hood, and led the crowd in a rousing rendering of Dixie. But in the background, there was another Flock who was likely the most spirited of all. "Named after the REO line of automobiles and trucks, sister Reo Flock left home in her teens and became a performer in traveling air shows across the Eastern United States. She was a noted wing-walker, stunt parachutist, and skeet shooter." (Quote from Encyclopedia of Alabama, Photo Courtesy Frances Flock)
a


#2298 - Eric Whitby gets some air time at Action Track USA in Kutztown, PA, and takes down the first-turn fence in the process. Eric admitted that he did not see the yellow lights or hear the driver in car telling everyone to slow down. He came off turn four on the gas, drove over a tire, and caused this wild photo. He was okay; the fence was fixed and action continued. (Caption by Mike Feltenberger, Stacey Schmick Photo)
a


#2297 - This Saturday the inaugural Historic Motor Sports Exposition will be held at the North East Motor Sports Museum in Loudon, New Hampshire. The featured attraction will be that the northeast's mobile museums will all appear together for the first time - Ron Bouchard Racing, New England Antique Racers, Maine Vintage Race Car Association, Bob Doyle Museum - A Photo History of Vermont Racing, and the Ollie Silva Museums. The ProNyne Museum and Owls Head Transportation Museum will likewise be represented. In addition, legendary area racers will be in attendance for interviews, and a huge field of vintage racing machines of virtually all description will be on display. For further info, call Tom Netishen, Museum Director, at 603-783-0183. We will be there with bells and whistles, but wish to point out, given the pattern this spring, that the rain date will be Sunday the 5^th. (Photo - Dick Berggren)
a


#2296 - "On a frozen lake in Minnesota, plucky Ruth Levy took her first spin in a little race car and then took the rest of the racing world by storm. Adventurous in all areas (her first husband was a bee-bop jazz musician with a heroin addiction), she epitomized the sassy, free-wheeling California '50s scene as she defied fate with her pedal to the metal.... [Shown above, she has] Bob Bondurant's Morgan TR 2 on the tail of her Porsche Super Speedster, at the initial Paramount Ranch races, August 18, 1957. Ruth edged out Bob in the 20-mile race by one second." Quote and Photo from FAST WOMEN: The Legendary Ladies of Racing, by Todd McCarthy. (Ruth Levy Collection)
a


#2295 - "It was strongly rumored that Earnhardt, considered one of the most promising young drivers, would wind up in the Junior Johnson organization with another relatively young star, Darrell Waltrip. The Observer learned Tuesday night that defending Winston Cup champion Earnhardt, who quit J.D. Stacy's team Sunday and took his big-buck sponsorship with him, has decided to join longtime friend Childress. 'I just never thought that I would get a driver of Dale Earnhardt's capabilities and a sponsor like Wrangler.'" Quote and Photo from THE PASS IN THE GRASS and Other Incredible Moments from Racing’s Greatest Legend, by The Charlotte Observer
a


#2294 - "Bronco Bill" Schindler, the great old-time open-wheeler who grew up near Middletown, NY, joined AAA in 1950 at age 41 in preparation to run the Brickyard. He had lost his leg in a horrendous Big Car crash in 1936 at the Minneola (Long Island) Fairgrounds and never lost a beat. He became a four-time ARDC Champion and served as its president for six terms. In 1950, he went on the road with AAA and, as shown, looked like a winner in the 1950 Golden State 100 Champ Car race at Sacramento. However, a review of the tape proved that Duke Dinsmore was the actual victor. In three tries at Indy, his finishes were 26, 13 and 14. In 1950, while leading a Sprint Car race at Allentown, PA, he crashed through the fence and flew down an embankment. He was killed instantly. Photo from SACRAMENTO: Dirt Capital of the West, by Tom Motter. (Russ Reed Photo)
a


