60'-70's Vintage Oval Track Modifieds

Another neat shot through the fence, this one at Freeport. Charlie Jarzombek setting the pace on the inside in "jaws" with Gary Winters #380 on the outside in "Monzilla"....Georgie Brunnhoelzl in the #8, Jim Hendrickson in the X3 and Richie Evans in the #61 follow close behind

These vantage points bring back a lot of good memories of watching these guys run the local tracks...

Thanks again!

JBull

 

Is this guy's name / nick name really Pud? Get out. Now that's funny. Gary

 

the 39 of sal accardi is the old x3 of gentle jim now back in good hands

 

Johnny sent me an e-mail some time back and that was the story he told me. It went to EL Paso.

 

Hey Folks, I haven't heard a recent update on his condition but Gene Bergin still is not feeling to good. I'm sure he would appreciate some cards or words of encouragement from his fans.

address is........Gene Bergin
c/o Elizabeth McLaughlin
PO Box 2334
Flagler Beach, FL 32136

Thanks, Denny Z

 

Do you live in the New York - New Jersey –Connecticut - Pennsylvania – Ohio area?
What are you doing on Sunday, November 14th?
Do you know where Hazleton, Pa is?
Surely you have heard of or know Stan Lobitz.

Sunday, November 14th, the 25th Annual Lobitz Movie Party, Auction & Dinner will be held at the Lobitz Catering Hall, at 1090 State Route 940 (Fishers Hill), Hazleton, Pa. 18202
Being the 25th Annual event that Stan Lobitz has held, it promises to be very special.

Things get started fairly early in the day (about 9:00 AM) and continue all day long. There is lunch during the day. It all winds up with a sit down dinner that starts at approximately 5:00 PM.

There will be an auction that benefits the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing (EMMR) ....http://www.emmr.org There is usually a lot of humorous brief roasting of people type activity and other well intentioned fun that goes on during the EMMR auction.

It goes without saying that “bench racing” abounds during the entire day.

The American Racing Drivers Club (ARDC) .... http://www.ardcmidgets.com ....holds a meeting and election of officers at the hall, during the day .. after which most of the members present join in the festivities.

One never knows just who might show up, as far as racing folks go.
Names from the past like the 90 year old Chris Economacki of the National Speed Sport News and TV announcing fame, outstanding midget, sprint, modified, champ & Indy car owner Ken Brenn, Marty Himes of the Himes Museum of Auto Racing Nostalgia, drivers like modified (one of the Eastern Bandits) , sprint car & Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Denny Zimmerman, modified, midget, sprint & champ car driver Leigh Earnshaw, Hank Rogers, Jr. , modified, midget and sprint car great Johnny Mann, sprint car ace Lynn Paxton of the EMMR, midget & sprint car stand out Jimmy Maguire, TQ & midget charger Billy Courtwright, noted midget, sprint , super modified & champ car owner Skip Matzak, and a host of others are expected.

There usually has been a few rare, special &/or vintage race cars on display just outside the catering hall.
Eddie Sachs, Jr., son of the late, great midget, sprint & Indy car star, is expected to bring a few modern day Silver Crown (champ) cars for display.

Lots of vendors in the house, too.

There will be old Indy 500 and other racing movies shown during the day.

Arlen Kurtis informed Stan that he and his lovely wife would be in attendance.”
Arlen Kurtis is the son of famed Kurtis Kraft race car builder Frank Kurtis. .... (Attached is a picture of a vintage Kurtis Kraft midget.)

Probably the one who will travel the furthest to attend this very special extravaganza will be a noted racer from the land down under (Australia) John Loxton.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Directions are as follows ...

The Lobitz Catering Hall is on State Route 940, just north of where 940 branches off from Route 309, when coming north on Route 309.

If you use MapQuest &/or Google Maps, be sure it directs you to the State Route 940 (Fishers Hill) location and not the old address.

The catering hall is near the Church Hill Mall and a Chevy dealership.

This quote is directly from Stan .... The directions coming in from the south ....
"Take 100 to 309 and 309 to 940. - We are in back of the Church Hill Mall. - 1090 State Route 940. Hazleton, Pa. 18202"
”If you come down State Route 940 from the north, Lobitz Catering Hall would be on the right side 1/4 or so mile before 940 ends at Router 309.”
”If you come down 309 from the north,I would turn left at West 28th Street and make a right onto 940 and watch for Lobitz Catering Hall on the right.”

The address again is .... 1090 State Route 940. Hazleton, Pa. 18202 (not Route 309)
If State Route 940 doesn’t work in your GPS, try 1090 Fishers Hill, Hazleton, Pa 18202 instead.

One person who went last year mentioned that .... “ it’s right between the Mall and the Chevy dealer. You could go into the Mall parking lot, make a left onto Fisher Hill out of the lot on the other side and Lobitz’s would be on the left side, a couple hundred feet.”

Should you still get lost that day, the phone number of the Lobitz Catering Hall is .... 1-570-455-2037
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I HOPE TO SEE ‘YA THERE!!!!!!!

