Great shot of the flagstand John, can't recall seeing one from that angle. Doesn't look like the safest place to be. Ever have a car get in there with you? At the Sportsdrome Frank Kimmel's car ended up tearing the flagstand down one night, I belieive in 1981. Flagman Terry Hopp was lucky to suffer only a broken leg. They redesigned the stand after that.
Just wondering if anyone could help me ID this car. I thought I saw this pic here before, but couldn't find it. So far the consensus is that it's a 33/34 5 window Ford. This pic came from a friend of mine and it's his Aunt and Uncle. The pic is dated 1958 and believes the car was run in NY... Any help would be appreciated!
twisted, it was safer than you might think. Closest I ever came to having a car get in there was Bill Reid one night, when the right front came up and hit the post. We had a 1/2-inch piece of steel about six inches tall mounted above the outside wall itself. I always kept the chainlink doors to the flagstand unlatched so I could get out quick. I felt that for a car to get in there, he'd have to start from so far back or come straight across the track so that I'd have time to see him coming. The night Reid came up there I was halfway to the beer stand before he hit the wall. The thing that worried me once in a while was pieces flying off of cars, but that applies nearly everywhere. I heard a "PRANG!!!" one night and after the race found a big gash in the fence post toward the first turn. Later I saw George Swope and his crew walking on the track, and they said they were looking for their flywheel. Retroactive fear. oldspwr, the driver looks very familiar, but I can't come up with a name.
Twisted, I was there that night. Frank was in his red #69 street stock. Pretty scary. That was a cool class. Tiger, Trunnell, Blankenship, Bill Johnson and others. That was a good class for that track.
Thanks for the photo of W.S., twisted. Been looking for one of him and that car. Another guy who started in the Figure 8s and another good friend.
Love the Shelby pieces on the Mustang in post #1990. BigJohn, you got any shots of Larry Detjens? I did a search and couldn't find any. I'm sure you would remember him.
Budz that was a GREAT division that year at the 'drome, great competitive racing. It was the first year after Fairgrounds closed. To add a few names to yours:Belcher, Winders, Nugent, Landherr, Erwin, lots of future late model stars in that bunch.
Twisted, I bet Frank would pay good money for you not to show that one!! But back to the street stockers, I guess lack of horsepower and smaller tires made it a better class than the late models.
s55mercury66... I've found a few. E-mail me at indybigjohn@roadrunner.com and I'll send them. He was a neat guy. JP
1954 Chrysler New Yorker DeLuxe (Lee Petty): 1955 Chrysler C300's: 1956 Chrysler 300 B's: 1957 Chrysler 300 C's:
Great stuff, Hemi32. I believe the car in the top photo and in the second, leading on the beach/road course at Daytona, is the one Lee Petty drove in winning the first NASCAR (and only so far) premier series race in Kentucky. August of 1954 at Corbin Speedway. Last race before Darlington. It was a half-mile dirt then, and he won a 200-lap Grand National race. Now it's a quarter-mile paved and still in operation. Thanks...
The Jalopy Journal
