You might have heard Don Edmunds' name through a number of different channels. He began his racing career early and seemed to step up his legacy decade after decade from then on. He ran at Indy, was largely responsible for the design and development ... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
Ryan, By far this is the coolest think you have produced to date. I could listen to the old race stories all day. The impact of the Indy 500 is very big as Don can remember the race of 52 years ago just like it was yesterday !! So cool >>>>.
What a great recollection of his races. I can't believe he can remember all the details. Then again, it probably was the single handed most important day of his life. Cool find.
Honestly, I just get lucky most of the time. Hacker made this one happen... I think it's amazingly cool... Those stories are priceless. A.J. Foyt will be breaking down some stories for us soon...
The first thing I do when I fire up (the computer) every morning is to check for your daily write ups. They never disapoint.
When I was a kid, late 60's early 70's, my Dad's tool and die shop was right across the street from Don's shop Autoreaserch. I remember sneeking around to the back of Don's shop to watch him build cars. One of my first jobs in my Dad's shop was drilling the front axle tube for Don's midgets. There was always bitchin cars around his shop. Thanks for posting this Ryan. He was one of the major insperations in my RPU build. My Dad had bought a couple of '27 T roadster bodies in the late 70's. He and Don had ideas to build a couple of nostalgia track roadsters. Don sold the business before the project got started and the roadster tub that was left over is what I built my car around. .
They were home movies, shot on film, inserted into the camera on a reel..... It is really cool that that film was exposed that day so we can see it now.. Da Flash
Terrific interview! Almost like being there in person. I met Don Edmunds some years ago at a model engineering exposition. I had no idea at the time about his history. His models take you back the same as his stories.
Ryan, Once again, great entry. Don Edmunds is another guy that I look up to. As a builder, and racer. He makes some of the best scratch built models that I've ever seen. They look like full size race cars, because he builds them just like the full size cars were built. I guess he's still on the west coast after he sold the shop. I think he's up in Oregon now. He comes to Central CA once in a while to race tether cars I was told.
Here are some pictures of Don at a tether car colecto in Fresno 2001. Don is the one on the right. The other two pictures are of a couple of the model cars he builds. .
1957 a big year for home video camera sales? What, you got lug nuts for brains? While the first video camera was developed by the Ampex Corp in 1951 and made available to the TV industry in 1956 (at $50,000 a pop), the affordable VHS recorder that we know today wasn't introduced to the general public until 1976. The footage you're seeing from the '57 Indy 500 was most likely shot on 8mm film, which was the home movie camera of choice from the late forties through the mid-sixties, when the Super 8 was introduced. It's common practice today to transfer old 8mm home movies onto video and DVD, which explaines for the videos you have received. Home video cameras in 1957 . . . DOH!
Don Edmunds is one of the most talented people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. He took his rookie test in my dad's car at Indy , he has been one of my heroes my whole life
This is the Indy press photo for Don Edmunds. I talked to Don Years ago about a Supermodified Car, and sent him this photo to autograph. A special little treasure in my pile of obscure stuff.
man that pictureof him looks just like his oldest son Danny, Danny and his other son Lee and I use to catch tarantulas in the hills by where they lived and Don made really cool clear acrylic paper weights with them in them
I still remember when this Hot Rod magazine showed up on the magazine rack. Don Edmunds driftin' a supermodified.You can almost hear that SBC screaming for a launch off the turn http://www.donedmunds.com/ These old school supermodifieds still turn my head.
I knew Don through my Dad (Duane Sears), and Don White as well as MANY others I had the previlidge of racing with. I did get to drive a TQ chassis of his that Rip Willimas ended up owning (another great ace) and had been owned by Charlie Wise (Josh Wise Grandpa!!!) Wow, time does move......... Kirk Duane Sears
Edmunds bodied supermodifieds from Oklahoma and Texas! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlCUonYuwt4&feature=channel_page
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