60'-70's Vintage Oval Track Modifieds

I remember Sparky. Denny Z

 

When we were running at Freeport in the Non-Fords from 1957 to 1962 Sparky Belmont was one of the very few drivers that were permitted to run once or so a year with the regular drivers as Freeport was kind of a closed club ala Danbury.

I remember Sparky was always dressed real sharp and the race car was a very nice appearing Mopar with a Chrysler 6 which I think had 6 individual exhaust pipes.

A real class act that got everyones attention.

 

Hey, HAMB'ers ... Just wanted to pass along the fact that our guy Denny Z was a great representative for the Modified/Sportsman brigade (as well as the Sprint and Midget folks) at Indianapolis in May. The Speedway, as you may know, invited all past veterans of the 500 to this year's 100th anniversary of the great race, and it was fun to see those guys back in the spotlight. Anytime you get to share a conversation with Denny Zimmerman and Jack Hewitt, as I was privileged to do, you know you're having a fine day. And if you see Denny in a sling, it's only writer's cramp ... the 1971 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year sure signed a lot of autographs, for old fans and young ones alike.

 

Thank You Sir. I enjoyed that autograph session as much as the fans did. Denny Z

 

Thanks for the kind comments. I didn't know Sparky raced on Long Island, but I did hear stories from my dad about him racing at Kingsbridge Armory in NYC. He started in midgets after the war and moved over to stock cars when the midgets lost popularity in New England. Still lots I don't know.

 

Sparky in the Berndt #54



and the former George Lombardo (XD-2) #45



and in the Dark Horse Spl. #123 at Waterford Speedbowl around 1952

 

Thanks to Bullfather,Retro-Rich,Modified Driver(for this thread),Denny Z,Bones,all you great Modified Lovers,be it dirt or asphalt,been to many of both and we will never see an era or eras like we did. B-G is as close as it gets,but Pinebowl was way better as we had no Islip,Menands was..... there as well,but haven`t been to A-S since it went dirt,although had friends who raced on it.This trip back has been inspirational,we have become friends,although you didn`t know it,but the Fix is working. I`ll try and add the picts of my Dad at Pinebowl and we`ll show what the show usta be. Thankyou all for bringing my youth back,I owe ya. My rod was as close to being a racer as it gets...no bars,but fenders cut and hook on dash,wish I kept those pieces,what history that would be...let`s keep the fire burning,How many terrific cars were built and only made one nite,some of the photos were incredible,am lucku my 37 is sittin 30 ft from me,whew,that was close!

 

I think ya forgot the creator DR.JOHN

 

john56h created this thread, not Dr, John, but give the man credit as he has posted some of the best photos! Long live the history of racing!!!!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS POSTED AND FOR THE MANY OTHERS THAT JUST VISIT ON A DAILY BASIS!

 

OOPS MY BAD I stand corrected

 

I stand corrected as I made a goof,but all of you have just done s Super job in keeping our memories alive,hey I`m old, should be excusable,but I know better.Thanks John,and to all,just terrific.Please keep the fix alive.

 

some more of Geoff Bodine the vega years....

in a tight battle with George Kent in the #26 (like that Mustang II of George's) and Richie Evans in the #61




on the outside pole at the 1974 Cardinal 500 at Martinsville





up front at the Spring Sizzler: Bugsy Stevens in the #15, Ray Miller in the #9, Ollie Silva in the #0




Battling Richie Evans at Freeport





not sure of the track or the photographer





battling Dick Clark #16x and Sonny Seamon in the #50





at Martinsville

 

Was that the wreck that ended Giroux's career? Looks just absoutely nasty...