#2293 - This was the "morning after" shot of the winning team of the 1963 Indy 500 - Parnelli Jones, mechanic Johnnie Pouelsen, and J.C. Agajanian. The following quote is from the preface of our book on Parnelli Jones written by Bones Bourcier. "First, I ought to explain the book title. By 1964 my name had really gotten around. I'd won the Indianapolis 500 in '63, which earned me a lot of attention in the media. That was pretty much everywhere, but especially in Southern California, because from the time I started racing I listed Torrance as my hometown. I was honking down the Long Beach Freeway in a Ford Fairlane given to me by Vel Miletich. I had driven some stock cars for Vel, and in the years to come we'd be partners in a car dealership, a chain of tire stores, and a terrific race team. He was also one of my closest friends. This Fairlane had a souped-up engine with three carburetors. Vel said it would pass anything on the road, and I told him it passed everything but a gas station. Well, I was cruising along pretty fast and at one point I glanced in the mirror and saw flashing blue lights, It was a California Highway Patrol car, I pulled over and started digging for my license and registration. I had it ready for the patrolman when he walked up to my door. 'You were going pretty fast,' he said. 'Who do you think you are, Parnelli Jones?' Later on I had a few quite a few incidents like that one, but there's nothing like hearing a line like that for the first time. It was such a kick that for a moment I wasn't even mad at myself for getting stopped. I handed the cop my papers and said, "As a matter of fact, I am Parnelli Jones." (Photo: Parnelli Jones Collection)
A


#2292 - When we put together Bones Bourcier's incredible book WICKED FAST: Racing Through Life with Bentley Warren, it was clear that Bentley had somehow managed a meteoric career, both in racing and in business, totally wrapped in good times and frivolity, tight on the edge of outrageousness. However, there was one moment that he looked almost professorial. In 2003, Bentley joined Paul Newman at Star Speedway in Epping, NH, on an off day so they could do some hot-lapping in both a Supermodified and a couple of Midgets. In the photo, Bentley is explaining the intricacies of wheeling that injected big block Super. Bentley recalled, "He took the Supermodified out first, and I could not believe how quickly he adapted to that thing. Supers are very touchy because of their huge horsepower, yet he was smooth and fast almost immediately. Then we both climbed into the Midgets and ran a bunch of laps together. I remember feeling like I was setting a nice, quick pace for him, but after about five laps I started seeing the nose of his car beside me. That was his way of telling me he wanted to go faster. So we did, and he had no problem with it.... He has a ton of natural ability, as well as the concentration and focus a driver needs." But, after that, they drank some beers. Quote and Photo from WICKED FAST. (Thibodeau Bros Photo)
a


#2291 - They sure did go at it at Reading, PA, in the late '70s, both with the Sprinters and those infamous RSCA center-steer, injected Big Block Modifieds. Rail birds identify this shot as some of the scrapyard of parts deposited on the frontstretch after a wild flip by Billy Ellis that gathered up Gary Gollub, Bobby Gerhart, Don Kreitz Sr., and Kim Trout. Ellis was not injured but Kim Trout was hospitalized with burns and other injuries. (Photo by Emil Schatzenbach, Speedway Illustrated Collection)
a


#2290 - At this moment in the third turn at the Florida State Fairgrounds Speedway in 1987, veteran racer Joe Melnick, out of Gibsonton, FL, likely realized that he had blown his motor. But you have to wonder if he knew yet about the flames.... (Max Dolder Photo, Speedway Illustrated Collection)
A


#2289 - Arnie on the hammer. Arnie Knepper, the late open-wheel driver par excellence, is shown keeping his skills sharp on February 19, 1983. They had to be because the track was no Brickyard - it was a M.A.R.C. event on the 1/10-mile dirt oval inside the Murray State Expo Center in Murray, KY. Arnie (#35) passed Scott Hatton for the lead aggressively and cruised home for the win. (Allen Horcher Photo, Speedway Illustrated Collection)
a


