60'-70's Vintage Oval Track Modifieds

Just listened to the online archived broadcast from last night's Gary Danko's Speedway Line Report Radio Show.

It was great to hear Bones and Mike talk about the memories. I mentioned the scoreboard at the Sizzler changing in a recent post and heard the same memory from Bones last night. Man, those packed stands were rocking in those last moments of the 81 Sizzler.

Bones, regarding footage of the 81 Sizzler, Paul Tremaine ran the replay at his booth at the Racearama a year or two after. I've been searching to purchase that tape for YEARS! Boy if they had a tape of the Evans/Bodine "Greatest Finish" at Martinsville... Just fortunate to have a 17 shot sequence of the wreck.

 

Willie as far as I've been told Bob Monroe had your father put that Camaro together.

 

Speaking of Gary Danko's Show, does anyone have an idea of how to download or listen to this particular weekly edition of it?:
http://garydanko.speedwaylinereport.com/LISTEN/SEPT06/9-4-06.htm

It's the show that was originally broadcast in August, '02, and then re-broadcast on May 28, '07.

The show's subject was Eddie Flemke Sr, featuring guests Eddie Jr, Pete Hamilton and a chap named Denny Zimmerman.
Reason for the re-broadcast was to mark the publication of the book "Steady Eddie", written by a chap named Bones Bourcier.
I'm probably doing something wrong, but it seems that that particular edition, uniquely, cannot be accessed from the internet.

Thanks.

 

Well, New Britain, that's because guys like Denny, Pete, Eddie Jr. and myself can't be had for free. To get that episode, you need to pay for the special premium package! Just kidding, of course ... I'd very much like to hear that show myself. Steady Eddie was a very special guy to so many of us. If you cannot get any answers here, I may be able to put you in touch with Gary Danko.

 

I have the five-time Waterford Speedbowl Champion George 'Moose' Hewitt modified in my garage for restoration/repair. Moose passed away back in Feb. '97 and the car had sat in Steve Butova's garage for almost fifteen years since it last ran in '96. This car ran successfully at Thompson, Waterford and Stafford Springs CT. I'm gonna bring it back as close to the way it last raced as possible, with the exception of building a new engine. I'm debating either leaving the thing with much of the old dirt & grime that has collected over the years, or cleaning & painting the chassis and running gear, like a newly rebuilt modified. While this car is somewhat newer than most of the vintage mods we see here, it is, in fact, twenty five years old and may be the only original Moose Hewitt car left. It seems the car backed into the wall its last time out and still needs some repair. I hope to at least have it together before the season is over. Any comments are welcome.







This last photo is as it last raced at Thompson, CT. back in '96.

 

An autographed WISECO promo photo... and a kid from a long, long time ago with Richie after the Ferrara 100 at Stafford in 81 (I think). Great times! Great memories.

 

The early days of Ed Ortiz.

 

Zoera,
Yes...what Dr. John said. Car looks like a very cool project. Keep us posted.

Dr. John,
Great story regarding Ed Ortiz. I remember when that (200th win) happened & thought was very cool.

 

That's a nice piece of history....I think it would be neat to repair it just as Moose would have done , and then have some fun with it...it's only original once, and you can always "restore" it later. My 2 cents any how....

 

Zoera, I don't think the corvette bumper will fit

 

Here are acouple of pics from the Vintage Celebration at NHMS this year. As a kid I remember Moose's cars being two tone blue and later two tone green.When I got my drivers liscense I had a friend that lived on the same road as Moose. I remember stopping in to see his shop. Seemed like a friendly guy. I think he built his own chassis.
Love this thread, brings back memories.

 

Interesting. Steve Butova said there were two cars. I guess he was correct. It's almost a twin, with the exception of the center bar on the front of the roll cage. My car doesn't have that bar, as it was required following the 1996 season. Numbers are a little different script.

 

Just putting together my old Corvette. Parts were everywhere.

