60'-70's Vintage Oval Track Modifieds

Fowler crash

 

Regarding Evans,& almost every other driver discussed on this board,I have to tell everyone about the 88 issues of Gater Racing News from 1976-1978 that I came across today.Although I cannot locate any of them on Ebay,I still think that the $20.00 I paid for the pile was a steal!!!

 

Wow ... the Lucky 7 coupe looks like an ex-Jack Johnson car and I'm sure that the Pinto is the ex-Tremont #115 driven by Chuck Ely in 1974. Thanks for sharing.
Joel

 

The picture of Evans and the 30 car,I believe that the 30 was John Anderson in the Draime sponsered car that ARCA reader was trying to find a picture of.

 

V6 ? It is a Buick.

 

You are about 90% correct. I'll explain.

I befriended Frank Hodge (whose real last name was Hogh) in 1975 when I started racing in Canada. Frank spoke fluent English and French, so he helped me communicate with the folks up there. The drivers meetings in the pits was even done in French, so I depended upon him to tell me what was goin' on.

When I raced up there in '75 he already had the old Jack Johnson car, but it was repainted from what you see in the picture. I have a picture of it somewhere. I think the gold was repainted with white. That car was a tank. It must've weighed 3,500+ lbs.. It says something for Jack's driving ability and his frequent wins at Fonda. He must've had one helluva' good engine!!

During the off season, Frank told me he wanted a new car. Tremont lived a few miles away from me and I knew he was ready to sell his Pinto. So, in addition to '74, Chuck must've also drove it in '75 (that's the part ya' missed ).

I put the deal together and Frank came down and bought the car. He ran it during the '76 racing season painted as seen in the picture.

Donald Plouffe, in the picture, was Frank's head wrench. I used Donald's garage, located in St. Hyacinthe, to work on my stuff on Sunday morning & afternoon between races of our two race weekend.

His younger brother Michael came down to New York, lived at my place and worked at Steve Wick's Automotive in West Sand Lake. It was located about mid-way between my place and Tremont's shop. This is the shop that Donnie Ackner ran his #97 race car outa'. Michael wanted to learn to speak English, so we figured this was the best way for him to do it. He got a REAL FAST education with that group .

Frank Hodge retired from driving. The last time I saw the Plouffe brothers was at the races in Drummondville. They were still wrenching on modifieds.

Those were some GOOD TIMES. I had a blast racing up there .

 

I don't think that I made it up to Lebanon in '75 so I wasn't sure what car the Tremont team ran then but here's two from '74. The top one is a fuzzy shot that I took in '74 and the bottom shot is one of Chuck Ely's shots that I bought that day. I'd started a 1/32 scale model of the car after seeing it, never finished it though.
Joel

 

I've heard it said that "a bad day at the race track is better than a good day at work".
Ummm....maybe not always...

 

frankie schneider

frank federicci

frank federici

 

frank burbank

frank federici

frankie schneider

 

frank hodge

frank hodge

frankie schneider....bet my pops love this one!

 

frank hodge

 

Guys a heads up here.I'm not sure if anyone here collects old Gater Papers,but as I mentioned I found over 80 issues from 76-78,& 90%+ are in excellent shape.I did list 2 items on Ebay tonight(Sunday) that may spark interest here.Pretty much Schaefer 100 issues with Tobias & Balough,along with extensive photos of the bad wreck on the backstretch.I list stuff as time allows.I've been in contact with Lou Lazzaro jr,& my intent is to put aside the issues that have extensive coverage on Lou(hopefully Lou jr will be in NYS for the Memorial Race @ Fonda in May).Anyway,my Ebay ID is kp454442....thanks for the awesome pics you guys post.I'll share some of my own once I learn how to do it.
All the best to everyone from Fonda,N.Y.

 

Thank you, Bullfather! That coupe of Schneider's is what the cars looked like when my folks took me to the race track for the first time in 1949. My mom used to say that I never really came home.

 

Don't have much to add but to say this thread is awesome. My dad co-owned a late model sportsman in the early 70's and we went to Martinsville twice a year. I always loved the modified. Anyways keep the thread going and check out this picture. I took it at a car show in Salem, VA in 06, I thinks its the most BA think ever.

 

RacerTim
Bob's '35 coupe. The car was featured in Hot Rod Magazine twice! He actually wanted to buy mine then got a junker '35 Chevy and had a guy nicked 'Groundhog' that is a master fabricator in Martinsville build that for him. Car was awesome. Bob sold it last year to a guy in California I believe. Big bucks! Kerry

 

Thanks Kerry, It was actually at the HotRod power tour stop in Salem that I took the picture. Tim

 

A crew member used to park Frank's rig across the street from my house every Sat. night after the races. (Seekonk) I believe Ed Hoyle drove the 77 for Frank. Bugsy had to use the 7x Mustang one night when he had trouble with his own car.

 

Here are a few pictures of my cars through the years. The only one I never raced was the unfinished one that I was building when a friend wrecked his and needed one in a hurry. The 2X on the red hauler was taken at Grandview during a Freedom '76 (during the mid '70's). The Gremlin was taken at Middletown around '83-'84.

 

Looks like the Lee & Candy Dolin owned Buick Skylark bodied, Buick V-6 powered mod at Oswego.Don't remember Park driving it, but I know they had many drivers. And yes, it ran with the V-8 mods. Car outhandled most,but lacked the hp on the straights. And the sound it made, was, DIFFERENT!!!

 

Here's a picture i took this summer , it features 3 Quebec drivers that raced Modifieds in the USA and of whom you have seen pics here...
From left ; Marcel Corriveau ''The Canadian 40 '' , Center with blue cap Jean Guy Chartrand ''Hemi-Cuda 69'' and next to him is Frank Hodge '' Lucky 7''... this was taken at Sanair Speedway for the Quebec Legends Reunion. To say the least , great stories were heard at that meeting...

Richard Chartrand

 

On Fonda's 50th in 2002 , Drivers that had raced there , reunited at the McDonald's accross the Mohawk river where there is a Museum dedicated to the track and its drivers...On this picture from left : Bill Wimble , Jean Guy Chartrand , Ron Quackenbush and Jeep Herbert
(Photo: Otto Graham)

Richard Chartrand

 

In this wreck ; 5A Jean Paul Cabana , 901 Jean Guy Chartrand and 66 Gerard Major. At Quebec Modern Speedway mid 60's...

Richard Chartrand

 

Love this one . 1957 near Rigaud in Quebec...Before there where Dyno's.
Richard Chartrand

 

Those guys back in the day.......nuts! lol


Freddie Harbach

Fred Drumm

Freddy Mills

 

Frank Wisnieski

Fred DeSarro

Freddie Harbach

 

Franklin Motordrome Pictures

 

Fred Borden in Rick Falconi Corvair

Fred Murtha

Frank McLaughlin

 

I thought I had my fix for the day, I almost over dosed on these Pete.

 

Ted Kempgens and his bunch at Creative Motion Concepts in Dade City, FL are restoring this 1968 Bob Luscomb creation in original form... Luscomb, a well known racer and car builder from Orlando, FL built this car so that it could be run as both a Modified with the body on, and a "Skeeter" Supermod with the body off... Ted located the chassis behind Jamie Frankland's shop in Tampa... It had last been run as a "Southern Modified" at East Bay Raceway... Find out more at www.cmcpros.com

Check out my website for tons of great photos from Florida:
www.floridaracinghistory.com