Actually, all I know is that Bay ended up in the lake. It's my understanding that he wasn't the first. A NASCAR competitor ended up in there a couple of years before, maybe in the first year. If I had a story, I'd have used it in my Driven to the Past column on Frontstretch.com. I can tell you that I never let Bay forget it.
The lake is fully stocked with fish. It was fenced in many years ago. I have seen Neal Bonnett and Paddelfoot Wales in a small boat trying to catch some of Mr Frances fish. The orignal reason for the lake was to have enough water in case of a fire. this was common pratice of fire control in fla after WW2. when the track was constructed and opened. A football field was on the green area of the front streatch. High school foot ball was played for several years.. Also the back straight was also a drag strip as nascar also had a dragrace division in the late 50 and early 60s. During speed weeks large light were brought in. I saw Art Arfonds in I think 61 or 62 with a 57 plymouth with a jet engine.
K9, I believe the reason for the lake was for fill for the banking of turn 1. Then it was filled in with water.
O/T Speaking of Daytona, I'm watching the Nationwide Rain Delated Charlotte race. If anyone wants a great book on the beginnings of NASCAR you have to get and read, Curtis Turn, Full Throttle. A must read, can't put down book.
the soil was used in the building of the track. A lot of what is called good compacture dirt was trucked in as the track was built in a swamp area. but wait all of fla is a swamp area.. Mr France was a visionary and thought that the complex needed a lot of activity to support its self. Mr. Raymond Parks of atlanta ga and Mr Cosby Hodges of birmingham alabama helped with the design and furnishing funds..Mr parks is the last living person who started nascar in daytona in 1948. I have talked to him many times at the georgia racing reunions he is 93 and still goes to work every day at his northside liquor store in atlanta..
Here's an old newpaper clipping I have to add, I never realized they had races at Soldier Field in Chicago? I have a bunch of old car ads to post down the road. I found a stack of newspapers from 1951 (this one included) inside a wall for insulation when I remodled my bathroom.
The Granitel brothers mostly Andy were the promoters at solider field. Racing was stoped after the Hippies of the late 60s or early 70s prosted the activitys and the city gave in.
Not only did they have races at Soldier Field, they had crowds to make any promoter's mouth water. For some of the info (including the famous fake accident), see Andy Granatelli's book...
indybigjohn...Thanks to you and all the other folks submitting photos!! It's unbelievable but I found this post after Googling Louisville Fairgrounds Speedway..I had never seen this website!! Now that I have registered,, logged on,,spent a couple hours going through the old photos,it really brings back great memories. For some reason I was always a big fan of John Sommerville and was actually looking for photos of him when I came across this site.I remember Jessie Baird, Roy Wathen,Bill Kimmell,Lamar Marshall,Gerald Dixon,Sommerville and many others racing at the old Sportsdrome?by the airport in Danville Ky.Sometimes Al Straub would be in the pits with his mustang on his way somewhere.Always cool to see. Tremendous photos by you and everyone.
coolrace99, I'm down here in London, now, helping run Corbin Speedway and doing PR for London Dragway. Still active at 70 although I'm in a wheelchair. I remember the Danville track well. Flagged a few races there. I have photos of John Sommerville and Al Straub I'll be posting as I get them out of storage and scanned.
That would be GREAT,,as I'm planning on doing a replica of a 68 or 69 Chevelle in a "99" scheme to race R.C. with..I hope to find a 10th scale body..I'm sure there's one made by someone..Can't wait for the pics!! Thanks!! Mike
Indy will know better, but I seem to remember this indoor race being the 1982 season opener for the ASA series. A couple quick names, #90 Kent Stauffer #35 Buddy Schrock, the #36 of Joe Shear is the third car from the right in the top of the pic, two cars in front of Shear might be Jim Sauter.
I think you're right, txtom. It was the same year that the Super Bowl was played there, I believe. 49ers and Bengals??? My son was 12 at the time, and he was trying to figure out how to get into the Pistons' locker room to steal Isaiah's shoes.
You've got it. Butch led all the way, as I recall. Trickle told me after practice that you had to use a lot of bump steer. I couldn't understand how that would help until he explained, "You bump a little and steer a little."