#2288 - It was 1951, and Don Rounds was ready to go in his state-of-the-art Modified, cleanly constructed with a four-post cage, truck rear. Based in Apponaug, RI, an unlikely place way down by the coast, Rounds raced for years, all the way into wide notoriety and the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame. He was an early road warrior, on the move well before the national highway system. Imagine what time on Monday mornings he would finally reach home following a night of racing on the dirt at State Line Speedway in Bennington, VT. Don's had a little trouble getting around recently and is now at the West View Nursing Center, 239 Legris Ave, West Warwick, Rhode Island 02893. He'd sure appreciate a card. (Rounds Family Collection)
A


A Guest Photo of the Day by Joyce Standridge: #2287 - He was the perfect racer for the perfect time. No one who crossed paths (or tire tracks) with Chuck Amati ever forgot him. "The One-Armed Bandit," shown here at an All Star show in Charlestown, IN, in 1982, got his nickname racing injured because he couldn't afford to take time off to heal. As you can see, he could have gotten it as an allusion to gambling machines since Amati was not adverse to taking chances. Just as he was unafraid of getting the last little bit out of a race car, he was as memorable out of the cockpit as in it. His driving suits were usually colorful and his hair longer than his pretty girl friends'; he was a magnet for post-race convivial fun, but he took racing seriously between green and checkered flags. Contemporaries found him clean-driving and fair-minded and he was a traveling outlaw before they capitalized the "o." Gone far too soon at age 68, Amati remains one of the standards by whom sprint car racers want to measure themselves. Few do. (Photo by Richard Clark, Speedway Illustrated Collection)
a


#2286 - It was a USAC Sprint Car event at Granite City, IL, on August 31, 1985. Warren Mockler on high in the #7 and Charlie Workman in the #4 take two decidedly different directions. Incredible photography by Bob Mays, Speedway Illustrated Collection.
A


#2285 - Back in the '70s, Beech Ridge Speedway, the popular 1/3-mile oval near Portland, ME, was dirt. Its top division was essentially open competition, and it pitted a most motley combination of machinery -- from Sprinters, to Supers, to aging cutdowns, and some overweight coupes and coaches. The action sometimes was overheated. In this shot a notably competent, and aggressive, late and legendary Jeff Stevens pounded the frontstretch wall with his big block roadster in September 1978. The wall won. He ended up flipping down to turn one, shedding parts and pieces, including all four wheels. (Photo by Mike Rowell, Speedway Illustrated Collection)
A


#2284 - By any definition, the legendary Legion Ascot Speedway in Los Angeles was over the top. The beautifully appointed 5/8-mile hard-packed dirt oval hosted the finest wheelmen in the business, along with movie stars, socialites, and throngs of racing fans. It opened 95 years ago, on January 20, 1924. According to historian Dick Wallen, major star Ralph DePalma was paid a princely sum of $25,000 ($348,531.33 in today's dollars) to race his natty new Miller (shown above) at the opener that he won summarily. Almost from the start, though, the facility became known for spectacular -- and savage -- accidents. In fact, over a dozen seasons, two dozen drivers lost their lives there. And, when Al Gordon and his riding mechanic Spider Matlock were killed in 1936, the blow was fatal to the track as well. Photo from HARD DRIVING MEN: Images of Speed from 1895-1960, by Dick Wallen (Dick Wallen Collection)
A


#2283 - They say that personable Larry Crockett out of Cambridge City, IN, was gentle with his tongue but warlike with this right foot. Starting out in Roadsters in the mid-1940s, he earned the handle "Crash" due to frequent mishaps. As he moved into AAA competition, he did smooth out a bit, but remained on the hammer big time. Note this shot from Terre Haute in 1954. He had just won Rookie of the Year at Indy with a ninth-place finish. He was clearly on his way to stardom, looking particularly fast on those feared high-banked paved tracks, capturing both the Dayton 100 and the Joe James Memorial at Salem. It would all end at the very beginning of Spring 1954. He pulled into Langhorne with the Engle-Stanko Sprinter and was chasing Jerry Hoyt for the lead on lap 11 when he lost control. The car gyrated wildly, blasted through the fence, and began a series of end-over-end spirals. Crockett was ejected and found 300 feet from the car. He died several hours later of massive chest injuries. From FEARLESS: Dangerous Days in American Open Wheel Racing, by Gene Crucean. (Bud Williams Photo)
a


