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

Hi everyone. my name is Mike Csiki.....im looking for Denny Zimmerman....Hes wanted
me ta join forever.....

 

Ill be on primarily during my lunch break as I work 2nd
shift at Pratt ......look forward to talking about my father
Joe Csiki.......

 

Old Bill and everyone else, I will make this as short as I can. On post #7298. The red and white #21 is the ex Key car. The next picture is Bobby Black in the same car. The last two photos are both Grant King cars. The 21 car Grant built completely, the 20 car E.T. Morse finished [it was about 2/3rds done when he got it]. The Grant King cars were only painted like that a short time. Nolon Johncock drove one of them about 4 times and they sold it. I think there has been a picture of him at Eldora driving iy. The other car was the Whiskey bottle car. E.T. Morse was the plant manger at the distillery where they made EZRA BROOKS bourbon. The plant was owned by the 21 Club in New York City [that is why they alwasy tried to get the number 21]. A.J. had the number at first and would not give it up so they used the #20. At one time the KEY car was #91, Bobby Black, Charlie Masters, Bill Putterball and maybe others drove it. The Grant King car was driven by Bobby Black, Joie Saldana, Charlie Masters[who won at Salem in it] and others. They sold that car to Chuck Booth. One of the first cars E.T. Morse owned was the ex. #48 Sumar champ car and he cut it down to a sprint car. My cousin Bernie drove it at Winchester [IMCA] and made the dash the first time he was at Winchester, it has since been restored back to champ and Ray Everham now ownes it. By the way for you oldtimmers, E.T. Morse was the younger brother of BigBill Morse, who was Chick Smith's partner in the 30's and 40's.
Sorry this took so long.
jim

 

Mike, let me be the first to welcome you. Finally you joined. Lot of folks on here that knew your Dad and a lot like yourself that are second generation racers.

I think you know but just to make sure there is also a HAMB midget site and a HAMB modified site.

Denny Z

 

Thanks Denny! Gonna be nice seeing ya race again this year!
I have the supermod over at Rustys Tefts shop.....needs alot
of work...ill post pics of the progress .....when i figure out how
ta do that!

 

Ok, I found some more pictures! I'll start with my dad Luke Easter in the Gene Davis car. This shot is of Dad and Gene at Topeka.

 

That's me sitting in it down in Tampa. I was around 13.

 

Nice hauler!

 

On the track in Topeka.

 

Cliff Cockrum used to drive the #8 car before Dad. Here's Cliff in Tampa with his new car - beautiful.

 

Here's the same car of Cliff's a few minutes later. The "firemen" weren't trained - they were just local young guys with fire extinguishers they couldn't operate. This car burned to the ground. They finally pulled it into the infield and the city fire dept. showed up and pumped cold water onto it. Word was, a fuel line popped off in the cockpit at the start of a heat race. Cliff spun the car (on fire) and got run over by a couple cars - Benny Rapp was one that hit Cliff's car - they had no where to go. Cliff got out, but was hurt. He crawled across the track on fire. Tampa and IMCA. Check out the crowd in the stands trying to get away from the heat and smoke. What a bad day.

 

The great Jan Opperman posing for this kid. What a great guy.

 

Opp getting ready in Topeka. Everybody watched Opp whenever he was around. I can't remember who drove the car in the foreground. Jerry Blundy, maybe? Somebody can help, I'm sure.

 

I've got a bunch more photos, but I don't want to "hog" the show. I hope everybody enjoys the ones so far. I'll post some more later.

 

Could that be ray Lee Goodwin in the Luther Brewer sprinter?

 

like this

 

Hello, Great photos easter!!!!!!! You can “hog” the show. I will look and read what ever you post. Thanks for showing them!

 

Could be Ray Lee. He was the most polite man I ever met. Here's another shot of him.

 

Dad's hot set up in '66.

 

The Howell cars on a Pennsylvania trip. #54 Luke Easter and #64 Dean Mast. The young man in the photo is Mark Warner also from Ohio who was a helo pilot in Viet Nam.

 

Charlie Masters at Tampa.

 

Have you noticed how all of these drivers posed for me? I was just a nobody kid, yet they stopped what they were doing and went next to their car. That was their idea - not mine. I was only involved for a couple years, but it has affected my entire life. What incredible men these were.

 

Darl Harrison at Topeka. A lot of people thought my dad and Darl looked alike.

 

Darl Harrison's car in Tampa. That's Jerry Reichert's car in the background.

 

Mike ..

I'd like to say WELCOME too!!!!

I'm proud to say that I got to know your Dad a bit when he ran his car for the Bennett Brothers with the ARDC. He was a real nice guy and one outstanding driver!!!!

I have wonderful memories of watching him trounce the Kurtis Offy's .. seemingly with ease .. as he went on to win the ARDC championship.

I crewed that car for one of the later owners, "Big Carl" Karklin. His son Johnny (Karklin) Action drove it with the SMRC.

I ?THINK? that car is still here on Long Island (NY).

Mike, I've often wondered (and asked on here) .... What ever happened to the car that your Dad built and drove (mostly with NEMA) before that? It was often called "The Worm" .... Stan Lobitz once called it "The Worm #1".

Once again Mike .... W E L C O M E !!!!!

 

From my own corner, I know exactly what you mean!

 

Just when you think the thread is slowing down, someone with some great photo's comes along!!Hog all you want Easter!


Also welcome Easter and Mike

 

also Jim don't ever think your posts are to long!!

 

Hey Bob, I remember your TQ had 2stroke Cresent power but I don't recall the chassis builder. I realy liked the look of that car. And I remember the TT crash you described, though I didn't somuch hit the cush. I drove flatout and straight in on it, finding the point where mechanical grip overcame aero downforce. Well, it got me a major headache and Photog Jack Kromer on the front of Open Wheel. Were you in Ed Kehan's car that night?