 

Yes Roman fan I was fairly sure he did & he confirmed it to me tonight but wasn"t Totaly sure. I wonder what happened to that car. I never did know. I know you have the coupe he built but I don"t know what ever became of the Camaro.

 

Dr. John, that Oswego shot is awesome. Two great Modified racers just entering their primes ... Richie and Geoff had already hauled home some trophies by then, but think of all the feature wins they had left in them! Wow.

 

The Valiant replica is ready for paint. I shouls have it ready for the GSVSCC event at Moutain Speedway in Aug. 2011. Can't wait to see it complete! Rip

 

Beautiful Picture

 

Really beautiful Picture

 

Remember #99 beat Jarzombek, at a 200 lapper at Riverhead, Late October Race. That was when Jarzombek was dominating.

 

Here are some quotes from Steve Butova, longtime Moose Hewitt friend and associate:

Steve wrote: "Rich that is the one he did over during the winter of 96 didn't get it all done. Then he sold it to Leo adams guys and they sold it to Larry Goss"

Rich that is the car that the family sold to Leo Adams crew and they sold it to Larry Goss who had the 3rd bar put in to run waterford
Also zach sylvester drove it their also then Larry Goss sold it at the thompson flea market and here it is again.

The third car was sold to buddy charette that ran it at thompson it was sold complete with the engine and that car had a straight rear in it.

 

Great pics of one of our hometown heros. One of Ed's nicknames was "porkchop". If he won, his favorite meal would be on the table!

 

WOW!!!!!!!! Incredible replication .

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by #99 Vintage Racer View Post
The Valiant replica is ready for paint. I shouls have it ready for the GSVSCC event at Moutain Speedway in Aug. 2011. Can't wait to see it complete!

Wow! Looks great!

 

Dr. John,
That #5 Renshaw car is an ex-Osborn coach. Maybe his last before going Sprint car racing. I always liked the "look" of it the best of all his coaches.

 

did bodine car get its motor fix,heard it blow up at chemug

 

Shamrock's post brings to mind an interesting thought: Lee Osborne might be one of the coolest characters I've ever met. We all know he walked away from pavement Modifieds to play with Sprint Cars in the dirt, where he had a damn fine career. But what sticks with me is that I once asked Ed Flemke, whose skills as a judge of talent were obviously pretty solid, how good Ozzie had really been in the Modifieds. Eddie said Lee was as good as any young guy he'd seen come along, ever. Pretty high praise. And it marks Lee Osborne as one of the great dual-surface heroes of the modern oval-track age, in my book. Plus, Oz is just cool, a motorhead lifer now cranking out hot rods at his own meticulous pace. I visited him a few years back at his place in the Finger Lakes region of New York, and still look back fondly on that day.

 

Great photo of Evans getting the key to the city, thanks to Evans Family for usage of the photo! I hope some of them can make it to Long Island in August as we are having The HoF Evans 61 race. We still have our regular Evans, Harbach, Jarzombek 100 coming in July too. Plus the tour race at Riverhead Raceway.

 

Just don't interrupt him while he's working, either in person or by phone.

He's not very pleasant .

 

Great find... hard to believe it's been 25 years since that car was up front at Waterford! If it were mine, I'd repair only what's necessary and leave the rest as is. The painted and airbrushed numbers would be hard to duplicate, the dirt and grime impossible to duplicate, and there's already a restored Moose car out there. JMO.

 

I was trying to get the Troyer and Jarzombek scrapbooks and pictures organized so I could post them, but with the Hall of Fame and all of these posts for Richie Evans, I had to go up in the attic and find the Evanx scrapbook. Here are a few photos....


Early Richie Evans in the 109 and the 6 before the famous orange and black #61.....












and an early version of the #61at Wall racing Don Stives....










racing Roger Triechler






This time racing with the other Treichler, Merv who is sideways in fronto of Richie and Ron Martin in the #14