#2282 - Dario Franchitti on Nigel Mansell: "The master showman. Whether you loved him or you didn't, you couldn't take your eyes off of him. He was true grit and melodrama through and through. I was on the Mansell side. I was karting when he was gunning for the World Championship, and you couldn't help but admire his all-or-nothing approach, and his unfeasible speed....To go to America as reigning F1 Champion, win his series debut, lead the INDY 500 in the closing stages and secure the championship says it all. He tried pretty much everything - and he was damn fast in them all. He just chose to concentrate on one type of car, but in anything he was one hell of a driver. But, as I said, for all his fans, Mansell was not to everyone's taste. Just ask his Newman-Haas team-mate Mario Andretti, who describes him in words that ought not be printed." Quote from ROMANCE OF RACING, by Dario Franchitti (Ian Walton Photo)
a


#2281 - This photo and caption comes from Norm Marx, our esteemed Webmaster for at least the last 10,000 laps. "The PASS ICEBREAKER 75-lapper at Thompson (CT) last Sunday was a great race, with DJ Shaw #60 and Derek Griffith #12G battling side by side in the closing laps for the win. Many fans considered the PASS race the best of the day."
a


#2280 - After a winter that seemed dark and interminable, winds from the south brought 60-degree temperatures last weekend and welcomed the NASCAR Modifieds to the 2019 Icebreaker at Thompson (CT) Speedway before an enormous and enthusiastic crowd. It's hard not to contrast that image with what was happening down in Bristol, TN. (Dick Ayers Photo)
a


#2279 - Jim Florian, "the Cleveland Flash" and Del Pollock are all set to depart the Buckeye State yet again. What you see is what it took. Florian was a colorful performer - especially in Midgets - who traveled coast to coast, an estimated total mileage of over 50,000 a season. He won widely, including CSRA Midget titles in 1956 and 1957 and several USAC features. Photo from THE RIM RIDERS: CSRA, The World's Fastest Racing Circuit, by Buzz Rose. (Phil Harms Collection)
a


#2278 - Folks in racing have long known that for all of John Andretti's tenacity on the track, he's got a heart as big as his beloved Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That was never more evident than during his participation in Window World's "Stinger" initiative, which John spearheaded in anticipation of the Indy 500's centennial celebration. The idea was simple: Take a modern Indy Car, paint it up like the Marmon Wasp that won the first 500 in 1911, and get every living veteran of the race to apply his or her autograph to its flanks. But the task was Herculean; John hauled that car from sea to shining sea, visiting tracks, race shops, and even the homes of long-retired drivers to get their signatures. But, knowing that the Stinger would ultimately be auctioned off to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, John Andretti never complained. Rather, he smiled his way through the project, calling it "one of the most satisfying things I've ever done." Now it's racing's turn to open its collective heart to John, who is bravely battling cancer. (Caption by Bones Bourcier, Photo Courtesy Window World) [Bones and Coastal 181 worked with John Andretti and Window World to publish a book on the Stinger project, THE STINGER - 273 Drivers Speeding Toward Hope, by Bones Bourcier and John Andretti.]
A


#2277 - Jim (James Alan) Crawford was a successful Scottish race driver who dabbled in Formula One competition. In the 1980s he moved to the US and began running Can-Am and CART. His best finish at Indy was sixth in 1988, but he had several other spectacular moments there at the Brickyard. In 1990 he spun in practice in turn one and was launched 10-15 feet in the south short chute, as shown. Amazingly, he was not seriously hurt and soldiered on to a 16th place finish for the Menard team in the actual race. He died in 2002 of liver failure. From UNITED STATES AUTO CLUB: Fifty Years of Speed and Glory, by Dick Wallen. (IMS Collection)
a