Thanks a bunch!!You don't know how long I've looked for a photo this good of the "99"!!Several years ago I got a couple and had copys made from a man who lived on Taylor Blvd. in Louisville.He "helped out"the team in the late 60's/early 70's..Of course I can't find the darn things and they sure weren't this quality!! The car and driver always seemed to be one that stuck with me for some reason.Tough competitor/neat race car..I've used the number ever since....Thank You indybigjohn!!
Richie Bisig of Louisville, a very tough Figure 8 racer. We lost him in a construction accident around 1980.
This one has something of a historical significance. It's Fireball Roberts at Riverside, in a 1963 Pontiac. Riverside was the first race on the schedule, and this would be the only race for Fireball in a Pontiac that year. GM announced they were pulling out of racing before Daytona. Fireball, of course, didn't have any trouble landing a ride with Holman-Moody.
I did some research on the above photo, and learned that Riverside was the fourth (also the last) race on the 63 schedule. They ran at Birmingham, Tampa, and Randleman (Tar Heel Speedway) before Riverside, actually late in 1962. Fireball raced at Tampa, but in a 1962 Pontiac. This car was probably a reskinned version of that one, because it was owned by the same guy, Banjo Matthews. Fireball crashed early at Tampa. In that Riverside race, he finished fourth behind Dan Gurney in a Holman-Moody Ford, A.J. Foyt in a Ray Nichels Pontiac, and Troy Ruttman in a Bill Stroppe Mercury.
Andy Granatelli's book is called "They Call Me Mr. 500" a book that he authored in about 1970. I highly recommend finding a copy and reading every word of it. There are so many stories that will make you laugh, and some that will make you realize how easy we have it these days. On story told was about them purchasing one of the factory Ford 1935 Indy cars. They fixed the steering issues, built their own engines, then DROVE it to race at Indy! The fake accident story is a hoot, and pure genius. From what I remember, he actually paid extra money to any driver who would roll their car over, as it added to the excitement. The price in 1949 was $50.00 for a rollover as told to me by the realtor I purchased my first house from. He had raced at Soldier Field. At any rate, after a guy fliped his car one night, the ambulance comes over, sticks him on the gurney, loads it and drives away. When the ambulance pulls away, the stretcher rolls out the back of the ambulance! Ambulance stops, throws it in reverse and rolls over the gurney with the guy still on it. Crowd goes nuts. They reload and leave. Next week there were even more people in attendance. The gurney that fell out of the ambulance had a dummy on it, not a real person. Andy Granatelli was one of the best promoters ever. Read the book.
Thanks, KustomF100. I was getting ready to tell that story when you posted it. It is, as you said, a hoot. You couldn't get away with that stuff today. Back in the 70s, I tried to talk a couple of promoters into it but nobody had the cojones.
Thanks, now I want to sell the hot rod and go back to stock car racing Great stuff, that Mike Eddy picture on the first page is killer. I've met him a few times, even have one of the fenders off his black/silver Goodwrench ASA car autographed and hanging in my garage.
From a simpler time, when NASCAR racing was probably a lot more fun. A minor mishap on the Daytona beach and road course. A few guys seemed to have problems making it through the south turn after a two-mile run down A1A...
One of only two 1962 Ford fastbacks built. The story I heard was that Holman-Moody built the two, replacing the tops on two 62 Galaxies. Iggy Katona told me he personally transported the tops from Dearborn to Charlotte. From the photo, they apparently tested them for top speed on the salt flats. They used them in at least one race in 1962 before NASCAR did the same thing they did later with Junior Johnson's "Yellow Banana" and even later with Ray Evernham - told them, "Don't bring it back." One of the cars later showed up at the Louisville Fairgrounds with "World's Fastest Ford" on the quarter-panel. I think it would be safe to say that what they learned with these cars led to the 63 fastback.
This summer a good friend of mine and myself resurected a old Chevelle that ran up here from back in the 70's. The first one as we found here, no motor, no trans, sitting out side since about 82. The second picture was the day before it made its trip back to the track. Finished 3rd in the feature against todays super streets!
The Jalopy Journal
