Dirt track drivers (then and to some extent, now) are sick men. Having a little bit of experience in the sport myself, I've always compared the fellas that live to drive dirty to an alcoholic - the truly dedicated know that what they are doing is ba... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
What I see in those eyes...is PRIDE. He's proud of the hot rod that he probably built by hand. He'll be even more proud when he stands in victory lane, having surpassed the other drivers' best efforts to build and drive a winning entry.
The 60x stock car was owned and driven by Cliff Kotary from Utica NY. I watched Cliff wheel the 60X at Maple Grove Speedway in Waterloo NY back in the 60s. Cliff was almost unbeatable for a couple of years and always stopped at the flagstand whenever he won a feature. The fans would storm the track and swarm all over Cliff and the 60X. Cliff had polio when he has a child and wore a metal brace on his right lower leg. One night after he won the feature and was still sitting in the car a little girl noticed the brace and said in a rather loud voice "look dad he has his foot bolted to the gas pedal!!" Cliff just smiled and thanked everone for celebrating with him. I'll never forget that. Proud... you bet and probably thankfull that a guy with a physical handicap could still be one hell of a gas man!
Growing up around Devils Bown and Thunderbird , I had friends that sold everything and lost familys to race dirt. I never did because of that . Much like a drug . Good post Ryan .
I grew up watching them on Friday nights, halfmiler. One of my favorite drivers was a guy with a 63 Ford 427 running in A stock. One time we went by his "house". He lived in a shabby, small, old trailer with the remains of race cars littering the yard and that nice R code Ford on the trailer out front. Yes he had a family and they loved it too. My most recent experience was just a fun bunch and we were running on a small local track in Alaska. Other than myself and a couple friends I think you would have to line up about 4 of those guys to have a whole set of teeth and most of them would be green.
I've been involved in the dirt track scene for 37 years. I raced for 19 of those years. I too compare the racing to a strong addiction. It's like once you get a taste you can't leave it alone. And the faster you go and the more you win the worse it gets. It takes a stong person do choose the right way to handle this>>>>.
Saw Cliff and others at several Central NY tracks back when I was a teenager and couldn't get enough racing. Utica Rome, Fulton, and the Dangerous D shaped Demon Brewerton Speedway. Wonder what Cliff's car was those three rear windows got me wondering......Hupmobile?????
I think he's going the right way.If the photo was taken from the infield with the car crossed up in the 2nd or 3rd turn.
Around the KCMO area this fela gots lots on old cars and the racetracks. http://grandpasracing.homestead.com/index.html Builds models too. VonDad
Rude and crude, but my favorite modified of all time. Out of Rapid City S.D., but on occasion would to roll into our little, local 1/4 mile and spank us real good.
I've never raced dirt, but we letter dirt cars from December through probably June. There is no doubt in my mind that the guys we deal with are addicted to racing as strong as any drug. A lot of the cars we letter race at Winder Barrow Speedway, if you have ever seen the movie "Greased Lightning", some of it was filmed here, it still looks the same.
I have the sickness! There are no 12 steps programs! I rarely drink, I don't do drugs, but this is my heroin! The car's so tight you have to throw it to turn. You only lift to set the car. You four wheel drift in until the right rear bangs the cushion. Your head slambs back and your sidways inches from the wall. Somewhere in you head you really believe you are in control. That is a high you can get from no drug!
i spent a bunch of money and time smashing fenders in the dirt but i was adicted to figure 8 racing even more than oval
YUP...couldnt agree more!!! There might be some out there that back it in more...but, damn this is fun...LOL, <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bqctyc7jnIE&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bqctyc7jnIE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> My Youtube... http://www.youtube.com/user/slopoke21m
Right way, in a drift coming out of the turn, counter-clockwise track. As somebody already said, taken from the infield
You reminded me of old times. When I think of those days, I remember the smell of castor oil and ether. We experimented with ether, don't even know if it helped, but the smell was part of racing. I bet you can't even buy it anymore, we would buy it in a pint can at the drugstore. Track was wet down before the race, too slick, drivers would all go out and circle around to get it about right, then before the race was over it would be dry and dusty. TACRA, (still have my membership card),little community of Marana, near Tucson AZ, then, now swallowed up by the big town. My daughter was a babe in her mothers arms, one day out of the delivery room in that environment. She don't know why, but racing is fun for her to watch! The rewards? Some made all the way to Indy from that meager dirt track, less than a 1/4 mile long, with winner of a main event knocking down fifty bucks. McClusky, Arnold, Bisch, Bishop, Paddoc, etc. were there. 1957-1960.
Louie Mansfield was a local legend. His kids were pretty hot sprint car drivers in the 80s. He went on to NASCAR to pit for someone. Somewhere along the line he had a horrible fire that left him with minimal use of his arms. He learned how to wrench on cars again. He had a set of special silverwear so he could get food to his mouth, you would see him out at the local diner. The families Auto Repair building is still out byI90 but is closed down and prob be bulldozed with all the new developement going on. Jalopy Jungle was one of our local junk yards........I had not heard that name in a LONG time
Whata yall say Start HAMB roadster racing?? take old t or even glass bodies and mild flathead or chev 6 drivetrain and sling some mud??? On another OT note, NW guys what's the cheap way to get into it, preferably running SBC, i'm 23, never really ran dirt, love it though, and Back when i was dumber in school i used to be a legend around the valley on the paved backroads, nobody ever pulled me on a corner
It defenately is a '33/'34 Ford 5 window !! My wife and I ran off and got married in Yuma 63 years ago in that wonderful old car........wish I had it back !
hot rods and racing have always been a hard balancing act for me. when I was a 14 year old I bought my first hot rod and worked on it for a year before they opened up a dirt track in town. my ole man started on as crew chief for a guy he worked with so we all went to the track every saturday (and usually working on the car a couple nights a week). I wasn't real keen on the idea, as it meant less time to work on my car, I gave it a chance and liked the place. the next year my ole man bought himself a car and decided to put my brother and I in it. After that I might as well have stuck a needle in my arm. that 32 ford sitting in the garage gathered dust and got moved around as we needed more race car room. my father tried to get me to sell it a few times but luckily I was smart enough to hold onto it. I ended up running minisprints and midgets for 8 years throughout new england. even ran some of that new fangled "ashfalt" stuff for a season. got a couple Rookie of the years, a couple championships and a bunch of wins. I ran whip city speedway, albany/saratoga, accord, canaan(dirt and ashfalt), waterford, seekonk, thompson, star, oswego, beach ridge, and probably a couple more I'm forgetting. I met more interesting characters than you could imagine and some great racetrack gals along the way. I got burnt out after my 8th season. i could (and did) drive that home track blind. I sold my car for good money and decided at the age of 23 I was going nowhere if I couldn't at least save some money for a house. I had every intention of going back racing as soon as funds would allow. 5 months later i was diagnosed with epilepsy after having a seizure and hitting a telephone pole. that was 6 years ago and I haven't stepped foot on a racetrack since. I've had offers but can't see putting other drivers at risk if by some strange chance I do have a seizure while driving. i just put up my garage this fall and my 32 ford should be moving into it shortly. I figure that by the time my 5 month old boy is ready to race his first go kart I should have it on the road. believe it or not the wife isn't against the idea.
Its a wonderful sickness, If you can race on your budget. Not your familys. I raced with guys over the years that couldnt afford the gas to get to the races and guys that could afford new parts daily. I raced when (I) could afford it. Yes I missed several races. This was my last race car I quit ten years ago after a quad bypass. Yes i love slinging dirt.
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