#2276 - Our friend Dave Dalesandro sent along this shot of some violence at Syracuse, NY, in 1996. It was the first time the Late Models had appeared at the now defunct mile in some time. That was John "Racin'" Mason in the #72 in motion with Nathan Durboraw #24. Dave told us he couldn't remember much of the race except that Donnie Moran had the win. He mentioned that we might find out more from Karl Fredrickson of Speedway Illustrated who was standing next to him at the jersey barrier that got knocked down. Karl's remembrance: "I was called into action to escort Moran since he was paid in cash at the tower and his hauler was at the other side of the Ghetto...." (Dave Dalesandro - Our Man from Amsterdam - Photo)
a


#2275 - Here's quite the triad at the recent tribute for the late Glen Wood held in Stuart, VA. L-R are Ken Squier, Edsel Ford, and Dave Dion. It could be said that Dion performed for both of them back in the day. In the 1970s, Squier was an powerful presence in Northeastern short-track racing promotions, reaching out from his home base at Thunder Road in Barre, VT, far and wide with NASCAR North. One of his all-time most popular wheelmen was "Dynamite Dave." Dion is as dedicated a Ford man as there ever was, and you can bet that he filled Edsel's ears with some of the challenges he faced maintaining his loyalty to Ford while that company was out of the racing business. In NASCAR North Competition - and even some Cup events - Dion and his infamous band of brothers scoured junk yards for Ford blocks and never missed a beat. (Dave Dion Collection)
Z


#2274 - Championship cars towed into Daytona International Speedway on April 4, 1959, for their first - and last - race on the brand new 31-degree banks, and it was hairy racing for sure. In the 50-lap Formula Libre part of the day, Rodger Ward, who was aboard the Leader Car Watson #5 Roadster, brushed the wall, went into a spin and was headed smack into the rail again - for the big one. Right at that point Bob Christie came along and hit him in a welcoming way, redirecting him so that, mercifully, once again he only glanced off the wall. Car owner Bob Wilke's son Ralph commented later, "Christie saved his bacon for sure." Information and Photo from LEADER CARD RACERS: A Dynasty of Speed, by Gordon Eliot White. (Photo Bill Warner Collection)
A



#2273 - The Action Track in Kutztown, PA, has to be one of the most happening tracks along the East Coast these days, with its popular Wednesday night Speedstr, Slingshot, and 600 Sprint shows. That has not always been the case. The half-mile oval was originally built for horse racing in 1921 as The Fairgrounds at Kutztown, neighboring a swanky hotel and the "Keystone State Normal School." It went through a bouncy period with openings and closings until 1948 - including some open-wheel events - before closing for five decades. The track re-emerged in 2003 as a 1/5-mile for auto racing and saw a turnstile of promoters for the next decade. That's when Richie Tobias and Doug Rose transformed it into a high-banked quarter. An indication of their success is that on July 31 they will bring in the USAC National Midgets for the first time ever. The photos show the frontstretch during the equestrian era and as it looks today. (Mike Feltenberger Collection)
a


#2272 - Here's the remarkable Morgan Turpen back in college student days. She took the weekend of October 4, 2014 off and won a URC feature at North Carolina's Cherokee Speedway. She was driving for car owner Terry Gray, a champion in his own right. In 2017, she starred as 360 USCS titlist. And, a teacher these days, on Friday night, March 8, she engaged in a race-long battle at Chatham, LA, and edged out Tony Stewart for the gold. Photo by Frank Simek, "The Guy with the Hat".
A


