Picked up this neat old Hudson dirt car, but don't know alot about it. I know that it's a '53 or '54 Hudson Jet, and I think it ran with a Hornet 308. Rest of the driveline was Ford I'm told, had a '39 toploader, it has a closed driveline, Ford banjo rear (with full floater axles). The previous owner's family does not want the number that is on the car to be displayed. I'm trying to be respectful of that and have covered up the number, or anything that might give it away. I know the pictures aren't the best, but maybe someone will recognize it- couldn't have been too many of these Hudson Jet's flying around dirt tracks...
I had a Hudson Jet a few years ago but I have never seen one converted into a race car..l thats cool !!
Thanks! Even searching online I haven't ever seen a Jet set up for a dirt track.... Makes it kind of a unique beast, and pretty cool looking
I think there was a pic of one at Dayton Speedway on the old daytonspeedwaylives website. Last time I tried to get on there, it was down, but Mickey Thompson (yep, that is the guys name) has a Dayton Speedway Facebook page. Cool car man.
Thanks! It's definately unique! I'll try and look that guy up... I see his Facebook site and he said he will be relaunching his website soon, so maybe then I'll be able to see it... I guess it possible it raced in Ohio since it ended up in NY?? Hahaha don't worry, this is a long-term project... But I'm planning on taking the flathead from my other car and using it in this one, and most of the other parts I've got sitting around... Thinking of leaving the outside mostly original for now, just have to change the numbers in some way.
TTT- I talked to one of the original builders, and he said they ran it at Devil's Bowl Speedway in Vermont during the 80's... Still no original pictures of it though, but maybe someone on here used to go to Devil's Bowl back in the day
No dents????? Did the car have a rebody?? In Alabama several wasp were built for circle track wars. One was owner by Mr. W E Parsons. His car won a lot of races at thr Fairgrounds Birmingham International Race way..
Devils Bowl is close by, I'll ask around. Why didn't the family want the number getting out? Dont want word getting around to someone they sold it?
Thanks- Sort of a long story about the number, but basically the builder's sons don't want me to keep the number on there anymore (have to be respectful of that).
A later DIRT sticker? When was it last run? Was Devil's Bowl ever DIRT? Maybe you should be looking at like Lebanon Valley or that area also.
Yes Devils bowl in Vt. was dirt it was in the mid 80s still i didn't know it got paved! i wonder if the family still uses that number ? iot was common around here to buy an old racer but not be able to keep the number, Numbers were ***igned by the track when i ran in the 70s once they gave you a number it was yours not the cars you ran that number on your cars as long as you competed there .
Not being able to show information like number or drivers name could make it tough to get info .hope you put this one back on the track Wicked good would love this at their events! Ssee if anyone knows the name of the track Photographer around the time your car ran. I was just a field filler when I ran street stock here in 72 but the track photographer managed to get a couple shots of my car I found that out 10 years later! I was surprised he even knew my car existed never mind knew he had pics of it! heres a link to Devils Bowl it looks like it was open in 2012. http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Devils+Bowl+Speedway+Vt.&qpvt=Devils+Bowl+Speedway+Vt.&FORM=VDRE
I beleive it only raced a few times in the mid-80's, not sure on exact dates or years. It was supposed to be an "affordable" cl*** for guys to get into using fairly stock old 50's cars, but it never really took off... I think they cancelled it after a few races because of a poor showing. I talked to one guy I know that ran at Devil's Bowl and he seemed to think it was involved with DIRT then. I've been keeping a lookout, no luck yet, but hopefully that will change!
In looking at some of the vintage stock car sites dedicated to New England tracks it looks like Catamont Speedway ran full bodied sportsman style racers. The others were more into open wheeled modifieds. I went through a couple of sites but did not see the Hudson. There was a guy running a Studebaker Lark.
Nice find. Don't know if Buddy Bardwell is still around, but he was a preminent Hudson man in your parts for years and years.
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