History Stock-S/S-F/X 1959-1966

No I was not with Dick during most of that time. I went into the Army while working for him. Got out in July 64 moved back to Las Cruces, NM. Stayed in touch by phone and did some match racing with one of his customers cars and spent time with Dick then. Got married and had to get a real job but stayed in touch through the years. I first went to the races with Dick in 58 or 59 and tried to go any time he was in our area or within a reasonable distance to travel. Dick was my cousin so we had a certain bond and I am proud to have spent the time with him I was fortunate enough get to spend with him.
Larry

 

Joel
That was the 2nd 61 he had. The other being 348 car and same color. This one when running O/SS was the "new" 2x4 carbs that were released some time in mid 61 I believe. It was Turquoise or blueish green color. Hell I am color blind so how do I know?? lol
There is a long story about the article saying he was going to Calif to race. Any way this was a fast car and did not get beat often.
Larry

 

Joel
If I can find it I will post a pic of the C&H car that this article mentions.

Larry

 

Hi Steve
I don't think I ever met your dad, I do remember his racing and engine building expertise. Never heard a bad work about him, except from someone he out ran....hahha
Last year at a car show here in Albuq the Pasadena Dodge was here in the show and I have a pic of it. Says engine by Ted DeTar. I knew Robert Lindstrom too. (Mr Tomato) and I think your dad built his engine also.
Love to visit with you some time.

Larry

 

With thanks to OldDrags, some Owensboro Dragway ads featuring some of the match race activity in Western Kentucky in the 60s.








$2 admission and when final rounds were being run the concession stand announced hot dogs at two for a quarter. Those were the days. Yeah, Middle Eliminator paid $75 vs. $50 for Top Eliminator. That's because the Altereds ran Middle and there were hardly ever any rails that would show up for Top Elim. The "Rawhide" AA/FA Fiat would regularly do "exhibition" runs. Exhibition, because they could never get it straight enough for a full run on the 1/8 mi. track.

 

Is the Owensboro track still operating?

 

Hi Larry,
Do you remember what time of year it was when Dick was able to get the new 2x4 set-up for his '61 O/SS?
Thanks
Verne

 

Hopefully Larry will tell the story behind Dick's early '61 2-4bbl setup!
Joel

 

Here's a shot from Island Dragway, Great Meadows, NJ in 1965. This is Hackensack, NJ's Dickie Maurriello's 409 Impala just as it transitioned from a street cruiser/racer/sometimes drag car to a full time track car. This car more or less when new in '62 Dickie had the car mildly customized with some of the trim taken off, an aftermarket tube grille and a Bel Air/Biscayne deck added with less tailights. Here the car has now become a dedicated drag car, motor by Dick Simoneck in Paterson, NJ's old oval track garage/shop mecca called "Gasoline Alley". The suspension was setup exclusively for the strip by now and other visible bits were Stahl Headers. The car was still being flat-towed to the track. Still more to come ...
Joel

 

Nice shot Joel.

 

Here's some I just got recently.

 

next one

 

number 3

 

Now the Maurriello 409 after my cousin Joe Franco and Maurriello (both now passed away) had teamed up to take the car further than the previous shot from '65. This is now '67 at Englishtown, NJ. Joey and Dickie ran the car as a team in later '65 and '66 but by '67 Joey was running the car himself. Thigs have changed, Maurriello's name is missing from the door and the car now is trailered to the track. Not visible is the long ladder traction bar on the car. This again is 1967 and the new S/S classes are in effect. The $ on the window means that he's running for the S/S money eliminator that day, not running classes for trophies. On this day he won the eliminator.
A friend has said he believes this car still exists somewhere near the NJ shore area as a restored 409 street car.
This was also when E'town had the pits, unpaved and staging on the spectator side of the track.
Joel

 

Number 4

 

Number 5

 

Great shots Dean. I'd not known the Fenner-Tubbs car got the AWB treatment until I saw a picture of it a few years back in Grady Bryant's Match Race Madness book.
The Faubel shot looks like it is from the AHRA Winter meet at Beeline in early '65. Faubel won at that meet, an early debut of most of the AWB cars as I recall.
Joel

 

Joel,I've found out through researching the car this is their 64 car updated and altered,they were still racing the 65 Super Stock car at the same time.

 

Number 6

 

Number 7

 

Joel,
Nice to see you post the pic of your cousin's '62 at E-town. Excellent narrative also.....
Take note of the rear of the '61 in the background. I think it's an Impala 2-Dr Sedan, a very low production model in '61.

 

Number 8

 

Number 9

 

Last one,I posted this one earlier but heres a larger version of Joe Blacks the American.

 

Hi Verne
I think we know each other from another web site?

I can't tell you the exact month, but I do remember going to Ascarate Park Drag Strip in El Paso which opened in early spring every year and seeing the 1st 61 run in the 14:00's. Probably Late March or early April. Then in 2 weeks when I went back the 61 was running in the mid 13's. About the time I got there Dick made a run so I waited in the pits for him, and when he came back he wanted to go eat. We rode to a local drive in for a burger. I asked him why the car was so much faster. He said "Not the same car" I will never forget that. He his has patented grin showing and we got out of the car and he showed me the engine. Nice 409 single 4 barrel. I was impressed because most people bought a car and kept it for years and this was his second one that year. He could easily sell his cars tho because they ran so well.
To be continued

Larry

 

To you guys living in NJ...In 1973 I bought an 62 Chevy Belair ex 409 race car in the Rumson area.I can't remember the guy's name,but the car still had some lettering on it, "Half Pint" was the name,the windows were covered in kill stickers from Atco I believe. By the time I got it it had a 283 4 speed,I drove it around for a time then sold it.

 

Now the rest of the story!

Probably about a month or 6 weeks after the 409 first raced in El Paso we were back at Ascarate Drag Strip and Dick was there with the same car. This time low 13's and a couple hi 12's. Wow, another car??
No, when I got to his pit area he showed me the engine and this time there were 2x4 carbs there. Nice aluminum manifold too. There have been some stories told about this set up that I don't believe were true. Dick showed me a telegram from Chevrolet Division and NHRA addressed to "Interested Strip Operators". It said that the 2x4 set up had been approved for NHRA use and any vehicle using it was to run a new class. O/SS Optional Super Stock. One of the stories told says Dick knew that the 4x2's were coming so he had a manifold company cast him a special manifold and put a GM part number on it and that he made up the telegram. I do not believe that story because it comes from a source that over the years has been unreliable. Whether that is due to poor memory or a personal agenda I do not know. Dick had no reason to lie to me or try and fool me so I think he told me the truth. And how would he have known the class it was supposed to run with the 2x4's?
To answer Verne's question I would guess June or so 61.
Larry

 

Hi,
What was the color of the car ... was it white maybe? I think I posted a shot earlier of Harvey Tilton's Bel Air that was from central-south Jersey somewhere. He was a hot one at Atco and other strips in the S. Jeresy-PA-MD region. White with tinted windows. Have any pictures of the car? Very interesting!
Verne has talked with Tilton in recent years.
Joel

 

Interesting Dean ... I'd not thought of that possibility. Joel

 

Race Artist,Holy Shit,it was white and Harvey Tilton does sound like his name!!! I was from the Newark area and a buddy of mine lived in Rumson and told me the car was for sale. I did have photos,sorry, I can't find them... Tony