GREAT PHOTOS! Especially those from the 1964 Yankee 300. Does anyone have any shots of the candy tangerine #06 H&M Galaxie that Whitey Gerkin drove in that race. Also, does anyone know the final race results (other than Freddie's win?). Thanks in advance.
I'll have to go back through the CDs I got from Dennis Unger to see if there's any of the 06. Also, got word this week that Wayne Doebling of Cincinnati, the ASA photographer in the 70s and early 80s, and one of the best I've known, has found a box of photos that survived a flood which destroyed most of his stuff, and is putting it in the mail. Looks like I've got a lot of scanning to do.
IndyJohn did you work for the ASA?I worked on Dennis Miles ASA cars and also his son Brets ASA team.I was an avid ASA fan until they brought in the V-6 program.I thought you might be Johnny Potts he was an awesome flagman back in the day.This site has became my favorite hangout keep posting the great photos thanks.
I remember Dan, we worked some shows together that Rob put on locally and I directed. We had John Harrison (I think his company was southern something and they built cars and sold parts) in our pace car one night on one of our big shows, seems John and whom ever was riding with him had a bottle hid in the car. As the race wore on we had a caution flag and John came out a little late, Rob calls over the radio, "Pace car you are currently running fourth, how about picking up the pace". I also hate to hear about Roger Holdeman's passing. Too many from that era are gone. What was the name of the owner of ASA at that time, I can't seem to remember for some reason. Here's an old ASA driver that made it big. These are some I shot doing NASCAR, I will try to find some short track stuff. Alan rolled his car in practice the day before our ASA show and his crew beat the top back out and he won the race the next day.
Not trying to be stupid, but really, I am. These pictures are great, but please put some names with the pictures for those of us that might know the name but have never seen the faces. Thanks. Gene
I remember the fencing being done and such, I seem to remember a conversation about some trading going on. I was Rob's sounding board and he ran all his problems by me. Rob and I had a very good relationship. When we traveled off somewhere I was his designated driver and he was my designated drinker. We would leave some place like Nashville and he would say, I'll drive first then you can take over. His driving would last until we got out of town and stopped for gas, then it was up to me to get us home. There were times when we opperated with so little money that I had to lend Rob the money to buy the meat for the concession stands before the race. Ron would come down for the big races and always say we didn't make any money but he always seemed to hold his breif case close when he left. Rob's family treated me like one of their own and I always felt a bond with them. We had Bill Elliot booked for the ASA show and had Mark Martins back up car for him to drive. The crew for the car was made up of Big Terry and some other prototype guys. That car was so tricked up for qualifying you couldn't pass it with out smelling the tire softener. We had Tim Richmond over for one race and used one of the Bonnet-Grill cars for him when the car he was scheduled to drive didn't show up. Well, Frankie Grill didn't know about it as the car was there incase Dave Mader got rained out at another race. Ron's son Jeff worked for Frankie at the time and had a key to the trailer, Ron also provided Frankie's engines. Of course Richmond promptly wrecked the car. I asked Ron what was Frankie going to think and he said "He blows up our sh-t and we wreck his sh-t". I guess I had better go now. I'll be back to share some more stories later. Here's a couple of local cars at GA Int. back then, the red and white one is the ex-Bill Elliot car that won our Felpro Race. This is a father and son battle.
First, C5HM, I've been through the CDs and I can't find a photo of that tangerine car. mwood53 - you've got me pegged. I'm John Potts.
built this in about 1977 the first of many Chevells, they were cheep or free back then had a offset and moved back engine
Myself I am partial to MoPars. Some of the pictures posted look like they came from Racing Pictorial Magazine, one of the best resources for color vintage race pictures. Most of these pictures came from RP. Even tho they didn't race really well, the Dodge Magnum's were some of favorite race cars. Marty
1968 Petty Petty and crew with my cousin Richard Petty at Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville, TN Big Mike
From Birmingham, before September 1956. The fourth car is Frank Reed from Nashville. Can anyone from Alabama i.d. any of the others?
great pics.in the shot," original alabama gang" theres bobby, donnie, and red but whos the other guy. thanks for the pics.keep em coming
All excellent pictures....It is just too bad that more of these cars are not still around. I wonder what happened to most of them? Sold off to short trackers and used up in local-level racing before becoming obsolete and dismantled, I would guess????
Yep. Race cars of that vintage kind of went down a ladder. My dad's Torino went from being part of H/M's NASCAR team, to USAC, to USAC and IMCA with my dad, to Late Model Sportsman on the West Coast, to street stock in the Northeast, to the junk, where it was finally discovered and restored. More often, they don't get restored at all, just run until there's nothing left. The newer stuff doesn't have near the lifespan.
I have never seen this photo. One of the few showing the front of the studebaker painted Gold and black..Ok 69 Jim Penns car driven by Bill Latham sponsored by Big hearted Eddys used car lot, The 53 stude had a supercharged Packard engine this car was built by Hugg Babb {went to GM shop foprman black Widow project in Atlanta} That day was driven by Gordon Bishop or Bo Fields who also went to the black widow project., The worked or ran the Birmingham Racing Club Garage owened by JP Rotten who promoted the races at the fairgrounds.This car had about a dozen drivers ,the 310 was Nero Stepto a hell of a card, raised flowers for a living and always had 6 ladies with him Joe Lee Johnson also drove a 310 sponsored by cambell oil co scottsboro alabama, 709 owned by Mr. Pillitera and driven by Fred Thompson its power was Cadilac. The no 14 Mopar was powered by a desoto hemi and driven by Joe Holley, Now on the 83 its a guess but Eddie Martain used the no 83 it might be him., The rest I could not make out the numbers. This photos was taken shortly before Frank Reed {murfreesboro tenn} was killed while racing at the old horse track at the fairgrounds in nashville tenn.... keep them coming Bobby V.
This thread jogged my memory..I have not thought about it in years but at Blue Island speedway or raceway in Chicago a man named Bud Kohller won about 500 races at that track, I went there one time in 77 those boys beat and banged cars were built like tanks and almost new model bodys. I liked their rules one sheet of paper front and back for 3 classes and demo derby included.. Any photos of Blue Island.. Keep them comming as this is one of 3 all round track threads I enjoy... Bobby....
Thanks, I just could not remember. Can you imagine the conversations when he and Bob Harmon got in a room together. Everybody had to sit on their wallet. To answer the question about the father and son. They are Andersons from Dawsonville, GA. The son in the #24(the old Bill Elliot car) is Phil and the father in the #51 is Bobby. Here is a little something to look at until I get around to scanning some more stuff. Earnhardt when he drove for Bud Moore Don't remember who this was, quite a bit of deference between the uniforms of the privateers and the money teams like the next photo. Cale driving for Jr.
The Jalopy Journal
