Art & Inspiration Quarter Midgets from the 50's & 60's

Wish they had these when I was a kid, here's a few older San bernardino quarter midget assn trophies from the late 50's- early 60's. They're from billy (the kid) Scott (Charles Scott / Scotty's muffler kid)

 

When I was in Jr. High I lived in Batavia, Illinois and my dad traded a gun for a very nice quarter midget for me. Course I wasn't supposed to drive it when he and Mom were at work but...................I figured out how to pick up the rear with the nerf bar, get it rolling down the driveway, jump in and hit the mag switch and get the Continental running - I'd drive it to the playground about two blocks from the house and proceed to make myself a little oval track with the knobbies until one day when "Aunt Polly", some old (probably in her 30's) lady teaching kids how to make stuff out of popsicle sticks called the local cops. Yep, got busted for racing it there at the playground...............................................sure wish I still had it now.

 

This is a little OT but it kind of fits here too I picked this up at a swap meet the other day I wondered if anyone might recognize it I looks like a Devin jr. driver Steve Leonard?

 

I live in the Metroplex and have a couple of RaceCrafts and Moss Midjets.
I' ll definitely try to make it to the show.

 

Back in post #70 I mentioned a girl racer from Oregon, named Merit Meadows that was one of the fastest around here. The Portland track "Alpenrose Speedway" is still one of the premier tracks on the west coast. They host "The Grand" every few years. Merit retired from racing at 13, with hundreds of trophies.

 

I just picked this one up from the original owner. A local car raced in Fresno, Ca. purchased in December 1956 and raced thru 1964.

 

Here are the pictures...

 

here is one I picked up lately.

 

I raced in San Fernando in 65-66

 

All of these are from San Fernando in 1966

 

I still have this car. I drove it from 1958 to 1962 at many tracks in so.cal. The five cars are the team from Whittier QMRA for the 500 lap race in Hemet.

 

That is a cool picture.

 

Thanks Dean. The drivers are ,from left Jhonny Gardner, Louis Crawford, Dusty Offenhauser (me) , MIke Thomas and Beverly Solo. My dad was the official photographer at a lot of races. I have a negative of you in #93 at the 1961 Whittier dirt track invitational. I'll get some of the negatives I have printed and post them. I may have one of Danny Caruthers in 1961 or 62. Do you Know what No. his car was. Here is one from a race put on to raise money for medical bills for Bobby Olivero after his quarter midget caught fire at Los Alamitos.

 

really great pics guys! dam why did we all have to grow up!

 

Wow Dusty, Those pictures are awesome !!! Did the "H" after the number denote the city of Whittier or a certain home track ? and also, if so...do you know any other Letters for club or city info?? The # 47 car looks like an Anscraft (square roll bar), #32 looks like it may also be an Anscraft, Your car (Dusty) I'm sure you know is a Racecraft, hard to see the number on the next car (possibly #13) is a Moss and the car on the far end is another Racecraft.
A great looking bunch of equipment !! The burning question.... do you still have your car ??

 

Yes I still have it. The Moss is #36. I'll get some current pictures of my car. The "H" was for the Whittier club in the Western QMRA. The letters were given as each club joined the association. A,Hemet B,Monte Vista C,I think Montebello E,San Bernardino (Billy Scott was a member there) G,Pomona K,Foothill(don't know what city that was, Danny Mcknight was a member) N,Buena Park,T,Riverside(they ran heat races on a road corse, right hand turns were killers) some others I can"t remember. Here are pictures of the cars & driver in the Whittier QMRA 1958. The one on the left are class A the other novice.

 

If you have a pic of my 93 Kurtis in '61, it wasn't me in the car. I retired after winning the '59 Memorial Day 100 lapper at los Alamitos. Might be Billy Scott in the 93. Dad sold Jack's and my cars and the trailer to Scotty at the end of '59. Also, we never ran at the Whittier track. The last 1/4 midget I remember Danny driving was one of the Vikingcraft roadsters that was sort of like a scaled down Kurtis roadster midget. It was red with the number 8 painted like an 8 ball.

 

I have both the #93 buzz bomb and #17E Viking roadster that says Scotty's. I remember billy in a yellow #16E. I have a lot of pictures but no list of drivers to go with them. I'll get some of the negatives printed and post them. Maybe some one can identify some of them. Here are some from Monte Vista 1958 or 59.

 

Heres something I picked up at a swap meet this weekend, I thought it was pretty neat, I'll lay it in the seat of the one I have when/if I get it it finished.

 

Driver intros at Pomona.

 

Larry Woodward, I think at Los Alamitos.

 

Chino Prison Farm.

 

Corona: Buddy Slick in lead, Ed Losinski in rear.

 

can a fella get a frame for one of these or gotta make one?

 

These are from Las Vegas 1958 at the Hacienda Hotel.

 

Got a picture of the Hacienda track record sign?

 

do any of you midget experts remember a girl driver from the mid 60's named norma weatherbee? she lived up the street from our family in rosemead and her father would build them in their garage. he was a grump, but he would let watch him work on her cars. then later on in 67-68 i was at school and they played a film and she was in it driving her car. they moved away after the father died in the early 80's and i never heard about the family again. i think the old man wanted a boy, but got 4 girls and had to deal with it.

 

twichy, I have three girls and they are the ones who want to race. I'm all for it...until they beat me at the track. Then they are grounded.

 

No don't have a picture of the sign but I can guess who holds the record. What was the time ?