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

Back in 1953 Illiana Speedway ran 4 AAA sprint car races and local driver, Roy Newman, ran a Studebaker sprint car but did not qualify for the feature events

 

Might that have been later, or possibly a big flathead 6?

The 232 Studebaker V8 debuted in 1955, the Cadillac 331 in 1949. Interestingly I find, the Studebaker engine also had more horsepower per cubic inch of displacement (0.517 hp per CI) than the Cadillac engine (0.483 hp per CI).

I know IMCA did not limit engine size but I suspect AAA did.

 

I love everything about this car, especially the Studebaker engine. I also had a big smile on my face as I look at the back wall of the shop in the second picture.......filled with classic black and white "girly"calendars and pin up art.....all sorts of "art" in this shop.

 

28dreyer; Supposedly that 5-main block was a 'one-of' specifically for Leo Goosen's 'pet project' of building a supercharged 1-1/2 litre engine to comply with the (at that time) Speedway rules. The other supercharged midget engines that I've seen or heard of were usually ordinary 3-main midget blocks with a Rootes-type supercharger attached to the end of the crank( the Caruso Offy is a good example) ; they seemed to be strong enough for most owners, but Goosen apparently wanted an engine that would live for 500mi at that kind of rpm, & didn't want to risk the "Offy Reputation" by having one 'come-apart' during such an important race. It was a shame that the car was never 'presented' at the Speedway, as it would have been interesting, but when both the owner & his driver didn't always 'get-along' with the AAA officials, it just wasn't going to happen. PM me & I'll give you some more info(I'm remembering info told me more than 20 yrs ago, & some of it comes back slowly)

 

I know every thing there is to know about this car . It is Kurtis chassis X1, built by Johnny Parsons and Tom Barnes.

 

ended up CRA championship car of kenny worth driven by Colby Scroggin. Its in my barn.

 

Well, that certainly livened things up for a few minutes. Thanks to all those who pointed out the the wrongness of my thinking. It is nice to come to a thread where one's errors are pointed out in a constructive manner rather than with a scalding hot blast of attitude.

I based my original thoughts on the pictures of the roadster body work in post 24439 and the last car shown in post 24483. In the first case the reflection from the metal looks like glass with resin only or possibly clear gelcoat. On second look, I think I was seeing the result of sanding and metal finishing. It is also possible to see weld seams that I missed previously. In the second case, I think I confused finished paint for colored gelcoat.

Roo - I have to admit that it didn't make much sense to make the other body panels out of glass when aluminum is a better and easier alternative.

Overall when considering the time frame here and the attendant best practices of the time, it didn't make sense to me that the body pieces I was seeing would be fiber glass. Not to mention that the state of the art for fiber glass at that time probably would not have allowed for surface finishes that looked that good.

Besides, give me a break. I've had two cataract surgeries and I don't catch some of the details as well as I used to.

Again my thanks to everyone who pointed out the errors of my ways. It's nice to have a place where a broken down old circle burner can come to relive the old days. Keep this thread alive.

 

Sorry, I think you might have misconstrued my reply, my intention wasn't to "dis" on your comments.

 

Norm Hall slinging some dirt in the Sorenson roadster, Sacto 1960.

 

First V8 I saw in a sprint car was a Cadillac at Salem in the early 50s. Then, after three years overseas, the next were at the 1960 Memorial Day race at Vacaville when I was on my way home. Following that came Parnelli Jones' Fike Plumbing Special at Salem the same year, and the rest, I guess, is history.

 

The 1952 NASCAR Speedway Div. was all stock block cars, mostly flatheads and 6 cyl. but there were several Caddy and Chry. ohv v-8 cars.

 

That's Buck Baker with the 1941 Indianapolis 500 winning car.

Bob Harkey was friends with Buck (he drove for him several times) and knew where this particular car ended up. Many years later he helped the IMS museum purchase the car so that it could be restored as it was in 1941. It's been on display there ever since.

 

No offence taken. I made a call based on an inaccurate observation going in and was just hoping to stimulate some conversation when I commented.

 

Repowered, repainted, renumbered, and maybe refinanced.

 

D. Rathman, Ed Elisian, and Jimmy Reece have their own pace lap. 1958.

 

Looking kinda like a bomb on wheels, the Hinkle 49 is buttoned up and ready to hit the road. I can imagine the looks they must of gotten as they passed through "Smalltown USA" while traveling the pre-interstate hiways of 1950.

 

Roy Newman, was a friend of mine. He also was an Organ player who moved to the poconos of Pa. I could write a book about his racing career. when he was living in pa he would bring his Hammond Organ to my movie party He gave me some of his trophies photos and a bunh of Householders memorabilia. he drove the former 4 wheel drive car for him at soldiers field ans beat House and Johnny woefeild who were driving Ronnies Kurtis`s Ihave no other sprint photos of him but maybe I could sneak a midget pic or two in

 

" Small Town USA" Back in the open trailer days it was always fun to tow a sprinter with Indiana plates on the rig out of state. The first question you got from the natives during a stop was " Is that one of them cars they race at the Indy 500? "

 

Dee Jones in the Miller #2 at Ascot 1963.

 

Mad Man Muntz as the next door neighbor...

 

Stan
I first met Roy Newman at Soldier Field in Chicago in 1952. At that time he was driving the Evans Offy #56. In 1953 and 1954 he drove the Dairy Queen Offy #44. He played the Hammond Organ at the Lansing Tap in Lansing, Illinois. I also played the Hammond Organ and sometimes he would come to my house in Crown Point, Indiana and we would trade some music together. I lost track of Roy after he moved to PA until he showed up at one of Emil Andres old time banquets. When he left he told me he would write or call but I never heard from him again. Please post the midget shots as mine have come up missing

 

I have got a strange question, you see the cars at the track and in Gasoline Alley, where did they put all the trailer's?

 

Mostly parked along the perimeter fence.

 

When I was a kid and went to time trials for the first time in 1958, we sat at the north end of the grandstands on the front stretch just as you came out of turn 4. I was surprised to set dozens of car trailers sitting there. Some al doled up with custom paint and car numbers painted on and others plain jane. That area today is full of grandstand seating so I have no idea where they park the zillion dollar transporters now. It was absolute fun for a 9 years old kid to see. It was also lots of fun for a MUCH older kid and his family to see again this year for the 100th. Indy racing has changed over the years . But Indy still has all the magic it did for that 9 year old back in the dark ages..

 

race chaser, Bruce craig and I flew out to that Emil Andres party. Roy was surprised that so many of the folks remebered him. Do you know the story of when he went blind ?

 

Larry Beckett in the good looking Jack Sheppard Spl. unknown track 1930s.

 

That looks exactly like the Mac Miller Boyle Valve recreation!

 

Porky Rachwitz was my grandpa. His wife, Elaine Passed away last year. In going through her belongings we came across a ton of photos and scrapbooks from when my grandpa raced. I'm totally obsessed now with finding out all I can about his career. My dad, Mike, Porky and Elaine's oldest son is a wealth of information. Great stories. I'll get with him and start going through all of the photos, etc. and see what I can come up with. I knew Don Weaver when I was a very young child, my grandpa would take me to the body shop a lot

 

My picture of Porky

http://www.thevintageracer.com/jimnise/nise_portraits1.htm

enjoy