Features VINTAGE SPRINT CAR PIC THREAD, 1965 and older only please.

The Herk at The Hut, lettin' 'er eat...

 

Hey guys.. What was the wheelbase averages or rules for a "Big" Champ car in the late 60's?

Does 106" sound right... or to long?

I'm trying to buy a non-cage chassis off a guy and I went and looked at it and by guessing where tha axles would be.. Thats what I got..

JD

 

I'd say 100" would be what most were. The minimum allowed was 96".

 

Good chance that "Rick" was Rick Meyer.

Did you flag the crossover at Rushville? I remember watching it from the stands, and also standing at the turn 1 fence looking up the main straight. It was an awesome deal.

 

Did it at least once at Rushville in the 60s. And, I remembered Rick's last name right after I wrote that. Meyer it was. The crossover was fun. More fun with the TQs than with ASA, but it was always fun. With ASA, the most were at Milwaukee and Bristol. They wouldn't let me do it at Michigan or Atlanta. I finally got to the point with ASA where I dropped to one knee to do it. Wouldn't dare try that with the TQs. Even with ASA, there were some close ones. Dick Trickle and Mark Martin used to always get as close as they could when they were going to the outside. Both told me they'd never try that when they were going to the inside because they couldn't tell how close that side of the car was to me.

 

Here's some photos I scanned in of my grandfather back in the late 30's. Most of them are Huntington CT and Syracuse NY, have a look. The car in the pics is called Simon's Texaco Spcl.




He's standing next to the car and his mechanic is sitting in the car here.




This one says "Me with a former girlfriend, she's now married" on the back haha, he didn't meet my grandmother until after WWII







This last pic, he was in the car side by side with the white car in the lead.

 

Minewithnoshine.. Bout' time Brian!! Ha Ha! We only asked for those on page two..

Great pics. Really cool!!

"personal mechanic.." I like that.


How that steel deuce roadster coming!

JD

 

A couple of then and now photos of Gus Linder of Pittsburgh who goes to the kart races with his grandson John these days.
I had the pleasure of meeting him a couple of years ago, and he showed me a tattered photo he still carries in his pocket of the first race car built by he and his brother Dick, who he said was tragically killed before he made it to Indy. I believe it was at Trenton, NJ.
Good to see he is still around.

 

Brian, Killer stuff.. Thank's for sharing..

 

Yea I'm slow hahaha, actually my mom just finally let loose of the album for me to scan them all in! The thing is there's probably 50 more I need to get up on here too!

The deuce is coming along pretty good, we're moving to Harrison to the shop we went to a while back, you'll have to come check it out when we get settled in!

 

Many of the older cars ran straight sixes and even a few straight eights. If it was an inliner it would make sense that it is longer than 100" to get everything to fit. My "Duesenberg" chassis is 108.

 

Seeing those oldies made me reach WAAAY back in the drawer for this one. It was given to me more than 30 years ago by a friend of mine in Salem whose family had owned a photography business there for years. I don't know who it is or when it was taken, but I know where. It was at what they call the old "Legion" speedway which was apparently east of Salem, probably where they Washington County Fairgrounds and what is called Thunder Valley Speedway is now located. My thanks to Dale Tash and Leonard's Studio.

 

Indybigjohn
I have a qestion when you where the flagman for UMRA did you ever know a guy by the name of john hastings he was a car owner he was my great grandpa. One more a mechanic and sometimes driver not that great at the driving part named Tom or Tommy Stickels. I just wondered my family has been around a long time and so have some of our freinds and everybody says that its not what it used to the crossover and all. Even scince I was a kid when I was little and my uncle started umra they still did the crossover but not anymore. Nobody has the guts and some of thoose guys cant be trusted I know I worked track crue. just wondered
Adam

 

This has been an incredable thread. I've enjoyed all the photos.

If anyone is intersted in seeing cars like this in the Dallas area please plan on attending Manifolds on Main car show on Sept 27th.

