History Classic Indy roadsters: Most beautiful oval racers ever?

Chuck Arnold at Indy in 1961.

 

Joe Sostilio at Indy in the Belanger Spl. 1953.

 

I love the old over-the-shoulder driver photos. That's classic sports page!

 

your right Bill, thats a great shot of Sostilio-- a real Man !! those days are sure gone.

 

Can anyone explain what causes the wheels to look all out of kilter in the 1961 shot of Chuck Arnold? I vaguely remember the older camera lenses had something to do with it, but I don't recall seeing any pics as "new" as that one looking that way.

 

Wide angle lens + camera close to subject. In a side view, will make the tires lean in toward each other, for example. Camera lenses still do this, but since the object field is smaller, often the effect is not as obvious.

 

Is this the one Watson stuffed the Ford in or am I thinking of another car?

 

Rodger Ward...

 

Top > bottom: Troy Ruttman, Pat O'Connor, Jimmy Bryan, Rodger Ward.

 

How could Roger Ward have lost interest(as rumored) in the middle of his last Indy race and park it?


Ago

 

He became very uncomfortable driving the car, he almost put it in the fence every lap for the last 30 laps. (they were his last 30 laps in competition at the Speedway) He told himself if it wasn't fun to race anymore then he would quit...that day it stopped being fun.

 

Even though the front engine race cars became obsolete in 1963, they are still the neatest looking cars. Back then teams sometimes had only one Offy and would go through it before the race. I guess they rebuilt it Gasoline alley?


Ago

 

Motors were rebuilt with regularity in the garages back then.

 

And if you broke something on your chassis you could roll it over to the Marquette welding shop and get it glued back together.

 

Super photos, thanks!

 

I'm retired machinist, would just love to get my hands dirty with an old OFFY.

Ago

 

I don't have a picture or remember the car's owner or team name, but many years ago on a Friday at Hershey, there was a Indy roadster going for it's AACA award lap. It was supposedly the first SBC powered Indy car. I'm assuming it was a hopped up 265.

When they started that car up, heads from every direction snapped back to take a look it. It made a sound like I've never heard an engine make. It was glorious and dangerous at the same time.

Meanest SBC I've ever heard.

 

I'm always amazed that something so small in C.I.'s could make so much power. Just plain bitchin'

 

I suspect that was the Chenoweth car:

http://www.sdsproadster.com/SDSP/SDSP Roadster.html

 

Yes, that's it.

 

One of my all-time favorite roadsters, even if it wasn't successful at Indy.

 

Does anyone know why it didn't have success? Were there other issues or did that not figure out the SBC thing enough to be a contender?

As I mentioned, it sounded unreal, but that doesn't mean it ran great I guess.

 

Going up against the mighty, well developed, Offy was pretty tough deal back then. I suspect if given the development time and $$$ it could have been more competitive but they were a pretty small team so they probably didn't have the resources. Here's a couple more SBC roadsters from around that time that pretty much went nowhere. The Carmen -McGee 39 and the Grizzly brake spl:

 

1956, Jimmy Bryan...

 

Vuky...