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

Sorry for the late notice
Roll out the open wheel vintage racer
Join us SATURDAY, JUNE 30th, 2012
Belleclair Fairgrounds, Belleclair Speedway
Belleville Il, 3.5 hours from Terre Haute, 70 West to 255 South to 15 to the track.
1/5 mile dirt oval.
Second night of a two night POWRi midget show.
Vintage racers arrive at 2 PM, display on covered, concrete space just across from the main grandstand.
Two pit passes per displayed vintage racer.
Track time under yellow if the program allows, there is a curfew

Load her on the trailer, head our way, fire up and maybe sling some dirt.
Call to reserve your spot
David J. Kovac
dkovac2@hotmail.com
314-220-0699

 

Heading out to Cali, this weekend, for a three day vintage meet at the two mile banked oval in Fontana. I'll be driving the red white and blue 1927 Boyle Valve Spl. #15 owned by Carl Schulz. If any of you are out that way, stop by and say HI!

Its a spectacular place to drive and the swirling winds in turns 2 and 4 really get your attention.



mac miller in INDY

 

Steve Kroeze is restoring (from photographs) the TQ that belonged to his father, Wes. It won the 1968 -1969 NMRA with Jim Fawcette driving. Trojan and El Toro (Orange County - So Cal) Speedways were their main venues.
Steve also inherited 'some old sprint or midget parts' from his dad and would like some help identifying them and determining if they have any value or are they junk?

Here's a link to some photos of the parts (first eleven photos)
Any help or commentary would be appreciated- Steve's email is steve@kroezekoncepts.com[/EMAIL"]steve@kroezekoncepts.com"]steve@kroezekoncepts.com[/EMAIL]
http://s1011.photobucket.com/albums/af233/carl44s/?start=all

one of eleven photos


Here's a photo of the TQ being restored, Chuck Fawcette is helping out and pictured in the car (the brother of the original driver Jim Fawcette)

 

Carl,
who originally built that tq? It's one of the nicest looking TQ's I've ever seen

 

Steve's dad, Wes Kroeze built it and Bob Fawcette (Chuck's Dad) built the motor and Chuck's brother, Jim drove it.

Don't forget your goggles for Milwaukee.
Tom will arrange your track time - just remember "never go faster than I"
between my car and The Doc's you should have some fun.

Was hoping for Michael Ferner to re-appear but he seems to be laying low (probably up to no good)

 

Cool story Bob, do you post on Jimmies too?

 

I remember a man named Wes that built one of the finest TQ's back in the 60's and it was candy red. Bob McCaw always said you should see his shop it is as nice as the car. I had alot of fun back in them days racing with Jim Fawcette, Bob McCaw, Danny McNight, Dean Thompson, Bobby Olivero, Mike Olivero, Bill Bogan, Gary Hill, Mike Shaw, Pancho Carter, Dwayne Carter and many many more. I also remember Jim driving for Bob Bogan as alot of the great drivers did at that time. If I remember correctly that car had a Crosley motor and it was at one time painted green or I could be thinking of another car that Jim drove. Great pictures and good to see Jim sitting in the car.

 

The QC looks a lot like a old ACRO.

 

Lloyd Shores built it, Dick Hammond owned it, Galen wrenched it, and Sheldon drove it. Lloyd also built a couple of other similar upright/roadster designs - one very successfull, driven by Bigelow in the same era.

 

Did Karl Kinser have one with a big block? John S.

 

Karl had a old Kurtis Indy car with a big block in the early seventies, but I don't think he ever had a Shores car.

 

I saw Karl's big block run once at the old Columbus (Ind.) 25th St. Fairgrounds half-mile. Larry somebody was the driver, and he ran away from the field.

This same night, Chuck Amati was having problems getting his car right, and asked Bobby Kinser to start on the tail of the feature and see if he could tell him what was wrong.

Bobby drove it up to a second or third place finish, got out, and told Chuck it felt fine to him.

 

[Don't forget your goggles for Milwaukee.
Tom will arrange your track time - just remember "never go faster than I"
between my car and The Doc's you should have some fun.

Was hoping for Michael Ferner to re-appear but he seems to be laying low (probably up to no good)[/QUOTE]

how much nitro should I bring?

 

Well, you could do me a favour and plan the next meeting a little closer to home for me!

Seriously, I definitely want to come back, but can't do it every year unless I win the lottery - make that "unless I start playing the lottery" .

Have a good time, and don't forget to post the pictures...

 

Larry Somebody probably was Larry Miller who was Karl's driver up until he hired Dick Gaines and Butch Wilkerson.

 

You got it. Larry Miller. Thanks.

 

Came across this neat shot on the HRM website. Taken by Eric Rickman, it appears to be Bud Rose winning the 500 mile roadrace for sprint/champ cars at Riverside 1958. I've come across a fair amount of pics of the companion midget race but precious few of the sprint car race. Does anyone have a link to any others? Or does anyone know if the race was ever featured in HRM or other magazine back then?

