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#1000 - Racer/joker Eddie Sachs, atop
the Ray Brady Special at Indy in 1956, said, “In 1954 I
returned to the track and failed my driver’s test. I became
the first man in the history of the Indianapolis Speedway to
fail his test twice. There have been some men that failed
once and never came back. There have been some men who have
failed it once, come back and passed it. But there never has
been anyone who has failed twice. In 1955, I failed my test
again. I made sure nobody would ever break my records.”
Quote and Photo from
EDDIE SACHS: The Clown Prince, by Denny Miller. |
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#999 - There seemed to be a strange
foreboding at the Brickyard early in the day of the 1941
500. Maybe it was due to the cold drizzle that had met
incoming fans the night before or maybe it was the national
worry about Hitler’s action in Europe. In any case, just as
lines formed at the ticket booths, a huge fire swept through
the garages. Apparently fumes from fuel in George
Barringer’s car were ignited by a torch being used in the
next stall. Fire trucks were unable to access the inferno
quickly because of the huge crowds, and half of one of the
two garage structures was completely destroyed. The event,
down two cars, started an hour late, and Mauri Rose
eventually won the show. From
INDY: The Race and Ritual of the Indianapolis 500,
by Terry Reed. (Ed Hitze Photo) |
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#998 - It was the early ’70s on the
oiled dirt at the 1/3-mile Beech Ridge Speedway, just
outside Portland, ME. The track had gone to open competition
in its top division, and the field was mixed. In the famous
Snap 6, an Edmunds sprint car, was Jim Martel, a highly
regarded veteran from Massachusetts, who continued on to a
stellar career. Leading was Bob Bushley, a local driver from
North Windham, ME, in kind of a funky, home-built machine.
Bushley, part of one of Maine’s most respected racing
families, later updated to a sprint car but died in July
1974 when he crashed heavily into that same concrete wall.
(Dave Bushley Collection) |
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#997 - Things were fairly uneventful at
the Fifth International Grand Prix in Santa Monica, CA, 100
years ago last month. That was until the 35th lap. John
Marquis and his mechanic, Harry Hough, were leading and
lookin’ good. They had fueled their Sunbeam big time, hoping
to run the event non-stop. However, they caught a rut, and
the flipping began. Hough was tossed aside and was
uninjured. Meanwhile Marquis rode it out with the car, which
ended up right on top of him. He was assumed dead, but was
taken to the hospital, where, remarkably, he was revived and
found unbroken. He would race again. From RACING CARS
RACING CARS, by Paul Hamlyn. (Petersen Publishing
Company Photo) |
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#996 - He seldom pops up in a racing
conversation so many decades later, but many old clips refer
to Chet Gardner as one of the greatest sprint car drivers
ever. From the late twenties to 1938, he competed coast to
coast in AAA competition with such unbelievable energy and
success that he became known as the “Grand Old Man of Auto
Racing.” It all came to an end, however, time-trialing at
Flemington, NJ, on September 3, 1938. Gardner was flat out
when he noticed a child had somehow wandered onto the track.
Gardner swerved to avoid him, crashed and died. Many
railbirds believed that the suddenness of Gardner’s reaction
to seeing the youngster in front of him may have been
related to an incident at California’s Legion Ascot Speedway
eight years earlier. Gardner slammed the wall there and a
fence board broke loose, killing a 12-year-old boy. From
THE EASTERN BULL RINGS, by Buzz Rose. (Jim Chini
Collection) |
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#995 - There ARE some signs of spring. Last
weekend the Permatex Follow A Dream funny car was on display
right next to the Coastal 181 booth at Frank Maratta’s Auto
and Cycle Show in West Springfield, MA. Based on Cape Cod,
driven by Todd Veney, the 3500hp Hemi won the 2012 NHRA
Eastern Region title. Our buddy Tommy Howell was there,
actually underneath the car – with tools – checking on a
couple of things when no one was looking. “What a winter,”
he said, “and suddenly it’s almost over. We’re leaving for
the GATORNATIONALS in Gainesville in just a couple of
days.” (Coastal 181 Photo) |
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#994 - The Isle of Man TT really has to be the
most dangerous motorsports event in the world. It is the
two-wheel version of the kind of savagery seen in the Indy
roadster era, magnified several times. Over 240 riders have
been killed on the course, six in 1970 alone. Conor Cummins,
a soft-spoken Manxman, is the local hero. In 2010 he had a
horrendous crash, literally launching him ‘down the
mountain.’
HERE on YouTube. Though Cummins had to fight
mightily to overcome depression and to heal his thoroughly
broken body, there was little question for anyone that he
would be back. There he is back in the saddle the very next
year. From THAT NEAR-DEATH THING: Inside the World’s
Most Dangerous Race, by Rick Broadbent. |
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#993 - Around the turn into the 1960s, a
buoyant early supermodified wave flowed over the Northwest
at facilities such as Portland (Oregon) Speedway. Quite a
few competitors used the division as a stepping stone to
national competition, Len Sutton, Art Pollard, Bob Gregg,
and Les Anderson among them. Billy Foster and mechanic John
Feuz, shown here with a pretty, amply carbureted roadster,
made it right to the Brickyard, but the effort was
short-lived. Foster died in an accident in practice prior to
the 1967 NASCAR race at Riverside International Raceway.
From
Portland International Raceway, NASCAR Library Edition,
by Jeff Zurschmeide. (Don Robison Collection) |
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#992 - This Fuel Altered car, the
“Winged Express,” ran an impressive 7.29 at 207.00mph at the
1968 Pomona NHRA Winternationals. But in the same event two
years later, driver Wild Willie Borsch must have seemed
stunningly impressive to photographer Bob McClurg. From
DIGGERS, FUNNIES, GASSERS & ALTEREDS: Drag Racing’s Golden
Age, by Bob McClurg, (Bob McClurg Photo) |
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#991 - “Geoff Bodine ran a
Pinto-bodied modified in 1981. But he decided to go in a
different direction in time for the Thompson 300 in early
September, and put a Cavalier body on his #99 ‘White
Tornado.’ It was the first ever Cavalier-modified. The new
body-style stuck, and by 1983 Cavaliers were everywhere.
Fans called them ‘cookie-cutters.’ For many years, modifieds
had been built from junkyard parts and ingenuity, but almost
overnight they turned into ‘store-bought’ race cars. Now the
biggest difference from one car to another was the paint
job.” Photo and Caption from
MODIFIED STOCK CAR RACING OF THE ‘60s AND ‘70s: An
Illustrated History Featuring the Drivers, Cars, and Tracks
of the Northeastern U.S., by Steve Kennedy |
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#990 Here’s a beefy Bob Smith out of Columbus, Ohio,
wheeling this Lawless 66 flyweight small block at the old
West Virginia International Speedway in Ona in 1964. He ran
this car on both asphalt and dirt. The next year he won the
Wynn’s Invitational at Ona handily in a Lawless pavement
roadster. A couple of weeks later, he pulled
enthusiastically into Victory Lane at the Oswego (NY)
Classic, only to be bumped to second upon a scoring review.
He died in a highway crash in 1966. From ECHOES OF
THUNDER IN THE HILLS: Photographic Memories of 1960’s Auto
Racing in Southeastern Ohio and Adjoining West Virginia,
by Tony Martin. (Tony Martin Photo) |
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#989 - Thirty-five UNOH students buzzed
around the four UMP modifieds in the pits at the Volusia
Country Speedway in late February. UNOH students were in
Florida for eight days during which they prepared the cars
and raced on the dirt track six nights and even fielded a
car in the ARCA race at the Daytona Speedway. The University
currently has 76 students enrolled in its College of Applied
Technologies, students hopeful that their studies will lead
to full time employment in motorsports. The school’s program
is centered on a seven-acre complex in Ohio and includes
machinery, engine dyno, skid pad, drag racing launch pad and
pretty much everything needed to build and prepare race
cars. UNOH’s rolling stock inventory currently includes four
stock cars, three drag cars and five UMP modifieds which are
towed to the tracks in four semis. The school also owns the
Limaland Speedway where students test their skills and learn
about racing. UNOH offers diploma, Associate degree and
Bachelor degree programs. Their website is
UNOH.edu.
(Photo and caption by Dick Berggren) |
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#988 -
It was gonna be something really special. National Dirt
Racing Association (NDRA) was offering up at Kingsport
Speedway in East Tennessee the richest known purse in dirt
racing history. It turned out that, while the pits would
fill up, the stands did not. Winner Buck Simmons collected
his $30,000 payout for leading all 100 laps, but there was
churn in the background. The season champ, Jeff Purvis, did
not receive the $30,000 due him for the point chase, and
Series sponsor, Stroh’s beer, flowed away. It was the black
flag for the NDRA, and no attempts to save the
once-promising organization were successful. From
A History of East Tennessee Auto Racing: the
Thrill of the Mountains, by David McGee. (Poster
courtesy Tony Morton) |
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#987 - Many people consider Don Garlits
the most successful drag racer in history. The 82-year-old
Garlits no longer races but he’s as busy as ever tending to
his drag racing museum in Ocala, FL. The museum is the
result of a lifetime of making history and collecting
history. Many of Garlits’ cars are on display as well as
those of other drag racing greats Shirley Muldowney, Jungle
Jim Lieberman, Connie Kalitta, Bruce Larson and dozens of
others. There are actually three museums on the property,
one with race engines, another housing a magnificent
collection of artifacts as well as drag racing cars, and the
third largely showcasing vintage automobiles, most of which
are not race cars. Garlits has recently restored into
running condition several vintage engines, including this
Ardun head engine that was originally a flathead. The Ardun
was created by Zora Arkus Duntov of Chevrolet fame. He built
a head that turned the flathead into a Hemi. The Garlits
engine is one of the few that remain, fewer still that run,
and it sounds oh-so-sweet. (Photo and caption by Dick
Berggren) |
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#986 - Best keep an eye on these guys.
Even though Fred Rahmer exited the cockpit in such a
spectacular way last fall, he’s still flat out. Left to
right at the Coastal 181 booth at Motorsports 2014, that’s
Freddie Jr., his twin brother Brandon, and Fred Sr. To the
right is Dave Pritchard, their friend and sponsor. He’s also
our friend and neighbor up here in Newburyport. They are
pretty busy guys, with five sprinters out in the garage. Two
each for Freddie and Brandon for their 2014 pursuits at
Lincoln and one for some special shows with Stevie Smith.
(Frank Simek Photo) |
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#985 “Jochen Rindt knew that Lotuses were fast but
also fragile. He had seen his friends die around him – Bruce
McLaren, Piers Courage. The previous winter, at a club in
Vienna, he had promised his wife, Nina, that he would quit
F1 as soon as he was crowned World Champion. The Lotus 72
was so sleek and graceful, it was unthinkable that it might
be beaten in the 1970 season. Nina clung to his promise and
counted the Grand Prix races to deliverance day. Time got
the better of her. At Monza in practice the Lotus veered off
course…and dived under the crash barrier. Rindt died on
impact. His only consolation was that he also won: With only
four grand prix races left in the season, his lead in the
championship points would prove unassailable. And so Karl
Jochen Rindt became Formula One’s First posthumous
champion.” Caption from
GRAND PRIX RACERS: Portraits of Speed, by Xavier Chimits.
(Bernard and Paul-Henri Cahier Photo)
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#984 - When John Zych (Zych #9)
inherited the lead in the season-ending NEMA 25-lapper at
Thompson (CT) Speedway last fall, he knew he had some
further work to do. He was just five points behind Randy
Cabral (Bertrand #47) for the championship point lead, and
he knew Randy was coming through the pack fast. The yellow
flew twice, but Zych was able to pull away each time, on the
final restart running a sizzling lap of 17.734. He won the
race and the title. Cabral was nothing short of gentlemanly.
“I didn’t hand it to John and I feel good about that. I
think everything went the way it was supposed to.” (Norm
Marx Photo) |
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#983 - On February 4, we received this
note and photo from John Monaghan about the late, great New
England Hall of Famer, Reino Tulonen. “I spoke these words
to the folks at Reino’s funeral before we left for home. ‘We
all had different relationships with Reino. Mine was through
racing. Reino’s modified stock car said ‘RATA AUKI’ on the
front. (Note the hood). One day I asked Reino what it meant.
He said with a slight smile, ‘Well, loosely interpreted it
means – MOVE OVER AND GET OUT OF THE WAY.’ I can’t help
thinking Gabriel better watch out!” (Photo and Quote John
Monaghan) |
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#982 - Yesterday’s Photo of the Day was
from a 1954 match race at Roosevelt, NJ, Stadium that served
as publicity for the forthcoming 100-mile NASCAR event at
the road formed at the Linden Airport. Popular Al Keller
went on to win at Linden, wheeling a Jaguar fielded by band
leader Paul Whiteman. A couple of weeks later Keller was on
the dirt at the circular mile at Langhorne. That didn’t go
so well. Keller dumped the Sam Traylor Offy big time and
donated one of his thumbs in the process. (Ken Edsell
Collection) |
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#981 - In June of 1954 quite the
contingent of racers towed into the Garden State. A major
road race was planned for the Linden, NJ, Airport, promoted
by Ed Otto. It was NASCAR’s Grand National Division’s first
road race, and the field of 43 was almost equally mixed with
American and foreign-car entries. As part of the pre-event
publicity, a match race was held at Roosevelt Stadium, and a
very healthy crowd watched dirt-track ace Frank Schneider in
a Jaguar XK120 take on Lee Petty in a Dodge. (Ken Edsell
Collection) |
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#980 - They sure play hard ball when
they race over in the UK. The photographer, Colin Casserley,
our new friend who stopped by the Coastal 181 booth at the
Chili Bowl, had this to say. “Marker tyres (tires in the
USA!) are part of racing throughout the world, but I have
never seen this happen before or since. A tyre flipped up
and stuck on the wing of Lee Smith. It didn’t stop him,
though, and he completed the distance in his heat race at
Scunthrope Speedway, Lincolnshire, England.” |
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#979 - Like all of his family, Robby
Unser, Bobby’s son, has been fast in everything he’s driven
– from local stock cars to the Brickyard. But in typical
Unser style, more than anything, he seemed to excel on the
frighteningly fenceless ledges of Pike’s Peak. Here he is,
motoring along in 1994 in a injected Chevy open-wheeler he
built with Carson Smith. He won the division handsomely, in
the record two-wheel-drive time of 10:04. From THE UNSER
LEGACY: Four Generations of Speed, by Gordon Kirby
(Robby Unser Collection) |
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#978 - That is some unusual front end on
the Delta Wing car Dick Berggren photographed at the recent
Rolex race at Daytona (See Photo of the Day #972). But it
may not have been quite as radical as the Project/34 Formula
1 cars produced by England’s Tyrrell Racing Organization.
The design included four wheels on the front end. Remarkably
the initial performance was strong, and Jody Scheckter and
Patrick Depailler finished one-two in the 1976 Swedish Grand
Prix. Much of the credit was actually given to Goodyear for
making some trick tires for the cars in that race, and by
the end of 1977 everyone was back to a more standard
configuration. From
TALES FROM THE TOOLBOX: A Collection of Behind-the-Scenes
Tales From Grand Prix Mechanics, by Michael Oliver.
(Roy Topp Photo) |
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#977 - It all happened on the 181st lap.
It was September 30, 1956, and NASCAR’s Convertible Race #46
was scheduled to go 200 rounds on the half-mile dirt at
Asheville-Weaverville, NC. 4,500 spectators watched as Jimmy
Massey broke a hub and plowed into the side of Possum Jones
going into the third turn. They locked up, went end for end
in parallel, and landed on their sides, right in the groove.
From then on it was more hearing than seeing. Literally, the
whole field plowed into a dusty pile of mechanical carnage.
Curtis Turner, who had been just barely in the lead, won the
trophy with his “Margin of Victory” labeled “Red Flag.”
Meanwhile Art Binkley, Glen Wood, and Jimmy Massey won trips
to the crash house. From RAMBLIN’ RAGTOPS – the history
of NASCAR’s fabulous convertible division and the speedway
division, by Greg Fielden |
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#976 - There was one epic battle for the
PASS North SLM 2013 Championship at Oxford Plains, ME,
Speedway last Sept. 28th. After the heats, points
leaders Cassius Clark (#77) and Joey Doiron (#73), just one
point apart, were feeling the heat. In the main they
battered fiercely side by side, three wide on three
consecutive laps, nose to tail, while Scott Mulkern #84 and
DJ Shaw #60 rocked and rolled seeking the race win.
Everybody took turns for the lead. DJ did all he could to
take the championship along with the win, but Cassius beat
him out by five points by staying in third. It was a huge
disappointment for Doiron and his Dad who do 90% of the work
on the #73. It was a break-through year for them, having won
twin 150s at White Mountain, NH, in August and holding the
points lead most of the season. (Photos & Caption by Norm
Marx) |
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#975 - Four great friends from a few
winters back. L-R, Bobby Seymour, Bentley Warren, Stu
Murray, and Mike Seymour. Each of the four have stood out
big time for their contributions to American open-wheel
racing. It still goes on today. This coming weekend, the
Seymour Family will be hosting their annual RACER'S EXPO in
Marlboro, MA, that has become a favorite February date on
any wheelman’s calendar in the Northeast.
www.theracersexpo.com (Coastal 181 Photo) |
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#974 - That’s Karl Busson at the 1967
winter show at Tampa. He’s warming up the Bernie Cedoz Chevy
he manhandled to the IMCA point championship that summer.
Given the handkerchief and the facial expression on the
bystanders, Bernie just might have mixed up some interesting
chemicals in that fuel tank…..From
BIG CAR THUNDER: More Sprints on America’s Fair Circuits,
Volume 2, by Bob Mays. (Beetle Bailey Photo) |
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#973 - Bob Yurko sure gets it done with
a lens and has been doing so for many moons. This neat shot
is from the last 200-lapper at the Reading Fairgrounds, back
in October of 1978. That's the late Al Tasnady responding to
a standing ovation by waving a kiss to all in the
grandstands. And how about this
slide
show from last weekend's Gamblers' Classic in Atlantic City
on You Tube. (Bob Yurko Photos) |
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#972 - January’s Rolex 24 sports car
race in Daytona kicks off every racing season, each year’s
first important race. This year’s event was particularly
important because it was the first following the merger of
Don Panoz’ American Le Mans Series and Jim France’s
NASCAR-like Grand Am series. A huge field of 67 cars took
the green for the 24-hour grind. Infield camping was sold
out months before the weekend, and sponsorship was up at
every level. The Daytona News Journal, estimated the crowd
at 50,000. Several teams and sponsors came up with clever
ways to attract the attention of fans, including groups of
models in skin-tight outfits who willingly posed for every
iPhone carrying fan. Others brought bizarre looking cars
like the Delta Wing whose front wheels have less than three
feet of track width while the rears are spaced normally. The
Delta Wing car failed to finish. The race was marred by a
huge crash in which Memo Gidley, driving the pole-winning
car, pulled out to pass and instantly ran into a crippled
Ferrari he probably never saw until the moment of impact.
The Ferrari was hardly moving in comparison. Both drivers
went to the hospital with Gidley suffering a broken arm and
leg that required prompt surgery and an “unstable” fracture
in his back that will also require surgery. (Dick Berggren
caption and photo) |
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#971 - Poor Bobby Varin really has had
some tough laps. The popular and on-the-gas dirt tracker is
shown here at Utica-Rome (NY) last summer, still smarting
from a horrific sprint car crash at Canandaigua, NY, the
season before. With all the racing he does, he never had
time to take off to get corrective therapy on his damaged
knee. Then, just a week or so ago, he was in an equally
dramatic accident on skis. He regained consciousness quickly
after the spill, but the next day things started going down
hill. He lost movement in his right arm and a trip to the
crash house revealed a broken neck. Major swelling around
the spinal cord is receding daily, and he is recovering, but
it’s a long and painful process. Well wishes can be sent to
him at 2348 State Hwy 30A, Johnstown, NY 12095. (Dave
Dalesandro Photo) |
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#970 - In 1999, Juan Pablo Montoya swept
the first major event at Chicago Motor Speedway in front of
a packed house of 67,000. The track, that became known as an
uninspiring paper clip, was just marginally popular. By 2002
the crowd was just 25,268, and that was the end. After
demolition crews left in 2009, nary a trace remained. From
SPEEDWAY: Auto Racing’s Ghost Tracks, by S.S.
Collins and Gavin D. Ireland. |
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#969 - Bill Simpson and Bones
Bourcier came to the Motorsports show in Philadelphia this
month to sign books. Cary Stratton (left photo) tried
mightily to keep them on task, but it was tough. [Photo
(left) Jack Kromer, Photo (right) Coastal 181] |
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#968 - That’s Jimmy Shampine (left) and
Bentley Warren at Pocono in May of 1969 for the
supermodified showdown on the ¾ oval. It was a wild day with
horrible crashes, one a fatal for Troy Ruttman Jr. Shampine
went on to win one of the 50-lappers, while Warren flipped
on the third turn. After the race, the two climbed aboard a
plane on the backstretch to fly to Fulton, NY, for a
modified show that night. Bentley was worried because the
people aboard were weighted down by many cheeseburgers, but
they made it aloft. (Both photos Dale Snyder Collection) |
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#967 - Bucky Calleaux’s new but
definitely experienced Chevy is ready to do battle at
Baltimore’s Westport Stadium on August 27, 1955. The
Norwood, MA, resident raced widely on the Circuit of
Champions against guys like Indiana’s Don Oldenberg, Bob
Pronger from Illinois, and Montana’s Darel Darienger. Later
that year NASCAR purchased the series and would run
convertible races from 1956 until 1959.