#2271 - It's pleasing to see the popularity of indoor racing this year on the East Coast, much of it inspired by the workaholic Lenny Sammons of Area Auto Racing News. Many under-the-roof shows were also promoted on the West Coast from 1949 to 1976. The history of those highly competitive programs is preserved in Tom Motter's cool book INDOORS! - Volume 3, Tracks of the West. His caption for this image is "Ken Gandy (#41) and Jack Walker (#22) provide the spectacular action in this January 3, 1970 photo taken at Santa Rosa [CA]. Roll cages weren't required until the next year." OUCH!!!!!!!
a


#2270 - He might have been William Walling, but all the fans at Sky Valley Speedway in Monroe, WA, knew him as "Crazy Wally.'' He earned the name while an employee at Boeing. Apparently he cheered up a sad-eyed girl who managed a smile and gave him his handle. When he won his first main event, he offered up quite the victory dance. He definitely came to enjoy winning: He was track champ in 1974, '75, and '76. (Photo from OPEN WHEEL RACING IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST YEARBOOK of 1977-78 CHAMPIONS)
A


#2269 - It was the day before the fourth of July, 1989, at the 5/8-mile, semi-banked Lancaster Speedway, then sitting proudly right next to the New York State Thruway near Buffalo. After a restart on lap 9 of the ISMA feature, Bentley Warren scampered away from the field in Mike Mazer's #61jr, looking like a sure winner. But on the 70th go-around, Gary Morton snuck by in his self-owned #70. Bentley seemed to slow and four laps later he encountered the wall big time, suffering bruised ribs and leg. The culprit was deemed to be a failing tire. Gary Morton sailed on for his first ever win.( Photo from ISMA - INTERNATIONAL SUPERMODIFIED ASSOCIATION - Yearbook 1989-1990)
a


#2268 - The traffic was heavy as 33 USAC Midgeteers approached turn one at Milwaukee in 1957, Rex Easton in the lead. 185 drivers competed in 65 feature events that summer. Seattle's Shorty Templeton emerged as National Champion, edging out Easton by a scant few points. Do you think Templeton put on some miles in those months? He also captured the Midwest and Pacific Coast titles. (Photo from USAC YEARBOOK, 1957)
a



#2267 - There must be something in the water in Reading, Pennsylvania. The famous half-mile Fairgrounds track was shuttered some winters ago, but the local "Kids" just can't seem to let it all go. Check out what Mike Feltenberger has to say. "In Reading we had and still have a thing called Alley Racing. We build models like our racing heroes drove and race them down alleys and down homemade inclines. Currently in the Reading and Berks County area there are three indoor tracks and two outdoor tracks. Here are two photos, one when the cars are lined up in the starting grid and one action shot. Amazingly most of the alley racers are now over 50 and still continue to build and race these cars weekly in the indoor tracks and seasonally outdoors." (Mike Feltenberger Photos)
A


#2266 - Each year during Daytona's March Bike Week, veteran motorcycle racers gather at a monument that honors their own. It is on the Daytona Beach boardwalk in front of the tony Hilton's Hyde Park restaurant. The monument was the dream of three-time Daytona 200 winner Dick Klamfoth, who at one point mortgaged his home to see the monument built. Many of motorcycle racing's stars from the past attend each year. Those who lost their lives racing motorcycles are always honored. The Daytona 200 was run on the 4.2-mile beach/road course until 1959 when the Daytona Speedway opened and has been the event's home ever since. (Caption and Photo by Dick Berggren)
A


#2265 - The 12th annual Phillipsburg (NJ) Dirt Track Heroes Show finished up on March 10, 2019, with an impressive display from the Flemington Speedway Historical Society. It featured the three most familiar cars wheeled by the late, enduring and phenomenal Frankie Schneider. Many photos of them have already appeared on social media, such familiar sights to any race fan of the last 50 years. Few photographers, however, chose to capture where Frankie actually worked. Frank Simek, "the Guy with the Hat," sent us this cool shot of the rather industrial office of Frankie's "Ole Bess" coupe. (Frank Simek Photo)
a


