History Vintage "Cageless" Midget Picture Thread

Mitch that is George Fonder in the #19 Ken Hickey car

 

I believe that is what the original caption read....I was going to give photo credit and I.D. but was kicked off the page before I could copy the info.

 

Here's another neat photo...someone was asking to I.D. the driver, my cross reference of photos made it look like Aaron Woodard out of Denver, he raced a bunch in the mid-west in 1948, when he wasn't driving for the Jimmie James team.

 

Mitch, photo probably Walt Imlay or Ray Masser would be my guess.

 

The discussion on that page leaned toward it being a Bob Mays photo?

 

From the Ron Heddendorf collection, still no exact I.D. of photographer...Rex Easton in the Tomshe Offy, Carl Forberg in his own Offy, Johnnie Parsons Sr....

 

Mitch...Woodard, Easton, Forberg and Parsons photos are from Soldier Field in Chicago, 1948. These were probably taken by Armin Krueger track photographer at that time

 

The great Johnny Thomson in one of his first rides, in the Bob McFee v8 out of Salem N.H.

 

Flats, his first ride was a car he built, if not mistaken. I think he lived across the street from a track.

 

Happy NEW YEAR , Jim. yes the first car he drove was his own that he built at the Blackstone garage were he worked after school. it was right down the street from his house on Rogers st. he painted " OH JOHNNY" on the cowl, the name of a popular song in the forties. and yes indeed he lived across from a small dirt track named Alumni Field , a popular midget track before W.W.two. his second ride was the one that i showed, his third ride was the well built Johnny Carroll v8 which he won the 1947 v8 bay state midget championship in. after that he graduated to the famous McCloud # 20 Offy and then to AAA winning the 1952 midget championship in the Smokey Secondo OFFY, and then to GREATNESS !

 

He was certainly a talent, my favorite.

Had time for the fans, and even the first driver with a fan club. The club was started by Ernie Saxton . Johnny only played along, not a force in making it happen.

 

Johnny Rice in the Hagadon Offy

 

Dracut, Mass. 1947, #75 Bobby Blair,#24 Oscar Ridlon,#29 Red Cummings

 

Johnny Black, 1948.

 

Rex Records in the beautiful Pew Offy.

 

Lonsdale, R.I. 1948.

 

Chet Gibbons

 

N.E.M.A. Champ Bill Eldridge

 

Al Herman

 

"Meatball" Orlando

 

Dutch Shaeffer

 

Chuck Arnold, Freddie Meeker, and Steve McGrath

 

Joe Sostilio and Johnny Bernardi in Sostilio's team cars

 

Davison racing team of Johnny Bernardi and Pappy Shubruk, this is the former Joe Sostilio cars

 

Jerry Russo in the Smokey Secondo Offy

 

Pappy Shubruk in the Koopman Offy, this was one of a potent 4 car team

 

Bill Eldridge in the former Sostilio 55

 

Look at the crowded bleachers, typical of the early post war events.

 

How big was the track in Lonsdale, R.I.?
Years ago we raced in West Greenwich, R.I. but I never knew about Lonsdale.
Jimbo

 

Great pic's Flats. Thanks!