(Mibest
Collectibles Collection, Robert Farlee Photo) |
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#966 - He’s been lightin’ up sprinters
and midgets for many a moon. Here he is at Fremont, Ohio in
2013. And last Saturday night Sammy Swindel proved yet again
that – win or no win – he sure can ignite the crowd at the
Chili Bowl. (Rex Staton Photo) |
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#965 - Denise McCluggage climbs aboard a
Louts XI at Nassau in 1958, as she did do many times. The
racer/journalist won the 1961 Grand Touring category at
Sebring in 1958 and her class at the Monte Carlo Rally in
1964. She later became the founding editor of AUTOWEEK. From
FAST WOMEN: the Legendary Ladies of Racing, by Todd
McCarthy. (Bahamas News Agency Photo) |
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#964 - Shane Walters snapped this neat
shot of Josh Richards working hard for the win at the Lucas
Nationals at Knoxville last September. It all came down to a
dramatic six-lap shootout, and Darrell Lanigan was able to
sneak by for the checker, leaving Richards in second place
for the third time in this event. Timmy McCreadie rounded
out the top three. Check out the location of the rear end in
the #1 car. The dynamic movement in these chassis is
mind-boggling. (Photo from
racingnewsnetwork.com) |
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#963 - It was one happy day for Ernie
and Kim Irvan and their kids when he won the pole at the
Brickyard in 1998. He had come back from his horrible head
injuries at Michigan in 1994, had overcome dismissal from
the Yates operation in 1997, and had joined the MB2 team in
the Skittles car. But racing can be so fickle. That season,
five years to the date after his accident, he encountered
that Michigan wall again, this time in his own Busch car.
This time the injuries were career-ending. From NO FEAR:
ERNIE IRVAN – The NASCAR Driver’s Story of Tragedy and
Triumph, by Ernie Irvan and Peter Golenbock with Debra
Hart Nelson. |
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#962 - The Modified-Sportsman race on
the Daytona Beach course in 1954 was certainly memorable. It
was run in drizzly rain because Bill France had a narrow
window, given the incoming tides. The previous year there
had been a scoring fiasco with 135 starters, so this
February a “reduced” field of 104 took the green. It was
wild from the git go. On the opening lap, Dick Kauffman,
steering a huge 1949 Olds overhead in a sea of coupe and
coach flatheads, broke a wheel and flipped wildly. He is
shown here, upside down, at the entry to the turn. He died
on the way to the hospital. The 125-miler was eventually won
by Cotton Owens in a ’38 Plymouth.
From NASCAR: The
Complete History, by Greg Fielden |
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#961 - Some stars shine brightly but
fleetingly. Such was the case with Italian Formula 1 driver,
Ivan Capelli. He is shown in this captivating image from the
1988 Portuguese Grand Prix, hustling his March-Judd to catch
Alain Proust. Though Proust went on to win, young Capelli
was very much the man of the day. He would end up in a
Ferrari in the early nineties but only once did he regain
that groove to the podium. He retired, distraught, in 1993,
but later became a popular motorsports TV personality in
Italy. From AUTOCOURSE: The World’s Leading Grand Prix
Annual 1988-1989. (Paul-Henri Cahier Photo) |
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#960 - Way back in 1959, 24-year-old
Eldon Rasmussen in Edmonton, Alberta was already showing his
mechanical and driving wizardry. He build this gooseneck
trailer for his pickup, years ahead of its time. And he used
it to tow all over Western Canada and the American Northwest
to compete with the Canadian-American Modified Racing
Association (CAMRA) in the early 1960s. He then moved to
Hoosier country and ran USAC sprinters and a homebuilt
“RASCAR” at Indy, qualifying three times, always on the back
row. He continued his fabricating work with great renown and
success, working with teams such as Dick Simon’s and on his
own. From THE SPEEDIEST LAND TRAVELER: A History of
Alberta Auto Racing, by Richard McDonell (Eldon
Rasmussen Collection) |
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#959 - The late great John Fitch had
this to say about the Briggs Cunningham’s C5R he raced in
Europe in 1953 and 1954. “It’s incredible how little we knew
about aerodynamics in those days….I was going through the
fast right sweep just after the pits (in the Reims 12
Hours), same speed as I had been doing all race, but there
must have been an extra gust of wind that increased the air
speed over the body beyond the critical point, and the car
just took off. Umberto Maglioli was following me in his
Ferrari, and he said it flew higher than the telegraph
poles….” From ART OF THE LE MANS RACE CAR: 90 Years of
Speed, by Stuart Codling. (James Mann Photo) |
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#958 - You can still get there, but you
had better get goin’. Premier Speedway is gearing up for the
42nd running of what is now the Lucas Oils Grand Annual
Sprintcar Classic. It will be run January 24-26. The
facility is located in Warrnambool, Australia, just 7891
miles from L.A. From the 2012 Paul Oxman Sprint Car Racing
Calendar.
(Phil Jordison Photo) |
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#957 - It was quite the moment in New
England racing history back in 1963. Oxford Plains Speedway
in Maine was in transition. It had recently been paved and
reduced from a half to a one-third-mile oval. The guys from
Beech Ridge, the Maine State Stock Car Racing Association,
were running the occasional show there, usually open
competition, before Bob Bahre took it over in 1964. On this
date, all manner of hot rods towed in, and on this lap
“Gentleman Jerry” Dolliver still had them covered in the
Prescott #24 upright, powered by a Morton-Welch Flathead.
That was pretty remarkable, because he had been chased by
this group for about 40 laps. On the inside was Smokey
Boutwell in the 108” Duggan Brothers rail super powered by a
big-block Ford. It was Pete Prescott in the overhead powered
#9 coupe and George Welch in the #78. Finally, Dolliver’s
arms just plain wore out from taking it into the turn far
harder than the others, and he dropped back to a third-place
finish. That had not happened often. Dolliver won over 100
races with this single engine, which today sits in the
Pronyne Museum in Pawtucket, RI. (Ralph Roberts Photo) |
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#956 - In the very early sixties, neat
machines like these were racing all over the country. On
asphalt, often called cutdowns, they were typically
precursor to supermodifieds. On the dirt, as shown here,
they led the way to sprinters. These two cars were favorites
at Williams Grove in 1962 and were known as “bugs” or
“30x90s” for their frame size. The drivers were both giants
of the era, Gene Goodling in the #77 and Bobby Hersh in the
#39. (Dale Snyder Collection) |
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#955 - A farmer and good guy from
Lawrenceville, NJ, Lee Hendrickson is remembered as a great
modified runner back in the day. He won widely and even ran
the All Star League with this coach. It was a flyweight with
that minimalist body and sparsely utilized square tubing
over a ’54 Chevy frame. And Lee sure knew how to make a big
block purr. (He’s built a bunch of them recently for his
very racy son, Wade). As it turned out, we bought this car
in 1970 and ran it at places like Lebanon Valley, Lakeville,
Fonda, Mid-State, and Beech Ridge. Hully Bunn came out of
retirement in 1975 to win a spirited old timers’ race with
it at Cairo, NY. The car still sits race ready in the
Coastal 181 garage – and you can take it to the bank that
there still ain’t a drop of chrome on it. (Coastal 181
Collection) |
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#954 - Iowa’s Austin Wolf doesn’t have
to go too far to act like that. Algona Raceway is right down
the street from his home, and as 2012 track champ, he has it
figured out. He runs a Harris chassis with a 428 Chevy small
block on alcohol. His dad, also a former track champion,
says, “Austin really loves that back 'er in feel.” Yep, we
can all see that. (Ed Wolf Collection, Dave Peterson Photo) |
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#953
- Here’s a special moment back at the long-shuttered
Empire Raceway in Menands, NY. On the outside in this 1954
match race in the #87 was Bob Hart, father of the Hart
Family of Racers. Bob was aboard a six-cylinder-fired big
car, prepared by notable Cliff Wright. On the inside in the
#15 Rymsza cross-fire midget was Bobby Boone. The
quarter-mile asphalt oval was especially popular for its
mid-week stock car show; it operated from 1947 to 1963, when
it was dismantled to make room for a Two Guys Department
Store. From TOW MONEY – The History of the United Racing
Club, Volume One, by Buzz Rose. (Les King Photo) |
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#952 - Beautiful – and very fast.
This is legendary George Snider with his Grant King-built
sprinter at the 1980 Phoenix Copper World Classic. “Ziggy”
had that big block singin’ on the mile. He sat handsomely on
the pole, leading for 35 laps of the 40-lapper, before being
passed by Ken Hamilton for the win. From
OLD SCHOOL Vol. 3, by Mike Arthur. (Mike Arthur
Photo) |
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#951 - It is often said that Junior Johnson started
the whole thing by bringing corporate America to NASCAR, but
in truth it was all brewing years before. Here’s a 1958
Jimmy Bryan photo and quote: Immediately following his Indy
victory, Jimmy’s image was plastered all over newspaper and
magazine advertisements endorsing an assortment of products.
This one is of “man satisfying coffee.” From
MY HERO, MY FRIEND JIMMY BRYAN, by Len Gasper and
Phil Sampaio. |
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#950 - Pretty as can be. Bruce Pike’s
replica of a Speed Demon car from 1937, powered by a Bunch
.45 model plane engine. (Bruce Pike Photo) |
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#949 - Jim “The
Bounty Hunter” Woodin hadn’t been passed all year long or
lost a race at Galesburg Speedway (MI). “Rocket” Rich
Mersereau had plans to change that on this night. It was
mid-season championship and The Rocket had just updated his
steering system, thanks to legendary ace Larry Moore. The
race was a lead-swapping, fender-banging classic with The
Bounty Hunter coming up a few feet short. The crowd was
buzzing afterwards with one over-served fan screaming “check
his tires - check his tires!” The Rocket Man had this to
say, “Buddy, the tires were juiced more than you!!!!” |
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#948 - It was 1947 in the cornfields of
Iowa that this used car salesman first went racing in this
hot rod. Sure, he had the need for speed, but, apparently he
had the need for dollars even more. Somehow it all worked
out for him, and in 1959, Johnny Beauchamp was unofficial
winner of the Daytona 500 until a review of the finish
dropped him back to second, behind Lee Petty. From
THE
GHOSTS OF NASCAR – The Harlan Boys and the First Daytona 500,
by John Havick (Dale Swanson Jr. Collection) |
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#947 - Folks are really grooving on
Joyce Standridge’s new open wheel book,
DID YOU SEE THAT? They
should. Just as the Horcher Brothers and the other lensmen
involved sure can shoot a race, Joyce knows of what she
writes. She’s been around racing for lots of laps. Here she
is with everyone’s favorite, her racin’ hubby, Rick. (Marvin
Scattergood Photo, Terry Young Collection) |
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#946 How about that 14-year-old who got all duded up
to meet Richard Petty at the Checkered Flag Dinner in
Birmingham back in the 1970s? That’s quite the suit, Larry
McReynolds! From
LARRY McREYNOLDS: The Big Picture – My Life from Pit Road to
the Broadcast Booth, by Larry McReynolds with Bob
Zeller |
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#945 - Walt James was a formidable
figure in California racing in the post-War era. Good thing
he had formidable biceps as well. Can you imagine what it
would have been like to wrestle “Ol Yalla’r Dog” around the
ultra-high, ultra-fast banks of the 5/8-mile Oakland
Stadium? From
A HISTORY OF OAKLAND STADIUM - 1946-55 Volume 2, Tracks
of the West, by Tom Motter. (Lafayette Photo, Chini
Collection) |
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#944 - It’s hard to get Ron Howard’s
movie “RUSH” out of mind. The season-long battle between
Niki Lauda and James Hunt just has to have been one of the
most dramatic and chilling stories in all of sports. Anyone
who has seen the movie will find it hard to conceive that
six years later Lauda was racing, shown here after a win at
Brand’s Hatch. Englishman Derek Warwick (L) was second and
an enthusiastic Ayrton Senna third. From
HUNT vs. LAUDA: The Epic 1976 Formula 1 Season, by
Paul Fearnley. (Photo L.A.T. Photographic) |
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#942 - In the mid-seventies, builder
Harry Gant bet that his racing starts could be more
successful than housing, and he went on the road. Good move.
In 1976 he sat on the pole in 58 of 62 starts. In 1977 his
Memorial Day weekend became known as the GREAT MAY ODYSSEY.
On Thursday night he won a 35-lapper at Columbia, SC; on
Friday night a 250-lapper rain-shortened to 200 in
Kingsport, TN; on Saturday he won at 300-miler at Charlotte
and got third over at Hickory in a 200-lapper; Sunday he ran
399 miles at Charlotte’s World, finishing 30th; Monday he
won the 300-lapper at Bristol. The finishing touch was when
Darrell Waltrip protested him at Bristol and he had to tear
down his engine before gathering up his trophy and his money
and driving home to Taylorsville, NC. It was just a little
tired out. Harry’s good times are shown here with Miss
Metrolina Speedway. From 33: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF HARRY
GANT, Charlie Keiger, Publisher |
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#941 - In 1958 a young dairy farmer from
way upstate New York landed a ride in Hal Kempney’s
Sportsman. The car looked rather understated, but it was
potent and had already won Langhorne under the ownership of
Bob Mott, with Pete Corey at the helm. Wimble did not
disappoint, winning back-to-back shows Memorial Day weekend
at Monroe County and Fonda. However, it was not to be in the
long run, and Wimble was summarily discharged. Some divorces
have a happy ending, though, and such was the case for
Wimble. After the untimely highway death of big-armed Don
Hendenberg, wiry Wimble worked himself into the McCredy
s-33. He would stay put for 11 glorious years, winning
feature after feature, leading to track, state, and national
championships. (Ramona Feuz Collection) |
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#940 - Here is one heavy duty lineup,
straight from mid-America. L-R, Butch Miller, Bob Senneker,
Mike Eddy, Dick Trickle, Jim Sauter, and Alan Kulwicki
prepare for the din at Winchester in 1985. From
LET’S GO RACING – The Amazing Story of the American Speed
Association, by Rex Robbins with Dave Argabright. |
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#939 - How about Steve Kinser and
Tony Stewart Racing announcing yesterday the "Salute to the
King" in 2104! It will be Steve's final year and he will be
seeking his 21st WoO championship. Forty years on the road;
576 WoO A-Main wins. Simply incredible. Sponsor Stewart is
spot-on: "He's the best ever, and I couldn't be more proud."
Dave Dalesandro photo |
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#938 - Sixteen-year-old Samantha
Williams was right in the thick of things with her #454
Bomber at Stockton 99 (CA) Speedway in July of 2012. The
previous year she racked up three mains. It’s in her genes.
Her dad Greg, a very popular performer at the track, had won
10 of the 14 shows he had entered just 10 years earlier, but
he succumbed to cancer in 2004. From
STOCKTON 99 SPEEDWAY, by Bill Poindexter. (Jessie’s
Fast Photos) |
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#937 - That’s Jody Ridley snatching a
Sportsman race at Middle Georgia Raceway. MGR, a 0.548-miler
opened in 1966, was quite the place. Folks don’t remember a
whole lot about the racing, but it did gain quite a bit of
renown for the elaborate moonshining chamber found at the
end of a 150-foot tunnel beneath a ticket booth. And there
was the Second Atlanta International Pop Festival in 1970,
which matched fully the rowdiness of Woodstock the year
before. The facility was shuttered in 1970 when Bobby
Allison won the final Cup race. From
SPEEDWAY: Auto Racing’s Ghost Tracks, by SS Collins
and Galvin D. Ireland. |
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#936 - The slow
talkin’ dirt driver from Wichita Falls, Texas, was no
question one of the nation’s best ever, but that Brickyard
challenged his soul. Here’s what he said of this moment at
Indy in 1969: “A little misunderstanding in the pits, a
little on both of us, and I run off and left the gas tank
hanging and pulled the side of the car off. They told me to
get out, but I still couldn’t realize what had happened. I
got out and saw all the fuel running out and walked just a
little ways, had to go back and look at it again….One minute
we’re in the lead, the next second we’re out of the race. I
knew it was over and I was just plain sick to my stomach.
The car was running beautiful. All I could think of was that
I’d been leading this thing four years in a row (actually
1966, 1968 and 1969, ed.) and now this….It was my best
chance, and I guess the worst feeling of my life.” Photo and
Quote from
HARD LUCK LLOYD: The Complete Story of Slow-Talking,
Fast-Driving Texan Lloyd Ruby, by John Lingle. (IMS
Photo) |
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#935 - Harry Miller and the Gulf Oil
Company had the pit area buzzing at the Brickyard in 1938
and 1939. Here’s Ralph Hepburn perched way up front in a
supercharged creation with 4-wheel drive and very early disc
brakes. Unfortunately, despite the innovative design,
Hepburn was unable to coax it up to qualifying speed. Photo
from
THE MARVELOUS MECHANICAL DESIGNS OF HARRY A. MILLER,
by Gordon Eliot White |
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#934 In the 1960s, Mark Lowell, a dirt tracker from
Oklahoma, moved up to New England and decided to run with
newly formed NESMRA, the New England Super Modified
Association. In 1971, his second year, he ran some of their
shows on the 5/8th high-banked pavement of Thompson, CT. One
of them was just a little problematical. He got to soaring
high over the sand banks (there were no retaining walls in
the turns back then) and right out of the place.
Fortunately, it was a soft landing, though a touch on the
soggy side. (Mark Lowell Collection) |
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#934 - How’s this for a heart pounder?
Len Sutton describes a moment at the 1961 Indy 500. “We
qualified eighth and were doing well in the race when Jack
Turner got tangled up in a crash on the front stretch,
bringing out the yellow. It was about pit stop time and I
glanced over toward my pit to see if they wanted me in for
service. As I turned my head back toward the front stretch,
the cars in front of me had really slowed. The brakes were
not going to be enough and so I swerved to keep from
rear-ending another car. I spun out, but was able to
continue. We lasted another 50 or 60 laps until the clutch
gave out. We were awarded nineteenth.” Photo and caption
from
MY ROAD TO INDY – A Narrative by Len Sutton, Dave
Friedman Photo |
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#933 - Hefty Don MacLaren was a rock
‘em-sock ‘em Northeastern supermodified standout back in the
day. In 1978, quite late in his Hall of Fame career, he
decided to do a little dirt – at the 1978 Syracuse
Supernationals. He was on the hammer on the Mile until this
energetic encounter with the third-turn wall. The ensuing
flips were spectacular, but the big guy was uninjured - and
unfazed. (Coastal 181 Collection, Spekis Brothers Photo) |
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#932 - Who has been a greater
identity of contraries than Bill Jenkins? The “Magician from
Malvern (PA)” was a Pro Stock drag racer, a mechanical
engineer degreed at Cornell, a driver, an engine builder, a
guy wildly popular with the fans while diminutive in stature
and known throughout the racing community as “Da Grump.”
Here he was at Pomona’s 1973 Winternationals, seeking that
exact “sweet spot.” From
THE DAWN OF PRO STOCK, by Steve Reyes. |
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#931 - Everyone’s favorite, “Barefoot” Bob McCreadie,
father of everyone’s favorite Timmy “T-Mac” McCreadie, had
everyone guessing about what he would show up with for the
25th Super DIRT Week at the Syracuse Fairgrounds in 1996.
Barefoot did not disappoint. His car even looked like a
rocket ship, but, unhappily, that prettily slippery front
end was a lot different after an accident on lap 98. From
DIRT Trackin’ Magazine, DIRT Motorsports Photo |
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#930 - “This (at Le Mans in 1963) was
one of the biggest accidents of (Mario) Andretti’s long
career….On arrival in the Esses, he hit the brakes and they
failed. The steering wheel was wrenched out of his hands…and
he hammered the outer bank with such force that the engine
broke loose. He was able to get out and clamber up the wall,
before collapsing on the grass there. Cue Roger McCluskey
(Mario’s Ford Teammate). He hit the wall deliberately;
otherwise he would have struck Andretti’s car, and he
assumed (wrongly) that its driver was still inside. Jo
Schlesser (another Teammate) then arrived amid the debris at
full chat, and aimed for a gap between the two wrecks that
wasn’t there. Both McCluskey and Schlesser emerged from
their cars unhurt. Not so Andretti: his shoulder harness had
broken three of his ribs and badly bruised his whole torso.
Ford had set up its own surgically equipped medical centre
in the Paddock and had instructed its drivers on no account
to allow themselves to be taken to the local hospital. When
Andretti, shouting in agony, was carried to the ambulance,
he refused to get in. An argument ensued. McCluskey resolved
it by going to the front of the ambulance, grabbing the
ignition key, and hurling it as far as he could into the
woods. Then the big man picked up his Teammate, slung him
over his shoulder, and crossed the track. He found a marshal
who had a Peugeot estate car, and commandeered it.”
Photo and Caption From LE MANS: The Official History of
the World’s Greatest Motor Race 1960-1969, by Quentin
Spurring, Automobile Club de l‘Ouest Collection |
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#929 - Anyone who has ever communicated
with us knows that Cary Stratton is Captain of Coastal 181.
