60'-70's Vintage Oval Track Modifieds

Hey Brian,what car were you trying to find the driver for at Utica-Rome.Let me know,I can probably find out I grew up with Dick Waterman who owned the track he can give a good idea who it was. I can also call my cousin Billy Nacewicz who crew chiefed for Richie Evans.Send me a private message on car no.
Regards and good racing!
Rod Nacewicz

 

Come one come all! This event will be held at Fonda Speedway on May 15th, 2010.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YorfWY_CtYc


More Info on the Facebook page :

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php...zzaro-Tribute-Race/378966370158?v=wall&ref=mf

http://www.fondaspeedway.net/

 

the ferrum flash

fireball and banjo....great shot

 

bill spade

charlie j

dick hebenstreit

 

Here's my three photos of the #52 of Wayne Johnson. I believe he was from Winston Salem, N.C.. He didn't win alot down here but this car is beautiful. The one photo is the one everyones talking about on here. The b&w is from Starkey Speedway in Roanoke, Va., the other is is a northern track also.
The car was probably built by Hubert Hensley. Has all the markings, Plymouth coupe body,high turned,tuned headers. Late 60's early 70's Hensley and Donald Bryant were combining to build alot of cars around here,including Mason's last couple coupes, Perk Brown's #0, and a bunch more.
And Bull,thanks for the Radford photo. Haven't got that one.

 

Ya' can always spot those old Agawam Speed Shop headers.

 

Wes Moody. Brian Ross speaks very highly of him. May have been a good guy to learn from .

 

That would have been Johnny Wayne Johnson from Winston Salem, NC that ran the #52 car. It later was lettered #19 to match and as a back up car when the #19 Capri was built by Hank Thomas for Leon Clifton and Johnny Johnson. That coupe was totaled up under the scoreboard at Martinsville in the 1975 Fall Cardinal Classic race while being driven by Joe Bill Tucker after being spun out by Richard Childress driving Floyd Goins #29 Modified. Johnny later drove cars #20 and #19 that were owned by he and Eb Clifton (Tim Brown's grandfather). Then he drove the #11 that he co-owned with Johnny and Jimmy Mize before going on his own with the #99 cars. Johnny has done well for himself with over 20 wins at Bowman Gray Stadium and the 1984 Bowman Gray Modified Championship. He now builds and maintains cars for Kevin Powell and Mike Norman and drives cars in the East Coast Flathead Racing Association.

 

Hey Brush, someone said you were sick! Thanks for the information on Johnson, I'd just never heard alot about him. Now Eb Clifton... this is a photo of Eb with his #83 @Martinsville when it was dirt. He signed it for me and I understand he's an engine builder deluxe! Notice the #83 is a Chevy. He was running the 6 Cyl. Chevy with the flathead Fords and doing good. He shows at all the Old Timer functions. Had a brother named 'Fuzzy' that was a good driver too.
I had seen a couple pictures of the #19 Capri but had no idea who drove it other than Hank Thomas.
And Modified Driver, those aren't Agawam's, a guy in Martinsville made those for Hensley. Kerry Viar

 

Yea, I've have found out I have Advanced Kidney Disease (collateral damage from color rectal cancer chemotheory), had my Teenkoff Cathether installed the 24th of Feb and start my week long classes Monday for the use of the Cycler I will use at night while I sleep for my dialysis for the rest of my life unless I can get a transplant sometime in the future.
Hank Thomas Speed Parts built that Capri for them in the winter/spring of 1974/1975, but never drove it, it was the first independent front suspension modified at Bowman Gray, then he built the #0 RCA Bobby Teague sponsored Monza for Philip Smith a year later. Roger Hill drove the #19 Capri for a time after he flipped his #4 coupe at Martinsville on the backstretch and Jerald Compton drove the #19 Capri after he left the red #00 when Johnny was driving the #20 Capri/Monza with 180 degree headers that he and Eb built.
Both Eb Clifton and Leon Clifton were Johnny Johnson's uncles and were always involved in racing, but Eb was most always at Bowman Gray and Leon ran only dirt till they bought the coupe to run at the Stadium and on other area tracks. Eb left racing after he got hurt at Daytona in the late 60's with Fuzzy when a car fell on his chest and after Fuzzy passed away, till he bought the #19 Capri and coupe in the summer of '75 from Leon that Johnny drove. The coupe was the very first race car I lettered in July of 1975, the all h--- broke loose and I have been at it ever since and doing pinstriping. I was one of Johnny's crew members and sponsors from 1975 to 1984 and from 1999 to 2003. I lettered Eb's original red #53 coach flathead a few years back.

 

Nomad,
What's Brian Ross doing these days? I always liked him as a driver...classy guy!

