Features VINTAGE SPRINT CAR PIC THREAD, 1965 and older only please.

'OldBill, 'It is great to have you as our designated encyclopedia and fact finder/historian. I really appreciate your recollection of a lot of these races that went on back in the day. I happen to like the attention to detail for something so difficult to document. I wonder if Wally had the #9 car there that day at Oswego in 1966 for Mario's teammate, Dick Atkins? And Rootie, I think I've posted it before but, here's the color duplicate of that pic of Mario in Watson's cammer Ford.

 

ROY-
Was Gus Capels related to your dad?
I really enjoyed most of that gallery. That one midget guy sure got tore up badly.

 

well, Gus is John's real name but he also has a cousin named Gus

 

I know this is off topic sort of, but there is a tie in, I had lunch with A.J. Watson, Willie Davis (this is the tie in to the thread) and some other old timers today. Willie has done it all from the lakes to Indy, was Gary Bettenhausens chief mechanic at Indy when he went from last to 3rd, was Gary's car owner when he won the USAC Sprint Car championship. Willie built this car and is working on a replica of it now, the original flathead had an overhead valve one of conversion that is now in Bill Smith's museum so the replica will get a Flathead that Willie used in another car in the 50's that he located and got back.

 

Anyway after lunch he told me to come by he had something he wanted to give me, this is going in with my most prized possesions!!! I couldn't even begin to tell him how much it meant to me that he gave me this!

 

VERY COOL! Were is the car now, any photos?

 

Little Fauss: Thanks. It's obvious that a lot of us have a passion for this type of racing. And we're all historians.

Here are the results for the Oswego race:

As you can see, Wally's No. 9 was there, but not for Dick Atkins.

View attachment OSWEGO.doc

 

Ill bet you are very proud that a guy like that chose to give it to you!
You are very lucky to have the kind of friends you have. It also says a lot about you as a racer, and as a person!

 

I guess you missed the part where he said...

"Now take this to Josh Shaw in Cincinnati this Saturday"...



Cool deal Roy! I gotta a really nice old Triumph Flat track Racer from the 70's I'll trade you for it.. Some famous racer owned it... I don't know..?



JD

 

Hi guys
Wally's Wynns #1 is awaiting lettering and numbers and will then be complete. I hope to make a trip to the midwest this year to show the car.
Spike, you recently asked about the roll bar attachment. As you can see, it is attached to the hoop behind the seat. A couple of years ago I restored the Meskowski-built Lindsay Hopkins dirt car and it was the same construction. I'll post another picture when the lettering is completed.

 

Here is the Bonnieville car with the cage. It's a Monster of a cage but it's what SCTA wants. You could drop this thing off a mountain and not hurt it. ...and it all unbolts.

 

Killer Josh ...............did you do the grill ?

 

I understand it is a safety issue but, there are so many Bonneville cars with cages that are two feet taller than the driver that the frontal area is about doubled whatever it is less the cage. Good luck, hope you go fast safely.

 

Old Bill, that's my problem. I can't find the site. My info was from notes I took to check later. I still can picture the shots but that doesn't help. If & when I find will advise.
mlight9.

 

Josh,How does the driver get through all the tubing to the seat??

 

yeah, how?

 

At least it was nice you you to put a ladder on the side for the driver to climb to the top.

 

hey guys new here just found you guys lookin for info and pics of the car and team Driver was Dick Good believe the owner was Wayne Keyser my grandpa was the mechanic. Raced in Michigan alot and sometimes Soth Bend thay were from indiana. My grandpa passed away and I found no pics in ant of his stuff me and my mom would greatly apprieciate any help in finding info and pics. Would have been in the 1950's soory for the long post thanks Brandon

 

the original car was destroyed in a crash, the timing tag he gave me is from a Roadster not the streamliner

 

Josh, I tried to take you by the shop he works at the last time you were in town, it was over by Clermont, as a matter of fact that is where that frame you got came from

 

http://sprintcarhof.com/FileGet.aspx?ID=140 the link doesn't work go to the national sprint car hall of fame to read it if your interested

here is a nice bio on Willie Davis, not sure where he ranks now but in 1996 he was the 2nd winningest Sprint Car owner in USAC history!!!

Here is the history of the streamliner

http://www.ugofadini.com/hilldavisstory.html

 

Don't see a lot of pictures of Gordon Johncock on dirt, probably because he didn't like running dirt, didn't usually do too well, and avoided it as much as he could. Here's a shot of him in the #85 racing Buzz Gregory at New Bremen 1964.

The 2nd shot is of him on the pole of a heat race at Winchester 1964. Along side is Bud Tinglested in the #1, followed by #3 Branson, #11 Gregory, #75 Knepper and bringing upthe rear is Jud Larson who,probably, disliked pavement as much as 'Gordo' disliked dirt.

 

Rootie, that's fantastic! Thanks. I remember Hugh Randall driving the Fetter Bros. car before he got killed at Langhorne.

bshepherd, here's a photo of Dick Good in what was a supermodified at the time. This one was taken at the Jeffersonville (Ind.) Sportsdrome. He won two or three 500-lap U.S. Open races there, and was leading the first one we had at the Fairgrounds in Louisville when the rear end (I think) let go. I hope this is the car you were looking for. Dick was from Mishawaka, Ind.

 

I know there's a wing on one of them, but this is history. Wayne McGuire in the 41 trying to get around Gordon Johncock in a supermodified race in the early 60s. Don't know where this one was taken, but in 1961, Gordy started on the pole in the 500 lapper (5x100 segments) at Louisville and Wayne on the tail. From 50 laps into the first segment on, Gordy was holding off charges like this the rest of the way, until Wayne finally conceded and fell in behind him with about 20 laps to go.

 

WYNNS#1-
Thanks for posting those pics; not sure i like that idea, but they were nice looking roll bars.
I see you are from Ct.; i gotta ask you this. Did you and your dad run a #8 car with URC for a long while back in the day?
Did you also restore the #98 Champ Dirt Car? Fantastic job!

 

I know at some point while my grandpa was the mechanic on dicks car they went to a hemi. My grandpa never kept any pics. They all lived in indiana, south bend and mishawaka, but they raced alot in michigan 'cause the money was better.I talked to my mom this morning and she said that wayne kaiser drove for awhile before he hired dick good.My grandpa was a very humble man, only way I know any of this was to get him talkin about cars and it would all roll out

 

Hi Spike,
You are correct on both. We raced against you and your brother for years. I get down your way in Telford when I need upholstery work done.I hope you are well and enjoy your contributions to this message board.

 

I believe the Wayne McGuire photo was taken at the old Portsmouth Speedway in Portsmouth, Ohio.

 

Thanks, 5752. I know he raced there but I didn't recognize the place.

 

If we can get the event we'd like to have @ Eagle Field here in central ca I'd like to have as many of the old local Circle Track Race Cars on display as possible. It'd be cool to have the old Hard Tops, Open Comp, Midgets etc. bumped off for the crowd!