Features VINTAGE SPRINT CAR PIC THREAD, 1965 and older only please.

Does anyone remember a garage in Dayton that rebuilt open wheel cars - I think the man's name was Harry Cecil? My dad was involved in a wreck at Winchester and Bob Howell took the car to this garage to be reworked. I remember there were 2 men involved in the garage. When I was there (1967) Salt Walther was sitting on a work bench. I remember watching a young guy pin stripe and letter the car after painting.

 

Tommy Tipover,
The #11/#22 car was Harold Beck Sr's car which started life as a midget he owned and raced for several years. Harold and Sonny stretched the midget in the mid to late 50's and added a flathead motor. In the early 60's he found an offy motor (220) and made the change. In 1962 it won Eldora and beat the big offys and the chevy's with Stan Bowman driving. That car raced the midwest circut until around 1965 and was sold to John Coogan from west In. I was told by Diane Beck-Lane that the car was in a bad wreck and the frame was broken in several places. That was the last she heard of the car.

 

Andretti, the winner, chases Foyt at the Indiana fairgrounds, Sept. 10, 1966.
This photo appeared in the October 2009 issue of MotorSport with Mario Andretti's reminiscences about dirt track racing.

 

Some links to pictures I couldn't upload :
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5I46KRk8g...AAA6U/u5xGx1y8f3s/s1600-h/SPRINTMARIOFORD.JPG

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5I46KRk8g...AAA6M/aIt1SYpd314/s1600-h/SPRINTERALMARIO.JPG

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5I46KRk8g...AA6E/1nlh1FRG8Ik/s1600-h/SPRINTERALMARIO1.JPG

 

It might interrest some of you, found this pic of the field ready to start a 1968 Winchester feature

 

Johnny Rutherford in the Meskowski sprinter

 

Found this on e-bay :

PACE LAP JUST BEFORE THE START OF THE PEPSI 100 AT WINCHESTER SPEEDWAY ON SEPTEMBER 18, 1966.
HERE IS THE HALL OF FAME LINE-UP, STARTING ON THE POLE AND WORKING BACK:
#51 ROGER McCLUSKEY, #16 AL SMITH(THE WINNER OF THE EVENT),
#26 KNEPPER, #23 BOB PRATT,
#93 NORM BROWN, #1 MARIO ANDRETTI,
#6 BRANSON, #12 SAM SESSIONS,
#3 BOBBY UNSER, #11 DEE JONES,
#2 GREG WELD, #4 JACOBY,
#54 BUD TINGLESTAD, #9 ATKINS,
#38 CHUCK BOOTH and #52 MICKEY SHAW.

 

Dave Lundy,in the ex-Johnny White car?

 

Is it Dave Lundy or Red Riegle?

 

If it's Allentown 66 (Aug) it would be Lundy as Reigle was killed in it a couple months before at Reading.

 

Maybe I'm wrong but I think these pics are from Allentown, September 1966.
Si it could not be Riegel

 

Rootie, you were faster than me ...

 

... and right with the date August 14, 1966.

Here's one from September 1966, Eldora :

 

And about a month later Lundy rides it out of Terra Haute and is seriously hurt.

 

1966, August 28 - Mario Andretti waits for a push in the Wynn's sprinter that he drove to victory in a USAC race at Oswego Speedway.

 

3 wide at Eldora with Jud Larson and Bobby Black.

 

Cool thing about that picture.. The second row cars, The #26 Vivian Buick Spl. and the #23 Hart Jones Spl.. They both are beautifully restored, and reside within 5 min. of each other. Ah, the war stories thay could tell together.

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/jamesarthur22/AntiqueRacing#

Lots of USAC sprint pics but not much identification

 

...

 

Did anyone ever closely compare a Trevis,a Watson,a Ronnie Ward, and a Phillip sprinter? Ron Trevis told me at one time that the identifier for a Trevis was the upward arched crossmember at the base of the seat back> Seems to me that a Ward was the same,or do I remember wrongly? John

 

Are you refering to this tube? If so LOTS of builders did them like that. It was a safety deal to keep the fuel tank from coming foward in a crash and making the driver into a 2 piece driver. Don't think it would be something I would use to define a chassis make.

 

Hi MarioFan,
Love those photos of Mario, some of which I never saw before. I have the Wynns car that Mario drove and hope to reunite him with the car soon. A lot of us on the east coast followed his career closely and his ride to the "top". We will not see that again!

 

Thanks,Rootie. That is what Ron told me at one point. John

 

What a hoo-doo wagon. Didn't the car finish as a #37 in URC in 70's?Didn't Mr. Chariot have a lady driver in it,also at one point?

 

Waaaay back early on in this thread we kicked the Wienberger/S-D car around pretty good. IIRC 'OldBill' posted this shot of how it looked in the 70s but I don't recall if it was ever determined what its final fate was. (?)

 

I was told that this car was the GAPCO #83 before Charlie Chariot got it to run with URC.

 

Thanks Mr Al Consoli for all those photographies you share with us.

A personal request would be: do you have any of Mario Andretti in Stapp sprinter, I have never seen any ... nor in the Sachs 18, Alfater or Wergland cars ...