History Vintage "Cageless" Midget Picture Thread

The car my friend has is an Edmunds four bar that had a Sesco in it when it was new. The chassis number is 4BM 138. We think Gary traded the car Blackie Suede has to Mel Kenyon for this car in the 1972/73 time period.

Not sure about the DariKool part, will have to check.

I can be contacted at allanw925@aol.com

Thanks.

 

Not sure about the top car but the bottom looks Lenny Boyd in the Red Sled

 

There are many people in this list that are still around to verify its history. I trust Mike Lang to tell the truth. I also know that Roy Caruthers is around and sometimes is on here. Sandy Lowe, Bobby's daughter, probably sold the car after Bobby died, so she could be another source. If it is what it is claimed, it is a very special car. A car driven by Pancho, Gary B, Richie V., et. al. is important. The fact that it may be the first Edmunds built to run the VW makes it even more important.

Doc

 

I completely forgot to post this yesterday, about the late Nick Fornoro:<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
<o></o>
New England Tractor - http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/<o></o>
<o></o>
And also on Dirt Track Digest - http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/<o></o>
<o></o>
<o></o>

 

And it also is here: Wheels of Speed - http://www.wheelsofspeed.com/<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

 

Along with: Wheels of Speed - http://www.wheelsofspeed.com/<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

 

OK, I have no idea as to why "ffice" etc is on the above!!!

 

The DariKool cars were built by Paul Krueger and dominated the Badger circuit in the early 1960s. Billy Wood won his final title in a DariKool car. Keith Thomas also won a championship for the team.
Mr. Krueger is still an official with Badger.
One of the cars had a Kurtis like tube frame while the other had a space frame. Both were cross spring fronts with cross bar rear.
We were just dumb and inexperienced kids when the wrenched on the space frame car; it deserved a better fate than that.

Chuck Schultz
Winfield, Illinois

 

Could any of you tell me about Doug Craig. When he raced and where. Jim Nise think he could be in the roadster I have posted earlier, it is the yellow 22. I have interest because it is in my shop. The owner is not all that interested in the history but I am. Here is what I know. The roadster a roller, was sold to fabricator Dave Masterman in the middle 90's by Fred Gehardt here in Fresno. Masterman started working the roadster over putting Ansen head in. At the same time Masterman commissioned Jim Allen to build a Kurtis type body for it. For some reason Masterman stoped working on it and it sat in his shop, and I started seeing it around 2000, In 2003 Masterman sold all his stuff to Dick Woodland and the unfinished roadster was part of the deal. Over the last few years I have done some art work for Woodland and kept walking by the roadster in his shop. About three months ago we struck a deal for me to finish it. It will be finished period correct for the late 50's early 60's. As you can see it is just beautiful, Ok the wheels and tires are not quite correct but they look great. Any history about Doug Craig or Norm Smiser would be helpful

 

I know a little about Doug Craig. He raced in the Northeast in the 60s-70s. He was a hot shoe in the TQs. Usually drove car #55. I don`t remember him in the Midgets,but he did race them,too. His son races with ARDC currently.




I think the two photos you posted are the same car. If not,they are at least built by the same builder.


Here is Steve Craig in 2010.

 

Doc, You are correct. It is (Could be) the first Edmunds VW built. I have talked with Don Edmunds and there is one tell tale design flaw that was made on the first car. When I went to see it a few weeks ago the flaw was present on this car. The only question is that Doug had Grant King copy two more cars. Don said that Grant copied them so exact that they have the same design flaw. So it is definetly one of the three. Racer5C said he knows where the other two King cars are. So that leads me to belive the documentation. I think that only Don would be able to confirm which of the three it is. Buy the way it is off ebay now.
Who's the new owner ??

 

Chuck
Here is the car in Sept 1981 at Angell for the Twin 50,s

 

I find it difficult to believe that is the space frame DariCool car. Ours had a bolt on cage, small frame tubes, and was a very short wheelbase [68" if I remember correctly]. I suppose it could have been extensively rebuilt but the Loomis team had already moved on to new Outhouse Engineering [Tom Pogo] cars in 1976. I can't see him reworking an 18 year old car with lots of structural problems to defend a championship.

Thanks for posting the picture though. Eddie Loomis was a class act and it is nice to see #49 ready for action.

Chuck Schultz
Winfield, Illinois

 

I was told by Bobby Lowe that he and Paul Leffler used one of those Grant King copies of the Edmund's car to build the cars for Sherm Armstrong. I think they took off on their own direction with those cars. I know that Bobby ended up with one of the Armstrong cars as did Don Schilling with David Fuhrman getting the third one.

