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

Discussion in 'Traditional Hot Rods' started by Joshua Shaw, Jan 17, 2008.

  1. SteveE
    Joined: Feb 16, 2008
    Posts: 74

    SteveE
    Member
    from Ohio

    [​IMG]


    Jerry Poland

    Thanks to Jim Simon for the pic of the Ray Smith champ car.
     
    Last edited: Oct 12, 2008
  2. Joshua Shaw
    Joined: Feb 7, 2007
    Posts: 2,191

    Joshua Shaw
    Member


    Iv'e heard of these and seen how they work but never thought about them being used to fire a Sprinter..

    Very interesting and Cool, Thanks!

    ----------------------------------------------


    JARACER. Welcome! I'm sure you'll enjoy the amount of info some of these guys can come up with.

    That being said, If it was USAC in the 70's or 80's Roy Caruthers (Racer5c) is pretty damn good at remembering names.. and places.. and what color shirt the guy was wearing.. and what tire pressure the 6th car in the B main was running in his left rear!:D

    Sorry Roy, Your memory amazes me to no end! I can't get enough.

    JD
     
  3. indybigjohn
    Joined: May 22, 2008
    Posts: 1,713

    indybigjohn
    Member Emeritus

    Took this photo at Salem in the summer of 1961. Foyt is checking over his sprinter at Salem. I'm sure somebody on this thread will be able to identify the other folks in this thread. Other than A.J., the only one I know is to his left, a guy from Louisville named Stuart Sampson...

    [​IMG]
     
  4. Here are some photos I took at the Winchester Old Timers day. Before you ask, yes I was laying on the track when these were took.
    Gene :D
     

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  5. Blacki-Suede
    Joined: May 19, 2008
    Posts: 202

    Blacki-Suede
    Member

    I was discussing the Elder cars with someone that was there (Ray Chaike, the USAC starter at the time). He says these cars were built by Junior Knepper, yea Arnie Knepper's (a driver in the day) brother. Ray has a wealth of knowledge from "back in the day", but no computer. The stories go on forever. Don Brown, Wally Meskowski, Jack Steck, Stapp, Watson, on and on and on.

    Blacki Suede
     
  6. Joshua Shaw
    Joined: Feb 7, 2007
    Posts: 2,191

    Joshua Shaw
    Member

    Yes Blacki-Suede, Ray's is a great guy. One of those guys that you learn to just be quiet and listen, because he is going to drop some serious knowlege and great stories!!

    I'd love for everyone on here to hear the story "from Ray" about him and a "helper" sneaking in and flooding the dirt track with the sprinklers cause they didn't have dirt tires. The plan, as I understand it, was that there was both a dirt, and a pavement track there, and if everyone showed up with dirt tires, but the dirt track was ruined... there would be no choice but to run the pavement track, giving them the advantage cause they would be the only ones with Pavment tires mounted up.

    --------------------------------------------


    Now, switching gears.. I just finished "Lone Wolf" the Doug Wolfgang book. IT WAS GREAT!! PLEASE, TRY TO READ THIS BOOK! Yes, its a great story with all the good racing tales you would expect, but Wolfgang puts it all out there.. How he felt, how he delt with things, and why he did what he did. This is a book that makes you think about your own struggles no matter how large or small, and how to prevail.

    A Couple details about the book:

    KIETH KAUFFMAN is a BADASS!!:D Trust me! You'll laugh out loud!

    and this is directly from the book, word for word. It's talking about Lealand McSpadden. it goes like this:

    "Lealand used to mess with us, and i thought he was kidding around. After a big crash, he'd say to his mechanics, "Say, you can do a plug check now, because I always turn the fuel off when I start to crash. I cleaned the the engine out on the way down!"
    Then one day someone showed me a photo. Lealand was literally 180-degrees upside down, sailing through the air, directly in front of the old Ascot signat the track. And sure enough, you can see his arm reaching up and turning off his fuel! All that time I thought he was kidding, but he was absolutely serious!"


    Now, of coarse your asignment is to find this picture! It might of even already been posted but I didn't know to look for and what was going on. It sounds far fetched, but.. you never know! I've had crashes before in karts and cars that later, I was amazed at what I was thinking about during it, and things I could tell the car owner that I heard break, or even know what parts we were gonna have to look at.. wierd.

