60'-70's Vintage Oval Track Modifieds

Fantastic shot of Gerald Chamberlain 76 and Kenny Brightbill 57 at Reading,Pa. That's a cl***ic FORD / CHEVY battle, but it's down to the driver and car.

 

Some more George Kent and upstate NY Mods

George #26 battling Jerry Cook in the #38



George with the best appearing car honors at Martinsville



George battling Doug Hewitt an Shangri La






George battling with Maynard Troyer #6 at Oswego


George battling Reggie Ruggiero in Mario Fiore's #44




George battling with Wayne Edwards #48 at Shangri-La

 

Deke Astle at Lakeville circa 72-74. These are days missed.

 

Any other Lakeville or Deke fans out there?

 

I've gotten a lot of e-mails to repost the pictures that disappeared when I accidentally broke the links while reorganizing my files. I'll start with Fred Harbach. Some of these are some pictures I've picked up around the web others are from my s****book and others I purchased.

A Don Hunter All Star Action Photo with Fred in the X89 Coupe battling Ernie Gahan #50, Ed Ortiz #81 and Bill Wimble #33



Fred in the pits at Islip


Fred with a checkered flag at Islip





a young flying dutchmen






Fred in a neat coach chasing Bill Slater in the V8




Coming down the pit ramp at Islip





in victory lane at Islip



I believe a Chevy II modified creation for Fred

 

On to Fred in the Butch Meceika years






Fred in the #18 battling Jim Hendrickson in the X3 at Islip



a familiar spot for Fred at Islip





I believe a Donn Cote photo (Jerry Cooke's #38 Falcon in the background)




Fred with Charlie J #1 coupe in the background and Tom Baldwin's #7 coupe also in the background



a really clean coupe




on to the late model tin on the #18 ouch!




The #18 Butch Meceika Camaro (Charlie J in the background again along with Al Hanson's #86 and Carl Voelker's #6 figure eight car (what a wild man)

 

Back to the X89 for Fred and his camaro (I believe Norm Tosti owned these cars or had something to do with them) I like Fred's Camaro. It looked narrower than a lot of others at the time. Dutch Hoag and Bryan Osgood from upstate NY has similar looking camaros. Here is Fred's in the unlettered state on the pit ramp at Islip



At Speed




at rest



sideways




At Stafford maybe?





in the pits at Islip




a Len Calinoff photo...off to the X90 era...I don't know why he changed it other than I remember him building the pinto and numbering it X90 and leaving the camaro X89 when he had both cars and then he changed the lettering on the camaro as seen below...and then he kept the X90 for the rest of his driving career...when his son Alan starting driving he used the X89 and then 89 numerals




and onto the pinto years




I Brian Cholerton photo with Fred mixing it up with Wayne Anderson #15 and Cliff Tyler #21



some more Brian Cholerton photos I believe

 

a Len Calinoff shot of Fred in the X90 pinto



a Brian Cholerton Photo of Fred Battling Billy Park in the #20 Vega




a leftover shot of the X89 camaro in the pits along with Charlie Jarzombek in the #1 coupe, Billy Spade in the 15x corvaire, not sure of the #33?




back to Fred in the X90 pinto battling Tom Baldwin in Buych Meceika's #18 Bobcat (another Brian Cholerton photo)




Fred battling it with Wayne Anderson in the #15 in this Brian Cholerton photo



at Islip

 

On to the Troyer built pinto years for Fred Harbach....

battling Richie Evans#61 and Jamie Tomaino #09 at the Turkey Derby Wall Stadium, NJ



Fred going around the 17 of Jimmy Reed (B&G Wuthmann photo)




Another Wurthmann photo with Fred in victory lane again at Islip




Fred Harbach and Jamie Tomaino again at Wall Stadium



Fred battling Gil Hearne #27 at New Egypt (Tavers Cambra)



Richie Evans #61 and Fred Harbach



a Howie Hodge photo I believe

 

Richie Evans

Richie Evans

John Andretti rookie year at Dorney Park

Shout out to Random Hero!

 

Richie Evans again!

 

C**** Street belongs in the Those were the days, thread, brother.

 

It's getting close to lunch time,and haven't had chinese food in a while....Rich

 

Think you're looking for the Shangri-La in Owego, not San Francisco...

 

picture 7188, the #7 looks like Jackie Wilson and behind him the 99 of Bob Malzahn. Track looks like Nazareth.

 

there were a few Diners in China town that had casino's in the ba*****t but the Shangri-La was the only one with a 1/4 mile oval. The track was on the small side but they never rained out.

 

Nope,It's middletown, just past the covered grandstands.If you went straight out between the little bleachers and grandstand you would be having ****tails at the 31st lap,spent many a night there.....Rich

 

OK so it's not a picture of a modified.

However it IS the item that was the "giveaway" from Winston at the 1977 Islip Speedway banquet. When we entered the banquet room at the La Grange inn there was one of these at each seat.

You can find more info on the lamp itself here: http://jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=533279

 

Dad got 2 of those lamp shades back then from one our family friend that was working National Speed Sport News.I made two lamps with them in high school shop cl***,both of them had wooden bases and back walls with 4 old A/C racing spark plugs in each corner,then built a 1/16 scale Richard Petty model for each and a 8by10 autographed picture,Now I have to get them out of the attic, Brian thanks for reminding me to go and crawl in the attic and see what else Mom put away up there.....Rich

 

RABS32, thanks for the correction about the track. It's been a long time since I've been to Middletown (Orange County ) Mostly from the infield.

By the way, as info to us that know Tom Hager, he can use some cheering up, he's got some health issues.