Inspired by another thread with old photos, I dug out some pics I took with my sister's Brownie camera when I was in highschool. Garlits ran an 8.47 that day, according to a note penciled on the back of the photo. Anybody got more old pics from Atco, or early Swamp Rats, etc ?
I've got some old pics I'll have to dig up. Remember a local guy by the name of Frank Wurtz? I've got a few of his old photos, as well as others if I can find them. Anybody else have any from back in the day?
This is one from '61. I might have more - I'll look around... _________________ The plentitude of the past was not intended for us, but as fortunate inheritors, we can appropriate the often neglected legacies of that world.
I went to Atco in '61 but I was only 12 and don't remember anything but that it was really cool and the cadence of the guy selling "ice-a cream". Love to see the old photos.
very cool............I heard "...Nostalgia Funny Car race featuring both nitro and alky cars on Saturday, June 5, 2010. ' At Atco
My cousin, Steve Cafasso ran a few differant cars at Atco in the 60's. As a matter of fact he got his leg crushed in the tech line at atco when the car we where riding on the trunk of backed up real quick.Left him with a bad limp for the rest of his life. I remmebr a full size 30 something sedan named "the Moose". i think it was yellow. I ran my 65 falcon there when i first started driving jimv
The back of the Garlets picture says "Atco 10/29/61 Garlets 8.47 Shadow 8.58" Could "Shadow" be the name of the other rail?
The rail in question is in fact Dick belfatties "shadow" dragster, it was not a lyndwood but a Fenn K-88. this rail was actually shadow rail #2 (of 5 rails in a 6 year period) he challegened garlits to a best out of 3 match race for that weekend. Dick is a good friend of mine I will pass on the pics to him as well. Paul
The Dick Belfatti Shadow dragster as pictured is running a set of embryonic zoomie headers. I don't think zoomies were used at all before 1964? Very interesting history with these pics - you can see Connie Swingle in one shot. He seemed like he was a combination certified tig welder and beatnik back then. Thank you for posting these pics! -90% Jimmy
PIRATE...many thank's for the pic's. of THE MAN!!! and he's still going strong today. O YEA he has a HEMI dodge in I believe supper stock or something like that...POP.
Hey. I'm writing a feature about a Match Race that took place on Aug. 13, 1961 between the Swamp Rat III and Shadow II. I found these images researching for the article. Great stuff!! I have some black and whites of The Shadow II taken in literally the same spot! Regarding some of the images. Dick's dragster is NOT a Lyndwood. It's a K-88 Chassis Research with an additional roll bar added, to give it a Lyndwood 'feel'. The very first image (top left) is Garlits, but not the Swamp Rat. The dragster pictured was burgundy and is actually Ed Garlits dragster. The Swamp Rat was destroyed just a few days prior to this race at Atco. That's Swingle in the Weiand t-shirt. He subbed for BIG. Not even sure if BIG was there. I wish I'd known this image existed before now. I mentioned to BIG his showing up at Atco in his brother's digger and he said "Never happened." The Willis coupe (2nd row right) is one of Jack Kulp's early gassers. I'd like to contact whoever posted these images to get permission to possibly use the image of The Shadow in the story. Thanks in advance.
Dick has told me many stories about him and Garlits, some wild ones too like the time he had Don & the greek at his garage in Germantown one night (they were between tracks while on tour match racing) Dick told Don he had found some new power when Don doubted (questioned) it Dick had his tuner ben Labree push start him on Germantown Ave (at night) so he could make a short pass to prove Don wrong. And this was in the old part of germantown with the cobblestone & asphalt streets...Nuts! Dick said he had alot of respect for Garlits and said that Don made you bring your "A " game & he always learned from his races with him. Badco: The race you are thinking of was a match race in 1962 at York US-30, when that took place Don did not drive ,connie swingle did because Don was nursing an injury from a previous fire in a race in florida. They repaired the dragster & headed to York to face Belfatti. In the picture posted you can see Don letting go of the roll bar of swamp rat III at the launch of the cars. Dick was driving Shadow III (the first fuller car/twin to the GBP car)Don signed the original 8X10 B&W of this picture for me at the York 2006 reunion. I had another copy blown up and donated it to the York SPCA auction that year, Both Don & Dick signed the 24" X 36" print before we let the SPCA auction it off, Neat weekend!
Badco, I took the pictures in post #1 and I'm glad to know that you and some other folks found them interesting. The pics sat in my desk drawer, rarely looked at, for fifty years. If you or anybody else wants to use them, it's ok. I'd like to read your artical when it's done.
Hey thanks everyone for the replies and thanks Beatnick for the OK. Beautiful image of the Shadow. A friend and I took four images on Aug, 13, 1961 from literally the same spot. Shadow, The event I was referring to was at Atco, but it wasn't a Match Race. It was just Garlits doing exhibition passes. It was also pre '61 by a year or two. I saw that burgundy dragster at Atco. I recall them announcing that it was Ed's dragster and what a great guy Garlits was for even showing up. I've never been to York... so I couldn't have seen it there ;-) Shame I don't have photos, but couldn't afford a camera when I was 12 a y/o. I don't know if Dick was running fuel cars at that time. I do have a photo of him with a Chrysler powered TE-440 taken at Atco. I always assumed that it was a gas dragster by the looks of it. I have both of those Atco Wheel handouts you posted too. They've held up well over the years. The late Jim Amole allowed me to scan his entire collection of 'Wheels'. A lot of cool history in them. More Old B.S. Later Badco
Garlits told me at york that his brother Ed drove the night the picture was taken because swingle was still banged up from the last wreck (even though in the book "high performance" it's listed as swingle?). Dick ran gas when he had "Shadow I" (TE-440 chassis) he switched to fuel in mid 1961 after he became friends with Chris Karamesines & Don Maynard, they taught him the tune up. FYI- you can always tell when he went to fuel by the size of the tank he was running
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