60'-70's Vintage Oval Track Modifieds

Everyone had some great racing back in the 70's. I live in West Tennessee and everyone went to Riverside Speedway in West Memphis. I worked for Bobby Davis Sr. in the early 70's we ran a sprint car and what we called a "B" car, others called Mods. Here are some photos people in our area. Tommy Noblin and Ricky Hood drove Bobby's cars back then. I included photos of Hooker Hood, Sammy Swindle, Bubby Jones before he went to Calf. I also had two of Bobby and Donnie Allison before nascar.

 

I'm sure gettin' an education from this thread. Very interesting stuff John56h.

 

I met the great Renee' Charland in Daytona during Speedweeks sometime in the late 70's/early 80's. He was staying at the same motel as we were on A1A ...so was Richie Evans.

Charland couldn't believe that a bozo from Wisconsin had ever heard of him.

 

Check out the roster of inductees at the National Midget Hall of Fame at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prarie, Wi...

http://www.worthyofhonor.com/Inducted_Members.htm

A who's who of dirt track racing!!!

 

raceing is a obbesive drug, just run around in circles and where do you get?? money into noise

thanks for the memories
i started in 1973 and it cost $5 a night for car and truck fuel and admission , kept trying 18 years, unfortunately I grew old and retired!!!

 

I bought Bob Burdik's #45 deuce coupe to build as a street car but it went to a buddy who's building it exactly as it was in 1957. Burdik went on to run 2nd in the 1959 Daytona 500.

 

Looking for anyone who can assist me in identifying this car. Just bought it in Nebraska and looking for any information possible. Type/Year/Make of body, anyone who remembers it from the Northern NE area, anything of any benefit. Thanks so much. Please email me. Paul

 

From the pictures of #8...it looks like a 1936 Chevy body.

 

Lebanon Valley Speedway, Lebanon, NY 1974. Mert "Socks" Hulbert. Joel

 

Lebanon Valley Speedway, Lebanon, NY 1974. Tommy Corellis in The Godfather ... Joe Leto's Rossell chassis, big block Chevy powered Gremlin.
Joel

 

I just came across this thread and could not beleive the response. My freinds and I have followed different types of modifieds around New York but have raced Vintage Modifieds here in Ontario. There has been a couple of posts of cars from here but I give you a few more. These are from last year but I will scan some of our older cars and post them.Thes cars run coupe and sedan bodies with a spec. tube chassis, solid front and rear axles, limited offset and I6 engines. Single carb Clifford intakes, ported cast heads, cast factory blocks and headers. They put out roughly 300 to 325hp on race fuel. Here are the pictures and a short race video with a wreck.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=4YBuP4LRg0w&feature=related<O</O

 

Just had my 37 Chevy coupe Modified out to a local car cruise tonight.

It really turned some heads! Kids love climbing in and trying out the racing seat and 5 point harness.

 

Thanks for letting the kids check the car out from the drivers seat John. That was really cool! If I would've been there, I would have been standing in line to get some seat time too.

 

Hey boldventure,

I'd really like to see more of your modified pics from Spencer in the mid-seventies.

Frank

 

My mother of 70 years was married before my father to a guy out of cheshire ct . named Henry Smith and his driver was Red Foote They were one of the Northeast Bandits back in the 50s and 60s . The driver Red raced everywhere from the NE to Florida and grand national too . Raced the nascar circut and grand national races including the 1963 daytona 500 . They won up and down the east coast . Maybe some of you guys will remeber . My sister has a 5 page artical on the Eastern bandits from the Cars Magazine in the 60s .

 

Here are a few that are running with the Northern Vintage Racers club up this way.

 

Down Here Now A Days This Is What Passes For A Modified.



And Here's Something Fun To Do.

Spend About 15,000 Dollars And Buy A Mod-Lite And Zip Around The Track With Modern And Classic Dwarf Cars.

 

I am trying to find old racing movies from the 70's of races in the upstate NY area. Asphalt tracks like Lancaster, Spencer, Fulton and dirt tracks like Weedsport, Rolling Wheels, Canadaguia to name a few. Any info would be great.

I loved looking at the pictures in this thread,

Thanks Tom

 

Ahh, Northeast Modifieds.

Strange looking beasts to be sure, but fast as all get-out.

I've always wanted to hang a set of those big sticky 15" wide late model skins on a modified (our kind) and see what she'd do.

Them hard and narrow tires they make us run are really the big limiters for these cars.

I'd probably just kill myself, but it'd be a hell of a ride up to that point.

 

Here's Hank's first ride that he drove at the old Tucson Rodeo grounds in '53. 34 coupe called the "Honey Bucket" (s... bucket) Hank had a great sense of humor. Great time flat towing it behind his Carson topped 50 Merc. Dave Caid and I were the "gofers"

 

O/T kind of, so heres a shot of my buddys 07' jr quick, asphalt modified. and yep that paint is 1970 sublime mopar green the guy who built the green car his car is in the background.



and heres blaine sneva yes that sneva he is toms brother in the pink lady.

 

Here is one of the Northeast Eastern Bandits of the 50's and 60's . The earlier car won 21 feature races and won track champ .

 

Hey guys, visit 3widespicturevault.com. There you will see vintage dirt cars from the pa., nj, ny, de, speedways and other neat stuff.

Tony A.

 

Probably one of my favorite posts of all-time. Thanks for sharing.

 

This car is a 37 ford, and yes a 430 lincoln. When at Langhorne with this car, a rocker arm broke, my dad remembers the p.a. system requesting a rocker arm for the engine.

 

Some more from the Northern Vintage Racers.

 

Here are a few of my Dad back in the mid 60's from Anniston Speedway, Anniston AL and one of my current car. If anyone has anything related to dirt racing in central Alabama from the 60's let me know.

 

Found this link with a lot of great images of Modifieds from the 50's

http://www.wallycampbell.com/index.html

 

Wayne Cox, Legend of Oklahoma-1969

 

I believe that Triple Six driver is Bobby Botcher...