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

[98racerx]

This post got my curiosity up as I had just witnessed 'Doc Parsons' racing a midget in Willis, TX a few weeks ago. At the race in Willis 'Doc Parsons' from Oklahoma spun the car out no less than eight times during hot laps, the heat race and then feature...what happened to the two spin rule? I did a Google search looking for anything regarding his experience in Mississippi and found a group 'MidSouthRacing.com' that covers MS, TN and AK...out of all of the racing in that area there was nothing mentioning Doc Parsons or any races or accidents resembling what is described here. Im wondering if the only injuries here resulted from the floor after falling from his bar stool!!!

[Jim Nise]

Looks like Al Herman

[Rootie Kazoootie]

Originally Posted by Jim Nise

Looks like Al Herman

Yes it is, though Champ car stats shows Pat Flaherty as the (non) qual. driver so there may have been a switch.

[Rootie Kazoootie]

While I certainly appreciate those who "thought outside the box." They must have known the AAA would, and did, put the ky-bosh on anything that would, even remotely, threaten their core of Offy owners.

[revjimk]

Going to Hagerstown Speedway for Pa. Sprint Speedweek tomorrow (even tho its in Maryland) which will include vintage racers from Eastern Museum of Motor Racing. Not sure if they actually race or just cruise the track (can't imagine them getting too risky)
Anyone else?

[slobitz]

Originally Posted by "Doc" Parsons

Josh I was driving a Open Lete Model, it was a big 1/2 mile in Miss. set fast time 16.310, won heat, trophy and it was a 50 lapper, on the 48th lap I was lapping 3rd place and his right rear came off and I got on top of it and it barrell rolled 11 times they said,it came down in front of 2nd place and he hit me in the top of the car, pushed the cage down on top of me, they used a jaws to get the cage off me, all I needed was 2 more laps! just some broken ribs and collar bone, I'll be ready for Houston texas on July 14 in the Midgets! My car owner Sandra flew me back from Miss. to Austin Texas to her Doctor for a good check up and then on back To Tulsa, sorry I didn't mean to write a book
"Doc" Parsons

Doc what name were you running under?

[mac miller]

Originally Posted by Rootie Kazoootie

While I certainly appreciate those who "thought outside the box." They must have known the AAA would, and did, put the ky-bosh on anything that would, even remotely, threaten their core of Offy owners.

.Read about it right here!!

http://indyroadsters.webs.com/apps/b...rs-never-raced

Chrysler was still pissed about AAA outlawing their 331 inch Hemi from the Speedway in '53, so, at the June 30 1954 Grand Opening of their new Chelsea Mich. Proving Grounds, they invited the OFFYs to their new test track, let them run their best laps and, then, "poked them in the eye" by bringing out the, 331 Chrysler powered, Kurtis 500C Firestone test car to set the fastest lap of the meet as the Grand Finale of their Grand Opening.

[4everblue]

Originally Posted by 98racerx

This post got my curiosity up as I had just witnessed 'Doc Parsons' racing a midget in Willis, TX a few weeks ago. At the race in Willis 'Doc Parsons' from Oklahoma spun the car out no less than eight times during hot laps, the heat race and then feature...what happened to the two spin rule? I did a Google search looking for anything regarding his experience in Mississippi and found a group 'MidSouthRacing.com' that covers MS, TN and AK...out of all of the racing in that area there was nothing mentioning Doc Parsons or any races or accidents resembling what is described here. Im wondering if the only injuries here resulted from the floor after falling from his bar stool!!!

I'm wondering if it wasn't Missouri as there are no 1/2 mile tracks in Mississippi.

[racer5c]

no offense to Doc, but I was following the facebook account of this "Race" and I'm wondering if someone hacked his account and was playing a prank on him, his f/b account is now gone and I'm trying to picture a late model barrel rolling 11 times from running over a tire

[Rootie Kazoootie]

Originally Posted by mac miller

.Read about it right here!!

http://indyroadsters.webs.com/apps/b...rs-never-raced

The Ray Nichels 485 hp Pumpjack you refer to in your article.