And to keep this site as human as possible, we decided to
run a photo of her. She will be SO PLEASED. In fairness to
Cary, however, know that the shot was taken at a New England
Super Modified Association banquet in the seventies, and you
can imagine what they were like. |
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#928 - June 24, 1951 was one hot but
happy day for Indy legend Tony Bettenhausen, “The Tinley
Park Express.” He bested the field of big cars on the gritty
mile at Langhorne, PA, out-strong-arming weary second-place
finisher, Bill Schindler on the 85th of 100 laps. Tony was
met in Victory Lane by his sons Merle and Gary, both of whom
had great – if star-crossed – careers. From
FABULOUS FIFTIES: American Championship Racing, by
Dick Wallen. (Jim Chini Collection) |
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#927 - What are we going to do with that
Bentley Warren? We are so busy shipping copies of his new
book, but are having to tell folks that he cannot autograph
any just now. He said he had to go to Florida racing. Well,
we caught him in the act, blastin' down the straightaway
with Lisa Zatalava's five-year-old grandniece Zoey. (She's
clearly leading). (Photographer to remain undisclosed) |
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#926 - This kid from California would
appear to be solidly on his way. He set a new track record
at All American Speedway (the former Placer County
Fairgrounds in Roseville, CA) before becoming a victor in
the Bandoleros. This year he joined the Late Models division
and quickly emerged as the youngest winner ever in that
division. He is James Bickford. He is 15. He is also Jeff
Gordon’s cousin. From
ALL AMERICAN SPEEDWAY, by
Bill Poindexter. (Tim Grant Photo) |
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#925 - David Sink caught this great shot
of 33 sprint cars taking the green three-wide for the 65th
running of the Little 500 at Anderson, Indiana. Note the
race-specific fueling apparatus. This stuff is not for the
faint of heart. From
SPRINT CAR RACING 2014 Calendar by Paul Oxman, Dave
Sink Photo |
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#924 - The 1960s was a decade of major
technological change in racing. Here’s what West Coast racer
George Benson had to say: “In 1966 Vince Conze didn’t run
the Pikes Peak Hill Climb and he converted his “Down Tube
Champ Car” to the “Down Tube Sprint Car.” I did the
test-driving for this car at Whiteman Stadium 1/3 mile paved
track at Pacoima, California. The car was extremely powerful
with less than a two pounds per horsepower, power to weight
ratio. It actually jumped down the straightaways so
violently that the engine bottomed out on the track with a
thud when the throttle was shut off.” Photo and Quote from
GEORGE BENSON – THE RACING YEARS – A Memoir of the Life and
Times of a Racer 1952-1987, by George Benson. |
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#923 - Our friend Jeffrey Hardifer,
majordomo of the cool
www.WallyCampbell.com site, sent along this photo from
Yellow Jacket Speedway in Philadelphia from 1949. That would
be Tommy Coates in the #91 coupe roughing up Roscoe “Pappy”
Hough in heavy traffic, while Pepper Cunningham wisely looks
to a higher groove. Take a close look at Coates and Hough,
both of whom are working their neck muscles seriously. Head
rests weren’t in fashion yet, let alone HANS Devices.
(Garden State Vintage Stock Car Club Collection, Boyd
Harnell Photo) |
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#922 - 100 years ago last May, the
facilities at Indianapolis sure were less tony than they are
now. Shown here are two Peugeot teammates, Paulo Zuccarelli
and Jules Goux (R), washing up after a practice session.
Things seemed a tad less regulated, too. During the
six-hour, sun-soaked event, Goux made six pit stops, each
time taking on a bit of “bubbly.” The matter-of-fact
Frenchman pointed out that “without the good wine, I could
not have won.” From
AUTOCOURSE – OFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE INDIANAPOLIS 500,
by Donald Davidson and Rich Schaffer. (IMS Collection) |
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#921 - Here’s Benny Parsons on the hook
following a lap 13 crash with Johnny Barnes at the late 1973
season American 500 at Rockingham. The #72 Chevy was toasted
– even the right side bars were ripped out. And Benny was
bummed since he had been leading in points. But the day was
not over. A wave of crew guys from a bunch of teams jumped
on the case and began welding and installing a new rear end.
They were able to get Benny back out there for 300 more
laps, and he was able to stave off Cale Yarborough for the
title. From
ROCKINGHAM SPEEDWAY, by Rick
Houston and Bryan Hallman. (Tex Powell Collection) |
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#920 - “Race Pro Weekly” photographer
extraordinaire, Dave Dalesandro, captures the moment at the
World Finals at Charlotte. (Should they go ahead and put
dirt on the track across the street to attract this kind of
crowd?) |
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#919 - That’s why
they call him “the Edge.” In his 32 years behind the wheel
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania’s Brian Montieth has won over 500
quarter-midget events, 47 in the 410s, and the Lincoln
Speedway Championship 2008-2011. Photo from 2014
EASTERN SPRINT CAR CALENDAR by Rife’s Racing
Collectibles |
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#918 -
WICKED FAST, Bones Bourcier’s incredible new book
on the incredible Bentley Warren, has come in! We are
thrilled. It would be a serious understatement to say that a
wide range of subject matter is covered. Here’s travelin’
man Bentley checking out a native herd in the Black Hills of
South Dakota. (Photo by Lisa Zatalava) |
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#917 - If you have seen Ron Howard’s
current and fabulous movie RUSH about the legendary
1976 Formula 1 Championship battle between Niki Lauda and
James Hunt, this photograph of Hunt entertaining a
Penthouse Pet at Watkins Glen will bring you a knowing
smile. It you have not seen the movie, you absolutely must.
(You should get the book, too! ) From
HUNT vs. LAUDA –The Epic 1976 Formula 1 Season,
by Paul Fearnley. (L.A.T. Photographic Archive) |
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#916 - Our book dealer in Florida,
Harold Frederick, went up to the vintage celebration at the
old Middle Georgia Motor Speedway in Bryon last August 31
and snapped this photo. Some cars just seem to have an ill
wind blowing about them, and this is certainly one of them.
It is the supercharged Hemi dragster that Richard Petty
raced in the mid-sixties during a brief hiatus from NASCAR.
On February 28 of 1965, he flashed down the Southeastern
Dragway in Dallas, GA, lost a wheel, and the car plunged
into the crowd. An eight-year-old boy was killed and seven
others injured. Harold reports that after many years sitting
in some woods, the car was recovered and restored. (Harold
Frederick Photo) |
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#915 - In 1957, after the USAC race at
Phoenix, a gaggle of roadster drivers headed off to Monza,
Italy, to take on some of the top Formula 1 drivers. In
practice at over 175 mph on the ultra-steep banks, Jimmy
Bryan had the money in his racing suit pocket sucked out by
the wind. Here he was, scrambling around to retrieve it. He
did miss a few bucks, but on race day it seemed less of an
issue. He and his Dean Van Lines team swept the show to the
tune of $34,000. Few of the Europeans could believe his
speed and bravery, especially when they watched him smoke
three cigars during the 500-mile run. From
MY HERO, MY FRIEND, JIMMY BRYAN, by Len Gasper and
Phil Sampaio. (Photo by Publifoto) |
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#914 How cool is this? Check out racer Helen
Summersby. She was ready, suited-up high heels and all, for
the Women’s World Championship Auto Race held at the old
Ascot one-mile concrete in Florence, CA. The event was run
96 years ago next February. (Photo from Ken Spooner’s
collection. Ken is author of the neat Long Island racing
book,
LONG RIDE ON A SHORT TRACK). |
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#913 - On opening day, April 1969, three
very green rookie teams pitted next to each other at Lebanon
Valley (NY) Speedway. They were Corky Cookman, Denny Soltis,
and our motley little 181 coupe crew. Corky went on to
prominence in the NASCAR modifieds before perishing in a
crash at Thompson, CT. Likeable Denny became quite the star
on the dirt. He is shown here a decade later at Middletown,
NY. Remarkably, he is STILL at it in the big block modifieds
at Lebanon. He told us last summer, “To be honest, I am not
sure how we keep doing it. I have no money, no crew – I do
it all myself, including the motors. I had a bad
stuck-throttle crash a year back and hurt my neck. Now I
have to wedge it against the seat to keep it unmovable. I
guess the brains must have rattled out a long time ago!” (Jo
Towns Collection) |
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#912 - “After a 1984 racing accident
left his son a paraplegic, Ron Hughes Sr. rigged the family
midget with hand controls. Ron Jr.’s career included five
Texas Outlaw championships, three after the accident. Among
the estimated 100 feature wins was this 1989 night that
found the Hughes men in Belle-Clair’s Victory Lane.
Tragically, Ron Jr. was killed the following March in a
Devil’s Bowl wreck.” Photo and Quote from
DID YOU SEE THAT? – Unforgettable Moments in Midwest
Open-Wheel Racing, by Joyce Standridge. (Allen
Horcher Photo) |
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#911 - Clearly Juha Kankkunen set up his
Lancia for this turn during the 1987 Monte Carlo rally far
before he got there. All four wheels are driving straight as
he power-slides through. World Rally Champion though
Kankkunen may have been, those folks on the snow bank look
pretty daring. From COMPETITION DRIVING, by Alain
Prost and Pierre-Francois Rousselot. |
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#910 - With 91 Grand Prix wins and seven
world championships, you would have to conclude that Michael
Schumacher has incredible athletic prowess. But that does
not mean it reached to all sports, and, sadly, it did not
include soccer (or ”football”) that was his passion outside
of racing. In his words, “With football there is this
attraction that I’m not good at it. When I went on to the
pitch in a game, for instance, I was sometimes more nervous
than when I got into my Formula 1 car. I also had to
concentrate harder if I wanted to control the ball well than
when I was approaching a corner, even if I was going very
quickly. It’s funny: in Formula 1 I always had spare
capacity in my head. When I play football I think I hardly
have any freedom to look at what’s around me, take it in and
build a move well.” From
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER: The Edge of Greatness, by James
Allen (Photo by PA Photos) |
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#909 - Please listen up on this one. On
Saturday night last August 10, one of those random
situations went down that was completely out of the blue and
unspeakably horrible. Popular, mild-mannered, 69-year-old
Dave Buanno went down to Fonda Speedway to see some of his
old buddies. He has a bunch of them. Back in the seventies,
he was a journeyman modified runner there at “The Track of
Champions” with three feature wins. While chatting it up in
the pit area, a wheel and tire flew off a race car, over the
fences. David never saw it coming, and it hit him squarely
and ferociously. He was med-flighted to Albany Medical
Center and declared permanently paralyzed neck down. It has
been an awful ordeal. But David is a determined guy with a
strong family behind him. Doctors have been beyond amazed
that he has begun to get some movement in his shoulders and
right arm. There have been all the predictable insurance
battles, and David has now been transferred to a spinal
rehabilitation facility near Boston. Though the future is
unclear, he just keeps digging, his wife Linda at his side
fulltime. It’s a long way from home, and it can only help
for him to have some cheer from the outside. How about
taking ten minutes and dropping a real good guy a card:
David Buanno - Floor A-2 - VA Health Center - West
Roxbury, MA 02132
(Biittig Collection Photo) |
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#908 - Here is Eddie Flemke Sr.,
professorial leader of the East Coast modifieds, in likely
the throatiest car he ever drove. It was the beautiful
Connecticut-based Garuti coupe that made sweet music with
the speediest kit of the day. That lasted until 1970 when
aluminum big blocks were outlawed, and the car was retired.
(John Grady Photo) |
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#907 - Generally speaking, a sprint car
is a sprint car. But Texans have never seemed big on
conventions imposed on them from the outside. Case in point
would be Dallas aeronautical engineer Tom Johnson, who used
a CAD program to design his hot rod. Here he is at Knoxville
in 1985, dicing with Dave Blaney. By all reports the #22 was
pretty racy, if a tad temperamental. Just a few weeks
earlier – on June 21, Johnson had set fast time at Devil’s
Bowl in Mesquite, TX, in a show won by Sammy Swindell. It
was all soon to come a big end with a big crash, though,
allegedly ending Johnson’s fling behind the wheel. From
KNOXVILLE NATIONALS – the First 50 Years, with Eric
Arnold and Bob Wilson. (Max Dolder Photo) |
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#906 - Stormin’ Norman David had quite
the career in the 1980s and ‘90s in the late models at
Stockton 99 (CA) Speedway. As you can see, he was pretty
attached to that stogie. One night, though, he was hit so
hard by Ron Strmiska Sr. that it took off. Some years
earlier back East, the late NASCAR champ Rene Charland had
also been competing with a cigar when he flipped at Fonda
(NY) Speedway. Fellow competitor Bill Wimble ran over to the
wreck and found that Rene wasn’t breathing. Rene’s cigar
went the other way and was lodged deep in his throat. Wimble
swears even today that, when he removed it, Rene
intentionally bit his fingers. (Photo from
STOCKTON 99 SPEEDWAY, by Bill Poindexter, Mike
Shafer Collection) |
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#905 - The great modified champion Bugsy
Stevens came to the Coastal 181 display for some book
signing at the World Series at Thompson (CT) Speedway last
Sunday. Bugsy was widely known for his passion as a
competitor and his Olympian command behind the wheel. Some
things never change. Here a young lady has come over for an
autograph. Note the attentiveness and firm grip Bugsy gives
to anything he signs. (Kim Phelan/Charlie White Photo) |
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#904 - Ken “Posies” Fenical is in
Hummelstown, PA, and, in his words, “I strive for individual
cars that are statement-makers”. Sure seems he got ‘er done
with this 1937 Studebaker, now dubbed “Extremeliner.” Photo
and Quote from
ART OF THE HOT ROD, by Ken Gross. (Photo by
Peter Harholdt) |
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#903 - The World Series of Racing at
Thompson (CT) Speedway ran off last weekend to huge crowds,
overflowing pits, and a warming autumn sun. There was quite
a bit of buzz about the speeds the top divisions –
especially the ISMA Supers and the NEMA Midgets – were
attaining. Has anyone ever toured the banked 5/8 mile
asphalt as fast as Chris Perley did in the Vic Miller #11
while practicing on Saturday? Chris says “The car felt
really comfortable. It wasn’t moving around at all. I did a
couple of 16.2s pretty easily and then backed down to 16.4s
to save the tires. You know, I think if we had actually time
trialed, we could have been in the 15s.” Wow. (Dick
Berggren/North East Motor Sports Museum Photo) |
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#902 - You can always tell it’s Juan
Manuel Fangio, wherever, whenever the image was taken. Here
he is shown at the ultra-fast Pescara (Italy) Grand Prix in
1957 in his Maserati 250F. There was something about the way
the Argentine sat so seamlessly with a race car, upright,
head slightly cocked, implying extreme calm and confidence.
No question he was one of the greatest Formula One
competitors ever. In the 1950s, he won the World
Championship of Drivers five times. From
THE GOLDEN AGE: Images from the Klemantaski Collection
(Edward Eves Photo) |
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#901 - This was Pacific Northwest great Art
Pollard giving Ken Glass’ Martinizing Special a serious
work-out on the pavement of Meridian Speedway, Boise, Idaho.
The team was red hot. In 1961 they won 22 of the 28 shows
they entered. But by 1963, when this shot was taken,
Pollard’s mind was focused on another adventure. By 1965 he
was at Indy. From
EARLY SUPERMODIFIEDS, Vol. IV, by Gerald Hodges
(Clyde Sullivan Collection) |
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Here’s a submission by Denny Zimmerman, a
founding member of the infamous Eastern Bandits modified
team and an Indy 500 Rookie of the Year. He writes about his
buddy Rene Charland, pictured above at his favorite track,
Fonda, NY.
Rene's gone, a sad day for sure. Let
me just say it was a privilege and an honor to call Rene a
friend. During the "Bandit Days" we raced together, traveled
together, helped each other when one of us crashed and
cheered when one of us won, and of course Rene was always
the prankster. We made a lot of friends and we made some
money too.
Because I was there and, while I still
remember, let me tell you a Rene story. In the early ‘60s
(The Eastern Bandit Days) NASCAR had a contest. The person
that sold and was responsible for signing up the most new
(NASCAR) members would win the next year’s Daytona 500 Pace
Car. Rene sez, "I'm gonna win the Pace Car," and he did.
Remember we were racing four and five nights a week. Every
night (or afternoon) during the intermission before the
feature Rene would go up into the grandstands and sell new
NASCAR memberships to the fans or anyone else he could talk
into it. He sold a bunch of them and won that Pace Car. But
that's not the end of the story..........
Daytona 500
was in February, and now it was April and our racing reason
was beginning. Rene has the "Daytona 500 Pace Car" and he
starts making a "Deal" with all of the promoters at the race
tracks that we were running. Remember, it was four and five
nights a week. Rene would "loan" the Pace Car to the track
for the night (for a small fee). That year he may have made
as much money from the Pace Car as he did racing.
Rene was a Racer, a Showman, a Promoter and a friend, he
will be missed...O yeah, a prankster too.
Denny Z.
(Photo by Frank “the Guy With the Hat” Simek) |
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#899 - In their gorgeous and
comprehensive new volume
AUTOCOURSE OFFICIAL ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE INDIANAPOLIS
500 - Second Edition, authors Donald Davidson and
Rick Shaffer have this to say about the 2013 victor: “Few
could remember a winner more popular than Kanaan from the
point of view not only of the fans, but also the
participants. When the Victory Circle celebration was
completed and efforts were made to conduct the lap of honor
in the pace car, there was a holdup of many minutes as the
south end of the pits was blocked by several hundred
well-wishers. Team member after team member came up to the
vehicle to greet the new champion, including three
generations of the Andretti family. Extremely moving was
when the still-uniformed Ryan Hunter-Reay, who had come so
close – leading as late as lap 197 only to end up third –
worked his way through the crowd and went up to warmly hug
the man who had just beaten him.” (Indianapolis Motor
Speedway Photo) |
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#898 - Three hundred and seventeen
drivers of all shapes and sizes suited up last weekend for
Lee (NH) USA Speedway’s 26th annual Oktoberfest. They came
from all regions too – Modified ace Andy Seuss came up from
Charlotte and Evergreen Speedway’s Race Director Chris
Cunningham flew out from Monroe, WA, to wheel Karl
Fredrickson’s Speedway Illustrated entry. None, however, was
cooler than Rusty Caswell from nearby Tyngsboro, MA. The
smiling, unflappable Rusty had never driven anything other
than some mild drag cars and the occasional kart before
jumping into a supermodified for the show. He won his
qualifying race. Not bad, especially given that he’s 70.
(Falconi Brothers Racing Photo) |
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#897 - One of the most cherished members
of the Northeastern racing community and the NEAR Hall of
Fame is 94-year-old Marty Harty (right). He is sharp as a
tack, a brilliant story teller, and builder of some of the
best old-time stock cars in the region. He is shown here at
New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s Vintage Celebration in July
with his buddy Howard Towne. They are restoring that coupe,
which won widely. When Marty wandered into the garage area
at NHMS, he bumped into Parnelli Jones, who was there trying
out a modified built by Jimmy Dilamarter, his former crew
chief and current business manager. Marty looked Parnelli up
and down and said, “You don’t look all that dangerous to
me.” (Photo by Karl Fredrickson, Speedway Illustrated
Magazine) |
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#896 - Here are David Morse (#77) and
Peter Shepard hauling it into the turn at Borderline
Speedway from very different angles of attack. The photo may
look trick, but it isn’t. Borderline is in Mount Gambier,
Australia, and they run the “Super Rods” clockwise. From
50 YEARS OF BORDELINE IN PICTURES. (Courtesy Andrew
Cameron, Editor) |
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#895 - The photography in Joyce
Standridge’s new book, DID YOU SEE THAT?,
really is incredible. How about this David Hill shot,
snapped right in front of the National Sprint Car Hall of
Fame Museum, at Knoxville. That’s Kim Mock in the #1k riding
up over Mark Dobmeier’s right rear and into the
stratosphere. One great big tumble followed. From
DID YOU SEE THAT?: Unforgettable Moments in
Midwest Open-Wheel Racing, by Joyce Standridge.
(David Hill Photo) |
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#894 - We will soon be carrying a
beautiful Ken Gross book called the ART OF THE HOT ROD.
A chapter is devoted to our buddy, Jim Lowrey, who with his
dad, runs Lowrey Restorations in Tilton, New Hampshire. They
turn out beyond masterful restorations of classic Cadillacs
and Packards, but are known especially for their hot rods,
often flathead-powered. Jim is a fastidious guy with a
laid-back – almost placid – karma, but you should see him in
a supermodified, a dirt modified, or a sprinter. He has won
in all three. From ART OF THE HOT ROD, by Ken Gross
(Peter Harholt Photo) |
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#893 - When our buddy Lenny West
moved to Arkansas, he did the right thing. He reenergized a
struggling race track, North Central Arkansas Speedway in
Yellville. Lonnie Judd, shown here in his USRA A-Mod, has
towed down on Fridays from Caulfield, Missouri. “Folks
really like it. They are good people. That race was for
breast cancer awareness, and everyone had a good time.” Look
at that photo. No question Lonnie did. (Photo by Donna
Gellenbeck,
speedshots@hotmail.com ) |
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AAAAA#892 - Sometimes, when you put two
words together, they become glorious. Case in point – “open
competition”. Here’s Phil Bozell flashing under the checkers
at Kalamazoo Speedway on September 14th, beating his dad,
Andy, for the “CALL OF THE WILD” win. And did he ever have
his super late model amped up. Photo by Nelson Leonard,
www.nclphotography.com. |
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#891 - At the very end of the Talladega
race in spring 1993, Rusty Wallace tangled with Dale
Earnhardt and went for an end-for-end flyover, flipping
about ten times. The wreck resulted in both injury – and
safety. Wallace was the one who was hurt, with a badly
busted wrist. Penske South majordomo, Don Miller, however,
leveraged the experience in a most beneficial way. First,
noticing that the welds had held but the tubing cracked, he
subsequently insisted that all material be bought from an
OEM supplier and made to order, such that car builders would
know what they were actually getting, vs. a “hodgepodge”
from different vendors. Second, having taken in the
frightening airborne nature of the crash, Miller sat down
with Bill France Jr, suggesting that there had to be a way
to keep the cars closer to the ground in such incidents. The
upshot of Don’s effort became the roof flap. From
MILLER’S TIME: A Lifetime at Speed, by Don Miller
with Jim Donnelly. (Photo Don Miller Collection) |
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#890 - "Briggs Cunningham (No.53) turns
into the corner while leading the 1953 Watkins Glen Grand
Prix. Behind him, the Allard of Fred Wacker has, moments
before this picture was taken, brushed the crowd on his
approach to the corner. The accident resulted in a spectator
fatality. The race was halted immediately; racing through
the village of Watkins Glen had ended forever.” Photo and
caption from
WATKINS GLEN INERNATIONAL, by Michael Argetsinger
and Bill Green. (Photo by Tom Root, Courtesy of
International Motor Racing Research Institute - IMRRC) |
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#889 - That’s Colquitt County
High-Schooler Tristan Sealy, time-trialing at a recent
National 100 at East Alabama Motor Speedway. Tristan, only
15 at the time, comes from a serious racing family from
Moultrie, GA. As you can see, he’s already experiencing
racing’s unexpected situations. (Troy Bregy Photo) |
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#888 - So many of those who were
fortunate enough to see him drive contend that the Italian
"Marvel of Mantua," Tazio Nuvolari, was the best racer ever.