 

Geoff at Freeport LI...in the early 70's Richie Evans, Jerry Cook, Maynard Troyer, Bugs Stevens, Bermie Miller and some of the other points chasers would roll into Freeport or Islip for the double points and the extra money for the extra distance races. For the first few years it seemed that Charlie Jarzombek would win the pole and Richie Evans would win the outside pole. The two would go at it the entire distance with Charlie J usually holding off Richie by a car length unless his motor expired. In 1974, Geoff came down for two big races at Islip and Freeport. He wedged himself right in between Jarzombek and Evans in the time trials. I believe he finished second to Charlie and the Islip event. However, in the Freeport event after Charlie J pulled out to a half a lap lead he tangled with the lapped car of Wayne Anderson and got a flat at around lap 165 of the Sutz and Sutz 200. Geoff who was running second inherited the lead and held off a determined Richie Evans for the victory. Charlie J changed his flat and stormed back to a top 5 finish with a bent front end behind Bodine, Evans, Troyer and Stevens.





a Len Calinoff photo...according to what was written by some, I guess I was lucky to catch Geoff in a talkative and good mood after the Islip race when I got this autograph and chatted with him about the race at the ripe old age of 10. Being fom LI I was a die hard Charlie Jarzombek fan, but Geoff was one of my other favorites and I was thrilled to get to meet the driver I read about so much in the papers and saw so many pictures of.






Geoff at the All Star 300 at Islip in 1974 trying to chase down the eventual winner Lou Lazzaro in the Jerry Rose #93





Geoff on the pit ramp at Islip





Geoff heading in to turn 1 at Islip with Charlie J #1 heading out of turn # 2 ahead of Tom Baldwin in the #18, Richie Evans in the #61, Butch Lafrance in the #10 pins and Jim Hendrickson in the #X3





Geoff at Freeport

 

Not sure of the photographer or the track...





same here....





looks like the car is set up for a big track with the extra sheet metal and full windshield.....










Geoff in the Frank Vigliarolo #34 at the Spring Sizzer battling Fred Desarro

 

This is Dennis Giroux's #7 before the crash....

 

a few more I found of Fred Desarro...


in Ole Blue...





at Freeport







heading up the pack at Stafford....

 

Due to the size of this thread, I may well have missed it. But, does anybody have anything from Golden Gate in Tampa? Willard Smith modifieds, Donnie Tanner (who unfortunately we lost this year) or Dave Scarborough? All of this was a little before my time. My old man ran a late model at the track when I was very young but I don't have any pics to post from that era. Wanted to see if anyone else did. Thanks.

 

Try these.
http://www.floridastockcars.com/
http://www.floridaracingmemories.com/
By the way, who was your dad?

 

The last two pictures on page 513 of the Bodine Vega #99 are actually pictures of a clone of his car. The car is actually the # 85 that Bob Horn drove at Danbury. I found and restored the car back in 1998 or 1999. I bought the car from Bob and ran it as the # 85 with NEAR for several years. I sold the car to Carl Oberg and he and his brother had the car done as Geoff Bodines # 99 Vega. Carl sold the car to Dick Murphy and Dick displays the car with STAR. Here are some pictures of the car as the #85 of Bob Horn. I just want to make sure that the car is not represented as an original Bodine car.

 

Here's some photos from West Haven Speedway (CT.). I think they all were taken by Shany (not sure, I was a kid then), and are from my collection.

Johnny 'King' Cambino



Charlie Centinaro



'King' Cambino again



Tommy Sutcliffe



Billy Greco at a rare open show

 

More from West Haven.

Tommy Sutcliffe



Bernie Palmer



Tommy Martino



Pete Brockett

 

And a few more from West Haven. I grew up about a half-mile from the track and was there for the last few years they ran, and it cemented my love of modified coupes.

Sherm Saunders




Jim Cash



Billy 'Red' O'Keefe



Tony Daddio (photo courtesy of vintagemodifieds.com)



Andy Rock (photo courtesy of SpeewayLineReport.com)

 

Mike Prevatt is his name. We lived at East Bay between the old speed shop and the track when I was a kid. The pond for the water truck was right behind our house. He ran the #8 late model at the regular shows. 66 Chevelle blue over white. He and Edward Howell are lifelong friends and ran whenever, where ever for alot of years. Edward went on to DASH cars and we ran East Bay southern modifieds from the late 70's until the late 80's/early 90's.

