60'-70's Vintage Oval Track Modifieds

Some more of Geoff Bodine and some upstate mod action. Geoff always impressed me. I liked his 61 Valiant and his next car this vega ('74?) was just as neat. I don't know if he owned these cars or not. The name TK McClean pops into my head. I don't know if he was a sponsor or the car owner. In 1972 and 1973 Charlie Jarzombek and Richie Evans timed 1 and 2 in all of the long distance time trial events and pretty much finished that way at the LI tracks. In 1974, Geoff came to Islip and Freeport (for what may have been his first visits) and quickly put himself in between Charlie and Richie as the number 2 qualifier at both events. If my memory is still correct the Islip and Freeport events were run back to back on a Saturday and Sunday. I don't recall if the Islip event was 100 laps or more. But, my recollection was that Charlie won it with Bodine alongside of him hounding him the whole way in lapped traffic with Evans a close 3rd. The Sutz and Sutz 200 was run at Freeport the next day. Charlie J eventually pulled away by a half a lap until he tangled with the lapped car of Wayne Anderson on lap 160 bending his front tie rods and blowing a tire. Geoff Bodine inherited the lead and held off Richie Evans in a bumper to bumper duel. Charlie J stormed back and finished fifth with a bent front end behind Bodine, Evans, Bugsy Stevens and Maynard Troyer. The L I tracks drew all of the big stars of the day for the long distance races with big purses and Nascar National Double Points.

Geoff Bodine at Islip (picture purchased at Len Calinoff's photo stand--photographer?) Jim Hendrickson X3 in the background and the nose of Fred Harbach's X90 to the right





Bodine and Evans: Sutz and Sutz 200 at Freeport



Geoff at the '74 Stafford Spring Sizzler



Geoff and Gil Hearne #12 at Trenton



Geoff with Ron MArtin #4 and Morm Schmidlin #24 at Spencer Speedway

 

More Geoff and upstat mod action:

Bodine #99, George Kent #26 (neat Mustang II) and Richie Evans #61




Geoff Bodine on the outside pole at Martinsville 1974


Geoff on the pole at the 1974 Sizzler at Stafford. Also Ray Miller #9, Bugsy Stevens #15, Brian Ross #87



Geoff at speed not sure where (Fred Smith photo)



Dick Clark #16, Geoff Bodine #99, Sonny Seamon #50



Geoff Bodine (I believe at Martinsville)

 

That definitely was her name. I thought I saw her in a recent picture next to the restored Jarzombek modifieds at the Halloc Farm (Lasheefs photos maybe)

 

It is Lasheefs Restoration of the Bug link fourth to last picture. Linda is the lady on the right of Harold Seamon.

http://www.lasheefs.com/Pages09/BugRestore2009p/bugrestore1.html

 

Some Classic Martinsville Shots

Maybe some that Emil will like.

 

More Martinsville





A very young Paul Radford





The beautiful Emerick Associates #50 driven by Dennis Giroux: a long low coupe. Seen the car once in person for the Permatex 200 at Islip. I believe he sat on the pole, but the car behind him actually won the race (the #3 of Fred Desarro) This shot is at Martinsville.

 

The 76 mini mod was Hank Peters.

 

Have a few more, will try and post them later ,an angry few won't ruin it for me, I was trying to be a wiseass

 

Some more Bodine and upstate NY Mods

I believe these next two are John Grady Photos








Sonny Seamon #50 and Geoff Bodine #99




Two Valiants: Dick Emerson #13 and Geoff Bodine #99



I believe action at Fulton Bodine #99, #90 (Joe ?), and coach on the outside ?

 

JBull,
Not entirely sure, but that coach outside of Bodine looks like it might be #71 of Jim Zacharias. The #13 of Dick Emerson is actually a Falcon body.

 

Dick Emerson'#13 is a Falcon body.
The #90 at Fulton is Joe Magari, with his Corvair.

 

Hugh this is some serious stuff right here, now collect it together before we have to report you to the proper authorizes. hahahah :O) I have another picture of my dad, he made a cameo in a Pixar movie, JBull does this look like you pops when he doesn't shave? I know he's going kill me, but it worth it! hahah







\Okay serious question, It's Harbach and Charlie together in the all-star race but whose's car are they sitting in?? Also steering wheel is on the right side.

 

Don Stives

 

Sorry, but that Dick Emerson car is a Vega Notchback. Dick ran a Falcon up until the end of the '71 season at Lancaster. In '72 it was a Vega. I have the color photos of the car (and I think I posted them somewhere on this thread). The way he has the a-pillars and c-pillars mounted -- and the way the paint is laid out -- makes it NOT look like a Vega, but it is. I worked there, saw it every week.

 

the other guys probably know more.. but alot of the pics posted on here have websites in the corner of them, I.E. 3 wide picture vault ect...
I found a bunch of info and links on a site called northeast modifieds a few years back.

 

No Rich, the Zoot thing came from a get together at a buddy's shop. They posted a bunch of photos at another site. One of the guys who is quick witted posted these two photos. So, for everyone's entertainment, have another good laugh on me. BTW, Pete, if you weren't so good at swipping photos off the web, you'd be dead meat now.

 

Here's another pic of that Dick Emerson vega from '72.

You can see pics of Emerson's Falcon on pages 106 and 111 of this thread. You can see pics of Emerson's Vega (he ran it from '72-'74) on pages 123 and 125.

 

Dick Emerson's Vega -- I posted this back on p. 123. I now am officially finished beating the dead horse with the broken record...

 

Here are some Seekonk mini's from way back. They weren't called modifieds yet. Courtesy of http://racersvoice.com/forum/ Check out this site. There are some fantastic pics

 

Retrorides,Thanks for the info, worked for Hank at his body shop from '91 to '97,he stopped racing before I started and had maybe one small shot on a wall and forgot what the car looked like til I saw the 2 shots that were posted and sort of remembered that it could be his car now I Know for sure..... Thanks again,Rich

 

Hank was a great guy. I was heavily involved with the mini modified organization LIMMA.

 

Got to go to Islip a couple of times with a guy name of Ray Erickson, (back before the midgets had cages) maybe 66 or 67, remember some seriously offset coupes, with drivelines, engines and axles way offset to the left I think. Would that be why the steering wheel is on the right? Was really only exposed to, and messing with, Danbury cars at that time. Any of this ring a bell?

 

In that post #5693 of the Seekonk mini-mods I see Joey Laquerre in the #15.
He still is a top tier racer up at Thunder Road Barre VT and still winning. Pretty amazing.

PS. A big thanks to everyone who posts here, pictures or stories. Screw that old Las Vegas bird and his attitude. He says he would rather throw his pics in the lake than let anyone see them for free? What a twisted miserable twit.

 

Terry, Where on the website are the vintage photos? Tried but couldn't find any. Thanks for the help.

 

This is actually a recent picture of the three Bulls (actually the three Johns) That's me (JBull), my son John and Pop at Hershey last summer in front of the Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s show car. Now you'll know what we look like when we scope you out at Riverhead later on this summer. Even scarier than Sully!

 

Some Bugsy Stevens:

Not sure who Bugsy is racing with in this shot, but it looks like it may be Utica Rome: #18 Bill Matzel?, #10 ?




At Utica Rome with Bill Henry in the #28 and Ralph Holmes in the #82







Bugs Battling Ray Miller in the #7




Not sure of the location or the photographer