In his 1972 volume, "BOOK OF AUTOMOBILES," Ken
Purdy wrote, "Nuvolari's small structure probably explained
everything about him - his terrifying competitive instinct,
even his marvelously unorthodox style. When Nuvolari was at
his peak, the cars were brutes, the most dangerous they had
ever been and, compared with today's cars, very hard to
handle. 'I found out early," Nuvolari said, 'that I didn't
have enough strength to horse them around the curves like
the other drivers. So I worked out my own methods. I let the
car go, I let it slide. I found I knew where it was,
always.' He swore he knew to a pound the weight on each of a
car's four wheels, running straight or sliding." Nuvolari
died in 1953 of tuberculosis. That evil illness also took
his two sons. From "RACING CARS, RACING CARS" by
Richard Hough. (Louis Klemantaski Photo) |
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#887 - Someone most certainly had been
chewing on some mushrooms before building this remarkable
Food City chassis. That’s “John Boy” Isley at the helm
during pre-race entertainment at Bristol in August of 1997.
As you could guess by a peek at his passenger, Billy James,
who was gripping any nearby object, John Boy was on the
hammer big time, waving people out of the way. He was pretty
gutsy, considering the center of gravity, the roll cage, and
the seatbelts... From
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY, by David M. McGee and Sonya
A. Haskins. (David McGee Photo) |
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#886 - Here’s Page Jones after snatching
a midget win in Bakersfield, CA, in the spring of 1994. He
was red hot, but his career was cut short by a savage sprint
car crash at Eldora on September 25th of that year. Just how
good was Page in the cockpit? After watching him blow them
off in the high groove at Sun Prairie (WI) one night, Tony
Stewart said, “Man, I just hope one day I’ll be able to run
the cushion like Page Jones.” From
As a Matter of Fact I AM Parnelli Jones, by
Parnelli Jones with Bones Bourcier. (Parnelli Jones
Collection) |
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#885 - Launched in 1950, the great
American Indian racer Joie Chitwood’s thrill show had an
amazing 50 - year run. In the background, Chitwood was
himself unendingly focused on safety. He was the first
driver in the Indy 500 to wear a seat belt, and he and his
sons went on to contribute to all kinds of safety
improvements for the nation’s highways. Like his own racing
back in the day, however, the auto daredevil business was
not for the faint of heart. Here are some of his original
performers, L-R: Jim Wardlow, Snooks Wentzel, Ricky Fisher,
and Dick Coob. Wentzel, who was trained personally by
Chitwood, died horribly at the Pines Speedway in Groveland,
MA, on July 1, 1952. He performed three consecutive
rollovers over a ramp in front of a packed grandstand. The
fourth time the car exploded in flames, landing on the
driver’s side. Wentzel never came out. On October 5, 2013
the huge annual Pines Reunion will be held at the original
site of the track, attended by thousands of fans and an
enormous lineup of old race cars. Who might remember that
grizzly night some 61 years ago? From SAFE AT ANY SPEED
– The Great Double Career of Joie Chitwood, by
Jim Russell and Ed Watson . (Moss Photo ) |
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#884 - We really are psyched about our
brand new Joyce Standridge/Coastal 181 title,
DID YOU SEE THAT? Unforgettable Moments in Midwest
Open-Wheel Racing. Based on extraordinary images
from the last few decades, the book includes sprinters,
Silver Crown, and midgets. Here’s Jimmy Davies in a
compromised traffic situation at the quarter-mile in
Jacksonville, Illinois. As you can see, sometimes the track
has mega-bite. But sometimes, the dust is rolling. Joyce
calls the surface “so Sybil.” (B&B Racing Promotions Photo) |
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#883 - That’s Keith Shampine, super
driver, kart racer, motorsports media professional, and
nephew of the late, great Jim Shampine. Keith lives in
Cornelius, SC, but most weekends wends his way back up North
to the shores of Lake Ontario and the infamous “Steel
Palace,” Oswego Speedway. It’s fully understandable. In
Keith’s words, “There’s nowhere quite like Oswego. I
appreciate it every time I hit the track, especially in a
big block supermodified, the ultimate oval-track race car.”
(Bill Taylor Photo) |
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#882 - “In the 1950’s, physical
appearance was still of the utmost importance at beauty
contests. Included in the judges’ information package was
this diagram explaining how to determine which contestants
had the ‘form divine’ considered necessary to represent
Darlington Raceway at the state and national levels. It
apparently worked, as the first Miss Southern 500, Martha
Dean Chestnut, went on to win the title of Miss South
Carolina.” Image and caption from
DARLINGTON RACEWAY: Too Tough to Tame by Cathy
Elliott. (Courtesy of Cathy Cross Kirby) |
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#882 - A bit of last-minute pageantry
before the din. For the 43rd time, top-shelf East Coast mods
lined up for the annual BPG Freedom 76 at Grandview Speedway
in Bechtelsville, PA. The race was called by Ernie Saxton,
his final night in the announcer's booth after an astounding
45 seasons. Much of Ernie's attention was on gasser Jeff
Strunk who started fourth in the 33 car field. The nine-time
track champ motored on to his fifth Freedom 76 victory.
(Dave Dalesandro/RACEPRO Weekly Photo) |
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#881 - As we approach 900 consecutive
Photos of the Day, we have probably run more of Karl
Fredrickson, honcho of Speedway Illustrated
magazine, than anyone else. That may be humiliating for
Karl, but he deserves it. A week or so ago, he took off for
the races at Bethel, NY, with his modified and his comely
wife Christine. The neat little track there is right near
the infamous field where the Woodstock music festival took
place some 44 years ago. On Sunday morning, unable to
contain himself, Karl found the spot where the stage had
been constructed and rendered a wide open, unmuffled version
of Jimi Hendrix ‘s “Little Red Rooster.” We worry so about
him. (Christine Worthington Photo) |
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#880 - Last Saturday night at Fonda (NY)
Speedway there was a huge and hugely emotional event
celebrating Dave Lape’s final night. He had raced there at
the “Track of Champions” every Saturday for 50 years and won
99 main events along the way. The air was filled equally
with joy for David’s incredible long-term success and with
sadness for the thought that the night signified the end of
an era. Dave’s wife Jackie is shown here presenting the
Coastal 181 Cup to the feature winner Matt DeLorenzo.
Curiously, Matty D had also won the other Coastal 181 Cup
given out at Fonda, that one on an evening honoring the late
Lou Lazzaro, one of David’s best friends. We were quite
clear with Matty that next time he wins, he will owe Coastal
181 a commission. (Harry Cella Photograph) |
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#879 - Surely there have been some great
American families fully involved in midget racing, but
surely on their podium would be the New England Stoehrs, in
action for four decades. Our friend John DaDalt was out at
Oswego, New York, over the weekend for the midgets and
supers. Here's what he says: "Yet another Stoehr on the
scene. Greg Stoehr and daughter Bethany talk things over
before the NEMA feature. Bethany won her heat, after losing
the power steering on the 2nd lap, no less, with her Dad
2nd. She then went out and led the first 18 laps of the
feature before Seth Carlson got by for the win. Bethany hung
on to 2nd, with Greg 3rd." Photo and Caption, John DaDalt |
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#878 - Just when was it,
really, that the Rat Rod movement started? Check this out
from Salinas, CA, in 1934. From THE RESTLESS DECADE :
John Gutmann's Photographs of the Thirties (John
Gutmann Photo) |
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#877 - Niki Lauda (L) and James Hunt,
close buddies though they were, engaged in a truly stunning,
internationally publicized battle for the 1976 Formula 1
Championship. Hunt, the Englishman, was all over the news
for his tirelessly provocative life style, while the shy and
calculating Austrian suffered a fiery near-death accident
during the season and, incredibly, returned for the final
two events. In the end, Hunt’s third-place finish at Mt.
Fuji secured the title. From
HUNT vs. LAUDA: The Epic
1976 Formula 1 Season, by Paul Fearnley. (L.A.T.
Photographic Archive) |
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#876 - A historic drag-racing event was
held at the Fitchburg, MA, Airport last weekend, packed to
the gills with thousands of spectators under a glorious
autumn sky. It was also packed with some very cool and
unusual cars. Certainly among them was an Allard towed in by
Rocky Hill, Connecticut’s Gerald Lettieri. Outfitted with a
Ford flathead with an Ardun overhead valve conversion, the
car has an incredible resume. It was first raced at
Silverstone in England in 1949 and was subsequently brought
to New York City by Zora Arkus-Duntov. In the fifties it won
widely – Thompson, CT; Mt. Equinox, VT; Vero Beach, FL;
Burke Mt, VT; and Bridgehampton, NY. (Coastal 181 Photo) |
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#875 - 1984 was a high time for NASCAR
modified racing. That fall, two of the best turned out to be
as equal as you can get at Martinsville. Charlie Jarzombek
(L) and Tony Hirschman both qualified at 96.435 mph but the
Miller Pole Cup went to Tony as he was the first one to run.
Charlie was fatally injured at the track on the first day of
spring, three years later. From FROM DUST TO GLORY,
by Morris Stephenson |
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#874 - Ryan Newman was one fast pavement
open-wheeler back in his USAC days. One day at Winchester,
however, he spun down the backstretch with a flat right
rear, got into the infield, and did a little farming. It
ended up being a hard hit, but his Drinan midget held up
fine. All was well. From
DID YOU SEE THAT? Unforgettable Moments in Midwest
Open-Wheel Racing, by Joyce Standridge.
(Horcher Brothers Photo) |
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#873 - This is one of many extraordinary
photographs in David Bull Publishing’s brand new book,
McLAREN FROM THE INSIDE. Here’s a pensive Bruce McLaren
at a 1969 testing session for his new M8B Can-Am at the
Goodwood Motor Circuit in England. He tested well. He won
all 11 Can-Am shows that year, winning the driving
championship ahead of Dennis Hulme. From
McLAREN FROM
THE INSIDE – Photographs by Tyler Alexander |
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#872 We’ve got lots of cool new titles in for our
upcoming Christmas catalogue. Two of them,
THE MILWAUKEE MODIFIED ERA 1959-1973, by Father
Dale Grubba, and SPORTSMAN PARK SPEEDWAY, by Ron
Pollock, cover modified racing in the 1950s and ’60s It is
curious that around Milwaukee so many drivers had nicknames:
Miles “the Mouse” Melius, Kenny “Tweety Bird” Tlougan, Billy
“the Cat” Johnson, Fuzzy “the Hound” Fassbender, and Don
“the Duck” Schuppel. Meanwhile, a bit to the east at
Sportsman Park in Bedford, Ohio, the nicknames went to the
cars. Among them were “the Rut Hopper,” “the Hoppin’ Hare,”
the Flyin’ Saucer,” “the Catt’s Eye,” “Track Tramp,” and
“Bambi.” Even on a rough night there seemed to be a
background joy about the whole business of racing. The
oval-track community sure could use a shot of it today. From
SPORTSMAN PARK SPEEDWAY, by Ron Pollock. (Don
Eggett Collection) |
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#871 - Yet again the belle of the
bullring. A former upstate New York stock car champion and
current sprint car standout did something a little different
last weekend. Jessica Zemken became the first woman in
history to qualify for the International Budweiser Classic
at Oswego. She buzzed the 5/8 mile asphalt of the “Steel
Palace” in 16.590 seconds, 135.624 mph. In the 200-lapper,
says Dave Dalesandro, RACEPRO WEEKLY photographer, JZ “ran
very solid in the top ten before brushing the wall, avoiding
a spinning car. Damage to the front suspension took her out
of the event.” (Dave Dalesandro Photo) |
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#870 - There is little question that
Mike Joy has become one of auto racing’s greatest TV
personalities ever, whether calling races or conveying the
virtues of classics at Barrett-Jackson. He always seems
consummately prepared, leaning heavily on his knowledge
rather than a teleprompter. And over the seasons, on his off
days, he has leaned heavily on the go-pedal. He has won
many, many SCCA races. You should have seen him blasting
around Lime Rock Park’s road course last Saturday in a pack
of authentic and thunderous old time TRANS-AM cars. (Dick
Berggren Photo) |
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#869 - That Steve McQueen really was a
racer. He had done some off-road racing in the Baja 1000,
and he heard that they were trying it on a smaller closed
course inside Ascot Park in Gardena, CA, in 1969. He went
over to give it a shot in a Chevy-powered Jeepster. “It was
all much faster than I figured, but I did well enough to
want more. In fact, I began competing at Ascot on a regular
basis that summer.” As you can see, he won, too.
Interestingly, Mickey Thompson would further weave the
thread started at Ascot, turning “stadium” racing into a big
deal. From
McQUEEN’S MACHINES: The Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood Icon,
by Matt Stone. (Motor Trend Archive Photo) |
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#868 - One of the cars Briggs Cunningham
took to Europe in 1959 for his first visit to Le Mans was
this unlikely, near-stock Caddy coupe. Cunningham enlisted
his buddies Miles and Sam Collier to drive it, and they
responded with style. Attired in business suits, ties and
all, they muscled it to a tenth-place finish. From
AMERICANS AT LE MANS, by Albert R. Bochroch. |
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#867 - There’s racing in his blood.
Londoner Sir Stirling Moss’ dad was actually himself a
racer, 16th in the 1924 Indy 500. And, when it came time for
the 19-year-old Stirling to get off horseback and into cars,
success followed immediately. He raced 529 events from 1948
to 1962, winning an astounding 40% of them. He was tough as
nails, almost taunting racing’s danger. At Belgium’s Spa in
1969, he backed it into a wall and was thrown out of the
car. He broke three ribs, three vertebrae, two legs, an
ankle, and his nose and was told he would be in a plaster
body cast for six months. Five weeks later he broke the
track record at Silverstone in England. From
Formula One at Watkins Glen: 20 Years of the United States
Grand Prix 1961-1980, by Michael Argetsinger. (Alix
La Fontant Collection) |
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#866 - Davey Sammons is son of Lenny
Sammons, respected honcho of "Area Auto Racing News." Davey
was running high wide and handsome, leading the heat race in
the Jersey Rush at the New Egypt Speedway. He even looked
good tri-cycling, when his right front left for the infield.
But it didn't last too long before he flipped. Repairs were
made and an undaunted Davey brought her home for eighth in
the feature. (Frank Simek Photo) |
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#865 - It was the
spring of the year in 1969 but the unsettled autumn of a
career. Here the Empire State Legend Pete Corey shakes down
his mustang modified at Albany-Saratoga during its pavement
phase. Close to his home though it was, Corey never liked
that track. He spent the first half of the season running
the car up north at Plattsburgh. Then that Siren-like call
of the dirt at Fonda grabbed him again. Corey had lost a leg
at the tricky Fonda oval, but he had also won there 49
times, and that year it was a juicy $1000 to win. It wasn’t
to work out. Corey destroyed the car. (John Grady Photo) |
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#864 - In a recent Photo of the Day
(#846) we showed Californian Joe Leonard motoring handsomely
to victory in USAC’s 1971 Ontario 500 aboard the Samsonite
rear-engine PJ Colt Ford. The number of wheels under him and
the location of the race track apparently made little
difference. In this shot he was hamming it up just a bit
coming across the finish line at AMA’s Laconia (New
Hampshire) National on a Harley. He won that show in 1954,
1956, and 1957. (Robert Coy Collection/New England Motor
Sports Museum) |
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#863 - A frightening incident shocked a
springtime crowd (at Old Bridge, NJ, Stadium) on May 16, the
fourth Sunday afternoon of 1954. Jamesburg’s John Peroni was
charging out of turn two and his #14 Sportsman suddenly lit
up in a blaze. Peroni unbuckled, himself afire, and leapt
out onto the backstretch. Track workers smothered the
flamers as he rolled on the ground. Meanwhile, his car
continued to motor on, now engulfed, circling scarily around
the infield until it stopped and burned to a crisp. Peroni
suffered terrible burns to his neck and hands. Years later
he told Area Auto Racing News journalist Earl Kraus, “I was
a young guy with a family. I said to myself, ‘Okay. I see a
message here. It’s time to quit.’ He later became police
chief of Helmetta, NJ. Photo and Caption from
PAVED TRACK DIRT TRACK – Racing at Old Bridge Stadium and
Nazareth Raceway, by Lew Boyd. (Danny Rhein
Collection) |
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#862 - Back in the early seventies,
Buzzie Reutimann was at the top of his game. Here he is
following a win with his big block coupe on Syracuse, New
York’s infamous “Moody Mile.” Now he’s in his early
seventies and still perched at the top of his game. Last
Saturday night, Buzzie swept the 50-Lap Larry Miller
Memorial for Open Wheel Modifieds at East Bay Speedway, just
outside of Tampa, FL. (New England Motor Sports Museum/Dick
Berggren Photo) |
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#861 - Since 1995 on the third Sunday of
August, the Woodward Dream Cruise has been held in Detroit,
surviving even the horrible current economic downturn. It
draws upon a cruising tradition along Woodward Avenue,
dating back to the hot-rod and muscle-car eras. It is
estimated these days that the event draws a staggering
40,000 rolling collector cars, viewed by one million
spectators, perched along the sidewalks. From
WOODWARD AVENUE: Cruising the Legendary Strip, by
Robert Genat. (Robert Genat Collection) |
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#860 - Here’s Bobby Turner, one of
Maine’s finest racers ever, a month or so ago. He has won
widely across the Northeast since bomber days back in the
sixties and has produced many a modified, all beautifully
conceived and constructed. The pace has slowed in Waterboro,
ME, over the last couple of weeks, however. Two Saturdays
ago, Bobby ran one of his cars in the STAR vintage event at
Star (NH) Speedway, and, while he and wife Anne loaded up,
she slipped and broke a foot in three places. She patiently
joined Bobby at the STAR show at Hudson Speedway a week ago
Sunday, and Bobby crashed – worst ever in his career. He
spent a couple of days in the hospital and was diagnosed
with a concussion, internal bleeding, a broken sternum, and
fractured vertebra. That body cast will definitely keep him
out of the garage for a while. (North East Motor Sports
Museum/Dick Berggren Photo) |
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#859 - Back in the day, Bowman Gray
Stadium held a New Year’s Day race each year called the
“Tobacco Bowl.” It was mostly a match-up of the best
sportsman-modified cars in the Southeast. Often, however,
the field was spiced with a few Northerners such as Red
Foote, Denny Zimmerman, Rene Charland, and Eddie Flemke.
Rene might not have been the best publicity guy for the
group, known as “the Eastern Bandits.” One day in that pit
sign-in line in Winston-Salem, Charland announced in a loud
voice, “Hey, Eddie. I just can’t understand that General
Grant. How come it took him the whole Union army to beat up
these Southerners, while now it only takes you and me?” The
comment carried a real sting when Flemke won the show on
January 1, 1962. (From
BOWMAN GRAY STADIUM, by
Richard Miller. (Bowman Gray Racing Archives) |
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#858 - Sometimes
conservative wins. And that was how Carroll Shelby (#98)
beat an “on-the-gas” Walt Hansgen in the first National
Sports Car Championship at Riverside, CA, in November 1957.
Hansgen, a four-time SCCA road racing champ, was on his way
to Formula One racing in 1961. He died testing in the rain
in a 7-liter Holman Moody Ford GT car. The story goes that
he took an escape road only to discover – too late – that a
fence had been built across it to protect onlookers. From
RIVERSIDE RACEWAY: Palace of Speed, by Dick Wallen.
(Ken Parker Photo) |
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#857 - Think racing was all glitz and glamour in the
good old days? Pictured in 1970 are Nina (Mrs. Jochen)
Rindt, Sally (Mrs. Piers) Courage, Patty (Mrs. Bruce)
McLaren , Betty (Mrs. Graham) Hill, and Helen (Mrs. Jackie)
Stewart. By season's end, the first three were widows.
(Photo and caption: Bones Bourcier Collection) |
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WD-#856 - On Tuesday, August 6,
Brett Deyo and the Accord (NY) Speedway management held a
“Battle of the Bullring” modified race that must have woken
up every Rip van Winkle in those Catskill Mountains. The
weather was perfect, the stands overflowing, and the pits
full. And to get a view of the intensity of the competition,
check out Sportsman standout Anthony Perrigo’s attitude
about the turns. He was in a New York Truck Parts Hig-Fab
big block for the night and he wound up tenth. (Jeremiah
Fish Photo) |
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#855 - What can you say about Kyle
Busch? Sure, that was a show yesterday at the Cup race at
Watkins Glen. But how about last Tuesday night up at
Autodrome Chaudiere on his way there? Busch took on the PASS
North SLM guys in a rousing Budweiser 150 with all that
infamous energy and passion he brings to Super Late Model
events. He won following a serious shootout with DJ Shaw
(#60) and Johnny Clark. A standing room only crowd stood for
a standing ovation. (Norm Marx Photo) |
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#854 - Good ol’ buddies Parnelli Jones and
Denny Zimmerman met up at the Coastal 181 garage stall at
last week’s Vintage Celebration at New Hampshire Motor
Speedway. They got to reminiscing about tales from the
Brickyard. It wasn’t easy for a New Englander like Denny
Zimmerman or Bentley Warren to make a lot of progress in
Indianapolis back in the early seventies. The place was
dominated by Hoosier drivers and those coming in from
California. We asked Denny what it was like. What he was
thinking on the his parade lap at Indy after a hurried climb
up the short-track ladder, in front of that huge crowd, side
by side with the most heralded drivers in the world, all
wrapped with that eerie sense of danger. Denny’s answer: “I
was trying to figure out how I was going to win the damn
race.” He finished eighth and was Rookie of the Year.
