60'-70's Vintage Oval Track Modifieds

Tommy Druar '79-80


Bill Bitterman 1980

 

whoa any info on that III mod????? sick!

 

III mod is really slick!! John

 

Here's one of Eddie Ritchie in his 007, must have won his heat, and one of Joe Higgins in Johnny Bryson's 80. Danbury. The Willys is from Lonsdale, we think,very early 50's.

 

The roman III mod was my fathers first attempt to design and build a modified. All hand built. It had 180* headers so he was able to completely close in the sides. Did not look anything like the mods running at that time. It was actually the cover car/feature story in Stock Car Magazine in July 1980.

 

Wow that # 37 Falcon is a beautiful, Its to bad that kind of individualizum isnt around today, Alot of the old Mods had so much character.

 

The Mods of today are freight train pizza cutters. The mods back in the day were actually modified "STOCK CARS" not some flat sheet metal hung on a tubular rollcage. I even liked the vegas and pintos but when they came out with the cavaliler styled cars I never went back accept one time to Stafford Spring to see some racing with my brother from California. I did go to Morris Ny to see the old time nostalgic modifieds and that where it is. My brother races from time to time out in Cali but it is to over priced to be competitve now. Now for the small classes you need a double trailer and more money than the next guy. Its no fun anymore and thats why I got out of racing all together.

 

Guy Chartrand


Denis Giroux


George Rettew

 

support the sites :O)

 

tom baldwin yellow 18!

 

the kid in the window looking out (believe it was mark dunohue) went on to win the indy 500!!!

 

Wow... great post!! The immortal Goober Scheidel in the 11X (may his crazy butt rest in peace!), and is that Richie Jensen in the 67 asphalt mod?

 

I don't think that's Mark Donahue. The picture of the #86 is "Johnny Boy" Georgiades taken at SunnySide Auto Service in Glastonbury CT. Glastonbury did have an Indy rookie of the year in Dennis Zimmerman, I believe in 1971 or 2.

 

might be him lol i'll try to find it again

 

That's it, top photo, the changing of the guard from the coupes and coaches to the cameros, falcons, corvairs, mustangs and individuality still. Then came the Pinto revolution with the Vegas, and Bobcats and Gremlins and so on, then came the clips and the prefab chassis and the Troyer chassis.

Things got out of sight cost wise for a purse of 750 if you were lucky.
It's a rich man's hobby now or just an addiction without the "kind" of fun it once was. That is not to say, there is no fun in it. I know many that are having a ball. It's just, different.

Rules on everything and no more creativity or individuality other then paint jobs and numbers.

 

Very perceptive comments, Randomrodder. The same thing has happened in all facets of racing. The transition from "build it and race it" to expensive "buy it and race it" cars has taken all individuality out of it. And it makes me sad.

Last flash of individuality I saw in "big time" racing was when Ralph Potter built his own V6 from the garage floor up for a USAC midget in the 80s or early 90s.

 

I remember that car running at Fonda Speedway. Pete Corey had a #3 Falcon that looked very similar.

 

The #37 is Jack Johnson.

 

You don't mean Jumpin Jack Johnson do you.

 

Yes

 

noooooooooooooooooo not the finn

 

Jack Farquhar

 

Flyin'BryanOsgood,passed away 12/19/09

Photo by George M.

 

Wimble fire



Greg Sacks in the Wilsburg mod, they just restored this mod