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

I find this photo from Buzz Rose's CSRA History book(The Rim Riders):



Somebody have any idea who are these drivers and who was the owner?(Zaco oil company owner?)

 

The differences between the Fike Plumbing car and the SOW car, that became the Anderson Chevy, are obvious in these pictures of of the 98(that became the Anderson 98) and 99 cars Pestana/Lang sprint cars and the 1 Fike sprinter.
Note the location and shape of the roll bars on the three cars:the 98 is close to the cockpit, with a gradual bend in the tubing. The Number 99 and Fike 1 are farther back with tighter bend. The shock tower on the Fike car necessitated the roll bar location, farther back as is clearly shown in the photo of Parnelli's car. The 99 cars shock tower has been cut down and modified but the bottom part can still be seen.
It appears the shocks were always mounted on the roll bar of the newer Hank Henry 98 car. There is no evidence that type of shock tower was ever used on the 98 car.
Weight jacker present on Parnelli's car and the 99 - absent on the 98.
The cowl on the 98 car higher than the cowl on the 99 car and 1 Fike car.
Upholstery snaps thirteen snaps on the 98 car 16 snaps on the 99 car and the 1 Fike plumbing car (obscured in this photo of the Fike car).
These differences make a strong case against the 98 car being the Fike Plumbing Special, indeed a stronger case could be made that the 99 car was the Fike car!

 

The car was starting to look tired, this was late summer. At this time we had ran close to 60 races, we ran 70 races between May and October. We never finished worse than 5th. first 65 races, one DNF and won 20% or races.

 

Explain to me the two groups of eight rivets on the hood and side panel of the number 98 car AND on the Fike car, they ARE NOT ON THE 99 CAR might wanna look at the pictures again

 

At the risk of highjacking the subject, I remember these cars being blue/ red and white so I did a little photoshop work to colorize them.

 

I'll give you that one Roy - although we both know it wouldn't take five years to change the hinges on a hood to a quick release setup.
I did not say that I thought the 99 car was the Fike car, just an earlier Hank Henry chassis like the Fike chassis, while the 98 car, that was represented to be the Fike car, is clearly a newer car.
I said it would be easier to make the case that the 99 was the Fike car - I did not say it was the Fike car.
How about the other differences I cited between the three cars?

 

Always fun to pick out the guys in the background, like "Dyna Mike" McGreevy talking to Dee Hileman. Walt James checking lineup sheets, Dave Strickland smiling at the camera and Don Meacham puffing on a pipe!

 

Walt was the only guy I recognized in this pic.

 

Is this the same John Leverenz that grew up in southern Minnesota and in the early 1950's ran a 1937 Ford coupe stock car at various tracks in M innesota, Iowa and South Dakota?

 

Here is another photo from 1962 within the Phoenix garage of Joe Pittman with the Fike Plumbing cars. The scans were taken from some old slides and are not perfect, but gives a good accounting of how cars were maintained 50 years ago. Pretty cool

 

Yes it is, he moved to California in 1961. He moved to Iowa in 1973, and now lives in Apache Junction Arizona. He quit driving in 1968, except one time in 1971 he ran Roger Abott's sprint car in Omeha Ne. he ran 4th.

 

Mickey D,
Keep the Fike sprint car pictures coming, interesting images.

 

Thanks 28Dreyer for posting photos of the LeMay Ranger and also the Cunningham Ranger. Here's a photo of George and Gene racing their Rangers at the 1992 I.M.C.A. Old Timers Reunion in Arlington, Minnesota. Boy, was that an awesome sound when those two cars went by! Also, a photo of Gene helping George get ready for a practice session.

 

MMMMMMMMM Corvette Valve covers with tall breathers. Perfect.


GREAT SHOTS!!

 

Was Leverenz from Canby, MN?

 

No John was from Windom.Mn.

 

I have been away but posting some on the midget thread about my latest project. This is a midget roadster that has been out here on the west coast sense the mid 90's. and I am am now finishing it for Dick Woodland. First photo is of it in the 80's in the Ohio ? Second photo is in Dave Masterman's shop mid 90's Third photo is in Woodland's shop when I picked it up in Sept. Photo four is the midget in my shop a the fifth shows how looooow it is, and the last is what it looks like now. The roadster will go to paint next month

 

Steve that is soooo cool.......nice job....please post a photo when painted.

 

I remember Roger Abbott coming to Lernerville Speedway a couple of times. Good driver,in outclassd/old equipment. #13,I think;black with yellow frame.,maybe. Anybody got any pictures?

 

Going through files, here is a close-up of the Vel Miletich #97 driven by Allen Heath from the 1963 CRA races at the California Midwinter Fair in Imperial. There is a Youtube video that shows him doing several donuts in this car during one of his qualifying efforts. He won the trophy dash on opening day of the weekend.

 

Is there a biography written about Vel Miletich? I've seen bits and piece's here and there but nothing about his earlier life as a youngster but most importantly where his parents were born.

 

Those "Thunderbird" valve covers are way cool.

 

Some of my earliest racing memories were of the Heath/Hogle battles in 1963 at Ascot. Hogle in the Morales Offy and heath in the Vel's T-Bird- that engine looked too big for the car!

 

The car John drove was a CAE #28, Roger was having problems with car. We were at Omeha helping Bob Trostle, Dick Suttcliff was driving Bob's car. Roger asked John to drive his car that night, to see if the problem was him or the car. The car was ok needed better motor.

The reason we were helping Trostle is we didn't have car to race, we sold our Beck car Steve Sholts. John and I were building a new car on Trostle's jig, the new car was for Jay Woodside to drive. We never got car done, waited two months for steering gear from Halibrand. We put Gary Swensen's chassis from the year before together and raced last ten races of season with it.

 

Add me to the list.

What a bunch of great car builders/restorers/recreationists we have in our midst.

 

Although taken from the grandstand, this photo brings back some of the color and excitement of county fair races. The opening Trophy Dash of the 1965 California Midwinter Fair CRA weekend at Imperial had 4 superstars of Sprint Car racing. Bob Hogle is on the pole in the Morales Brothers Tamale Wagon. Gordon Woolley has the outside front row in the Pop Miller Chevy. The inside of the second row is Don Thomas piloting the Lehotsky and Singh Chevy. Quick timer (both days) was Billy Wilkerson behind the wheel of the Kenny Worth Chevy. Three men that would earn CRA Championships and an IMCA superstar in the Dash! Hogle would pick up the win.

 

Does anyone have anyother pictures of this car? I have searched through 30 or so pages and I just can't look anymore, they are cool, but it is really hard to tell between a 3 and a 189289... I mean, i could be looking at a thread about mokeys trapped in tubes... It is just really late, or early, and I didn't sleep well last night. It has the owner's name up there. Any help is greatly appriet... apprietiated... screw it, I will be glad.

 

That's a great shot, but I wanta know about that Mobilgas rig in front of the grandstands!
Off-topic, I know, but anyone have any info on the long, low custom with the aero trailer? Almost looks like something Frank Kurtis might've done. Can't tell from the shot if it's an early SSR-type pickup with maybe a tonneau cover, or just a really long trunk.

 

I will look through my step father's stuff and see if I can find something he was Bob Sall and he was Horn's crew cheif for a while.

 

If you go through the process of enlarging this photo, you can see the flagman standing on the track with the flag behind his back (right behind the speakers). The drivers all seem to be watching the flagman except Wilkerson, who is looking towards the stands. Also, I think I recognize the red car in the pits facing the stands - right next to the speakers in the photo. Really nice photo.