O.S. Brush,
Thanks for the history lesson on that 52 car. Interesting that he was wrecked by Childress...great trivia. Too bad about the car. It really had the "look". I'm in the process of building a vintage "looking" Mod. to run here in NY with the Midstate club. For yrs. I looked for a Mod. similar in look to that #52, but couldn't find any. But I found a 36 Chevy & have a 38 Ford hood, so it'll look similar when I finish (prolly in 2012!). Gonna stick with the asphalt tracks, since that's what the car will be best for & also what I know a little about.

Radford,
Love your #46 coach...that came out great! I saw some pics of it & others on a site that shows old Mods being restored. Do you know the site name? I seem to have lost it, but would love to re-visit it some time.

 

Yes,it's LASHEEFS Racing Photos. That was the first site I remember finding on the internet around 2000. I put all of the southern stuff on there. Wood Bros., Paul Radford, Perk Brown,and what is titled Early NASCAR.
Brush-sorry to hear about your condition. Did you know that the #45 Mason's Garage Falcon that Radford drove was independent front suspension? That was in 1968.

 

Here's another of Eb Clifton's cars. Shows both his cars the Sportsman #53 with Fuzzy driving, and the #52 coupe beside it. I believe this is Bowman Gray. Photo is from the Bill Garlick collection.

 

And now that I look at it ,that's Glen Woods' #16 back seat driver '37 Ford slant back beside the coupe! Must be around 1959/60.

 

Hi, I was there that night when Wes crashed at Lancaster in '72 (and the Astro-Spiral Car stunt was postponed because the ramp was hit twice -- also by Late Model No. 08 Terry Goerss). Send me an e-mail. I used to work for the track photographer and there's a whole photo spread of Wes and that night in my book, "Lancaster Heroes." Gordie was in the infield when that happened and he heard something and swung around and just aimed the camera in that direction and fired off a shot without focusing. He caught Wes' coupe in the air as it went over the guardrail and onto the drag strip (which was between the oval and the grandstands). Terry's car was the first to go over that night and he hit the starter's stand and land on the Astro-Spiral Car ramp. The brave (or dumb) crew rebuilt the ramp while the races were going on and had it finished so that they could do the stunt right after the Modified feature. Wes went up and over, missed the now-abbreviated starter's stand and landed on the A-S Car ramp, halting the festivities for the evening.

 

Hey gang, just another reminder: Photobucket.com notified me that it's time to renew. I don't want to spend the $25+ to renew, since the only thing I use it for is posting photos here (and I'm pretty much out of old Modified photos). If there's anything that I've posted (since around page 105) that you like/want, I suggest you grab it (SOON) from here before Photobucket shuts me down. Get 'em while you can. If they disappear, it's Photobucket, not me...

 

Forgive me -- I "hijacked" these pics from one of Richie's daughter's Facebook page (I'm expecting the constable to round me up any minute). Nice to see that at least Richie Evans' car is going into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, even if he wasn't inducted this year! (Not sure when these were taken.)







MARCH 16 UPDATE: WHOOPS! Sorry, but this announcement was supposed to be a surprise and the Hall of Fame is planning to announce this later, just before their grand opening, so pretend you cannot see these pics....

 

You guys are the greatest! This Northener is enjoying the Southern Modified history lessons. Kerry, you and I helped get LaSheefs up and running with our picture collections, way back then. George Meade

 

Killer about Evans modified at HoF!!!


Fonda

Fonda

 

Evans

Flemke

Brunnhoelzl

 

Floyd Powell

Floyd Powell

Bob Park, I know I've double posted something, this is one, but I think this car was killer

 

Flemke Jr.

Flemke

Flemke

 

John,I talked to Billy and it took him months to redo Richie's short track car.It has been totally restored top to bottom,even the original decal scheme.These pics are
probably within the last 60days,he was just waiting for the air cleaner.Just shows how talented my cousin is. Billy and Lynn should be proud to put the car on display.
Rod Nacewicz
P.S.-Sorry about our little tiff a few months ago and no I'm not on drugs,just love
racing and the good olde days.Thanks for all your posts you are a major credit to this
site.

 

Rod that's the one you were telling me Billy did up? That's a beauty. Just to bad it's down there with those nit wits "NASCAR" and hear at home where it belongs.

 

Hey George, your collections were huge even then. I had just started to accumulate them. But I got some great history lessons and met some great people doing it. i got to sit around with Paul Radford and eat BBQ and ask questions and we've been friends ever since.He had some good stories too. He did the northern circuit and hung with Richie and Charlie for awhile, said he had a blast! He still choked up alittle when he talked about the day Richie got killed at Martinsville. I met Harold Smith looking for pictures and ended up with the modified he was building in his 'Days of Thunder' garage. I related the story about meeting Glen Wood at his shop earlier. Back in those days they all just let me carry their collections home,copy them,and bring them back. No one had started ripping these guys off yet.Kerry

 

Forrest Huff

Forrest Huff

 

Frank Hodge

Frank Hodge

Frank Hodge

 

Forte

Fran Forino