60'-70's Vintage Oval Track Modifieds

awesome, I've meet ace's son john john through go-karts

 

crudbro
Thank's for posting! (the background stuff is great)The Guys for the New England area do a stellar job of keeping this thread going but I'm especially interested in the photos from other parts of the country. They seem to parrallel the cars that I saw at Skagit Speedway here in Washington as a boy. Thanks to ALL who keep this thread fresh I check it whenever I log on and enjoy the fact that there is most always something new.

 

NOTE THE SEAT BELT ON DICK DUNN

 

Geez, Rich Oakley and Bones Bourcier and I haven't figured out who else, well, hello guys.

Charlie Langlois

 

I love that green box truck "Queazy Catering Inc". LOL

 

Did you ever run at Westhampton Speedway , in the sixties.

 

Great Plainville and Waterford stuff. Thanks to all, but we need to see more!

 

Will Do. I have some pics of the early pics of the first car the J-1 but I also need to learn to scan and post them. RD

 

Posted this on the San Jose Speedway thread, but figured I would throw it in here as well, figure youll either love it or hate it. Been collecting a bunch of stuff over the years, so it isnt costing me much to build (if anything). Its gonna be back yard art and a jungle gym for the grand kids. It will have some basic removable bolts and screws (so they can take things apart and put together) and very colorful (so they can learn colors). Its going to go in the corner of the back yard all set up with flags, tools, and a gas pump. Always wanted to race one of these but they faded away, now when Im old they can wheel me out to it and set me in it to get my sun....

















Louie

 

How 'Bout Sumthin' From the late '50's ?? a '55 and a '57 Chevy"Winged" modified ,,Yep ,,we had wings in the late '50's early '60's ,, ,,

 

Newcastle Motrodrome, Australia late 70's

 

Hey, lots of familiar names here! Hey there, Charlie and Rich ...

The "Queasy Catering" truck was actually the parts truck from Kraze Korlacki Speed Equipment, which serviced Thompson Speedway (CT) and Seekonk Speedway (MA) on a regular basis in the zany 1970s. That photo looks like it's from Connecticut's Waterford Speedbowl, with Mark Lajeunnesse's #33 Vega in the shot. The big gun at Waterford in that period was Dick Dunn, shown in that maroon #3 coupe owned by Al Gaudreau. That's a rare shot, because most of Big Al's Modifieds were baby blue.

Back to Kraze Korlacki for a minute. He bought that old catering truck to haul parts to the tracks, and he constantly re-lettered it just to get a rise out of people. I recall it advertising Tomaine Catering, Upchuck Catering, and a few others. Kraze was indeed crazy, but he and his lady, Ruthie, were friends to hundreds of racing folks in the Northeast. They have since relocated to Florida.

Ah, those were the days, when short-track people actually knew how to laugh! These days, I'm afraid most uptight promoters would run that parts truck right out of the pits.

 

I met Bones once at Riverhead Raceway a few years back, we talked for awhile and you signed Richie! for my pops b-day. Of course you won't remember but it was cool talking modified legends with you.

 

Actually, Bullfather, I do remember that! We bench-raced for quite a while. That was the last time I visted Riverhead. Hope to get there again one day. I always loved going to Long Island in the 1970s and '80s. Had WAY too much fun at Islip after a few of those All Star 300s, with the Jarzombek and Harbach gangs, the Sacks family, and the late Ira Bromley. Great people. Miss 'em all!

Man, between Dr. John and the Bullfather, this thread is a l-o-n-g trip down Memory Lane.

And how it is that Denny Zimmerman drove Indy Cars and now flies sophisticated corporate jets, but can't post a photo? (Hey, I can't either, Denny, but you ought to be a bit more tech-savvy than a knucklehead like me! Haha!)

 

Bones, just wanted to say, I'm Bullfather's Pops, as he calls me. Glad to have you and Denny Z here to educate us on some of the old times and incidents. You know, re-live a little with us. It's part of your legacy we'd love to know more of. Kind of, up front and personal.

Maybe next time you are up, Pete can interview you for his on line site and you two can bench race some more for us.

 

Thanks for the comments Rustdodger. It is interesting to see how racing evolved in other parts of the country. The coupes died out in this area in the late 50's, the modifieds came along and lasted until the sprint type cars emerged in the mid 60,s. This beautiful machine was driven by Bobby Morgan of Chillicothe, Ohio. It raced all over the tri-state area, with many feature wins to it's credit. The car was purple and gold. This is a Tony Martin photo taken at Atomic Speedway in about 1962.

 

I had about 10% talent and 90% desire when I started racing and I had a lot of good instructors one in particular (read Flemke). Same with flying, good instruction and over time comes experience.....so cars and airplanes turned out pretty good for me.....But this internet thing, I'm struggling.

I think I can scan the pictures, then put em in a file and email them to myself, but what do I do after that?

Hey Bullfather and Bullfather's Pop's have we ever met?

Denny Z

 

Hey Folks Gene Bergin is in the hospital or nursing home not sure which, I just heard today. I'm sure he would appreciate a card or a note of some sort. Denny Z

Gene Bergin
Flagler Pines
300 South Lemon St.
Bunnell FL 32110

 

Denny, we've never met as far as I know...this world is small at times! I've gone to malls in Ga. and Pa. and ran into people I knew. Even in Minn. I thought I knew someone but didn't go up to them. haha Been working with music, involved with Hot Rods and Racing, so I run into lots of folks all over.

Thanks for remembering me Bones, I love the stories and how you bring them to the pages, they just come to life. Any books in the works?