History VINTAGE SPRINT CAR PIC THREAD, 1969 and older only please.

[fuel pump]

Some early 70s central PA pictures

[racer5c]

Maybe a little to modern for the post early 80's one of my first Midgets my hero on the right helping me hint he is Josh's top 5 drivers

[racer5c]

1971 USAC National Midget Champion Danny Caruthers

[JohnnyFast]

Originally Posted by racer5c

Maybe a little to modern for the post early 80's one of my first Midgets my hero on the right helping me hint he is Josh's top 5 drivers

I know....I know !

[Rootie Kazoootie]

Originally Posted by racer5c

Jimmy Bryan in my dads car, my brother when he was little, and a Midget I used to play race driver in at Don Edmunds shop ( I think it's the same car)

Roy, I think it would be remiss if your uncle wasn't given credit (or is it blame? ) for single handedly revolutionizing midget racing back in the 70s. When he dropped that 2180 VW between the tubes of one of his frames he, in effect, parked and obsoleted a bunch of inliners (much to their chagrin, I'm sure, but certainly to the delight of those of us into the V-dubbers at the time.) Do you think he had any inclination of what was to come?

[racer5c]

Originally Posted by Rootie Kazoootie

Roy, I think it would be remiss if your uncle wasn't given credit (or is it blame? ) for single handedly revolutionizing midget racing back in the 70s. When he dropped that 2180 VW between the tubes of one of his frames he, in effect, parked and obsoleted a bunch of inliners (much to their chagrin, I'm sure, but certainly to the delight of those of us into the V-dubbers at the time.) Do you think he had any inclination of what was to come?

At the time it it greatly reduced the cost of Midget engines, you could get the best VW Engine then for around 4 thousand bucks, Todays engines are arund 30 to 35 grand. I was there for the first USAC win by a VW at Lost Creek KY. in 1973, Bobby Olivero was driving for my Uncle Red. My dad had the second VW the following year but it was an Edmunds Chassis not one of my uncles LTC chassis. Before the VW the engine of choice was the SESCO which were the brainchild of Ron Hottles who is a genius. They were a chevy v-8 cut in half long ways to make an inline 4. Man I sure miss the good ole days!

[Ratmotor]

This car was built back in the sixties or seventies by my wifes uncle Harvey Docksteader of Guelph Ontario. He had his hand in the building of many race cars when he was a younger man. harv eventually opened his own small garage at his home and gave up building race cars apparently after a driver got killed in one he had originally built. He is still alive and when I ask him about the old days his eyes light right up and on he goes. Perhaps some older southern Ontario Hambers know or have heard of him.....

[Rootie Kazoootie]

Originally Posted by racer5c

At the time it it greatly reduced the cost of Midget engines, you could get the best VW Engine then for around 4 thousand bucks, Todays engines are arund 30 to 35 grand. I was there for the first USAC win by a VW at Lost Creek KY. in 1973, Bobby Olivero was driving for my Uncle Red. My dad had the second VW the following year but it was an Edmunds Chassis not one of my uncles LTC chassis. Before the VW the engine of choice was the SESCO which were the brainchild of Ron Hottles who is a genius. They were a chevy v-8 cut in half long ways to make an inline 4. Man I sure miss the good ole days!

I hear you there, I know it's probably different where your at, but around here, back in the 70s, a B main and a 20 + car A main was normal, today if they get a dozen cars total they think their doing great. $30 grand motors racing for a winners purse in the $ hundreds

[fuel pump]

An interesting Oswego super modified driven by Geoff Bodine

[sodbuster]

A car at the Good Guys event this past year in KC..........








And this is a shot of Jr. Hower who was a race winner where ever had put his car on the track from the late 40's to the late 50's. And I go to his house and "chat" with him on Saturday mornings and scan and make copies of his pictures. He raced many of the Indy 500 guys on the dirt ovals and beat them all while raising a family and working 60 hours a week.




Chris Nelson
Kansas

[sodbuster]

My pops in 61'.........he won a steak dinner and my grandfather had to sign the release so that he could race.

[haroldd1963]

Seeing those pictures of Rich Vogler bring back the aweful memory of the night he died. I wasn't there but was watching ESPN Thunder that night, July 21st, 1991, at Salem Indiana. What an incredible driver..Taken from us too soon.

[butch27]

I was watching that night also.Terrible.

[fuel pump]

Originally Posted by haroldd1963

was watching ESPN Thunder that night, July 21st, 1991, at Salem Indiana. What an incredible driver..Taken from us too soon.

I was watching Thunder that night too. It was one of those nights when you have a love/hate relationship with racing because it can be so cruel. I just hate those nights.

[Joshua Shaw]

My family was on vacation in NorthCarolina That night.. Dad and I were both watching... I was 14. He was my HERO...




Great Pics guys! Thanks..

Keep the Jalopy's away.. Sprinters and midgets only please!

Roy.. I knew you would jump on this! THANKS!

Richcraft mike... Wheres the pics of the one your working on now.. THE OLD ONE.

Welp. Here are som more.

This one gives me goosebumps!


as well as this one. LOOK at the stands. Imagine a car getting out of there... Most people that live here in Cincinnati DONT know that there was a TWO MILE BOARD TRACK where 275 and mosteller road is.. 275 runs right where the main grandstand were.


LOOK AT THE DUST!! AND THE CROWD!!


In 1971 Gary Bettenhausen and Larry Dickson set out on a quest to win every race on the USAC tour. There close battles night after night would leave the rest of the field and be a "Race within a Race" It would go down in history as "THE GARY AND LARRY SHOW"
---- BEAUTIFUL.








These next few are from what most think was the best "era" of open wheel racing.. I agree. OFFYS, 327's, and CAMERS

Look at the left rear of the ground!










You might have heard Pikes Peak called UNSERS MOUNTAIN... Well, THEY DID IT IN SPRINT CARS!!!


some moe..




CHECK THIS ONE OUT!! OUCH!! Did you know a body would bend like that and not kill ya?



The picture says it all.. Screw sports that only require ONE BALL! Bring this shit back!

[Joshua Shaw]

This picture hangs in my shop above my tool box. It reminds me what REAL MEN are made of...


and another one for my top five (or ten, or twenty)
The "Original Owtlaw"


This is one of those pictures you can look at for hours... When your welder is outta wire, your fingers are bleeding, your covered with sweat and oil and grime, nothings going right... then it all comes together and you make it.. Read the text at the bottom, AND THINK ABOUT IT FOR A SECOND. Vuky Lapped the entire field. HE PASSED EVERY guy OUT THERE. In this day and age of "Debris on the track" everytime some one gets a lead built up.. we will likely never see that in a major race again.. Yet it still happens at local Dirt tracks on occasion.. GO TO A SPRINTCAR RACE IF YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN!

Billy Vukovich



Joshua Shaw.

[lrs30]

That last picture is fucking priceless!That is true grit and complete exhaustion all wrapped up in one picture..

[Rootie Kazoootie]

Speaking of real men:

[lrs30]

RICH VOGLER

Now there is a true driver in every since of the word, I saw Rich win up in Indy at the race they have before the 500 in the late 80's then saw him come out and lap the whole freaking field like twice down in Richmond Ky a couple weeks before he died if I'm not mistaken.Josh, we need to get togther and hit Lawrencburg sometime.

[Rootie Kazoootie]

R.V. gettin dirty