I hadn't thought of a '58 Ford race car in a long time. Harold Fryer raced at Tri-County Speedway in NC back in the late '60s. He ran mostly Chevys but the last car I remember him driving there was a blue '58 Ford. Harold was killed a while later when a drive shaft from another car came through the window and hit him. I remember seeing "In Memory of Harold Fryer" on the back of Freddy Fryers asphalt car later. He also had a younger brother or something named Bobby.
Here are some photos from the Smoky Mountain Raceway in Tennessee from the mid 60's. The photographer was Ray Taylor.
Thanks for the Smoky Mountain Pics, crudbro! Blackie Watt - there's a name I remember from my ARCA days. Thanks in particular for the 55 Pontiac photo. One of those was my second personal car after coming out of the service in 1960. 287 V-8, and the addition of a new manifold and a couple of four-barrels made it awesome on the street. Always wondered what it would look like as a race car. I can still hear my dad saying, "Son, if General Motors had wanted two four-barrels on that car, they'd have put them on it."
here is local fav. ken finley in his dual role 58 ford--dirt and asphalt(here it is at santa fe speedway.)
Where was Blackie Watt from? Also who is that sponcer, looks like Neal Trucking or something. What interested me is the Blairsville on the side as I am from Blairsville, GA but I also know where Blairsville, PA is and I am sure there are more Blairsvilles around.
View attachment 910466 View attachment 910467 View attachment 910468 View attachment 910469 View attachment 910470 Here are some pics I found for you Indybigjohn.
bobby was the youngest.he raced with us at huntsville speedway for a few years.started a very successful trucking bussiness. then his son tim fryar started running with us for a while before moving on to the southern all-star circ. very competive.retired to concentrate on family. imho the fryars were really good folks.freddy was a HELL OF A good racer.
Blackie Watt is from New Alexandria PA, very close to Blairsville, PA. He is somewhat of a legend around Western Pa. He no longer an active racer, as far as i know.
Former nascar driver Dave Marcis in his early days of racing in Wisconsin. http://griffithparkspeedway.webs.com/index.htm
Just wanted to drop in a give my two cents.... I am 1/2 the reason that LMS had to create a Children's Season Pass. The other 1/2 is Will Kimmel. My father grew up with Bill and Frank, and helped out Bill Sr. in the pits at the Fairgrounds. These pictures really take him back. My grandfather actually coached the baseball team that Frank played on. Every Saturday night, my father and I would go to LMS and watch Bill. We sat with Pam, Bill's wife, and Will, his son. After the 1998 season (and a 4th consecutive Late Model championship , Bill stopped racing there and turned his efforts towards Frank's ARCA career. Here is where I come in. I would love to see some old photos of LMS. The day I heard it was closing, my heart sunk. Dad and I went out there after they had torn it down, before the ****ing UPS bulidings went up. The outline of the track was still there. I cried like a baby. I was 16, and proud to cry. Any help???
Kimmel Fan, there's some in those three boxes Andy brought me, and I'll do my best to get them on here as I get everything sorted, scanned, cropped, and sized. I can understand your love of the Kimmels. Bill Sr. was one of the first drivers to befriend me in 1949 at the Sportsdrome. (Honest, I was only 10). When I came down to this area to help run a couple of race tracks back in 2002, we had a Mini-Cup race one night, and the winner's car was a bright red No. 69, painted exactly as I remembered the old Chevelle. Turned out the driver was a kid named Will Kimmel. I went over to talk to him and introduced myself. He said, "I think you might know my dad." I said, "Son, I know your grandpa."
Thanks, being from Blairsville, GA, I was quite suprised to find a Blairsville, PA when I was up there working last year.
On page 101 is photo of old modified sitting in junkyard. That #40 black and yellow Chevrolte coupe was driven by 'Big' Tor Durst of Mitchell, South Dakota. He owned the Mitchell Body Shop, which can barely be seen painted on the wrinkled roofline, and ran the thing in Mitchell as well as Sioux Falls and Sioux City. Despite being powered by a six cylinder engine the thing gave the flathead Ford V-8's all they could handle back in the 1950's.
Riverside, Calif January, 1966 Pace lap. David Pearson on the pole in his Cotten Owens Dodge. Dan Gurney next to him in the Woods Bros Ford. 2nd row, Curtis Turner and Marvin Panch. 3rd row, Paul Goldsmith and Don White. 4th row, Richard Petty.
Riverside, Calif "Motor Trend 500" January, 1966 Lap #1, back straightaway by the old "Champion Spark Plug" bridge..............Pearson opening up on Gurney. That Hemi was flying down that long back straight and the concussion would shake the whole bridge on it's foundation.
Riverside, Calif "Motor Trend 500" January,1966 Lap #3....... Pearson kept inching away from Gurney and the rest of the field. About lap 15 he had tire trouble and had to pit. He had to fight back the rest of the race to get into the top 10. Gurney went on to win the race and then several more "Motor Trend 500's"
Riverside, Calif.............."Motor trend 500".........January, 1966 Jim Hurtibise's Plymouth in the old turn #1 (before they straightened it and added a slight banking) coming at 'ya at about 160mph. This was my first trip to the track and another amateuer photographer told me that this spot was a great one to take photos at. Being a young college guy and thinking I was imortal at the time, I wasn't the least bit phased about having nothing between myself and 160mph stock cars but a few hay bales. A year or two later, the guardrail had been extended and there was a brick wall with chain link fencing on top at this same spot.
Riverside, Calif..........."Motor Trend 500"..........January, 1966 Richard Petty sailing through the 'Esses".
Riverside Calif............."motor Trend 500"............January, 1966 Paul Goldsmith sailing through the "esses".
Riverside, Calif................"Motor Trend 500".............January, 1966 David Pearson in the "esses"
Riverside, Calif.........."Motor Trend 500".........January, 1966 Richard Petty and Mario Andretti battling in turn #2. If I'm remembering correctly, neither finished the race in the top 10. In the background is the old Goodyear tower at the s/f line. That tower originally came from LAX. A few years later, a new control tower/ management facility was built at the s/f line and the Goodyear tower was moved down to the esses where it was a photographers' favorite. For those who do not know, the raceway was managed for many years by Les Richter of football fame.
Harry Hyde's two Pontiacs which were the top competitors at the Fairgrounds Motor Speedway in Louisville in 1964 and 1965, before Harry moved up to NASCAR. The 14 was driven by Jesse Baird, and the 16 by Andy Hampton. The photos were taken outside of Harry's transmission shop on Crittenden Drive across from the state fairgrounds.
A meeting at the intersection of the FMS Figure 8. Joe Lord in the 20 is about to have a very bad night.
Earl Balmer's two rides in 1964. The Ford he drove at the Fairgrounds and sometimes in ARCA (he won a 100-lapper at Salem with it), and the Plymouth, legal only with a wedge as it was a 63, was exclusively an ARCA car. He was leading the ARCA race at Daytona when the engine blew on the backstretch. "Took 'em a lap to catch my smoke," he told me.
Jim Robinson of New Albany, Ind. in a Nova at FMS, followed by Bill Kimmel Sr. of Clarksville in a Monte Carlo.
Finally found a photo from the location and year where and when I first got involved in racing, selling NSSN in the grandstands. From the Jeffersonville (Ind.) Sportsdrome, 1949...
Check out the class of 2010 Kentucky Motorsports Hall Of Fame. http://kentuckymotorsportshalloffame.com/Class_of_2010_Inductees.html We are now accepting nominations for the next years Hall Of Fame.
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