[Rootie Kazoootie]

Mario taking a spin up Pikes Peak about 43 yrs. ago. Notice the snow on the ground. Chances are pretty slim finding any of that up there these days.

[qmdv]

This may be the oldest one that I have of Ed Winfield with one of his cars when he was racing


Tim

[sideways27]

Originally Posted by Rootie Kazoootie

While I certainly appreciate those who "thought outside the box." They must have known the AAA would, and did, put the ky-bosh on anything that would, even remotely, threaten their core of Offy owners.

If USAC did not cut the the boost in 1977 the offy would have been still competitive and who knows how long the little 159 ci motor would have been running and winning at the speedway. This is not taken into consideration the V8 that Drake and Goosen left on the drawing board. What a little boost will do to a motor.

[Michael Ferner]

Originally Posted by Rootie Kazoootie

While I certainly appreciate those who "thought outside the box." They must have known the AAA would, and did, put the ky-bosh on anything that would, even remotely, threaten their core of Offy owners.

Hmm. Actually, there was nothing to threaten the Offy until USAC allowed the stock blocks to run with a healthy extra in cubic inches. Okay, that's USAC and not AAA (basically the same beast with a different name), but everything else is the exact opposite of your statement.

[Rootie Kazoootie]

Originally Posted by Michael Ferner

Hmm. Actually, there was nothing to threaten the Offy until USAC allowed the stock blocks to run with a healthy extra in cubic inches. Okay, that's USAC and not AAA (basically the same beast with a different name), but everything else is the exact opposite of your statement.

The AAA dropped auto racing like a hot potatoe in 55 and never looked back. Usac was a totally different org.

[296ardun]

Originally Posted by old age but great memory

Still another theory of the mystery of that horrendous crash is the mud covered and splattered wall in the #1 turn. Some speculate that so much mud was stuck to the wall that Branson could not tell the dirt surface of the track from the wall and misjudged his entry. Maybe that is the reason that many tracks now have WHITE painted walls with BLACK painted hash marks and the walls are kept clean between events by scraping the dirt covering off the walls ?

I wasn't there that night, but story that went around Blair's was similar...not only mud on walls but mud got into the track lighting and made the turn darker, Branson wasn't used to the track and didn't realize how far he had gotten into the turn...we'll never know for sure

[old age but great memory]

Originally Posted by Rootie Kazoootie

The AAA dropped auto racing like a hot potatoe in 55 and never looked back. Usac was a totally different org.

Exactly correct, you nailed it Rootie

[sramoa]

I find an interesting photo:Spider Webb in 1952 Indy 500-Carter Spl...



Is it true?

[Michael Ferner]

Originally Posted by sramoa

I find an interesting photo:Spider Webb in 1952 Indy 500-Carter Spl...



Is it true?

Can't be 1952. Carter sold the car to Jack Robbins in '51, who in turn sold it to Penny Mullis in '52. By May, it had a Cadillac stock block engine and was running NASCAR's Speedway Division.

Who says that's the Spider? The picture is far too blurred to make it out. Also, not quite sure if this is Indy.

[Michael Ferner]

Originally Posted by Rootie Kazoootie

The AAA dropped auto racing like a hot potatoe in 55 and never looked back. Usac was a totally different org.

USAC was a completely new organisation that was formed by former AAA men. They continued AAA's policies with nary a hitch in the road. But, for the sake of the argument, just look back to the thirties and how AAA tried to encourage stock block engines.

Your argument simply doesn't hold, and reciting that old racing myth about how Chrysler was fighting against the odds doesn't do it for me, either. Even if repeated ad nauseam, it's still a load of bollocks. I've often challenged the "keepers of the myth" to show me hard evidence, like for example the rule that allowed stock blocks to have more cubic inches, which the AAA allegedly receded. Trouble is, there never was such a rule. You can look it up in the Indy yearbooks, black on white, every year. No such rule in 1952, not in '53, not in the five years before or after. It's bollocks.

Chrysler just ran an oversized engine for some cheap publicity, and everybody fell for it. Sad, but true.