(Ken Paulsen Photo) |
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#853 - Here are two of the greatest of
the early East Coast “cut down” drivers. That’s the early
sixties at Hudson (NH) Speedway, just before the split
between the United Race Drivers Club and the startup New
England Super Modified Racing Association. Outside is Ollie
Silva, quite possibly the most noteworthy of all the NESMRA
competitors over the years. On the inside is the “Flying
School Teacher,” Mike Murphy, who quite possibly won more
features than anyone in the history of Hudson. Both died way
too young – Ollie, after being critically injured in a
racing accident, gradually faded away, while Mike was struck
down by cancer. (John Halloran Photo) |
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#852 Eldora Speedway. The calm before the storm.
(From
OLD SCHOOL – Volume 3, by Mike Arthur. (Mike Arthur
Photo) |
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#851 - Here’s an amazing shot of Culver
City’s 1.5-mile board track on April 1, 1925. Those were
motion picture back-lots off of turn three and four. Indy
winner Tommy Milton was star of the day. However, two years
later 23-year-old Frank “Wonder Boy” Lockhart blistered the
boards with a qualifying lap of 144mph. Incredibly, it would
be another 19 years before that speed was exceeded at
Indianapolis. From
HARD DRIVING MEN – Images of Speed 1865-1960, by
Dick Wallen. (Dick Wallen Collection) |
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#850 - Rest in peace, Kramer.
(Frank Simek Photo) |
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#849 - Every imaginable flavor of
oval-track car machine fired up this week during Vintage
Days at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. And here, dicing on
turn four, were the beauty and the beast. Down low was none
other than Indy winner and all-around champion Parnelli
Jones. He was wheeling a drop-dead spectacular asphalt
modified, built from near scratch, by Jimmy Dilamarter,
Parnelli’s former crew chief and long-time business
facilitator. Jimmy had never even seen an asphalt modified
before undertaking the project, and he towed the car all the
way out from Redondo Beach, California for the event.
Upstairs, in the painfully rudimentary, 35-year-old Coastal
181 coupe releasing clods of old clay, was Kenny VanWert,
popular upstate New York racer and racing proponent. (Karl
Fredrickson/Speedway Illustrated Photo) |
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#848 - So much has been written about
the transition from roadsters to rear-engine cars in Indy
Car racing here in the US. Arguably the same thing went on
in Europe, but a few years earlier. In this shot from the
Monaco Grand Prix on May 18, 1958, Luigi Musso muscles his
traditionally shaped Ferrari into a stone-surfaced turn. He
managed a second-place finish, but was significantly behind
Frenchman Maurice Trintignant in a Cooper. The writing was
on the wall. From
THE GOLDEN AGE – Images from the Klemantaski Collection
(Louis Klemantaski Photo) |
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#848 - Oswego (Illinois – near Chicago)
Dragway operated from 1955 to 1979 on an abandoned military
airfield. The track was unique, kind of like the backstretch
at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, TX. The surface was
the highest point, affording fans and photographers a neat,
low-angle view. Here starter Woody Woodrow officiates as
Norbert Locke’s twin flatheads take on an overhead. From
LOST DRAG STRIPS:Ghosts of Quarter-Miles Past by
Tommy Lee Byrd. (Norbert Locke Collection) |
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#847 - On June 14, 1964 versatile racer
Danny Ongais competed in Top Gas at Hot Rod magazine’s meet
at the Riverside, CA, drag strip. He busted an axle in an
early round and became a bipedal locomotive, pushing his car
the whole quarter-mile to qualify – one minute, 35 seconds,
at 3.50 mph. In the final, however, rear end revamped, he
whipped Bob Keith for the win at 8.77 seconds and 172.74
mph. From RIVERSIDE RACEWAY: Palace of Speed, by
Dick Wallen. (Private Collection Archives) |
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#846 - The Golden State has certainly
grown a healthy crop of top-ranked racers. San Diego native
Joe Leonard was taught by Paul Goldsmith to ride bikes so
well that he roared off to three AMA Grand National
Championships between 1954 and 1961. Then he climbed into
cockpits. Here he is on September 5, 1971, lapping USAC’s
field to win the Ontario 500. Leonard is also honored for
his dramatic rescue of an unconscious Mel Kenyon from a
burning Champ Car at Langhorne, surely saving Kenyon’s life.
From SEVENTIES CHAMPIONSHIP REVOLUTION: American’s
Racing Championships, by Dick Wallen. (Wallen/Torres
Photo) |
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#845 - When Sam Posey came to the
Brickyard in 1972, he was smart, wealthy, and had a tankful
of determination. He astounded the railbirds by qualifying
faster than any rookie ever had. Then in the 500, the day
after his 28th birthday, he backed it up with a strong fifth
place finish. Here he is – at the interface of fatigue and
exuberance. As history shows, he was one helluva race car
driver. From The Mudge Pond Express – An Autobiography,
by Sam Posey (Ellen Griesediecki Photo) |
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#844 - Karl Fredrickson, Publisher of Speedway
Illustrated, and his editorial staff sure produce one
great magazine. It is fully inventoried with all manner of
things racers can do to transform their cars and themselves
– all beautifully, cleverly, and often amusingly packaged in
its monthly wrapper. But Karl recently said of himself, “I
put the fun in demental,” and I think I believe him. (J.A.
Ackley Photo) |
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#843 - This seriously open-air image is
from former supermodified driver Ralph Monhay, out in
Spokane, Washington. He says it was his buddy Reg Kostash on
his way to a Canadian-American Modified Racing Association
event in 1967. Kostash, a popular racer and car builder, was
from Edmonton, British Columbia. “Can’t you tell,” quips
Monhay. “It still snowed there in May.” (Ralph Monhay
Collection, Courtesy of Gerald Hodges) |
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#842 - This photo and caption comes to
us from Connecticult’s well-traveled racing lensman, John
DaDalt. “It isn't hard to imagine the days of Foyt, Jones
and Hurtubise while standing in the infield of the Terre
Haute Action Track. It's a legendary race track with a long
history. The USAC Sprint Cars still make a couple of stops
each year at Terre Haute. Action is still alive and well at
the Action Track. That Robert Ballou, on bottom, is a hard
racer. Always pushing it to the limit, sometimes over.
Always worth keeping the camera on.” (John DaDalt Photo) |
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#841 - “San Francisco, 1936,” From
THE RESTLESS DECADE – John Gutmann’s Photographs of the
Thirties, Edited by Lew Thomas |
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#840 - It is so curious how in certain
regions of the country, certain seasons, racing became
especially popular and spirited. Certainly that was the case
with the fifties era jalopies in California and the
“skeeter” supermodifieds in the Southeast, the sixties era
Sportsman cars in New York and the Milwaukee Modifieds. Fr.
Dale Grubba has just put out an amazing book about those
Wisconsin mods,
THE MILWAUKEE MODIFIED ERA 1959-1973. An
exceptionally energetic history, it is full of photos and
info on racers like Fuzzy “Hound” Fassbender, Miles “Mouse”
Melius, and Donnie “Duck” Shuppel. Those names still
resonate nationwide among those who read National Speed
Sport News and the other racing periodicals of the day.
Their starter, double-sized Duane Sweeney, was sure part of
the action, too. From
THE MILWAUKEE MODIFIED ERA 1959-1973 by Fr. Dale
Grubba, Patrick Heaney Collection. |
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#839 - Old time Northeastern racer Oscar
“Cannonball” Ridlon turned down the Marion Milton Alfa
Romero ride for Indy in 1935 because he was making so much
money on the short tracks. He was a piece of work. His
Elto-powered midget was pretty loud, so loud, they say, that
with a following wind it could be heard 20 miles away. It
was also odoriferous. Oscar was quite the mixologist,
brewing up exotic fuels – and he loved to lay smoke screens
as he roared down the straightaway. He loved the ladies,
too. From
HOT CARS COOL DRIVERS by Lew Boyd, Caruso
Collection |
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#838 - Chris Economaki, shown here at
Watkins Glen in 1972, while having a war with Gillette,
interviews the winner, Jackie Stewart. The two were to
become friends and colleagues on ABC. Here’s what Economaki
said in his great book with Dave Argabright,
LET ‘EM ALL GO:
“We were strolling through
the pit area (at Ascot, CA) when A.J. Watson, the famed
championship builder and crew chief, spotted us and waved us
over. He was tending to a sprint car that night.
“
‘Hey Jackie’, he grinned, motioning to the cockpit, ‘my
driver has given up for the night and I have the seat open.
Why don’t you drive for me?’
“‘Forgot me helmet’, he
said in his perfect Scottish brogue.
“‘That’s all
right’, Watson needled. ‘We have a helmet for you.’
“‘Forgot me balls, too,’ said Jackie.”
Quote and
Photo from
LET ‘EM ALL GO by Chris Economaki with Dave
Argabright |
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#837 - There was an unanticipated
interruption in Dave Lape’s 50th-year tour. Here he is at
Dave Lape night on July 5 at Albany-Saratoga (NY) Speedway.
As you can see, he brought along one of his oldie but
goodies from the seventies. His spiffy new TEO got majorly
rearranged when a spindle broke the previous week at Fonda,
resulting in a spectacularly violent end-for-end. David sure
was moving slowly for a few days. The next stop on his tour
will be at Utica-Rome Speedway on Thursday night, August 22.
He’s not sure whether he will be racing again by then or
whether his doctor will insist he go with one of his
antiques. (Dave Dalesandro Photo) |
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#836 - It does seem that STP’s motion
lotion has been around forever. In actuality, it HAS a long
time. Reportedly its first use in an Indy car came in 1958
in the John Zink Special. We know for sure that the Company
was helping some midget teams by then. Here Earl Kouba, “the
Ol’ Hay Burner”, leads the pack off turn two at Englewood CO
Speedway that summer in an STP adorned Offy. From
NOVI – the Legendary Indianapolis Race Car, 1961-1966,
by George Peters and Henri Greuter, Leroy Byers Photo. |
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#835 - In the seventies the East Coast
pavement modifieds, then a pleasing mélange of coupes and
compacts, were steam-rollin' right along. The Trenton NJ
race was always a big one, and you never knew just who was
coming to town. Wouldn't you have loved to see this? Jan
Opperman, one of the greatest dirt slingers of the time, in
a mighty Tant-Mitchell flying #11, this one a spiffy Camaro.
(Bones Bourcier Collection) |
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#834 - Here’s proof that adoring race
fans come from most any family and any circumstance. That’s
Leo Gordon, Jeff’s son, getting an autograph from Indy 500
winner Tony Kanaan at the recent INDYCAR 400 at Pocono.
James Hinchcliffe looks like he wants one, too. (Dave
Dalesandro Photo)
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#833 - Two guys, two two wheel open
trailers, two tow cars, a dirt car, and a roadster. Jimmy
Bryan, Clint Brawner and the Dean Van Lines team, one of the
hottest in America in the mid-fifties. From MY HERO, MY
FRIEND, JIMMY BRYAN by Len Gasper and Phil Sampaio, IMS
Photo. |
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#832 - The boys of summer. 1937 turned
out to be a banner year for American auto racing, and one of
the most successful circuits hosted the Central States
Racing Association and their big car rim riders. Maybe
that's why their big dogs (L to R Clay Corbitt, Les Adair,
Ev Saylor, John McDowell, Morris Musick, and Peter Albert)
looked so pleased -- if a bit motley -- right after the
payoff on August 27 at Dayton Speedway. From
THE RIM RIDERS -- The World's Fastest Racing Circuit,
by Buzz Rose. (Ed Hitze Collection) |
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#831 - Marshall
Sargent and Al Pombo were big dogs in San Jose in the
sixties, and, often racing one another three times a week,
they had their share of dust-ups. Sargent’s frisky
personality surely played a part in it. In the winter of
1964-65, he went to Australia to race, his outrageousness in
tow. At the final show Down Under, he is said to have
instigated such a riot among the 30,000 fans that they
destroyed his race car. No problem. He lost nothing, as he
had sold it to a local earlier in the evening. From
HISTORY OF SAN JOSE AUTO RACING 1903-2007, by
Dennis Mattish. (Bob Mize Photo from Don Mize Collection)
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#830 - It doesn’t seem all that logical
that folks could be nostalgic about carburetion, but that’s
what happened. Sitting on of this very clean flathead
compartment is one neat looking intake manifold with two
Stromberg 97 carbs. The Stromberg Company produced them as
standard kit for Flathead V-8s 1936 to early 1938. As hot
rodders popped up – and hopped up their stuff, they were
drawn to the elegant simplicity of the 97. The design made
it easy to mate two or three carbs with progressive
linkaging. Over time, as flathead cubic inches began to be
maxed out by rodders and racers in the late fifties, four –
sometimes six – Strombergs were needed due to their low CFM
capacity. Then, when the larger overhead, more powerful
engines became available, newer products like Holley were
far more appropriate. Somehow, though, like the deuce coupe,
the ole Stromberg 97 lives on, with both original and
knockoff versions available and still used by purists. From
IDEA BOOK: HOT RODS – Roadsters, Coupes, Customs,
by Dain Gingerelli |
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#829 - In 1969 Al Unser really pushed
his car owners, Vel Miletich and Parnelli Jones, to get him
a dirt car. They came through big time, calling Grant King
and asking him to design and build a Champ Car with the
input of chief mechanic George Bignotti. The car, upfitted
with a Ford DOHC V-8, had some teething problems, but Unser
swept the last two dirt shows of the year, at DuQuoin and
Sacramento. The next year, sponsored by Topper Toy Company,
he won all of them. Has there ever been a more classic race
car? From
THE CARS OF VEL MILETICH AND PARNELLI JONES, by
Jimmy Dilamarter and Ren Wicks Jr. (Dean Kirkland Photo) |
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#828 - Those are New England's favorite
McKeon Brothers (Mark in the 41, Jack in the 40) at Whip
City (MA) Speedway a few years back. There's definitely
brotherly love in the family McKeon, but it's entwined with
a lighthearted competition that has been going on for some
time. When they bring their cars to Legion (NH) Speedway
this summer, their combined age will be 129. Jack does admit
that Mark is a feature winner, but points out that Mark has
so little mechanical ability that Jack has to do all the
work on both cars. Meanwhile Mark admits that Jack has been
a winner, too, but points out that Mark's two wins came 41
years apart - one at the old Plainville Stadium in
Connecticut and one at Whip City. (John DaDalt Photo - The
brothers call John "the Bladder" since they noticed he can
do a full day's photography at the Chili Bowl and never
visit the facilities...) |
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#827 - It had the look of the “big
circle,” but actually it was about as far away from
Langhorne as you could get. It was the original San Jose
Speedway out in Santa Clara County in California, a circular
5/8 mile that operated from 1923 to 1939. A pipeline was
installed around the outside of the track such that drain
oil (often 10,000 gallons worth) could drip onto the surface
to prevent dusting up. That surface looks pretty racy – if a
little gritty – in this shot taken at an AAA event in 1930.
It would definitely not have been a good idea to get to
flipping along the top of those rail road ties backing the
wooden fence. From
HISTORY OF SAN JOSE RACING 1906-2007, by Dennis
Mattish. (Don Bishop Collection) |
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#826 - It seems that interest in dirt
racing is becoming tackier and tackier each year. And, of
all the cars competing, it is said that nationwide the dirt
late models are most popular. Here are Steve Francis
(Ashland, KY) in the Georgia Boot #15 and Casey Roberts on
high in his #101 doing pretty racy stuff on June 20 at the
Lucas Oil show down in Swainsboro, GA! (Craig Whyte Photo,
www.whyteracingphotos.com) |
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#825 Joyce Standridge is finishing up what will be a
very different kind of book for us to launch this fall.
DID YOU SEE THAT?
is essentially a photographic walkabout of open-wheel racing
in America’s Midwest. The images Joyce has assembled – and
woven together – are absolutely show-stopping. How about
this Kevin Horcher shot from the Springfield (IL) miler back
in 1992. That’s Mark Gerke and Danny Drinan doing the dance.
Both spent considerable sheet time after the incident,
described as one of the most spectacular at the oval that
originally opened in 1927. (Kevin Horcher Photo) |
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#824 - Remember that
TEAR-OFF on May 8 about 71-year-old Ray Miller whuppin’
the field in a midget race in Vermont this spring? At the
bottom of it, there’s a picture of Ray and second- and
third-place finishers Scott Viets and Kevin Chaffee on the
podium. Our friend Mike Petrucci has passed along this neat
shot of the three a few minutes earlier, Ray out front with
Kevin checking out the stairs and Scotty in hot pursuit.
(Photo compliments of Mike Petrucci/www.raceproweekly.com) |
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#823 - It was the race promoter Jack
Kochman who in 1937 had the idea of bringing Eastern
Alliance midgets to the Nutley Veladrome, a little-used
bicycle track in Nutley, NJ. In Crocky Wright’s book on the
facility, he speculates Kochman had little idea “what an
awe-inspiring spectacle he was creating….The following two
years were to produce the most spectacular phase of midget
auto racing seen anywhere in the world.” It should have been
more obvious. After all, the track was little more than a
motorcycle Wall of Death. It was one-eighth of a mile, its
boards built to a dizzying 45-degree bank, and speeds were
unimaginably fast right from the first lap on April 3rd. And
it was unimaginably dangerous. In the semi on opening night,
Ken Fowler lost it in his Elto and vaulted the guardrail, as
shown above in this fuzzy but dramatic photo. Just one cable
kept him from going fully into the stands, but 13 spectators
in the front row were injured, and Fowler broke an arm. The
track operated for two years, but after the third driver
fatality – Karl Hattel in the Pat Warren Offy on August 26,
1939, town officials shut it down, calling the place
“homicidal.” From THE FABULOUS NUTLEY VELODROME,
by Ernest Crocky Wright. (Bruce Craig Photo) |
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#822 - Our hearts are broken here at
Coastal 181. Our dear friend and Coastal compadre Jim Rigney
passed away on Monday following a tough three-year struggle
with cancer. Jim was a pearl of a man, gentle, dedicated,
self-effacing, wise. To put in perspective just how long we
knew one another, it was Jim who designed the catchy poster
we distributed so widely way back in 1972 when we promoted
the first Spring Sizzler, the modified race that still today
opens the season in Stafford, CT. Years later when we
started Coastal 181, Jim and his wife Sandy were right there
to share with us their depth of knowledge and contacts in
the educational publishing industry in which Jim built an
enviable career. Together we worked our way through the
challenges of changing technology and building a company
focused solely on motorsports books. We did endless shows,
interviews, and editing/layout sessions together, always
smiling and, certainly whenever possible, with George Jones
in the background and a vodka tonic in hand. How we will
miss him. Rest in peace, Jim. |
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#821 - Early race two- and three-wide
action from the NEMA LITES midgets at "The Boston Louie
Memorial Classic" at Seekonk Speedway on Sunday, June 2nd.
The LITES sweep into turn four with Danny Cugini #51 leading
Christian Briggs #44 and Carl Medeiros Jr. #50. The #11 of
PJ Stergios gets squeezed onto the grass as the Seymour
Enterprises teammates of Ian Cumens #9 and Anthony Nocella
#29 touch and get out of shape. Amazingly everyone made it
through OK. Stergios in the #11 fought through lap-after-lap
action like this to earn the win, with Medeiros #50 taking
second and Nocella #29 third. (Photo and caption by Norm
Marx / www.NEMAracing.com) |
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#820 - Here’s a 1970 photo of the
“original” Bobby Santos. He’s the grandfather of a youngster
of the same name, today’s star of USAC sprint and midget
racing as well as the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, where he
has won a championship. In the photo, the elder Santos (now
deceased) is shown with Art Barry’s #909. Incredibly, after
all these years, Barry still puts modifieds on the track,
although these days they are driven to wins by Jon
McKennedy. The original Bobby Santos was a big winner on
both dirt and asphalt in his day. (Photo and caption by Dick
Berggren/North East Motor Sports Museum) |
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#819 - In 1963, Iowan Wayne Arndorfer
was fresh out of high school but was acting like a veteran
car owner. Teamed with others, his car had won in 1961 and
1962. The next year he went it alone with top-shelf
dirt-tracker Les Wilden at the helm. Here they tow into
Kossuth County Fairgrounds for the Tuesday night Fair race
in June 1963. They won. And the next night at Mason City.
And the next night back at the Fair on Thursday. Would you
prefer to have that square top #00 or the tow car in your
garage? (Chad Meyer Collection) |
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#818 - Connecticut's infamous Danbury
Racearena was always known for its coupes and coaches and
the mile-high stack-ups they often provided. But the
facility also had a long history of open-wheel racing. In
1964 a champion hard-top guy, Billy Boo, decided to take a
fling in the midgets. He jumped in Harry Wright's Offy, and
they were hot from the start. Then came July 4. Billy got to
flipping after someone blew a motor and he was launched
right atop the wall. "It was horrible," says his wife
Sharon. "I remember the whole thing. Nobody believed he
could still be alive. He had broken ribs, a broken arm, and
the top of his helmet was all scraped off. Later when we
talked about it and I told him how his arms went flying when
he lost grip on the wheel, he said he was just waving to
me." Well, needless to say, Sharon wasn't having any, and,
when Billy returned, he was back under a roof and a roll
cage. He continued at Danbury until the closure, two decades
later, and compiled an impressive win list.
