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

LOL.


Back then you were the oddball if you didn`t smoke.

Some of the best photos are of drivers nervously smoking a cigarette before going out there.

 

My old man's choice of medicine was R.G. Dunn cigars, Blatz beer, and Excedrin - but only after the race. To calm his nerves before the race - he just puked - sometimes before climbing in the car, but at least once, as late as going down the back stretch just after getting pushed off before the start of The Little 500. Sorry, no pictures of that, though.

 

I recall reading that Troy Ruttman also used to get sick before a race. He sure could push the loud pedal once things got going, though.

 

Talking about smoking before a race - I remember seeing a lot of drivers with a cigarette in their mouth while strapping in and then flipping the cigarette away and signaling the push truck. Yep, that was before full face helmets.

 

Joe Gemsa warming up his DO Cragar at Corona, 1946. Hard to see in this scan, but Joe has a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. I asked Joe about the cigarette, and if it served any purpose when he climbed in a race car. He said, no, if he had one lit when it was time to go, he finished it while driving, if not, he didn't need it to get his head right. He said I had very little money in those days, and you just didn't waste a good smoke back then!

 

over 17,000 posts and over 3 million views. This must be a freakin record!

 

Let`s go on toward 4 million views!

 

I don't know if this is a record or not, but you would be hard pressed to find any other site with this much incredible information and emotion given by the people that were there. I check this site a dozen times a day.

 

I told Hank about the pictures you posted. He said he was pretty happy with his performance considering the fact that he didn't have much seat time. I think he said Leverenz put him in the car at the last minute. He remembered getting up to third before the car broke.

 

Look at those skinny tires.

 

Skinny???

Please look back to post #17028 just up the page.

7.50 X 16 was not uncommon

 

Back towards the birth of the UMRA, tq driver Ernie Frazier would only race WITH a cigarette lit and in his mouth! Never saw him out on the track without one!

 

Doug Caruthers Jimmy Caruthers and does anyone want to guess who the other driver is leaning over the hood? Victor at least give a few people a chance before you give it away

 

The "Drag Cars in Motion..." thread has over SIX million hits and nearly 30,000 replies.

But that doesn't lessen the value and enjoyment I have gotten from this thread. Thanks to everyone who has contributed here - I have learned a lot.

6re6

 

When you click on the pic, the answer is at the bottom.

 

Sad news from Indy, Bill Castle has passed away. Bill built and drove the Blue #2 Miller. He will be missed by the gang in Indy and the vintage race car scene, RIP Bill.

HG

 

For Carl S, re your post #16995,
An old German racer friend put it this way ,and I have never forgotten it,
"Ve are too quvickly oldt, undt too schlow schmardt!!"
Apologies for my interpretation , but you get the drift!!
Cheers Greg

 

A full and wonderful life - you did good compadre!






And your race car will be in good hands!

 

Back in 1968- 69 12-13in. was about as wide as there was, most sactioning bodies had 12in. wheel width rule.

For Hawkeye Futurity we ran 7in. left and 10. right rear. Opperman and Sutcliff in R and H Farms #40 started on front row. 40 car had 12 and 13 in. tires.
Sutcliff was pissed after the race, Opperman drove away from him like he was tided to a post. He couldn't believe Jan beat him with that old parallel bar car with skinny tires beat him his 4 bar car.

 

Even though he never really liked me, and thought even less of me in his later years, I wanted to say Happy Birthday to my dad, Luke. He would have been 75 today. Here's a little photo story of some of the cars he owned and/or drove.

 

Talking about skinny tires - check out this left front. Start of the fast heat IMCA Winchester July 1967.

 

Therem was that chance, for sure.

 

He didn't use the left front much anyway. Man this looks hooked up.

 

Those are great pics, Easter; any chance you can attach them so us old farts can blow 'em up big enough to appreciate them even better?
Hope wherever he is, your Dad is proud of you for keeping his memory alive...

 

Thanks. I'll try them as attachments later this evening. Dad was well liked - he just had a kid (me) way too early in life. He was an outstanding athlete and had two major league tryouts for baseball - but joined the National Guard instead. We never really did see eye to eye for some reason, but I have a great deal of respect for his driving ability. I never saw him spin out unless it was to avoid a wreck. He was clean - and fast. He just wasn't real sure how to be a dad - but this thread is about racing and he was a racer for sure.

 

View attachment Easter and Fizer.pdf

 

I dont have any photos but I do have some drawings

 

I missed some of the open comp shows at Springfield and this must have taken place during one of those shows because I don't remember it, but it sounds very similar to an incident the Blacksmith was involved in at DuQuoin about 1971 or 72.

The flagman must have been from the local bullring and had no idea how to flag a race on the mile. The heat that Bill was had come down for the third or fourth false start when the guy in front of him him stood on the brakes and Bill went over the guy's rear tire. The car stayed upright and landed nose-down right where the guardrail met the racing surface. Unfortunately the bottom tier of the steel guardrail was about eighteen inches off the ground and the car went under the rail - all the way up to the cage which was the only thing that kept the rail from beheading Bill.
He proceeds to shake himself off, throw off the belts, and crawl out of the car and start hiking up the front chute in the direction of the flagstand. When he got to the flagstand he climbed the fence to engage the flagman in alittle constructive conversation. Of course, the starter was having none of this and things digressed from there.

I will say this Bill was one tough SOB!

 

Bill Utz won the open show there in 76..(Springfield mile). There was a mix of silver crown cars, Wolfgang in the old yellow #18, Linder in an aluminum framed car that didnt last hot laps, and unfortunately we lost Doc Dawson that day right in front of me.