 

Hey Rootie, a very interesting photo for us Down Under as there is some resistance to us running our cars in road racing.This is exactly the evidence we need to prove to our governing body that Champs and Sprints ran on the tarmac in road races.
In particular , the car my mate wishes to run is the Ernie Ruiz Travelon Trailer sprinter #65 which later became the Vermiell Offy (out of Calistoga , I believe)
Do you possibly have an entry list for this event , any more photos , or a contact who might have either?
We would be very grateful as it would get our cars out and running against the funny cars.
Cheers Greg

 

Greg,Thats about all I have found as far as the sprint car portion of the race goes. Apperently there were 46 (!) cars entered and I believe Herk was one. From another site:

 

Thanks Rootie, this is all grist for the mill .
Coincidentally ,the mate with the #65 Travelon Shilala also owns a Hank Henry chev powered car .
I wonder????
I will keep looking for the entry list .
Do you think the book about CRA might have it in?
Maybe someone can let me know as I dont have a copy.
Cheers Greg

 

I don't have that book either, but, the first year (1965) they ran the Hoosier grand prix at IRP they filled out the field with upright dirt cars. I may have a pic or two if that will help. http://www.champcarstats.com/races/196508.htm

 

29AVEE8 was there
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=446547&page=35
This and the Jan 58 midget race were discussed several times
I'll try and find the link

 

Thanks Carl. I recall the discussions and the midget race is fairly well documented. For some strange reason the sprint race is rather obscure though. If Rickman was there, I would think many of other photogs would have been there too. And you would think that it would have been featured in one of the mags of the era, especially being held in the "center of the racing universe" of that time. BTW-a few good pics of the midgets can be found here:

http://www.b2-design.biz/Racing/bogan_racers.htm

 

A couple of pics from the Hoosier Grand Prix 1965:

 

I 'think' there was problemas with the sanctioning of the 'Racecar' sic portion of the Memorial Day Weekend Event which may have affected post race coverage.

Will post links when I find them.
edit: Here's one from Autosport Nostalgia Forum:
http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?showtopic=63811

Apologize for not knowing the origin of this photo: (Believe it was from Racing Historian Frank Sheffield)

 

carl s

I believe that you are correct that the source of that ticket stubb was Frank Sheffield. I believe that he can be reached at frank@fsheff.com he may have an entry list or finishing order. Yes I was at that race and I used to have a program but sadly it was lost decades ago.

Mike.

 

Thanks Mike:
See post 20 for top 5 in big cars and midgets for the May Event.
The big car event was apparently the financially succesful event whilst midgets and NASCAR Stocks were dismal financially (so much so that Bill France demanded immediate payment in cash).
NSSN apparently provided several articles on the Event.
see post #20
http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?showtopic=63811

Jiggler Joe working on theKK2000 chassis #319 he had recently purchased from the MGM movie studio in preparation of the May 1958 Big Car Race to be held at RIR Road Course which he won with driver out of retirement Buzz Rose. (The MGM studios took legal action to have Joe remove any vestiges of the To Please A Lady paint scheme.)


In the 60s the car was restored back to its original 1948 Championship Trail configuration as the Don lee Special.
It is currently in the Tom Malloy Collection - Corona, CA-
Here's a photo of Tom driving it at MIS -in connection with The Concours of America, Salute to Indy Centennial. (Behind it Indyrjc in my 1927 Boyle Valve Special tribute Car)

 

I have the top ten finishers of the Sprint Car portion (and I have the race going over 200 laps of a 2.5 mile circuit, for that matter):

1 Bud Rose (Offenhauser)
2 Hank Henry (Chevrolet)
3 Rip Erikson (GMC)
4 Don Davis (Pontiac)
5 Bud Sterrett (Maserati)
6 Leon Conner (Chevrolet)
7 Rosie Roussel (Offenhauser)
8 Elgin Holms (Mercury)
9 Dick Hawkins (Mercury)
10 Cecil Burnaugh (Chevrolet)

Car owners are not mentioned except for Gemsa, but can be guessed for Henry (Earl Mansell), Erikson (Bert Spencer), Roussel (Cecil Shaw) and Hawkins (Hondo & Larson). Also, Scotty Cain crashed out, presumably in the Bill Finley GMC roadster, as did Jack Rounds in the Henry & James Wayne. Allen Heath drove the Frankie del Nero Offy, Johnnie Wood the Alex Morales Offy and Nick Valenta the Art Koopman Chrysler, all of which apparently retired. Art George crashed the Floyd Glidewell Offy in qualifying the day before and did not start; Floyd himself had crashed the car in practice on May 24 already. Armond Wahl presumably drove the Warren Wickham Buick, but it is unclear whether he qualified. Other likely car assignments were Colby Scroggin in the Don Blair De Soto, Wayne Weiler in the Harlan Fike Chevrolet and Jim Hurtubise in the Bill Leach Chevrolet.

Qualifying began on May 10, and I have the top 29 times if anyone is interested...

 

Hi Michael ,I would certainly be interested in the top 29 times if you could post them.
This will then give a list of at least 29 cars and drivers of the mooted 46.
Does anybody have an insight as to how these guys liked 500 miles on bitumen AND turning left and right and having to brake for corners?
On other sites they say that the Sprint car race was the only one that was viable from a financial point of view ,with the midgets and Nascars failing ,but the midgets getting all the press.
Did the midget guys have a better what would be called in modern times "Media Manager"?
Whilst the Sprint guys just raced??
Did they get paid??