Then Schilling and Doug Kalitta built Don's radical pavement car from a design that was to improve on the Armstrong car. Dougie's pavement car was a highly modified Beast. So I guess this is sort of a 6 degrees of separation story.

Doc

 

Steve, this is what I remember about Doug Craig and Norm Smiser.

Doug was the son of a heavy construction company owner. He really wanted to race, but as a fromis to his mother said he wouldn't race. Doug was a friend of bob Shaeffer, an ARDC midget driver and car owner. He helped bob out. I met him when Bob and my father merged their cars. Bob had a Falcon #44 and our V8-60 was a black #71.

Doug was used to working on big Cats and we had to take wrenches away from him because he over torqued everything or stripped it.

My dad got out of racing, Bob took our car as his in 1963.

About 1970, Doug stasted racing TQs. Evidently his parents were gone by now. He had been good friends with norm, who was practically blind by this time. Norm had been building TQs for sometime, going with the roadster variety, and thats what doug drove. his cars were always yellow, and numbe 55 for the most part.

I was now far removed from the east coast and lost track, but through some CD's from the late Ron Heddendorf, saw much of Doug and his cars running in ARDC.

Doug was killed in an airplane crash in Florida maybe 5 years ago. I think if you google that you can find info. He was very big in the light airplane world as well.

Norm had been a midget driver pre WWii, maybe ran some right after the war but I only knew him as a TQ builder, car owner, and he was legally blind. Len Duncan was his TQ driver at Teaneck mostly.

 

Hey Guy's,What's the best day to attend Hershey.......Thank's,Rich

 

Rich, for me it has always been Friday.

 

Steve bonesteel, this is definitely the Doud Craig car. Just reviewed my CD from the 1970's ARDC and the first picture is in 1973 of Doug in a yellow #55 at Sellinsgrove. Exact body as you have shown in your latest post. PM me and lets see how I can get this picture to you.

Rember a 55 and 22 look a lot alike.

 

Spike,Friday it is!!!!!!!.Thanks,maybe I'll see ya there if your going......Rich

 

Doug Craig's midgets were Van's Metal Craft cars. He had an upright that ran a Sesco 2X4 (and also a VW if I remember correctly), and the roadster, which he ran on dirt and asphalt. In fact, he won a feature with the roadster at Williams grove in the late 70's or early 80's. You might might want to check with Van's (if they're still around) to double-check on the identity of the car in question. I'm not sure if the Van's that made the race cars for Doug is the same Van's that builds the airplanes. I'm pretty sure that the plane Doug was killed in was a Van's. The aircraft wasn't at fault for Doug's death. Doug was killed when he landed on a grass field. The nose wheel dug into the sod, flipping the plane over and breaking Doug's neck and injuring his wife Jane, if I remember correctly. That really sucks, as Doug raced cars for many years, exposing himself to danger, and then got killed in a rather freak accident.

 

Van of Van Craft on Gasoline Alley in Indy passed away earlier this year.

 

Bob, I was thinking you or Stan Lobitz would know for certain. You were in a number of the pictures I went through to confirm. Looks Like Lenny Boyd had one too!

 

Jim and Bob thanks for your info. Jim I PM you last night with my email so I hope that worked. I talked to Dave Masterman and he thought the roadster was build as one of two by Merle Van Stanwick, Van Craft, All this is coming together. Masterman also said Fred Gerhardt got the car "from a guy in Ohio". I have posted these two photos before,one is the car I have and the other to my eye has at least the same body, could this car be the other roadster built by Van Stanwick?

 

Van's correct name was Meryl D. Van Steenwyk

 

Thanks

 

I'm not sure if Lenny Boyd's roadster was a Van's or if he built it himself. He's still around and operates an aircraft repair service in Tom's River, NJ. It's now called Ocean Aire. his work email address is oceanaire@oceanaire.net . He would know for certain about his roadster and maybe a lot more about Doug Craig's car, as he did a lot of fabrication when we were racing with ARDC.

 

Rich, I won't be there. I'll be in Germany then. Lookin' forward to seeing you at Stan's movie party.

Spike

 

Kinda off topic, but I'll also be at Stan's on 11/13 with my daughter, Judy. Hope they continue the name tags like last year!

 

Steve, never seeing Doug or Lenny's car in person I can only say they look identical in picutres. Lenny's car was a maroon red so that appears to be the other car.

 

Check out the Vintage Sprint Car Picture Thread, Page 436 Post 8719. Several images of the Gary Schooley, 4 bar, SESCO, caged Edmunds car. I believe this is the car your friend has.

Blacki-Suede