 

I was cleaning out the closets the other day and came across another box of pics from my modified days at the high banks of Westboro Speedway. Photos are by Bill Balser. After Westboro closed Bill Balser became the photographer for the Pro-Four mini modifieds where I went on Dan Meservey's tour for six years. We ran about 30 races a year from Maine to Virginia and a race at Winchester, Indiana! I put in a picture of the old blue #3 coupe. I saw it one day when I was racing at Thompson when I was lined up waiting to go out on the track. At some point I believe Ronnie Pond owned that car. This time I saw it had an engine in it. I put the picture of the Monza in there, John Bregenty drove that car at Westboro once or twice, and then I bought it. Dennis Gagliardi ran it at Thompson a couple of times.

 

AWESOME! Bring them on!!! It's funny how many people I run into that know about this thread, but haven't posted or registered yet! If you want to add a story, please feel free too, don't let the history die, let it live on! Just thought I'd add that bit! Thanks to everyone who have write and or shared photos!

 

My friend Kevin Neild's street modified is moving along nicely.He just got it back from paint.

 

Beautiful.

 

As the coupes were fading out here in the Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia in the late 50's, this type of car emerged. They were called modifieds in this area. This car was built by Paul Myers of Waverly,Ohio. The driver (pictured) is Paul Spencer of Portsmouth, Ohio. The car was painted a metallic gold and was nicknamed "Goldilocks."

 

Here's a Troyer model I bought a few years ago. They had an Evans model but that sold out quickly. I don't think I'll build it. I'd rather save it.

 

http://www.dirttrackracecars.com/OrderModels.htm
Great model source!

 

It was a warm weekend so that meant clean up the storage building. Since I had to move stuff around and 36 Chevy coupes have been on parade this week I figured one more couldn't hurt. This is your basic New Old Stock stock car. It has been in my town since 1964, originally intended to be built for Lebanon Valley Speedway. The gossip at that time was the Valley was going to be paved. The car builder was Don (Smitty) Smith who was an excellent car and engine builder of the Capital District. Don was a midget racer that moved into stock cars and had many innovative ideas. This coupe was being built to handle and was sprung on a Corvette IFS rear. The rules changed and the car was never finished. If you look you will see that the engine is low slung with a dry sump system, has center steering, finned Buick brakes and a bolt on roll cage to replace the 53 chevy frame if it got crashed. I spent much of my time as a kid hanging out at Don's race garage and this car sat next to a beautiful 55 Chevy post sedan driven by Bill Wimble at Daytona. Unfortunately the 55 became a street stock. Don saved this car for some reason and after his passing I became the new owner. It is now my "I'm a gonna do project" and I'm going to number it 99. So here is my additon to the show. DS

 

OK, I looked around after I posted. The theives on ebay want around $30.00.

 

IRS with a beam front axle?

Careful when you do your shakedown laps, I'd bet money that it'll push like a dump truck.

Cool old car though, you can tell the feller that built it originally was thinking ahead of his times.

 

Dick,

That is way cool .

I noticed the bolt on cage. Some neat work there. I also like the steering ratio reducer. I had a similar deal on my '56 Chevrolet.

I didn't know Smith had a '55 Chevy for Wimble at Daytona. Ya' have any pics of it? I'll look through the Wimble book, but I don't remember seeing a pic of it.

In the book he mentions a '55 Chevy built by Freddy DeCarr for the '61 race and mention of a Sam Smith.

 

In picture #7011, the 292 coupe is Al Michalchuk. A replica of that car is being built, should be out is 2011.

The picture of the #1 coupe is Wally Mark's car with maybe Lee Taylor driving. Many drivers in this car. the car was totaled at Flemington when Billy Beasely was hit head on by Jim Lawrence.

The V8 is Bucky Barker, all 400lbs.

In picture 7013, the #69 was found in central Jersey, just the way it was parked around 1965. This car is supposed to be restored.

 

You long island guys ever get to this place or events????

http://www.thehimesmuseum.com/

http://www.liapa.com/resources/Summer_Show_2009.html

 

I sure do, to both and so do many of the other Long Islanders that are here on the HAMB!!

 

If that is Jimmy Reed, great guy to talk to at the track, he looks to be the only one pushing as three guys look on!

 

don't know who this is, maybe someone will recognize it?

 

I looked there yesterday, as I wanted to send one for Christmas, to an old friend who's now in Florida. I got one on a "buy it now" for $17 plus $5.95 shipping.....

 

I knew a car owner from the late 60s, here in western NY, who tried a Corvette IRS in his modified. We never spoke of handling issues, but he told me that they had a hard time with half-shafts. Apparently they had some kind of spool in the center section, but the stagger between the rear tires put too much stress on the u-joints in the axles.

I also knew someone who tried to get around the limitations of the beam axle, when the wide tires first hit the local tracks in the late 60s, by adapting a Ford truck twin I-Beam set up....