60'-70's Vintage Oval Track Modifieds

The picture is from the Bullfathers post on page #81 or #82

The late Mike DiRoma .. or better known as Mikey Dee. .. A GOOD GUY!!

He mostly drove midgets with the ARDC - NEMA - SMRC.

The car was a very inovative one, built by Hank Kelban .. who worked for & designed products for Bilstein shocks .. one hell of an engineering talent when it comes to racing.

 

As good as Paul McElearney was (and he was GOOD), one night we put him in one of Pete Petraitis's TQ's (Three Quarter Midget) at Riverhead (NY) .. a car that won many features (and went on to win many more). To make a long story short .. the quick steering, the overall fast response of the car (as compared to a stock car) baffled him & he quickly went to the back!!

Other times we put Tommy Baldwin, Wayne Anderson & some others in TQ's at Riverhead and they did so, so!!! BUT there was one modified shoe who REALLY got around in a TQ and LOVED driving them too .. "CHUM" .. or Don Howe.

First time he drove one he had an open face helmet .. didn't put a bandana or something over his mouth. He swallowed a bug, as he went down the back stretch.

He always wanted me to get him a ride in one when they were going to be at Riverhead.

One night, talking to him in the pits after he just ran a TQ (and did well) he told me ... "Now I have to hurry up & wait!" .. I asked him what he meant .. He said .. "In a midget (TQ) you just think about doing something & it's already happened. .. In a modified you do something and then wait for it to happen!!"

Don Howe was also an under rated & extremely talented driver.

 

and the plan was to put the clay back down in May 2010." ?
don,t think they are going back to Clay, after spending what they have on Blacktop ?

 

Brian,

It appears my crs is acting up, Brian Ross is the driver I meant. Thanks to all for getting it right.

Bruce

 

On thier webpage hes noy going back to dirt lets see if he can draw the crouds like he did with a dirt track we will try to be there a couple of times in the beginning other wise its Fonda or the Valley

 

On the webpage they are not going back to dirt richards has to keep everybody happy lets see if he can draw the crouds there with new classes and new bloodto make everyone happy

 

Flemington (NJ) went from dirt to asphalt .. it was told because they HAD TO .. the crowds never really returned.

 

Hi
Im the new guy
Flemington did nothing to promote them self when they went asphalt
All the bigger advertised promoted races did well.

 

hey F'New Guy welcome aboard

 

Why did they have too?

 

speaking of flemington......guess who won the first race on pavement at flemington. hint:: it is white and #14YouTube - ISMA Super Modifieds - 1991 Flemington pavement opener actually it was yellow...lol

 

This is quite possibly the best video I've ever seen on U-Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAcSvyz9klI&feature=fvw

From over the shoulder of the driver, in a Super Modified.

It's one hell of a drive to boot.

Those things flat get it, don't they? Damn.

 

There isn't much better than the supers at Stafford, or Waterford, for that matter. Always the best show of the year, and usually teamed up with NEMA Midgets and touring modifieds too! Can't even imagine getting in one of those things...

 

I can, and it makes my naughty bits tingle . . . . .





My fiscal situation would be severely impacted should that sort of racing one day land around here (assuming we had any asphalt tracks to run them on).

 

Hey Krash63, it wasn't about promoting Flemington. The fans just didn't like asphalt.
The atmosphere just wasn't there any more without the dirt cars and drivers, and the racing stunk. Follow the leader, long caution laps, slow tow trucks, long intermissions, too many divisions racing.

Yeah it was dusty, but why not put the right clay down and pack it like East Windsor, no dust problems at Windsor.

NASCAR snubbed the place because there were no garages and parking space in the infield for the big trucks and trailers.

It just wasn't the same. It f*&^%$#@ng stunk. I wrenched and raced there, my family had season tickets since the 60's. Thats how I feel.

 

That's "Liquid Lou" Cicconi.. a real good chauffer in almost any type of open cockpit ride .. TQs - midgets - supers. .. I knew him when he was still wet behind the ears .. before he was old enough to race & when his older & equally talented brother Bob was getting the job done in the midgets.

"Liquid Lou" showed talent, almost as soon as he stepped into his first TQ ride at Pine Brook (NJ)

That video is so realistic, you can see the car vibrate due to the tire stagger ,, especially near the ends of the straights.

 

I'm my humble mind .. in general (not 100% of course) .. dirt fans are dirt fans .. asphalt fans are asphalt fans .. so when Flemington broke (their local) tradition & went to pavement, they immediately had a long, hard, steep uphill promotional battle.

Don't think for a minute that they didn't try everything possible to solve any issues such as dust &/or anything else. .. From what I heard the battle was not only very political and (again hear say) was in a big part due to dust intrusion into the local hospital.

I can tell you FIRST HAND that battling and environmental issue is a DAUNTING .. EXHAUSTING & EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE ONGOING TASK. I battled one that involved noise and the Riverhead (NY) Raceway. .. We won quite a few battles, but never won the war (so to speak), as the same problem remains. Your not only battling town officials/politicians .. but also the surrounding community.

I can't even begin to dream of what it might be to be involved in one that included the above, PLUS a hospital that is an IMPORTANT SERVICE to the community & health &/or sanitary conditions!!!! I wouldn't want that fight.

As far as parking big trucks & trailers in the infield at Flemington, that was always a problem .. first hand knowledge, even back in the early 70's. You have to remember that Flemington was originally and old fairgounds horse racing track .. never designed to have pits &/or anything large &/or tall in the infield .. the line of sight from the grandstands (any of them) across to the opposite side prevented anything over a certain size &/or height. ..... Buy hey .. bring them in .. unload them and then park them in a designated area outside the track itself .. in my (again) humble mind .. NO PROBLEM .. "IF" you REALLY wanted to race!!

I WON"T go into what I (personally) feel about these overgrown .. plain jane .. trailers & rigs being used (unnecessarily in my mind) today by short track .. grass roots racers.

 

I initially came here tonight, just to wish everyone a

SAFE & HAPPY
THANKSGIVING !!!​

 

To all the Hambers and racers
Happy Thanksgiving

 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

 

Happy thanksgiving all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This site is the best!

 

Happy Thanksgiving.
Those super modifieds are just incredible machines. Sometimes I go down to Lee USA speedway to see them run there. I had heard a few years back that a few supers tested at NHIS (now NHMS) but they were just to fast for the track.

 

Some where I have some pics of modifieds at Waterford speedbowl from when I was a kid. If I can find them I'll scan them and post them.

 

One of my heros When I was a kid.

 

I noticed a good number of you guys are new Yorkers...so check out my link
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=4602094&posted=1#post4602094

 

Does anyone know the story on the neat looking scoop on the roof of the # 6 Car shown in the picture?

Was this a functional part or just an addition to add character to the coupe?

Regards,

Moselli

 

I'am Pretty sure it was real, to help keep driver cool.

 

Roof scoops were pretty common in those days. Some guys just put a slice in the roof and bent it up for a nice breeze.

 

Have a happy holiday, everybody!!!

 

As a young boy, I remember sitting in the famous Turner Brothers #18 Orange Coupe that was driven by Dutch Hoag at Shangri La Motor Speedway in Owego, New York. Dutch would let us kids sit in the car after the race.

I noticed that there was a bump in the roof over the drivers seat and it had a periscope mirror so Dutch could see who was behind him, which most of the time was the rest of the field. I thought this mirror was pretty neat.

Never saw an air scoop on the roof of any of the New York asphalt modifieds that ran in our area.

Regards,

Moselli