(Bill Boo
Family Collection) |
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#817 - This is the stunning Johnny
Lightning Colt, winner of the 1971 Indy 500, Al Unser in the
cockpit. The 1450 pound monocoque was powered by a 800 HP
Ford DOHC V8 and carried 75 gallons of methanol. It also won
at Milwaukee the next week. After that the season went bad.
The team switched to a peppier Offenhauser engine, but that
engine’s vibrations caused chassis components to wear out
and fracture. The car would finish no more races. From
THE CARS OF VEL MILETICH AND PARNELLI JONES, by
Jimmy Dilamarter and Ren Wicks, Jr. (Dean Kirkland Photo) |
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#816 - Here is that irrepressible
Bentley Warren at Oswego on his bike. This weekend, 300,000
bikers will be converging on New Hampshire for the annual
Bike Week. At any point in time, likely 200,000 of them will
cross the state line to party at Bentley’s Saloon on Route 1
in Arundel, Maine. We hope it doesn’t get TOO overwhelming.
Right at this time Bentley is supposed to be very busy with
Bones Bourcier finishing up Coastal 181’s new book
WICKED FAST: Racing Through Life with Bentley Warren,
due out in October. (Doug Gore Photo, Dick Berggren
Collection) |
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#815 - Here’s Gavin Couper, “King of the
Cutdowns,” sitting in a Dick Valenti-owned, supercharged
rocket ship at Westboro (MA) Speedway back in 1964. Like all
the cutdown guys, it seems, Gavin danced to his own drum,
doing what he had to do to get by. Rhode Island racing
historian John Monaghan says that Gavin could sell anything
to anyone and he provides proof. When Steven Spielberg came
to Martha’s Vineyard to film JAWS, he needed a boat
for Captain Brody, and Gavin magically came up with the
ORCA. Wouldn’t you love to know where he got and it what he
charged for it! (John Monaghan Collection) |
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#814 - Here’s ex-roundy-round racer,
Henry Becker, cruisin’ up the freeway in Southern
California. He looks like he’s all set, thank you very much.
He’s driving a 1926 Model T that was originally turned into
a hot rod back in 1932. Becker has also exercised that car
at some vintage national events. From
IDEA BOOK – HOT RODS, Roadsters, Coupes, Customs,
by Dain Gingerelli. (Dain Gingerelli Photo) |
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#813 - Photographer for the ages Frank
Simek writes, “Joey Biasi (B1) tried to emulate that old
‘wall of death’ at New Egypt Speedway Saturday night June 1.
He returned for feature competition and managed a 15th
place.” Frank was referencing our TEAROFF from last January
(“The
Call of the Wall”), (Guy with the Hat Photo) |
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#812 - September 1, 1957 – Gardena, CA:
Glen Howard and Bill Mangold got to lockin’ wheels heading
into the first turn and smashed the pit entry gate at full
bore. Neither was really injured, but Bill did end up with a
costly case of bent chassis syndrome. He took out a bank
loan for $200 the next Monday to build a new jalopy. From
MEMORIES OF THE CALIFORNIA JALOPY ASSOCIATION, by
Thomas D. Luce.
(Bill Mangold Collection) |
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#811 - It was late in the day at DuQuoin
back on August 29, 1977. Two world-class sprint car
wheelmen, Steve Smith (L) and Jan Opperman, had seen it all
in their already legendary careers. But they were all eyes
checking out the competition.
(John Mahoney Photo, Rick
Whitt Collection) |
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#810 - This image is from the
International News Photos service back on September 17, 1935
from Altamont, New York, and here is the caption that
accompanied it: “Floyd
Roberts, Los Angeles auto racing
driver, showed plenty of intestinal fortitude in bringing
his car to a stop after the startling and seldom
photographed incident appearing here. He is looking around
to watch the flight of a rear wheel as it flies high into
the crowd. Floyd finally brought his rocketing car to a halt
and thereby escaped injury.” (Cal Lane Collection) |
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#809 - That’s Dori Noble enjoying last
week’s fabulous Indy 500 in a suite with Parnelli Jones (L)
and Tom Sneva. Dori is Bones Bourcier’s girlfriend. You can
see now why Bones gets to hang out with all the big boys.
(Coastal 181 Collection) |
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#808 - Here’s a very trim though
disappointed Gary Bettenhausen at Terre Haute back in 1970.
That year he put on such aggressive duels with arch rival
Larry Dickson that the USAC Sprint Series was nicked named
the “Thunder and Lightning Show.” On this day the weather
was inside the engine compartment of Bettenhausen’s City of
Syracuse sprinter. It rained from the oil pan. (John Mahoney
Photo, Rick Whitt Collection) |
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#807 - Back in
the first half of the 1960s, a rough and tumble dirt track
called Onteora Speedway operated in Olivebridge, NY. One of
its foremost performers was a transplanted Carolinian named
D.D. "Rebel" Harris, who raced Joey Lawrence's mighty AAA
coupe and is shown here leading Ernie Beesmer. It all came
to a tragic end the first day of summer in 1963 when D.D.
flipped big time, was ejected, and died upon arrival at the
Kingston Hospital. Joey, a former top-notch sedan chauffeur
himself, continued his career as a highly regarded owner,
offering up rides in his Sweet 16 modifieds to guys like
Whistlin'’ Wilson, Dick Hansen, Dave Buanno, and Jan
Opperman. Joey will be inducted into the Hudson Valley (NY)
Historic Racing Association Hall of Fame at the Duchess
County Sports Museum on June 9.
(Roger Liller
Collection) |
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#806 - Here's Dave Darland backing it in
at Ocala, FL, last February. Dave won the USAC Sprint car
feature at Bloomington, Indiana, on Friday night, May 17. He
is nicknamed "The People's Champ" for his personality and
popularity with the fans but he could also be called Mr.
Perseverance. On more than one occasion in his career he's
lost rides to younger drivers, some of whom bring dollars to
the table. Most notable was when he lost the Lewis #9 midget
ride after winning two championships. Last year he was
second in USAC Sprint Car points, but again he found himself
out of a ride. Dave found a ride in the Phillips #71p, and
at Bloomington he drove it to victory lane, the first USAC
Sprint win for the Phillips team. It marked the 21st
straight season that Darland has won a USAC sanctioned
event. The only other two to do that are AJ Foyt and Mel
Kenyon. Not bad company. (Quote and photo from John DaDalt) |
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#805 - Rex White and Louie Clements
brought one clean-looking Grand National car to Daytona for
the 500 in 1961. They had a brand new Chevy, one of those
409ci engines, rated at 360 horsepower, just off the
production line, and a truck load of high hopes. They had a
horrid qualifying run, however, and started 41st. So, at the
end of the day, a 12th place finish wasn’t too bad. It paid
$500. From
THE CREW CHIEF’S SON – A Trackside Memoir of Early NASCAR,
by Michael L. Clements. |
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#804 - Totally cool. From
HOT ROD - Roadsters, Coupes, Customs by Dain
Gingerelli. |
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#803 - It is said that nearly 500,000
spectators turned out for the second annual Fairmont Park
Motor Race near Philadelphia in 1909. The 23 starters
provided plenty of action, certainly including American
driver E.O. Hayes and his riding mechanic Arthur Johnson. As
shown here, they got just a little wide on Sweet Briar Hill,
and despite Hayes’ valiant evasive efforts, slammed that
telephone pole. Hayes stayed aboard and steered to a stop.
Johnson, however, went for a sky ride, landing 72 feet away,
right in front of the aghast crowd that assumed him dead. He
was gathered up by a horse-drawn ambulance and taken away.
It seems he must have been bounced back to consciousness,
and he opened his eyes and said “Say, that was a pretty good
spill.”
From
THE FAIRMONT PARK MOTOR RACES, 1908-1911, by
Michael J. Seneca. (Photo courtesy of Automobile Reference
Collection, Free Library of Philadelphia) |
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#802 - Chip Ganassi, high-profile chief
honcho of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, sure has spent a few
weekends at superspeedways, early on in Nomex but in the
more elegant attire of a team owner in recent decades. He
began his driving career in 1982 and competed at the
Brickyard five times, best finish an eighth in 1983. From
INDIANAPOLIS 500 – A Century of Excitement, by
Ralph Kramer. |
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#801 - “Summer time, and I’m about eight
years old. I had an ornery look about me, didn’t I?” Photo
and Quote from
LONE WOLF, by Doug Wolfgang with Dave Argabright. |
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#800 - Here’s a pretty package,
assembled by two unrelated Simpsons. Richard Simpson is a
resident of Algona, Iowa, a legendary 1960s-era driver who
raced his way into the Kossuth County Hall of Fame. Still a
motorhead today, he tinkers constantly with his
sweet-sounding Corvette-powered ’55 IH L100 pick-up. Out
back is Jake Simpson’s brandy-new 2013 Ford-powered Harris
IMCA SportMod. Jake is a past Algona Raceway track champ and
is gittin ‘er dun already this year. He won the IMCA
SportMod Touring Series event at Arlington, MN, a week ago,
in just the car’s third time out. (Chad Meyer Photo) |
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#799 - 2010 was one amazing breakout
year for Stewart Friesen (L). He sure had his way at
Utica-Rome Speedway in New York, where he won the title
handily. He was not so lucky on Memorial Day, however, when
the track ran the Victoria 200-lapper that had been snowed
out on Mothers’ Day. Tim McCreadie (R) was off running WoO
late models at the time and had a race in West Virginia the
night before. However, he liked the sound of the Victoria
purse, he landed a ride in Vinnie Salerno’s Modified, and
somehow made it up to New York in time. He won the show and
the $10,000 winner’s allowance. From
THE HOME OF HEROES – Fifty Years of Racing at Utica-Rome
Speedway, by Bones Bourcier. (Jay Fish Photo) |
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#798 - Big cars, big…bravery. That’s
Duane “Stoney” Stoneking in the #00 Chevy, Rocky Williams in
the #18 DeSoto, and Jim Jones working their biceps in turn
one at the Shawano County (Wisconsin) Fairgrounds. It was
1959, and Williams was hauling his way to one of his five
Mississippi Valley Automobile Racing Association
championships. From
BIG CAR THUNDER: More Sprint Cars on America’s Fair Circuits
– Volume II, by Bob Mays. (Armin Krueger Photo) |
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#797 - Has our President donned Nomex?
Actually, it’s Lewis Hamilton, acknowledged as one of
the fastest Formula One drivers ever. Hamilton certainly has
an intense look about him. Derek Daly says, “If you asked
anyone in the paddock in 2011 or 2012 about their opinion of
Hamilton as an elite athlete, chances are they would tell
you he needs to control the roller coaster that is his head
and emotions.” Photo and Quote from
RACE TO WIN – the 7 Essentials of the Complete Champion,
by Derek Daly, second edition. |
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#796 - He was hot at the time, but this
night was a little over the top. Before Ralph Moody went
south and made such a huge impact on stock car racing with
Holman Moody, he lived in Taunton, Massachusetts, and was
quite the gasser in pre- and post-war racing. His racer was
a Model T, replete with a 2x4 wooden chassis. A few years
later he moved very successfully into the midgets, winning
widely. On this night, however, a plug blew out of the V-8
60, covering him liberally with scalding oil. By the 1950s
he was a top runner in the stock car revolution, running
coupes lettered #28, foretelling the day he would give that
number to his NASCAR protégé Fred Lorenzen. From
HOLMAN MOODY – The Legendary Race Team, by Tom
Cotter and Al Pearce. (Moody Family Collection) |
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#795 - It's that precious but
oh-so-fleeting moment on dirt. Derek Byler hauls his late
model deep into the turn this spring at the half-mile in
Port Royal, Pennsylvania.
(John DaDalt Photo) |
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#794 - Over the last 100 years, the Indy
500 has become known for its pomp and pageantry, as well as
for the competition. As John Mahoney recorded in 1991,
however, the Brickyard attracts all manner of characters –
tethered and otherwise – in the swell of a couple of hundred
thousand fans. From
INDY: the Race and Ritual of the Indianapolis 500, Second
Edition, by Terry Reed. (John Mahoney Photo) |
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#793 - Justin St. Louis, the energetic
media maven at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Vermont, send down
this cool photo and quote. “We had our opener at Devil’s
Bowl last Sunday with the ACT cars, and it was quite the
finish. Wayne Helliwell beat Brian Hoar by a whisker (.027
of a second, officially), for the Spring Green win. Those
two ran in lockstep the last five laps in the cleanest
heads-up match I think I’ve ever seen – certainly the
crowning achievement of their three-year ACT rivalry. They
ran so close for so long that heat from the exhaust from
Hoar’s car melted the decals on Helliwell’s door.” (Justin
St. Louis Photo) |
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#792 - It was 1976 at Indy and builder
George Bignotti was playing with ground-effect. Note the
long, smooth Lexan plastic skirts on the underside, allowing
the wings to be smaller and cause less drag. Wally
Dallenbach hustled this “Wildcat” to a fourth-place finish.
From
Indy Cars of the 1970s, Karl Ludvigsen, Ludvigsen
Library Series. |
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#791 - Australian Robert Coombes (racing
name “Bobby Blake”) was the New South Wales Individual
(motorcycle) Speedway Champion in 1931. A great solo rider,
Coombes was a star at the Olympia Motor Speedway in
Maroubra, near Sydney, NSW. The track, opened in 1925 before
a crowd of 70,000, was an imposing one-mile,
ultra-high-banked concrete oval – and it was ill-fated. With
both cars and two wheelers touring the facility at lap
averages of 100mph, it exacted a serious toll of drivers and
was soon labeled a “killer track” by the media. Coombes was
the last to die there. Ironically, it was on June 14, 1936,
and the track had already closed. Coombes had just stopped
by for a practice run.
Mike Kemp Collection from
vintagespeedway.homestead.com (with additional thanks to
OZ customer George King) |
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#790 - It was Cherry Park Speedway back
in 1948, the height of the pan-national post-War midget
boom. The half-mile dirt horse track had been reduced to a
1/5th and was paved to attract the traveling open-wheelers.
They responded big time. Here two legends, Bill Schindler
(upstairs) and Al Keller show the stuff that made them
famous. In the end, neither, however, was able to outrun
fate. Schindler died in a sprint car at Allentown, PA, in
1952, while Keller perished in a fiery Champ car wreck in
Phoenix a decade later. (Peter Zanardi Collection) |
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#789 - How about that Bobby Santos III
winning the Spring Sizzler for NASCAR modifieds a week ago
at Stafford Springs, CT? It seems the kid can drive
anything, anywhere, and go VERY fast. Years ago, when he was
knee high to a hubcap working his way up from small-block
supers, we thought he should get some dirt on his goggles.
We bought him a ride for a night in our buddy Randy Howe’s
dirt mod up at Canaan (NH) Speedway. It was perfect that it
was numbered 182. The idea was that I would lead him around
in our #181 car to show him the ropes. Well, that lasted
about two laps, and Bobby went barrelin’ by on the outside.
Didn’t see him again ‘til the end of the race. (Santos
Family Collection) |
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#788 - Paul Aldrich, a Board member of the North East
Motor Sports Museum, sure has a flare for those old-time
drag cars. From the few pieces that were left, from research
on every available image, and from conversations with folks
who were there, he has brought the Dave Jackson “Excalibur”
Flathead rail job back to life. The minimalist unit was the
hot setup in the Northeast in 1958 and was overall winner in
NEHRC competition. Its best speed on nitro, driver Bill
Peterson at the helm, was 138mph in the low nines.
(Everybody move back!) That paint job is historically
correct. Back in the day, the 1954 Oldsmobile Salmon color
matched the tow car. Paul explains, “You know, most old-time
Yankees, with that conversation mindset, didn’t get too into
flash, but this car was pretty snazzy when it showed up at
the strip. Of course, they didn’t get too carried away. Both
Excalibur and its trailer were painted with a brush.”
(North East Motor Sports Museum Collection, Dick Berggren
Photo) |
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#787 - Troy Ruttman seemed almost
inhumanly talented as a teenager behind the wheel. Right
after his first shot at the Brickyard, he jumped at the
chance of getting into the Blue Crown Special Champ Car at
Arlington Downs, Texas, in July of 1949. The car caught a
rut and flipped – right out of the place, right on top of
him, severely injuring him. His wife Beverly, then six
months pregnant, recalls, “After Indy, Troy had to have a
Cadillac…Some of the guys took the back off the front seat
and secured a piece of plywood that extended from the front
seat into the back seat and helped me get him into the car.
He could stretch out on the plywood and that’s the way he
rode all the way back to California.” Photo and quote from
CALIFORNIA GOLD – The Legendary Life of Troy Ruttman,
by Bob Gates. (Troy/Toddy Ruttman Collection) |
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#786 - The mods really get around
Mississippi Thunder Speedway. Located in Fountain City,
Wisconsin, the track has been completely rehabilitated and
is very racy. In earlier years it was nicknamed the “circle
of death.” (Bruce Nuttleman Photo,
www.ultimatelapphoto.com ) |
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#785 - A curious shot of Indy car owner,
Jack Zink, and his driver for 1956, Pat Flaherty. Flaherty
had been hired after Bob Sweikert left the ride following a
contract dispute. Flaherty looks particularly pensive here,
and that squares with his reputation. He was known as a
loner, cool and detached, but he was all business out on the
bricks. Leaning on his dirt track experiences back in
California, he gave that Zink Special some kind of ride,
lifting the left front wheel shockingly in the turns,
scooping both the pole (a new record at 145 mph) and the
accident-ridden 500. He won at Milwaukee the next week, but
was subsequently involved in a horrible crash in a Kurtis
Kraft dirt car at Springfield, Illinois, that pretty much
ended his racing career. From
TO INDY AND BEYOND: The Life of Racing Legend Jack Zink,
by Bob L. Blackburn. |
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#784 - The hot rod that started it all.
Ed “Isky” Iskenderian posed next to his famous ’24 T-bucket.
He originally bought it in high school in 1938. Ten years
later it was the cover car for the brand new Hot Rod
magazine in June of 1948. Note the hot set-up custom-cast
aluminum valve covers, inscribed. From
MERCHANTS OF SPEED – the Men Who Built America’s
Performance Industry, by Paul D. Smith. (Ed
Iskenderian Collection) |
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#783 - You can just feel the seriousness in the
faces of Bob Sweikert in the John Zink Special and AJ
Watson, his chief mechanic back in the fifties on the dirt
of the Sacramento Mile. Focus worked then and it still works
now. From
SACRAMENTO – Dirt Capital of the West, by Tom
Motter. (Russ Reed Photo) |
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#782 - In today’s racing, when
there’s the slightest bit of water on an asphalt track, the
starter throws the yellow and all action stops. Safety
first, you know. But back in 1969, at the Hudson (NH)
Speedway, snow banks were still at the edge of the track on
opening day. As the afternoon sun did its work and the
temperatures rose, those snow banks melted and the
supermodifieds just kept on racing. Look carefully and you
can see the stream of water under and behind this injected
direct-drive lightweight super and the spray in the air off
its tires. Nobody seemed to lift that spring day and there
were no big crashes, either. (Photo by Dick Berggren, North
East Motor Sports Museum) |
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#781 - Plattsburgh, New York’s Airborne
Park Speedway Promoter Mike Parrotte says he’s a huge part
of the show, constantly cruising through the pits, blowing
ooga horn in his Renegade Monte Carlo. His name is Curt
Giventer, but the larger population knows him as just “the
Metal Man” for his weighty internal load of steel bracing,
installed following various crashes. He’s been around racing
forever. That coupe behind him was built in the 1960s by his
buddy, a tug boat captain off Staten Island, to run at
Weissglass Stadium. He later campaigned it on the clay at
East Windsor in New Jersey. In the eighties Curt moved
northward to Saranac, NY, and was soon competing at
Airborne. He won a non-winners’ feature a couple of years
ago – he thinks he may have been the only car left standing.
Nonetheless there was need for celebration. Mike says Metal
Man was seen parading through town with his ramp truck, with
lights and horns, bells and whistles, spreading the good
tidings. (Karl Fredrickson, Speedway Illustrated
Photo) |
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#780 - Things sure looked different six
decades back. Here’s Bowman Gray Stadium in 1955, featuring
the well-traveled combatants of The Circuit of Champions
Convertibles Stock Car Races. That’s Darel Dieringer in the
#35 trying to fill up a hole that Bob Pronger (#300)
definitely has his eye on. And the same thing is going on
behind Pronger. Jack Harrison, aboard the Hull-Dobbs ’55
Ford, gives the infield a shot. That was the hot setup. He
won. (Photo by Taylor Warren, Illustrated Speedway News
“Breathtakers from the Speedways,” 1955) |
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#779 - Life must have seemed pretty easy
for Brit Peter Collins. Son of a well-healed diplomat, the
young FI driver surely had the bucks to concentrate on
racing. In 1956, he was neck to neck with Ferrari teammate
Juan Manuel Fangio for the Championship. In the final race,
the Italian Grand Prix, Fangio’s car broke and Collins
stepped out of his and gave it up to the Argentinian, saying
“I’ve got lots of time ahead of me. Fangio should stay World
Champion for another year.” The next season Collins was in
Florida prepping for the Nassau Speed Week when he met the
fetching American actress Louise King. In one week they were
married, taking residence in a yacht anchored in Monaco
Harbor. History will say they did not have that much time
ahead of them. Collins died at Nurburgring, edging Tony
Brooks for the lead, barely 18 months later. Quote and Photo
from
GRAND PRIX RACERS – Portraits of Speed, Photos by
Bernard and Paul-Henri Cahier and Text by Xavier Chimits |
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#778 - When his sprint cars showed up
for the 1972 Gopher 200 at St. Paul, IMCA’s Executive
Director Bill Hitz decided to try to spice things up by
allowing Jerry Hansen to run his Formula 500 Lola. The
circle track guys, represented by Dick Sutcliffe, were none
too pleased, and most of a rainy Saturday was spent in
argument. In the end Hitz gave Hansen the okay. It might not
have been the most popular decision he could have made.
