History Vintage "Cageless" Midget Picture Thread

I thought a twitter was fancy boat drink? Or my ex girlfriend!

 

Thought you guys may find this interesting. I was lucky enough to be given a fan's handwritten notebook compiling drivers names and car #'s that raced at Islip Speedway from 1962 - 1984. There happened to be 2 years he wrote down the ARDC midget field of 65' & 66'. The book is filled with priceless info! It is going to be donated to the Himes Museum of Auto Racing Nostalgia.

http://www.thehimesmuseum.com/

1966 also has Jack Duffy, Jiggs Peters and Hank Parke? (sp) listed on the back of the page.

 

Greta Molander,a professional ralley driver from Sweden.Image from Graham Little.

 

All I can say is I understand there are negative things about facebook,but lots of racers are using it and there is some pretty good stuff if you look for it.
I have mentioned the HAMB thread to the people over there,so it is now up to them if they want to post here as well.

 

Really Sweet, So is the midget

 

We don't csall them midgets anymore.It's not politically correct.We just refer to them as little people.........

 

Ken Shou`s post #3382 has the address for the facebook site. Just clicck on it and put the address on your home page. You can look at new photos every day, but you cannot post unless you join. I did not join I just enjoy the pictures, and it`s easy.

 

THANKS Tony.

I'm sure that we'd all really enjoy having both them and their pictures here.

 

THANKS Kris ...

What a TREASURE.

I was there both nights.
I can picture each of those drivers and most of those cars, in my ageing mind.

For those of you from other parts of the country .. the Islip Speedway was a 1/5 banked asphalt oval that was designed with the help of two midget drivers .. Jim Nolan and Ed "Dutch" Schaefer (in my humble mind "Dutch' was one of the greatest of all time) .. expressly with midget racing in mind.
Midget racing (even TQ's) at the Islip Speedway was among the best, the most competitive, the most exciting, the most entertaining, the most memorable that you could find anywhere in the USA.

It's long time promoter, the late Larry Mendelsohn, was truly one of the best ever.

This island lost a lot, when the Islip Speedway became the site of a cookie factory.

 

Islip fans page on facebook 6000 photos,mostly stock cars,but some midget photos,too.


http://www.facebook.com/groups/islipspeedwayfanspage/

The photos

http://www.facebook.com/groups/islipspeedwayfanspage/photos/

Not sure if I posted the ARDC facebook page.


http://www.facebook.com/groups/43980478269/


Might as well post the link to my photo pages while I`m at it.



http://www.facebook.com/pages/Racing-photos-by-Tony-De-Seta/357006874310329

The vintage section of my page

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.358825114128505.92645.357006874310329&type=1

 

Nascar midget point standings 1955

 

Ken my stepfather Bob Sall, my mom, and myself even scored a 500 lap Winston Cup race there in I believe 1971 and I raced TQ's there several times a really neat track hated to lose it.

 

racerbillyc, Wow maybe I knew but I had forgotten between your Father and Step Father ...you got good racing genes. Denny Z.

 

I see both a Flemke and a Zimmerman in those standings?

Any relation to the following generation?

 

Somewhere there's a picture, from one of the 500 lap "midget" races held at the Islip (NY) Speedway, of Johnny Coy, Sr. .. on his way to victory .. hanging WAAAAAAAY out of the right side of the car (practically falling out) from the effects of both centrifical force and exhaustion!!!

The late Ed Hawkins had a copy.
I'm sure that there must be other copies around.

 

Ken, George Flemke was Eddie Flemke's older brother. The Zimmerman was no relation to me. Denny Z

 

Bob Sall in the Buck Wheeler Offy at Trenton in 1947.

 

I'm trying to find information on a stable owner from Norwich Ct. area that had several sprint and midget cars. My father drove for him between 1946 and 1953 his name was "Red" Senechal (sp?). My dad is Edward (Eddy) Renaud from Brooklyn/Putnam area of Ct. My dad only drove in the North East but Red had cars and drivers run all over the eastern seaboard. My dad drove both sprints and midgets for Red the last car dad drove was a black Offy powered midget .Dads replacement driver was killed in his first race at I believe Sturbridge Mass Fairgrounds when he hit the end of a plank outside rail and the plank went full length through the car and driver. I'm looking for anything on the car owner,my dad,or this accident can anyone help ?

 

If I ever get my 'puter back, I have a list of all the NASCAR Midget feature race winners, along with some driver win lists and a bunch of track results, too, from the 30's into the 50's

 

I can't get an answer on the sprint car thread, but can someone please tell me what the big black box to the right of the engine is for on this midget roadster? I can only assume it is a foot box of some kind, eh? Gary

 

It looks like protection for the driver`s legs and feet to me.

 

QUOTE BUILDY
~~~~~
It looks like protection for the driver`s legs and feet to me.
~~~~~

I'll add to that by saying that it's a leg & foot box that's an intergral part of the firewall system between the driver and the engine, etc..

Without that if there was an engine fire .. an exploded water hose .. a hot oil leak .. a blown engine, etc.. the driver would be fully exposed to such things.

 

^^^ Thanx guys, that's pertty much what I thought. In another photo on the sprint thread, I think I see some sort of line / linkage coming out the front of the box, which I have assumed to be part of the brake system. Removing the cover on the black box would give you easy access to the pedal(s) assemblies and / or MC reservoirs if they were in their also, eh? Thanx again, Gary

 

I found these Life Magazine Photos online. They're from the Kingsbridge Armory December 1947. Photo Credit : Ralph Morse

 

GRRRRREAT STUFF!!!

THANKS.

Notice the CROWDS!!!
Different times, different era .. much less to compete with as far as forms of entertainment.

 

Neat picture Monkaz. Bob took his last ride; in the restored car he ran at Indy, at Trenton shortly before his death.

 

Did any one else take note, from that picture, that Trenton was dirt in 1947?

BTW .. Little mention is ever made about Eileen Sall (Billy's Mom - Bob Courtwright's former wife) being an EXCEPTIONAL scorer.

 

Ken,

Trenton wasn't paved until 1957.

 

While at the Justice Brothers Museum in Duarte, CA several years ago, I saw the most beautifully built, technically advanced midget I have ever seen. The photos I took need to be converted to digital, but the body was so tightly wrapped to the chassis and running gear, and so low, I couldn't get mechanical detail.

I have never looked harder at a car and seen less than what was visible from my hands and knees on this one.

This one page picture story has recently appeared amongst my clippimgs and I will attempt to share it in the hopes someone can provide more and better pictures and perhaps some information. I would dearly love to see some detail of what must have been a chain coupling as opposed to a chain and sprocket drive.

I recall Ed Justus telling me of two well known drivers of the era who drove the car that were not complimentary of it's handling.

Apparently conceived before the war, and finished a few years after, perhaps the degree of complexity condemned it to its one of a kind existence, or perhaps it was banned.

 

simply bad ass