#2264 - "Just 96 hours after he smiled and waved his way into Victory Lane at Indianapolis in 1951 - and the doorway to a fortune - he lay in an Eastern hospital with only a 50-50 chance of living.... Tragedy would strike at the Reading (PA) Fairgrounds. After a tremendous ovation from his race fans; the key to the city from the mayor; trophy presentations and a salute from the local firemen's band, Lee Wallard qualified Mark Light's car and won his heat. In the feature event, the car caught fire. His trousers ablaze, flames in the cockpit burning his arms, Wallard courageously steered to a safety point before he jumped. Hospitalized for months, all his Indianapolis winnings must have gone to pay medical expenses." (Quote and Photo from SPEED AGE Magazine, December 1951, Don O'Reilly Photo)
A


#2263 - The divergent - and dangerous - beauty of Oswego back in the day. (Photo from STRAPPED IN, November 2013, WM Collection)
A


#2262 - The late Bryan Clauson on the hammer in the Tony Stewart/ Curb-Agajanian Sprinter finishing up his qualifying lap at Terre Haute in May 2014. In 2012, Bryan, at 23, had become the youngest USAC National Sprint Car champ ever. He put an exclamation point on it by winning yet again in 2013. (John Mahoney Photo, from MODERN THUNDER: The Illustrated History of USAC National Sprint Car Racing 1981-2017)
a


#2261 - Jason Fowler was the airbrush artist who designed the late Dan Wheldon's helmets. He remembers, "Dan started featuring the Lionheart King as a small emblem on the back of his helmet during his karting days. Apparently his mechanic, Mark Rose, thought Dan drove with such courage and bravery he was like Richard the Lionheart going into battle, so Mark suggested he feature the logo on his helmet. Over the years, we made the Knight more detailed and eventually gave him a life of his own when we began doing special designs that related to particular races. He was finally able to get off the horse and do other things!" Quote and photo from LIONHEART: Remembering Dan Wheldon, by Andy Hallbery and Jeff Olson.
aa


#2260 - Back in the day when newspapers were more in vogue, sports pages were often gussied up with cartoons about top performers. Here's one about Joie Chitwood, the famous stuntman and racer. His thrill shows traveled the country for 40 years, and he managed three fifth-place finishes at the Brickyard. Cartoon from THE RIM RIDERS: The World’s Fastest Racing Circuit (CSRA), by Buzz Rose.
a


#2259 - Ryan Newman was always extraordinarily fast in open-wheelers. Here he was at Phoenix in 2000, looking far ahead. He got second. From UNITED STATES AUTO CLUB: Fifty Years of Speed and Glory, by Dick Wallen, (Mike Arthur Photo)
a


#2258 - "Frankie Schneider was known throughout the years as a hard-charger in short races, but one with the foresight to avoid most accidents. It was a rare year that Frankie wasn't able to run the same car the entire year, maybe pounding out a fender here and there. The one exception to this occurred in May of 1955. At the now-defunct Vineland Speedway in southern New Jersey, Frankie was running the feature in the middle of the summer when a car spun in front of him. He slid sideways to avoid the wreck but Al Tasnady came in contact with another car and wound up coming across in front of Frankie's car, tearing the fuel lines off the manifold and shorting out the starter solenoid. The starter engaged and the car started lurching down the track on its own, pumping fuel out of the torn lines. A fire started and flowed back into the cockpit. Because it was burning alcohol Frank said he didn't feel a thing at the time but looked down and saw the dancing blue flames on his legs. He was pinned in the driver's seat by the steering wheel and it took a while to wiggle free, all the time holding his breath to avoid breathing in the flames. Taken to Newcomb General Hospital in Vineland, he was told he might lose his right leg. Transferred several days later to the Somerset Hospital in Somerville, New Jersey, Schneider was resigned to losing his leg. "We were all really busy designing a car with hand controls," he said, "and we had it all worked out when the doctors said I wouldn't lose the leg after all." Officials at the hospital had a hard time trying to enforce the "two visitors per patient" rule during the ensuing weeks. Frank was a member of the NADCO organization at the time and regular meetings were held in his hospital room.” Quote and Photo from *THE OLD MASTER: The Frankie Schneider Story*, with Dennis Keenan
A