 

Vintage cars...with sanctioning groups like the VSCCA for sports cars, the cars must be restored to period correct specs. It seems like some of the old stock cars are newer cars with an old body mounted. Also these clone type cars are also misleading. Having a vintage car , my position is you are like a living museum, demonstrating what the cars used to be like for the current generation. Seeing a car buzz the track with 00 Buzzie numbers, on a 90's Troyer chassis is not vintage racing. That also includes old cars with a big Autometer tach stuck in the dash.
Vintage cars should be real, all the others need to have another name and not be presented at events as vintage stock cars.

 

Some shots of the late Corky Cookman

a young Corky






Corky outside a young Mike Stefanik in the #64 at Stafford




Corky in a tight pack at Stafford going under the 18x of Greg Sacks with Ray Miller in the #01 and Ron Bouchard in the #7 Chevette in hot pursuit





Corky racing John Rosati in the #73 at Stafford






Corky with Charlie Savage? in the #1 at Stafford?






Corky battling Richie Evans #61 and Ron Bouchard in the #7 at Stafford

 

Not a good night for Corky...





Corky in the middle of Reggie Ruggero #44 and the #26 or George Kent





Richie Evans #61 and Corky Cookman #04





Corky in victory lane at Thompson




Corky at Thompson







The aftermath of the wreck that sent Corky into the stands at Stafford.

 

Always loved the kids reactions in the background at West Haven (thumbs up/thumbs down). Classic.

 

"Vintage cars...with sanctioning groups like the VSCCA for sports cars, the cars must be restored to period correct specs. It seems like some of the old stock cars are newer cars with an old body mounted. Also these clone type cars are also misleading. Having a vintage car , my position is you are like a living museum, demonstrating what the cars used to be like for the current generation. Seeing a car buzz the track with 00 Buzzie numbers, on a 90's Troyer chassis is not vintage racing. That also includes old cars with a big Autometer tach stuck in the dash.
Vintage cars should be real, all the others need to have another name and not be presented at events as vintage stock cars. "


However given the cost of replacing a period correct engine (using only the technology available when the cars were originally built) prestigious organizations like General Racing LTD allow the use of some modern gauges. They also allow for the replacement of seats and seatbelts to insure the safety of the usually older drivers (which might explain why they need larger gauges) that now run vintage cars. I have seen autometer gauges in cars worth 6 and 7 figures that have also vintage raced at Goodwood in England.

Which raises another question a few years back a few Fuel Altereds went to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Have any modifieds gone there?

 

I go there most years, and have the annual photo books (covering both FoS and "Revival" events) since about year 2000. I may have missed something, but I've never been aware of the presence of what I think of as a "Modified" (that is, the Eastern Seaboard kind) at the FoS. If I had been, I'd have been all over it like white on rice.
In Europe, they think of US racing as a colonial curiosity. Occasionally a European driver might condescend to competing in the States, but that would be only because the money's good. There is some grudging acceptance that racing at Indy is not for the faint-hearted, but they don't really care about, or respect, US racing.
At various Festivals of Speed, they have had some Grand National wagons, and quite a few of the heroes from that era have been invited over. ISTM that that was more motivated by a wish to be amused by a now white-haired driver who along with his mother was arrested for running moonshine, a guy in sunglasses and feathered straw hat who won 200 races and spoke with a rale Suthen draw, and other caricatures. Smokey Yunick was also there one year.
In addition to the GNs, they usually will have a handful of Indy cars, and a few Can-Ams, but of course both those series attracted significant European participation more than 40 years ago.
As you say, there have been a few dragsters. One year they had an array of them on one of the lawns. That was mostly because of their outrageous looks. There was no serious interest, and not that many people seemed to notice them.

I don't think that they've ever had one of our Modifieds on show.
That raises an interesting question - have many original Modified coupes have survived to this day? In photos from exhibitions, I see plenty of what are supposedly original cars, but it is very rare indeed that the car on display does not differ from the original in obvious ways. In most areas of vintage restoration, even when the only part that has been carried over is the chassis plate (and sometimes even that has been "restored", especially when there is more than one example of the "original" car in existence), the restored car looks much like the original, except that the later one is more pristine. I know that there are "restorations", "recreations", "tributes", and "kinda-reminds-me-of", but are there many properly, faithfully restored original coupes out there?