Here’s Hansen blowing off Bill Madsen in the Madsen-Palmer
#17 Chevy sprinter on his way to winning by three laps. From
BIG CAR THUNDER – More Sprint Cars on America’s Fair
Circuit, Volume II, by Bob Mays. (Phil Dullinger
Photo) |
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#777 - How can
you not feel racy?! The Late Models take the green at
Volusia this past February. Racing motors are the music of
the night. (Troy Bregy Photo,
www.speedwayphotography.smugmug.com) |
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#776 - Wouldn’t you just love to see a
replay of this one? It was the 1989 ACT “Coors Shootout”
All-Star race at Beech Ridge Speedway in Scarborough, Maine.
Dave Dion in the #29 scooted by Canadian Junior Hanley in
the #72 and Ralph Nason on the final turn of the final lap.
David says with conviction that “this was one of the most
satisfying wins of my career.” We say that publishing Dave
Dion’s autobiography was one of the most satisfying
experiences in the history of Coastal 181. From
LIFE WIDE OPEN: Dave Dion – No Holds Barred, by
Dave Dion with motorsports writer and announcer par
excellence, Dave Moody. (Dave Dion Collection) |
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#775 - Sometimes there is that senseless
chill in the winds of fate. Surely that was the case on July
19, 2009 at the Brands Hatch Circuit in Kent, England.
Promising Henry Surtees, son of John Surtees, the 1964
Formula One World Driving Champion (both pictured above),
was racing into the Sheene corner, when a wheel became
unthethered from another car. Incredibly, it struck Henry on
the head, rendering him unconscious, and he subsequently
slammed into the wall and died. Everyone was devastated,
including his parents who witnessed the incident. When
Henry’s schoolmates heard the news, they swam the English
Channel as a group to raise money for a foundation in his
memory. It continues today, focused on supporting research
on brain injuries. (Imago Photo
www.nemzetisport.hu) |
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#774 - It's classic fourth-turn action
on the high banks of Lebanon Valley (NY) Speedway, now in
its 61st season. That's Tommy "Top Cat" Corellis and Mert
"Socks" Hulbert dueling with their big blocks back in the
mid-seventies. It was the tipping point moment between
home-built modifieds and the factory cars so common today.
(Otto Graham Collection) |
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#773 - Wheels up! Racing
season is really trying to get started nationally this
weekend, despite the cold reaching so widely across the
North. Those folks in down in Florida sure had a head start.
Mike Sanservino and Vicki Newbern have been recording the
action this spring on the clay at Putnam County Speedway in
Satsuma, FL. They caught Sportsman shoe Corey Howard on the
hammer big time.
(Vicki Newbern Photo) |
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#772 - For the first time since Ascot Park closed
a couple of decades back, the AMA US Long Track Motorcycle
championship will be held in California – at Perris Speedway
on July 27. The extreme side cars will be part of the show,
and they sure are extreme. Here’s a shot from Ascot South
Bay Stadium, the “Speedway” track located just outside the
old Ascot Park half-mile. That’s Ken and Randy McIntyre on
the inside while Phil Wilson and Phil Hardwick are on the
outside, all hooked-up in a wheelie. (Scott Daloisio Photo) |
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#771 - Talk about blowing your top! David Allio caught
Todd Lesenko in the act. Lesenko, driving his Canadian-based
Dodge Charger Funny Car, dispatched the body during the
second round of qualifying for the recent 14th Annual
SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway. (He had qualified with an earlier ET of 4.302 at
296.57 mph.) (Photo by David Allio,
www.racingphotoarchives.com) |
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#770 - Some round at the Square. In its
107 years of offering up auto racing, the square-shaped
track in Flemington, NJ, was known for wild and popular
racing. It was intense and dangerous, but sprinkled with
levity at the same time. How about this scene in 1977?
Drivers Howie Cronce (r) and Craig McCaughey were well aware
that their competitor in the V8, Harold “Bucky” Barker, was
a mountain of a man. To take a more careful measure of that
issue, both of them climbed into Bucky’s seat. Both fit.
(Jack Kromer Photo) |
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#769 Al Consoli remembers shooting from the infield
at Williams Grove this day in the early seventies. He heard
something behind him, turned around, and immediately snapped
a shot. He didn’t know what he had got, nor did he know who
it was until later. Turns out it was his buddy Bob Shaw,
then from Dundee, NY, flyin’ high in Harold Hanks’ Edmunds
car. It was a wing race, but Shaw’s was long gone by this
moment. He seemed fully engaged in trying to keep his
bolt-on cage aboard, let alone the wing. Shaw was not badly
banged up. The car survived as well, later to be driven by
Jan Opperman. (AL Consoli Photo) |
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#768 - Vermont’s Devil’s Bowl Speedway
has to be in one of the most beautiful settings of any track
in America. A good time to check it out would be May 4 for
the 39th annual Spring Green. The ACT cars will be back, and
among them for sure will be New Hampshire hot dog Wayne
Helliwell in the Bruce Bernhardt #27. Two years ago Wayne
crashed. Last year he won it. What’s next? (Devil’s Bowl
Photo) |
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#767 - When 55-year-old Fast Fred Rahmer
won at Williams Grove last weekend, it marked the 24th year
he has won on that legendary pathway. And it was his seventh
win in the season opener. Do you think he earned that beer?
(John DaDalt Photo) |
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#766 - Is it possible for anyone
not to be into rat rods? Both photos from Richard and
Katrina Fleener’s cool
site,
www.LegendaryCollectorCars.com |
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#765 - Dave Blaney, who’s been around for a while,
racked up his second opening-day victory at Pennsylvania’s
Port Royal Speedway last Sunday. His first one came on March
17, 1984. The afternoon, however, was not warm and
spring-like for Mark “the Ice Man” Coldren. He took this
flyer and ended up catching a ride to the crash house in
Hershey for a checkup. They did not bother to take the car.
(John DaDalt Photo) |
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#764
- Top Fuel drag racing was pretty wild throughout the
1960. As fans – and money – poured into the sport, it was
serious breeding ground for ideas and innovation, some
worthy, some buggy. Noel Black brought out this twin engine,
four wheel drive car in 1967 to Fremont in Northern
California. Somewhat predictably, there were problems with
weight and aerodynamics. From
FUEL AND GUTS – the Birth of Top Fuel Drag Racing
by Tom Madigan. (Steve Reyes Photo) |
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#763 - ASCS gassers “Bullet Bob” Ream in
the #8 and Mike Martin work it out on one racy surface at
California’s Perris Auto Speedway a couple of seasons back.
Is it true that “the fastest way between two points is
sideways”? (Perris Auto Speedway Collection, Doug Allen
Photo) |
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#762 - Dan Gurney
made his stop for fuel at the Bridgehampton road course on
Long Island for the Double 500 in September in 1963.
Certainly, by today’s standards, pit lane for that Carroll
Shelby Cobra looks kind of primitive. But it was the hot
set-up then. They swept the show, the first international
championship sports car race taken by an American driver
aboard an American car. You can take it to the bank that
Shelby, in the white cap on the very far right, was not on
his cell phone. More likely a stop watch! From
CARROLL SHELBY – the Authorized Biography, by
Rinsey Mills. |
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#761 - In our new book AS A MATTER
OF FACT, I AM PARNELLI JONES there is probably
deeper insight on the horrible frontstretch fire at the 1964
Indy 500 than has ever been presented. Here is co-author
Bones Bourcier’s caption to the photo: “Milwaukee, 1964: One
week after an awful Indy 500, Parnelli shows his burned arm
to Bobby Unser, whose neck was visibly singed from crashing
through the Sachs/ MacDonald inferno. Not long after this
photo was snapped, Jim Hurtubise was badly burned. Hard
times, hard men.” From
AS A MATTER OF FACT, I AM PARNELLI JONES,
by Parnelli Jones with Bones Bourcier. (Parnelli Jones
Collection) |
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#760 - There’s so much carryin’ on these
days about California driving sensation Kyle Larson. Sure,
Larson is short on years, but he’s long on experience. Born
in 1992, he went to his first race just one week later. He
started in go-karts at seven, so, as he attacks the
superspeedways this summer, he has 13 seasons behind him.
Here is his first win in a Sprinter, a Golden State 410
Challenge event on May 29, 2009 at Ocean Speedway. He also
holds the track record on that quarter-mile dirt in
Watsonville, CA. From
HISTORY OF WATSONVILLE AND SALINAS AUTO RACING, by
Dennis Mattish. (Dennis Mattish Photo) |
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#759 - Russell James “Jungle Jim” Lieberman was the
man in Super Stock and Funny Car drag racing in the
mid-seventies. According to Timothy Miller, “He was fearless
on the track. Aside from wowing the throngs with his
burnouts and wheel stands, he personified a rebel attitude
that endeared him to the fans in that anti-establishment
era. A big part of his show – and Lieberman certainly
provided a show – was his constant companion, Pam Hardy.
Known as “Jungle Pam,” this well-endowed young woman would
really get the crowd going as she bounced up and down the
track getting Lieberman staged. The skimpier the attire on
Hardy, the more the fans cheered.” Photo and caption from
DRAG RACING – the World’s Fastest Sport, by Timothy
Miller, (Charles Gilchrist Photo) |
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#758 - When Hall of Famer Charlie
Elliott passed away last Wednesday, the first day of Spring,
so did much of that wonderfully colorful carnie tradition in
Northeast auto racing. There are a million stories that
could speak to Charlie’s life-long obsession with offering
up entertainment and to some of the situations he faced. How
about the night of the annual Star Classic supermodified
race at Star Speedway when someone came running breathlessly
up to the announcer to say that Charlie’s pet alligator was
loose and was seen heading off beneath the packed
grandstand? (Photo – New England Motor Sports Museum) |
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#757 - Ricky Weiss, a 24-year-old from
St. Francois Xavier in Manitoba is one gasser. He was
National WISSOTA Late Model champ in 2010 and 2011. He’s now
flirting with the World of Outlaws, while still maintaining
his rookie status. As shown above, one of his earlier
attempts at WoO time trialing ended up with an argument with
the cushion at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, North
Dakota, last summer. Not to worry. He was back in the B and
A mains with the same car. Keep an eye on him. (Chad
Spieker,
www.photosbychad.com ) |
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#756 - In the 1960s, Virginia’s
Martinsville Speedway ran double-header weekends for the
East’s short track racers. The races were run with asphalt
modifieds and late model sportsman cars, many of which were
driven by the men who owned and built them. Huge fields of
cars and drivers played before capacity crowds who watched
the locals from Virginia and the Carolinas battle the New
England Yankees. It was a civil war of sorts, complete with
absurdly wild parties at the local motels, the epicenter of
which was the Dutch Inn. There, a car was once parked in the
swimming pool, a driver walked through the packed restaurant
with a completely naked woman on his shoulders, another who
wasn’t given the adjoining rooms he had requested fixed the
problem with a chain saw, and crews slept a half-dozen or
more to a room. (Photo and caption by Dick Berggren, North
East Motor Sports Museum) |
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#755 - The winningest stock car driver
ever on Long Island was the colorful Bruno Brackey. He knew
how to haul the mail. He was a postman – nickname “Mr. Zip.”
You have to figure that if he ever delivered mail to racing
great Mousey Kempster over in Middle Island, Bruno would
know just where to put it. Mousey was the local Frankland
dealer. (Coastal 181 Photo, taken at the Marty Himes Museum,
Bay Shore, NY) |
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#754 - Modern-day sprint cars came to
Syracuse (NY) Fairgrounds first with some wild
open-competition shows in the 1970s and later with Ted
Johnson’s more organized World of Outlaws. Eventually,
supposedly at the request of some of his drivers, Johnson
declared the track too fast, and WoO left town. Then in
2000, a combined URC/ESS initiative saw a ten-lap exhibition
race on the mile, won by Lance Yonge. The next year URC was
back on October 9 for a full show, captured by Curt Michael.
The shot above shows the parade lap, a beautiful – if
intimidating – scene. Too bad they didn’t return. From
TOW MONEY II -The History of the United Racing
Club,1978-2006, by Buzz Rose and Jim Chini. (United
Racing Club Archives Photo) |
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#753 - One of the most frightening
scenes in racing is when a driver comes up on an accident he
has not seen. It’s been that way forever. Case in point was
this incident at Lakeside Speedway in Denver on August 10,
1941. The two guys to the right had gotten in a mix-up and
one was already on foot and the other climbing out. Then
along came Carroll Kelly who tried to miss them, but flipped
several times. He was horribly broken and died of the
injuries in Denver’s Veteran’s Hospital six months later.
From
DECADES OF DARING – Midget Racing in the Rocky Mountains,
by Bill Hill. (Buddy Shay Collection) |
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#752 - In-car cameras have shown us that
Danica Patrick folds her arms on her chest when she is about
to crash in a stock car. That’s become quite the topic of
discussion in the short track community. Historically,
drivers were often told to do the opposite – to keep on
sawing the wheel and working the pedals up to the very end,
just in case there is a possible last mini-second escape
from the impact. Check out this photo of marquee roadster
racer Scotty Cain in Porterville, CA, in 1952, almost out of
the park, but still hangin’ on. From ROARING ROADSTERS,
by Don Radbruch.
(Greg Sharp/Vintage Racing Photos
Collection) |
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#751 - Dave Hales out of West Monroe,
New York, was at the Gater Racing News Motorsports Expo this
past weekend, showcasing his beautiful super. He built it up
piece by piece and, as an employee of sprint car parts
manufacturer M&W Aluminum Products, he clearly knows what he
is doing. Take a closer look at that car, though. How about
that treaded tire on the left rear? How about the windshield
wiper? And how would you like to see it go by you on the
Thruway? Yup. It’s street legal.
(Coastal 181 Photo) |
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#750 - He’s everyone’s favorite, the
beyond-bionic Bentley Warren. On March 8, 2013, Mr. Warren
was in Port Orange, FL, interviewing with Bones Bourcier for
the Bentley memoir we will be releasing early this fall. Can
you imagine what that book will be like?! Can you imagine
how much beer those two will be drinkin’?! (Chris Burgess
Photo) |
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#749 - Al Novotnik, Connecticut's
honored racing historian and all-around good guy, makes sure
the kids at his daughter Ann's kindergarten class have the
proper equipment when she teaches them that R means Race
Car. This is Tripp Lyons at the wheel. (Novotnik Collection) |
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#748 - Spring's coming! Kevin Thomas
(inside) and Brian Paulus were clearly groovin' on some
moisture coming off turn four at Bubba Raceway Park in
Ocala, FL, a couple of weeks back. (John DaDalt Photo) |
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#747 - Lakeville Speedway, aka Golden
Spur Raceway, on the way to Cape Cod in Massachusetts, was a
favorite Sunday afternoon hangout for diehard racing folk
back in the ’60s and ’70s. The oil-soaked half-miler was far
from polished and, even with its open competition format,
seldom drew a world-class field of cars. Instead it was
known for some outrageous shenanigans and world-class
wrecks. No one seemed to know what was going to happen next.
Case in point: Witness the track crew’s response when this
car caught fire. (Val LeSieur Photo) |
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#746 - Call the sheriff! That’s da Champ
selling a subscription to Speedway Scene to the
King at Daytona in the mid-’70s. How many cigars do you
think Richard Petty had left when Rene Charland walked away?
(Val LeSieur Photo) |
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#745 - A hot rod archaeologist’s dream –
a deuce, the ultimate in garage finds. This hiboy spent five
decades in a garage in Lakewood, California, before it was
discovered. From
LOST HOT RODS, by Pat Ganahl. (Pat Ganahl
Collection) |
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#744 - Dickie Leroy took one serious
tumble down the front stretch in the former 1974 CRA
championship car Jimmy “Ozone” Oskie drove. Clearly Leroy’s
cage encountered something very nasty along the way, but he
was uninjured. From OLD SCHOOL: 1971-1977, by Mike
Arthur. (Mike Arthur Photo) |
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#743 - A lonely shot, but one for the
ages. It’s 1959 in an SCCA open practice day on the old road
course at Thompson, Connecticut. That’s a Brown University
engineering student showing his stuff in a ’57 Corvette with
a 283, two four barrels – and no roll bar. Just ten years
later, he would win the Daytona 24 and become Rookie of the
Year at the Brickyard in the Sunoco-Simoniz Lola-Offy. By
the time he died at the Austrian Grand Prix in 1975, Mark
Donohue had won fully 38% of the races he entered. From
MARK DONAHUE: His Life in Photographs, by Michael
Argetsinger. (Dave Lawton Photo) |
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#742 - Frank Guerrini got to flipping
last summer when the USAC midgets went to California’s Ocean
Speedway. He was okay, but he must have had some kind of
special tear-off to protect himself from that mud clod. From
HISTORY OF WATSONVILLE AND SALINAS AUTO RACING, by
Dennis Mattish. (Dennis Mattish Photo) |
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#741 Tommy Lee Byrd’s brand new book on worn-out
drag strips has some amazing photos and histories of
old-time facilities long since closed. There are some pretty
incredible cars, too. How about this Crosley-fired rail job
at Oswego, Illinois, in the later 1950s?. It likely was no
rocketship, but who would want to squeeze into that cockpit
at any speed? From
LOST DRAG STRIPS: Ghosts of Quarter-Miles Past,
by Tommy Lee Byrd. (Norbert Locke Collection) |
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#740 - When Buzz Rose was compiling his
very cool open wheel books, he was able to rely on a
lifetime of experience. Whether in the East or the West,
pavement or dirt, Buzz was right in the thick of it. Here,
on the inside back on July 15, 1962, he led the troops into
the first turn at the high banks at Salem, Indiana. He
wrote, “Over the three years I raced at Winchester and
Salem, I will honestly say I never felt comfortable. The
hills were something you either liked or tolerated. I guess
I fit into the last category.” From
KINGS OF THE HILLS: AAA-USAC Midwest and Pacific Coast
Sprint Car Championships 1945-1960, by Buzz Rose |
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#739 - Promoter Roy Richwine promised a
dream field to ticket buyers on July 31, 1949, the first
time Indy cars ventured out to Williams Grove, PA. The fans
believed him, and fully 38,500 of them lined up. The field
itself turned out to be sparse, with just 12 entries in the
pits. However, half of the cars had qualified for the Indy
500, so big dogs were there. Joltin’ Johnny Mantz won the
50-lapper, followed by Duane Carter, Rex Mays, Lee Wallard,
and local favorite Buster Warke. In the shot above, Milt
Frankenhouser leans into the first turn, with Walt Brown
sniffing out the inside.
From
INDY CARS ON SHORT TRACKS, by Buzz Rose and Joe
Heisler. (Joe Heisler Collection) |
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#738 - One of the all time best racing
books ever written, we believe, is Neal Thompson’s
DRIVING WITH THE DEVIL – Southern Moonshine, Detroit Wheels,
and the Birth of NASCAR. It has received rave reviews
from the media and terrific feedback from Coastal 181
readers. While still available in print form, it has now
become an AUDIO BOOK! Among the subjects Thompson covers is
that infamous 1947 meeting in the Streamline Hotel in
Daytona at which NASCAR was founded. Did you know that Bill
France hired girls from a local modeling agency to entertain
the two dozen gentlemen present? From
DRIVING WITH THE DEVIL by Neal Thompson.
(Raymond Parks Collection) |
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#737 - This amazing photo was taken on
September 30, 1955. Dashing James Dean had just purchased
this brand new Porsche 550 Spyder, christened it “Little
Bastard,” and was fueling up for the races in Salinas,
California the next day. He took off from the station for
the track with his mechanic Rolf Wutherich with gusto,
clocked by the Highway Patrol at 120 mph. The fling was to
be short-lived, however. Dean crashed mightily and was
instantly killed. The aluminum-bodied car was destroyed, but
Wutherich, luckily, was thrown out and survived with some
breaks and bruises.