So far we have 8 midgets, 2 sprints and 3 Indy roadster from the 30's to the 60's confirmed for the show plus lots of hot rods.

Should be a great event!

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=291886&highlight=kurtis

 

Speedrome, Whoever painted that midget had a lot of patience

 

trs1941, the names are certainly familiar, but I can't put a face with them. Then again, I'll be 70 in a couple of weeks and CRS is setting in from time to time.

Tell the folks that NO organized racing is the same as it used to be. It's all gotten too sophisticated and too expensive to have fun with. That's why I'm loving spending my semi-retirement helping to run a quarter-mile paved track near Corbin, Ky.

 

John,
Bert never drove The Southern Star. Bill Cantrell[later drove unlimited hydros] drove it the most. Joie Ray[the black driver] drove it a lot, Bobby Grim also drove as did several other good drivers of the time[1940 to 1950].
The old Salem big track was were Thuder Valley is now. It was 1/2 mile D shaped[the back stretch followed the creek. I firat ran there in 1964.
Jim Graybeal

 

Joe Parks of Tulsa painted the car. Bill Jones of San Antonio who owns the car restored it in 1999.

It is know as the "Pop" Dryer Checkerboard Offy. The car had a Smith Jiggler in the late 40's and sometimes Bill shows the car with an Offy in the car and the Smith Jiggler on a stand next to it.

It is a beautiful car with lots of attention to detail.

 

Thanks, Jim. I didn't realize it was still there that late. And thanks for the info on the Southern Star. For some reason I had Bert's name in there. I remember Bill Cantrell very well, and Joie was a real friend.

 

If I recall correctly, Bill Cantrell was the only driver who ever started the Indianapolis 500 and the unlimited hydro Gold Cup in the same year.

 

Check out another pic of that GREAT ex Hank Henry sprintcar, restored by John Stanley, NZ.

www.historicspeedway.com

 

John,
You are probably right about Bill. He not only drove unlimited but built a few. He built the first MISS MADISON[before it was named Madison, they bought it used] Joie was a very close friend. The Family asked me to speak at Joie's funeral, it was great honor to me. There is a book out on Joie's life. Name is Brick by Brick, written by Pat Sullivan. Good book.
Jim

 

I thought that was John Gerber at first.. His speedster was built out of a model "490" Chevy touring car. He ran the number 490 for the first couple of years of his carrer. His book, (Which I recomend) says he ran those factory wooden spokes a couple times but they worked loose from the hubs. He switched to a set of Daytons..

but.... I'm sure runing the number 490 on a Model 490 Chevy was/is as comon as 32 fords with the number 32.. and, the pictures in the book don't support it either. But.. Who knows!

Gerber was a amazing racer. If you like books that actually tell you "How they won the race" read his biography.. "OUTLAW SPRINT CAR RACER"

J SHaw

 

This pic is from a collection of pics from Roy Hamilton, a racer from Indy

 

Speedwagen,
That is not a picture of the Southern Star. The Southern Star had Red and White scallops on the front. The tail was red with ablue star on it with Soutern Star written thru the middle of the star. If I can figure out how to put a picture on here i will. I have seen a picture of the car you put on[Ed Hitze sent me one], but I do not know who owned it or were it was from.
Jim Graybeal

 

Thanks for the comments, Josh. You're probably right about the "490" on the car being common. I recall at the Mopar Nationals at IRP we had all kinds of cars showing up numbered 318, 413, 426, 440, etc.

 

Jim, When you do figure it out.. Post a picture of you business card. It's cool!










Notice the same helmet below from the same day. Must have tried out a couple different cars that day...?....

 

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Well, guys... Were on the map!

Lately, when I do a "Google search" for a any certain old sprint car for research... This post comes up first!!

Good job guys! Thanks for all your post!!

Joshua Shaw
Cin Oh.


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In the second photo down in the Southern Star bunch, Bill Cantrell is wearing a jacket from his unlimited hydro team. Really cool. I remember watching him drive Why Worry.