#2257 - It was the turn of the 1960s, and Norwood Arena, a highly popular and racy bullring outside of Boston, MA, threw out the unruly Cutdowns and brought in the NASCAR full-bodied Sportsman/Modified machinery. That's Ernie Gahan's #50 in the infield. A no-frills traveler, Ernie was already a terror on dirt and asphalt tracks all over New England, and by 1966, he was NASCAR's National Modified Champion. He told us that Bill France then approached him and suggested it was time to take a course in public speaking. Ernie's response: "No thanks. I'm plenty busy just being a racer." Is that a loading plank riding with Ernie in the front seat of that loaded-up Ford wagon? (P. Conley Photo, RA Silvia Collection)
a


#2256 - The way they were! A neat shot of Billy Martin on the quarter-mile on the beach at Jacksonville, FL, in 1953. His time in the tankster was 14.01 seconds. As you can see, the image took up two pages. It is from an incredible - and amazingly comprehensive - new book about the Justice Brothers - LEGACY OF JUSTICE: An American Family Story, by Tom Madigan and Ed Justice Jr. (Parks Family Collection)
A


#2255 - Don't know when or where this was, or who took the photo, but it was likely from the age before tubing benders. (Coastal 181 Collection)
A


#2254 - A few years ago at that very cool annual Modified Reunion at New Smyrna during Speedweeks, we ran into Dutch Hoag. He was limping a little and was clearly a bit sore. He mentioned that he was about to have a knee replacement and he was worried about it. At that point I saw Bentley Warren in the background and called him over because I knew he'd just had that surgery. Here Bentley was telling Dutch about the procedure. "Nothin' to it," he said. "A half an hour afterwards I was chasing the nurse around the hallways. She was a real looker." (Coastal 181 Collection)
a


#2253 - You never could take them anywhere, and their behavior certainly hasn’t improved with time. Here are Northeastern legends, left to right, Dave Dion (Late Models), Bugsy Stevens (Modifieds), and Bentley Warren (Open Wheelers). They were supposed to be signing books at that Living Legends of Auto Racing event in Daytona a year or two back, but clearly they got into the vino. They couldn't even get their own names right! (Coastal 181 Photo)
A


#2252 - That's the great Sam Hanks working on the Tom Joyce 7-Up Offy/Kurtis, his second attempt at Indy. It was to no avail. He was second-to-last in qualifying and wrecked before the race. Although he was AAA Midget champ in 1949, AAA champ in the Bardahl Special in 1953, and the USAC West Coast Stock Car champ in 1956, it took him 13 tries to win at the Brickyard. That finally came in 1957 in George Salih's Belond Exhaust Special. In Victory Lane, he announced his retirement from racing, but, highly respected, was back driving the pace car at Indy from 1958 to 1963. Photo from FIRST TURN PRODUCTIONS - (Indy 500) 2019 Calendar
A


#2251 - It had been a beautiful thing, but already in 1972 our country was running out of mile dirt tracks. Al Unser won the rich Hoosier 100 and the 100-miler at Springfield, but still was runner-up to A.J. Foyt for the dirt championship. From SEVENTIES CHAMPIONSHIP REVOLUTION: American Racing Championships, by Dick Wallen (Wallen/Torres Photo)
a

Previous Photos of the Day - PAGE 10 Previous Photos of the Day - PAGE 9 Previous Photos of the Day - PAGE 8 Previous Photos of the Day - PAGE 7 Previous Photos of the Day - PAGE 6 Previous Photos of the Day - PAGE 5 - Previous Photos of the Day - PAGE 4 - Previous Photos of the Day - PAGE 3 - Previous Photos of the Day - PAGE 2 - Previous Photos of the Day - PAGE 1