60'-70's Vintage Oval Track Modifieds

Will be at Stafford this weekend. Should be cool to see.

Helped bring an Ole Blue back to life about 3 years ago. We ran Thompson, Seekonk and South Boston with it. If i recall it was 80s vintage.

 

Yeah Moselli. Does any one remember (Ball joint coolers)? Height of technology in their day. lol

 

All photos by Fred Smith.

Lloyd Holt


Gary Beagell


Stan Ploski


Butch Harris


Bryan Osgood


Ron Bouchard

 

Jim Rudolph Vega at Lancaster (NY) Speedway, 1972. Gordon Reinig photo.

 

ALL PHOTOS BY JOHN GRADY

John Scarpati


Jack Johnson


Lou Lazzaro


Maynard Troyer


Bob Merz


Fred Desarro


Stan Friesen

 

That photo of Ron Bouchard in Bob Johnson's purple 17 Pinto is a rare one. The track looks like it's maybe the old Shangri-La Speedway, and I don't recall Ronnie running there. Might have been a one-off, open-competition event or something like that. But in the early 1970s, that combination of car and driver was as good as any in asphalt Modified racing. What an incredibly gifted natural talent RB was. He raced hard but ALWAYS fair.

 

Okay I got question that needs some answers, being I wasn't around during this era, I know we have some guy who should be able to help or know more information.

This photo is of Bob Melnick and Pete Hamilton changing a tire on the side of the road. I need to know, who the photographer was that took this, who might have the original or a copy of this photo and if someone has a cleaner, high resolution of this photo. If anyone has any info on this incident might be cool too.

 

17 rb think its westboro

 

Nah, that track behind Bouchard is too big and too flat to be Westboro. Ronnie and Bob Johnson did race (and win) often at Westboro, but with their small-block Vega, not this big-block Pinto. But man, Westboro was a great joint. Fantastic bullring with a beer stand that became the center of attention for everyone after the checkered flag every Saturday night. Or so I'm told. Naturally, I was on my way home by then, to get plenty of sleep before Sunday's church services. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

 

hahaha awesome!

 

Bullfather, Sorry I can't help on this one......You think the guy in the white pants is Pete? It looks like he has a cigarette in his mouth and to my knowledge Pete never smoked.
I've been wrong before???? Denny Z

 

Denny, I had the same thought briefly ... But the closer I look at that pic, the more I believe it's Pete in his buzz-cut days. Maybe that's something else, gum or a lollipop maybe, or perhaps he had a short "career" as a smoker that few people saw? Or maybe it's a flaw in the photo? But to me, the stance looks like Pete, and he bummed around so often with Melnick and Jack Malone and that old Gasoline Alley gang. Hard to be sure in a still photo!

 

When I posted it on page 48, it said both their names when I identified it...... Maybe someone knows what website had this photo might help also.

 

It's an old Fred Smith negative I scanned for Ted Schmidt. It's Bouchard at Shangri-La.

JB

 

Don't mean to add to the confusion, but I don't see how that shot of Bouchard could have been taken at Shangri-la. In the pic you can see a wall behind him on what looks like the back stretch (can't be the front, cuz there's trees & no stands). That rules out Shangri-la, as they didn't have a wall back there. I went there in the 60s, 70s, 80s, & 90s to spectate and I sure don't remember a back strretch wall and I raced there in the 2000s til they closed and there definitely wasn't a wall then. I know, cuz if there was one there I woulda hit it several times!

 

Not a lot better, but this is the best that I could do:

 

What about Thompson?????

 

Your both right the "stance" is Pete for sure, I just never knew him to smoke although back then most of us did smoke. Pete was the clean cut kid with no bad habits. Denny Z

 

That's Shangri-la. I'm going to guess 1973 or 1974. The old white, armco guardrail ran from about the midpoint of the backstretch all the way around to the concrete wall entering turn four. That's turn three in the background of that Ronnie Bouchard photo. If you look at the Butch Harris photo, you can see the guardrail in the background there, too. The guardrail was taken down before the start of the 1976 season.

 

Moon Dog,

Thanks for clearing up the confusion (mostly on my part, I guess). Apparently I have CRS disease for any recollections prior to 1976 (lol). Some days I feel lucky to remember what I had for breakfast!

 

Hey some days I can't remember if I even had breakfast. Denny Z

 

I can clearly recall what the weather was like at the 1976 Spring Sizzler or the 1978 Yankee All Star League race at Waterford, but I can't remember ... Wait, what was I saying?

 

ron bouchard is at westboro

 

Ryder99, see posts above and on previous page. The Bouchard 17 Pinto shot was taken by Fred Smith at Shangri-La. Westboro never looked that good! Haha! But it sure was a great track!

 

Could anyone tell me what the complete results were for the 1975 & 1976 Race of Champions at Trenton. Or perhaps tell me how I could look up the results. I have tried, but can only find pre 1972 results, or top 5 positions, not complete results. If someone could point me in the right direction I would really appreciate the help. Thank you

 

Ralph, someone with ROC programs from the following years could probably get you that info. I remember Mr. Ray Hendrick winning in '75 with the Armstrong Nu-Style Pinto, and Maynard Troyer's win in '76 had a great back-story: MT crashed his swoopy big-track Mustang in practice, sent home for the short-track Pinto, and was a rocketship in the race, scoring one for the anti-aerodynamics crowd. And it was cool seeing Freddy DeSarro, in Boehler's wonderfully shabby Bicentennial Vega (blue and white, plus red oxide primer, Lenny's nod to patriotism in '76) chasing down Maynard's gorgeous Pinto. Beauty and the Beast, with Beauty winning on this day.

 

Bones, just wanted to say hi, it has been awhile.......Good-N-U?........You are a most welcome addition to an already fantastic thread......There is more history here than anywhere I have ever seen. I can't think of anyone that would have more stories than you to share like the one above..........Congratulations on getting the mag up and running again and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for honoring my long lost subscription even though you guys were certainly under no obligation to do so........Maybe someday we can tap a cold one again.........Kenny Troyer

 

KT, great to connect with you! First, I agree, this site is so cool. Sometimes I get too busy to check in regularly, but the great part of that is that when I do, it's like a refresher course (in words and photos) on Modified history. I love it. As for Speedway Illustrated, I am just a minor cog in that wheel. All credit for the magazine's successful relaunch goes to Karl Fredrickson and his staff. They bucked the odds, and it's going well. Everyone connected with Speedway Illustrated, from Dick Berggren down, including me, has short-track roots, and I think that gives the magazine a certain personality. Hope this doesn't sound like a plug, because I don't mean it to, but I think short-track racing really needs a publication like that one. Anyway, you're right, we should plan to crack open a cold amber-colored beverage one of these days!

 

Great column this month, Bones!

 

Thanks RAF, not only of the pix with my uncle in them, but for bring back such wonderful memories of my youth from racing in New England!

Anything you have from Riverside, Stafford, and Thompson from '65 through '80 would be much appreciated!

Thanks again!