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

Speaking of He-my's..... While the factory backed effort of the Wollcott car in 53 kinda stole the limelight, the factory thought they oughta supply Chrysler dealer Murrel Belanger with one also. It was a DNQ also with Joe Sostilio up. Appears it returned in 54 as the Shouse Spl. which, again, was a DNQ.

 

This post got my curiosity up as I had just witnessed 'Doc Parsons' racing a midget in Willis, TX a few weeks ago. At the race in Willis 'Doc Parsons' from Oklahoma spun the car out no less than eight times during hot laps, the heat race and then feature...what happened to the two spin rule? I did a Google search looking for anything regarding his experience in Mississippi and found a group 'MidSouthRacing.com' that covers MS, TN and AK...out of all of the racing in that area there was nothing mentioning Doc Parsons or any races or accidents resembling what is described here. Im wondering if the only injuries here resulted from the floor after falling from his bar stool!!!

 

Looks like Al Herman

 

Yes it is, though Champ car stats shows Pat Flaherty as the (non) qual. driver so there may have been a switch.

 

While I certainly appreciate those who "thought outside the box." They must have known the AAA would, and did, put the ky-bosh on anything that would, even remotely, threaten their core of Offy owners.

 

Going to Hagerstown Speedway for Pa. Sprint Speedweek tomorrow (even tho its in Maryland) which will include vintage racers from Eastern Museum of Motor Racing. Not sure if they actually race or just cruise the track (can't imagine them getting too risky)
Anyone else?

 

[QUOTE="Doc" Parsons;7925190]Josh I was driving a Open Lete Model, it was a big 1/2 mile in Miss. set fast time 16.310, won heat, trophy and it was a 50 lapper, on the 48th lap I was lapping 3rd place and his right rear came off and I got on top of it and it barrell rolled 11 times they said,it came down in front of 2nd place and he hit me in the top of the car, pushed the cage down on top of me, they used a jaws to get the cage off me, all I needed was 2 more laps! just some broken ribs and collar bone, I'll be ready for Houston texas on July 14 in the Midgets! My car owner Sandra flew me back from Miss. to Austin Texas to her Doctor for a good check up and then on back To Tulsa, sorry I didn't mean to write a book
"Doc" Parsons[/QUOTE]

Doc what name were you running under?

 

.Read about it right here!!

http://indyroadsters.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/1950656-the-firestone-test-cars-the-fastest-roadsters-never-raced

Chrysler was still pissed about AAA outlawing their 331 inch Hemi from the Speedway in '53, so, at the June 30 1954 Grand Opening of their new Chelsea Mich. Proving Grounds, they invited the OFFYs to their new test track, let them run their best laps and, then, "poked them in the eye" by bringing out the, 331 Chrysler powered, Kurtis 500C Firestone test car to set the fastest lap of the meet as the Grand Finale of their Grand Opening.

 

I'm wondering if it wasn't Missouri as there are no 1/2 mile tracks in Mississippi.

 

no offense to Doc, but I was following the facebook account of this "Race" and I'm wondering if someone hacked his account and was playing a prank on him, his f/b account is now gone and I'm trying to picture a late model barrel rolling 11 times from running over a tire

 

The Ray Nichels 485 hp Pumpjack you refer to in your article.

 

Mario taking a spin up Pikes Peak about 43 yrs. ago. Notice the snow on the ground. Chances are pretty slim finding any of that up there these days.

 

This may be the oldest one that I have of Ed Winfield with one of his cars when he was racing


Tim

 

If USAC did not cut the the boost in 1977 the offy would have been still competitive and who knows how long the little 159 ci motor would have been running and winning at the speedway. This is not taken into consideration the V8 that Drake and Goosen left on the drawing board. What a little boost will do to a motor.

 

Hmm. Actually, there was nothing to threaten the Offy until USAC allowed the stock blocks to run with a healthy extra in cubic inches. Okay, that's USAC and not AAA (basically the same beast with a different name), but everything else is the exact opposite of your statement.

 

The AAA dropped auto racing like a hot potatoe in 55 and never looked back. Usac was a totally different org.

 

I wasn't there that night, but story that went around Blair's was similar...not only mud on walls but mud got into the track lighting and made the turn darker, Branson wasn't used to the track and didn't realize how far he had gotten into the turn...we'll never know for sure

 

Exactly correct, you nailed it Rootie

 

I find an interesting photo:Spider Webb in 1952 Indy 500-Carter Spl...



Is it true?

 

Can't be 1952. Carter sold the car to Jack Robbins in '51, who in turn sold it to Penny Mullis in '52. By May, it had a Cadillac stock block engine and was running NASCAR's Speedway Division.

Who says that's the Spider? The picture is far too blurred to make it out. Also, not quite sure if this is Indy.

 

USAC was a completely new organisation that was formed by former AAA men. They continued AAA's policies with nary a hitch in the road. But, for the sake of the argument, just look back to the thirties and how AAA tried to encourage stock block engines.

Your argument simply doesn't hold, and reciting that old racing myth about how Chrysler was fighting against the odds doesn't do it for me, either. Even if repeated ad nauseam, it's still a load of bollocks. I've often challenged the "keepers of the myth" to show me hard evidence, like for example the rule that allowed stock blocks to have more cubic inches, which the AAA allegedly receded. Trouble is, there never was such a rule. You can look it up in the Indy yearbooks, black on white, every year. No such rule in 1952, not in '53, not in the five years before or after. It's bollocks.

Chrysler just ran an oversized engine for some cheap publicity, and everybody fell for it. Sad, but true.

 

I find on ebay...Possible the Carter cars only two times entered Indy 500...1949 and 1950.Maybe is he Bob Sweikert?

 

Really? hmmm, Well you're certainly entitled to believe what you want. For others who have a interest and would like a different perspective: (sorry for all the small scans but I wasn't sure how well it could be read in a larger format):

 

While the background doesn't really look like Indy to me in your pic, Sweikert did attempt to Qualify the Carter Spl. at Indy 1950.

 

Vukys lap 57 crash pretty much overshadowed the 1955 500. Kinda lost in all that was poor ol Cal Niday. Many laps later he dumped the D-A car big time. He suffered severe, life threatening injuries and did a lot of sheet time. What may have saved his life was that he was wearing one of the new Bell helmets rather than the typical 'skid lid' of that time.

 

Thanks, Rootie. I was about to jump in. I was a 15-year-old who followed open wheel racing rather religiously at the time. I even joined USAC that first year. I don't recall many (if any) holdovers from the old AAA Contest Board. USAC was for all intents and purposes a complete new organization.

 

You're welcome. I was a few yrs. away from being a race fan in 55 but there is plenty of written documentation indicating the transition was anything but "nary a hitch." Russ Catlin, former AAA P.R. director, writer and historian had plenty to say about it also. He stated that the AAA had been looking for a way out of racing for quite some time. When the carnage (Le Mans, Vuky etc.) of 1955 came about, they jumped on that to, literally, walk away with no offers of transition or support to the racing community.

 

I know - wings and crap - however, I thought the hauler package was kind of a "throw back". Pretty cool really. It would make me want to follow it to the track.

 

Not bad for 2012, beats hauling it around in a box. Course if I had my druthers :

 

Yes!!
Unload, heat the oil, 15 minutes of practice, two laps qualifying, line it up, race for about 1 hour.

And the current teams wonder why costs are so high!