From
HISTORY OF WATSONVILLE AND SALINAS AUTO RACING, by
Dennis Mattish. (TAS Archives) |
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#736 - Sometimes a fellow needs a few
friends. When four-time
Northeastern Midget Association champ Randy Cabral’s
steering broke in practice for the USAC midget race at
Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway on February 17, he hit the
wall with such force that the front axle broke in two. The
coil-over spud was wrecked and virtually everything else in
the front suspension was broken or bent. That’s when crew
members from other teams came to the rescue. Using spare
parts, a welder and working quickly they completely rebuilt
the car’s suspension in time for Cabral to run the feature,
where he finished 13th. (Photo and caption by Dick Berggren) |
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#735 - On Saturday, February 16, 2013,
the town of Daytona Beach Shores allowed vintage race cars
to run on the old beach-road course, where racing was last
held in 1958. A huge crowd numbering in the thousands turned
out to see the old cars and their drivers. Russ Truelove ran
this car on the old course, actually barrel-rolled it, and
returns often to Daytona for vintage events with the
restored car. In our photo he’s wearing the Cromwell helmet
he wore when he was a New England racing regular. (Photo and
caption by Dick Berggren, North East Motor Sports Museum) |
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#734 - Let there be no question that
Jack Sodeman is completely recovered from his wild
misadventure North of the Border on the 4th of July, 2010. (See
7-14-11 Tearoff) In the photo above, Jack, in black, is
motoring along in his determined way to a BOSS win at Sharon
(OH) Speedway last July. He and his gal, Catherine Chong,
have also been thoroughly wrapped up in their beautiful
infant daughter, Samantha. And you guessed it. Now they’re
down in the Sunshine State, jump-starting the 2013 season
with their #23 sprinter. Thanks to Rick Rarer for the photo
(www.sprintcarnews.com)
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#733 - At the turn of the seventies, one
of most famous of the California funny cars was the
wild-looking Beach City Chevrolet Corvette, fielded by Don
Kirby. Somehow the car was star-crossed and kept Kirby so
busy he had to build three of them. The first, run by
Croatian-American land speed record holder, Gary Gabelich,
burned up completely at Irwindale. The very same ending came
to the second one, shown above, while Pat Foster was at the
wheel. Then, at Orange County, Ron Goodsell had the throttle
stick on the Version 3. Try as he could, he could not shut
it down, and they say some passenger cars out on the I-5
Santa Ana Freeway had quite the surprise that day. From
DRAG RACING FUNNY CARS OF THE 1970’s – A Photo Archive,
by Lou Hart and Wallace A. Wyss. |
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#732 - Californian Dempsey Wilson was
known mostly for his business, Wilson Racing Cams. However,
he was also one gutsy – and winning – driver. Here he is in
Gardena’s Victory Lane on April 16, 1955, having swept a 150
lap midget event. That very tired right rear didn’t seem to
bother him too much! Within a few years he was a regular at
the Brickyard. Smokey Yunick once carried on that he had
approached four name drivers, Tony Bettenhausen, Paul Russo,
AJ Foyt, and Dick Rathman to take his Indy car out, but they
all refused. Then along comes Dempsey Wilson who asked to
drive it. Smokey went on to say “He jumped in her cold and
drove it til he was completely exhausted. No complaints. If
I don’t know anything else about Dempsey Wilson, he was a
strong mother and had plenty of balls.” Photo and quote from
MERCHANTS OF SPEED by Paul D. Smith, Dave Ward
Collection. |
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#731 - A historic image of the three
fastest qualifiers for the 1967 Oswego International Classic.
On the left was popular Gary Witter, the quickest of the
Canadians that day. Witter, who had also just won the first
ever Oswego Supermodified Rookie of the Year title, met his
fate just four seasons later when he slammed through the
first turn wall during the 1971 Classic. In the center was
outside pole starter, Michigander Johnny Benson Sr, who had
snatched a surprise Classic win the year before. And on the
right, Bentley Warren. He was on the pole in the Purdy Deuce
and was fast approaching the USAC era in his illustrious
racing career.
From
50 YEARS OSWEGO SPEEDWAY – INTERNATIONAL CLASSIC by
George Caruso, Jr., with Carol D. Haynes |
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#730 - The entire racing community was saddened on
February 1 by the death of Freddy Adam, the “Kutztown
Komet”, two days after his 82nd birthday. Adam was one of
the most bravado of all the Pennsylvania broad-sliders and
one of the most popular as well. His greatest win came on
October 11, 1964 when he outdueled Bill Wimble, Kenny
Shoemaker, and 210 other entries to win the last dirt Race
of Champions at Langhorne. The Komet was also completely
unassuming. Here in Victory Lane that day with car owner Joe
Bullock, promoter Joe Gerber seems to be holding Freddy’s
head in place so that he will get one good ole smooch from
the trophy girl. (Frank Simek - “the Guy with the Hat” -
photo) |
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#729 - The surface sure looked better
down there in Screven, GA, for the World of Outlaws Late
Models than it did up here in snowy Northeast Nemo land. Vic
Coffey and Ryan Reese (#33) were both hard on it when that
green came out, but their cars had a different attitude. (C.
Whyte Photo) |
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#728 - Following the explosion of social
media over the last decade, there has been a tsunami of
unsolicited critics of every possible aspect of motorsports.
In the meantime, you have to wonder if anyone is actually
DOING anything. Certainly, one doer is New York State’s
Glenn Donnelly. The former GE salesman worked his way into
auto racing in the very early ’70s and built DIRT into the
second largest racing sanctioning body in the country,
before selling it to World Racing Group. He is shown here at
his recent induction into the New York State Stock Car
Association Hall of Fame. He was describing his latest
proposed project, Central New York Raceway Park, a $50
million concept involving a road racing course, a drag
strip, and a half-miler, hosting both car and harness
racing. Donnelly is framing CNRP by the future, rather than
the past. He touched upon such subjects as electric
modifieds – and even hydrogen as a fuel. (Dave Dalesandro
Photo) |
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#727 - Do you think Ayrton Senna was
precise in his work? Here he is in 1988 on his way to his
third straight win at the United States Grand Prix in
Detroit. From AUTOCOURSE – The World’s Leading Grand
Prix Annual 1988/89. |
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#726 - That’s a bunch of cylinders,
Tommy! In 1961 “TV Tommy” Ivo (back to camera) decided that
Kent Fuller’s dragster with two Buick engines didn’t have
quite enough, so he sold it, and Kent built him one with
four. Named “Showboat,” the 1856 cubic-inch monster weighed
in at 3100 pounds, so heavy that the NHRA decided to outlaw
it save for exhibitions. They feared it could crash through
guard rails and into the stands. Additionally, “Poison Ivo”
found it was a lot of just plain work. There was a lot of
pushing up and down the track to get all four engines
started, but that was nothing compared to the effort
required to adjust 64 valves. From
FUEL AND GUTS – The Birth of Top Fuel Drag Racing,
by Tom Madigan. (Harry “Hand Grenade” Hibler Photo) |
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#725 - Here Jerry Coons leads the gang
on the Milwaukee Mile in the Wilke PAK Motorsports #11
midget on July 22, 2006. Coons was very fast (what else is
new?), earning himself the USAC midget driving title that
year. From
LEADER CARD RACERS – A Dynasty of Speed, by Gordon
Eliot White. (WFC/Jeff Arns Photo) |
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#724 - Garden State auto racing
historian Ken “Dirt” Edsell has some very cool images taken
by his late uncle, Charles Zulla. This one is from
Langhorne, Sunday afternoon June 19, 1955. The AAA cars were
in town, and the stands were filled to the brim. Here, a
clearly focused Jimmy Bryan, climbing aboard the famous Dean
Lines Special, has a quick word with mechanic Clint Brawner.
They won. (Charles Zulla Photo, Ken Edsell Collection) |
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#723 - A rather somber-looking Roger
Penske is feted after sweeping the President’s Cup at
Virginia International Raceway in April 1962. Penske was
halfway through his racing brief, seven-year career behind
the wheel. He took few prisoners, though, and ran all manner
of cars, NASCAR to Formula 1. From
VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, by Chris Holaday.
(Leon Townsend Photo) |
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#722 - Folks seem to be so passionate
about old-time modifieds these days. How about this shot
from an early Spring Sizzler at Stafford Springs, CT,
including Richie Evans, Roger Treichler, Ernie Caruso,
Blackie Watt, Jim Hendrickson, Tommy Baldwin, Don Lajoie,
and a few others? If you like it, the thing to do is to
leave this blasted Northern cold and go to Daytona. On
Friday, February 22 there will be the sixth annual MODIFIED
REUNION at New Smyrna Speedway, from Noon until 5:00 pm. It
is a warm and way-cool event. Stick around for that evening,
and the Richie Evans Memorial 100 will be run for
not-so-vintage mods. (Coastal 181 Collection, Eugene Frankio
Photo) |
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#721 - Few people have done more for
racing than Mike and Bobby Seymour, sons of legendary USAC
car owner “Boston Louie” Seymour. Here Bobby and Mike (L)
guide their Silver Crown driver Billy Casella to the series
championship at Syracuse, NY, in 1976. Both brothers went on
to stellar racing careers themselves, accumulating a
combined 44 feature wins. Very active still today in open
wheel racing equipment, their next adventure will be their
popular trade show, THE RACER’S EXPO, to be held Feb 8-9 in
Marlboro, MA. Check out
www.theracersexpo.com.
(Dick Berggren Photo) |
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#720 - On his way to the Area Auto
Racing Motorsports show the week before last, Parnelli Jones
stopped in Detroit to present his friend and mentee Dario
Franchitti with a "Baby Borg" trophy, commemorating Dario's
2012 victory in the Indy 500. But everyone involved had a
wee surprise for Mr. Jones. When Dario finished his
acceptance speech, he turned to Parnelli and said, “Now it
is time for yours.” Fifty years earlier Parnelli had won the
Indy 500, but the tradition of giving an 18-inch tall “Baby
Borg” to the winner wasn’t started until 1988. As you can
see, Parnelli, shown here with the full Borg-Warner trophy
and holding
his new book, was very pleased! (Photo Courtesy
Borg-Warner) |
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#719 - During a half-century of auto
racing on the dirt of Allentown Fairgrounds half-mile, there
were some incredible shows. Certainly the most dramatic
testimony is that Bill Schindler lost his life there in
September 1952 and Johnny Thomson followed suit in
September 1960, driving the same car. Things got a little
intense in the infield, as well. Reading the body language
of the lady to the right, It does not appear that
“Rocketman” was any kind of hoax. (Dale Snyder Collection) |
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#718 - Early on it looked like the
opening day show at Watsonville (CA) Speedway in 1972 was
going to be a real score. A hundred and twenty-one race cars
in two divisions towed into the pits while a huge throng of
fans jammed the stands next to the half-mile dirt. But for
Joe Bailey (above) and some others, it didn’t work out so
well. The show was running really late, the track dried out,
and, despite driver pleas, promoter Bert Moreland decided
not to water the track for the features. In the sportsman
main, dust was so bad that no one saw two cars spin on the
front stretch. In seconds, there was the sickening thunder
of high-speed collisions as a pack of ten more cars piled
into them full-tilt boogie. All the cars were virtually
demolished, and five drivers were whisked away to the crash
house. At that point, one of the crew members towed his
truck and trailer across the track and stole the green flag
to stop the show. Racing was subsequently cancelled, and
fans were told they would get a rain check but not a refund.
By this point, everyone was thoroughly pissed, and the
fighting started. Bret Moreland’s wife and a helpless female
attendant were rocked to the ground inside a ticket booth as
the melee grew. Finally, a whole team of sheriff’s deputies
raced in and eventually restored order, as fans milled
around late into darkness. You’d have to say, however, that,
horror show though it may have been, opening day did no
lasting harm to the Speedway. Likely due to all the
publicity, the track had its most successful first month of
racing in history. It was standing room only for the next
three nights. From
HISTORY OF WATSONVILLE AND SALINAS
AUTO RACING, by Dennis Mattish. (Yetter Collection) |
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#717 - Eric
Allyn, an architectural designer way up there in Rockland,
ME, is a certifiable nice guy. At 38, dad of five kids and a
business owner, 2012 was his rookie year and he started out
right in the late models. All went fairly well until the
last race when he spread quite a bit of dirt back onto the
pavement at Unity Raceway. When all had settled down, his
car was pretty much demolished. The only things salvageable
were the engine, tranny, and rear. “We had planned to build
a new chassis over the winter, and I guess that kinda sealed
the deal,” he says. (Photo by Michelle Bolduc, Fast Track
Photography) |
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#716 - Go to a midget race these days and you
can’t help but be impressed with the red hot, fresh-faced
kids new to the sport, Kyle Larson, Rico Abreu, and Kevin
Chaffee among their number. But it seems there are
even more from families thoroughly familiar to racing
railbirds, names such as Sheldon Haudenschild, Chad Boat,
Bobby Santos, and Kevin Swindell. This is no recent
phenomenon. Case in point is this photo sent in by New
England Hall of Fame journalist Pete Zanardi. That’s
Fitchburg’s Ray Burke (Tearoff
dated 9/25/12) after a NEMA win on the high banks of the
old Norwood (MA) Arena in 1959. He was aboard the Mike’s
Truck Stop Offy, and celebrating in the background aboard
the arms of Blackie LaMacchia was young Mike Scrivani Jr.
Mike has grown into a highly respected member of the midget
community and was recently re-elected President of the
Northeast Midget Association. (Balser Photo, Peter Zanardi
Collection) |
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#715 - In 1926 Hughes Stadium was built
in Sacramento as a multi-purpose sports facility. It was a
massive concrete structure, seating over 22,000. At the end
of the War, the dominant activity was racing, whether
roadsters, midgets, or motorcycles. Bill Vukovich was a
familiar competitor in his red Drake. Here he is in 1946.
Doesn’t it seem that he is trying to go faster than his car?
From
SACRAMENTO – Dirt Capital of the West, by Tom
Motter. (Russ Reed Photo) |
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#714 - It was the summer of 1973, and
the injected big block modifieds at Reading
Fairgrounds
had evolved to their peak of ferocity. Unquestionably two of
the greatest wheel-twisters of the era were Kenny Brightbill
(L) and Gerald Chamberlain. Anyone lucky enough to have seen
them attack the heavy clay on that third and fourth will
never forget it. (Bob Snyder Photo) |
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#713 - It’s California’s Orange Show
Speedway in 1953 and two of the hottest drivers, Parnelli
Jones and Hila Paulson often engaged in quite energetic
match races, as described in Tom Luce’s amazing book,
MEMORIES OF THE CALIFORNIA JALOPY ASSOCIATION.
Parnelli will join Coastal 181 at the AARN Motorsports Show
in Oaks, PA this Saturday (Jan. 19) to sign his new memoir.
Too bad Hila isn’t coming, too. (Photo – Parnelli Jones
Collection) |
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#712 - Bobby Wilkins is, no contest, one
of Delaware’s most versatile and successful drivers ever. He
racked up 118 wins at Delaware International and
championships at Georgetown and Bridgeport (NJ) as well.
He’s been very quick under a URC wing as well. This weekend,
though, he will be sitting still – at the Coastal 181 booth
at Area Auto Racing’s MOTORSPORTS show in Oaks, PA. Along
with author Chad Culver, he will be signing copies of
DELAWARE AUTO RACING on Friday, Jan. 18 from 4-5
PM. Chad will carry the flag alone on Saturday from 5-6 PM.
Photo from
DELAWARE AUTO RACING, by Wayne and Chad Culver.
(Helen Banks Collection) |
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#711 - 20-year-old sensation Kyle Larson
sure had the heart of that massive throng of fans at the
Chili Bowl last week. The roar of the crowd, however, was
loudest of all for someone else. “I’m a nobody,” says Wes
Goodwin. “No one even knows my name.” But mention “the Hey
Guy” to anyone there in Tulsa, and you’ll see one big smile.
Wes has some unique connectivity with the grandstands, and
whenever he prances in front of them with his sign and
tosses out trinkets, folks holler and yell with delight. In
no time, sections of the bleachers compete for the loudest
and rowdiest response to his antics. Wes does the whole
thing for charity – and has done so at places like Knoxville
and Eldora as well. During the summer, though, his role is a
tad more serious. He’s the flagger at Devil’s Bowl, Lanny
and Beverly Edwards’ ultra-racy oval in Mesquite, TX.
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#710 - Some folks say that, with 300 or
so midgets and 300 or so beer stands under one roof, the
Chili Bowl can be a little tough on the lungs and the liver.
Well, good ol’ Kevin Olson was there peddling his
alternative health tee shirts to help out. They were $13 –
or $12.80 with an autograph. (Coastal 181 Photo) |
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#709 - Good guy PJ Jones was at the
Chili Bowl with his retro-white number 98 midget. On the
hood was a big ol’ decal of the cover of his
dad’s new book, co-authored by Bones Bourcier and
published by Coastal 181. |
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#708 - Philadelphia’s Simeone museum,
located less than two miles from the airport, contains some
of the most spectacular sports racing cars in the world.
Among them is this Alfa Romeo which won the ‘38 Mille
Miglia, a 1,000-mile road race from Brescia to Rome and
back. The race was run through towns and the countryside on
paved and dirt roads. The double-overhead cam eight-cylinder
engine had twin superchargers. The car had an independent
four-wheel suspension and shocks that were driver adjustable
during the race. The museum, which is open to the public,
contains an enormous collection of sports cars that raced
and won some of the most prestigious events of their time,
many of them unrestored and displayed within backgrounds
appropriate to their storied history. It’s open to the
public. From Northeast Motorsports Museum Collection. (Dick
Berggren photo and caption.) |
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#707 - Here are Buddy Baker and Ryan
Newman a few winters back. When Ryan was recruited for
Penske racing, Don Miller knew he had to find him a driver
coach. Here’s what Buddy had to say during their first test
session out at Gateway: “When Ryan came in, I just walked up
and said, ‘Boy, are you giving us 100%?...My grandmother
wouldn’t mess up, the way you’re running.’ With that, he
jerked that thing into low gear and went back out, and drove
that thing down to where you could see Elvis. I told the
guys ‘My God, I might have killed him. But if he makes that
corner, I think we have a driver.’ The next lap was faster
than the track record. Then I called Don and said, ‘This
guy’s the real deal. Give him a little time, don’t push him
too quick, and you’ll have a franchise driver.’” From
MILLER’S TIME, by Don Miller with Jim Donnelly.
(Steven Rose Photo) |
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#706 - It was UMCA sprint car racing in
Hoisington, Kansas, back in 1953. Racing on the big
half-mile was definitely fast, but the starter, out the on
the edge of the groove, sure stayed right on top of things.
And to make sure everything was going okay, Peanuts the
Clown took a close peek, too. Racing there at Cheyenne
Speedway lasted only one year. From
BIG CAR THUNDER – Sprint Cars on America’s Fair Circuits,
Vol. 1, by motorsports historian Bob Mays. (L.A.
Ward Photo) |
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#705 - It was 1955 at the drags in
Orange, Massachusetts. Back then, in the pre-tree era, says
Bernie Shuman, “starters, the most visible of the strip
staff, had to have equal parts showmanship, physical
endurance, and courage.” “Air Leo” Errara, shown above,
certainly had that second one in spades. An active racer on
the side, he also flagged at Nationals. From
COOL CARS SQUARE ROLL BARS, by Bernie Shuman.
(Xenophon A. Beake Photo)
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#704 - There has been a bit of buzz this
year about some whining on the part of well-heeled kids who
have made their moneyed way into big-league racing. But the
short tracks do seem to have a crop of young drivers who are
doing things with humility and style. Case in point would be
a high-achieving student at UW Stout from up in Sturgeon
Bay, Wisconsin. She’s Kelsey “Hollywood” Hayes. Kelsey, 19,
is also a high-achieving and popular dirt track racer who
had two wins this year at Oshkosh Speedway and was third in
points there and at Thunder Hill Speedway. That’s Kelsey’s
dad, Bill, to her right, and Randy Theys, crewman, to her
left. Thunder Hill historian, Tom Wagner, is said to have
given her the handle “Hollywood,” but Kelsey sent this note
with a smile: “It was my dad’s nickname when he raced
because he wore big sunglasses. I guess it stuck because my
phone is constantly in my hand and I’m always texting.”
(Brad Busse Collection, Dan Lewis Photo) |
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#703 - In 1964 one of the most admired
of the East Coast modified wheelmen was Pennsylvanian Otto
Harwi. The 41-year-old, known as “King of the Dirt,” was
driving a Ford-powered Sonny Dornberger coach that Harwi, a
professional welder, had put together himself. Shock
resonated throughout the racing community when Harwi hopped
a wheel in the third turn at Middletown, NY, and hit the
wall with his roof. It collapsed. This murky photo from Ray
Martin’s time-honored book THE HARD CLAY IN ORANGE
COUNTY gives testimony to the unsurvivability of the
impact, though no weld was broken. Photo from THE HARD
CLAY IN ORANGE COUNTY, by Raymond C. Martin.
Our
friend and former coupe-era Pennsylvania dirt tracker Tommy
Vroom called us and made this correction to what Ray Martin
originally wrote about the Harwi fatality in the HARD
CLAY book. “I was standing right there in the third
turn and certainly will never forget what happened. Otto was
driving an injected Chevy-powered coupe owned by the Cramers
from Warren, NJ., wrenched by Sonny Dorenberger. He hit oil
from Ray Cook’s blown engine and had no control at all. He
tagged Ray’s car and flew probably 25 feet in the air and
landed on the crease of the wall. There was no way he could
have survived. It was horrible. The car went back to the
Cramer’s garage and was covered by a tarp for years. Later
it was resurrected by Billy Osmun and it became his first
#333 at Flemington. Billy used the chassis, but, needless to
say, he made a new roll cage.” |
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#702 - In 2010 the British were back in
these Colonies, and this time they won. Here winner Dario
Franchitti, the Scot, and Englishman Dan Wheldon embrace
after the Indy 500, as Ashley Judd celebrates with a
Caledonian flag. From
THE BRITISH AT INDIANAPOLIS, by Ian Wagstaff. (IMS
Collection) |
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#701 - He was cut from different cloth.
More often seen in a starched white shirt and a green tie
serving customers in his “Pat Flaherty’s Tavern” in Chicago,
the lanky Irishman was the center of attention on Memorial
Day weekend in 1956. He swept the Indy 500 in a John Zink
car wrenched by A.J. Watson, seen here just to his right. He
was uncommonly skilled behind the wheel, but curiously less
than passionate about auto racing. He claimed he preferred
racing pigeons, and that’s just what he did for decades
after hanging up his helmet. He died in 2002. From
TO INDY AND BEYOND: The Life of Racing Legend John Zink,
by Dr. Bob L. Blackburn |
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