    JD
     
  7. racer5c
    Joined: Nov 30, 2002
    Posts: 2,218

    racer5c
    Member

     
  8. racer5c
    Joined: Nov 30, 2002
    Posts: 2,218

    racer5c
    Member

    I loved that place!!!! was the first place I ever passed Rich Vogler( ok so his arm was broken big deal) he could still drive better with one arm that most anybody I ever saw with two
     
  9. racer5c
    Joined: Nov 30, 2002
    Posts: 2,218

    racer5c
    Member

    ok so this is to new but I thought you all might like to see it anyway, I guess they didnt have change for the car wash
     

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  10. cheezburgers
    Joined: Sep 12, 2005
    Posts: 37

    cheezburgers
    Member
    from indiana

    looks like TSR RACING needs to join Triple AAA and use the free towing option......... oh and please send the CARFAX Report
     
  11. jusjunk
    Joined: Dec 3, 2004
    Posts: 3,138

    jusjunk
    BANNED
    from Michigan

    Where was that? thats funny..
    Dave
     
  12. cheezburgers
    Joined: Sep 12, 2005
    Posts: 37

    cheezburgers
    Member
    from indiana

  13. Hey guys, We need some info on this car to help put the finishing touchs on the Winchester Old Timers day. Any info appreciated.
    Thanks, Gene
     

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  14. mac miller
    Joined: Jan 13, 2007
    Posts: 524

    mac miller
    Member
    from INDY

    The Vivian Buick USAC sprint car was a regular competitor in the mid to late 60s owned by Dale Doty of Camden, Ohio and driven by Bob Pratt and Al Smith........ Don't know who owns it now!
     
  15. Joshua Shaw
    Joined: Feb 7, 2007
    Posts: 2,191

    Joshua Shaw
    Member

    Steve Bixler (wing racer) owns the Vivian Buick car now here in Cincinnati. It was his dads car at one time. Richcraft mike can give ya the whole story, I'll call him and tell him to get on here and fill ya in. Mike posted it on the first page of this thread cause he painted it, and it was sitting in his shop at the time. My dad lettered it. Steve is a great guy.


    JD
     
  16. indybigjohn
    Joined: May 22, 2008
    Posts: 1,713

    indybigjohn
    Member Emeritus

    Slightly OT, but hey, Jimmy! Does this bring back memories? Working that little track at the Salem fairgrounds when it was only an eighth-mile.

    [​IMG]

    BTW, guys, I've still got that copy of Open Wheel No. 1 at $125 if anybody wants it.
     
  17. 4tl8ford
    Joined: Sep 1, 2004
    Posts: 1,087

    4tl8ford
    Member
    from Erie, Pa

    I was searching the net for something and ran across this photo site, lots of open wheels vintage to new
    (Ah- a few shakers too.)

    http://www.pbase.com/alan/root
     
  18. rustyrail
    Joined: Oct 13, 2008
    Posts: 33

    rustyrail
    Member

    Another site to check:
    www.highbankedvintageracing.com
    Don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but it has mid west supers as well as vintage sprints.
    This is the web page for the Kansas Antique Racers, Colorado Vintage Oval Racers, and the Mississippi Valley Vintage Race Car Association.
    After you look at the galleries, pull up the MVVRCA site as there are more pictures of their events.
     
  19. Racer12
    Joined: Feb 23, 2008
    Posts: 125

    Racer12
    Member

    Yeah Roy I remember watching Rich win one night at IRP. He drove most of the feature holding the left side of the hood down in the Aristocrat #2v. That guy was and still is my hero! FLAT OUT every lap every race.

    Bob Shutt
     
  20. Joshua Shaw
    Joined: Feb 7, 2007
    Posts: 2,191

    Joshua Shaw
    Member

    I saw that race as well! I was young but Dad and I were big Vogler fans and was cracking up at that! What a racer..

    ...
     
  21. Joshua Shaw
    Joined: Feb 7, 2007
    Posts: 2,191

    Joshua Shaw
    Member

    I went to the California Hot Rod Reunion this past weekend. No sprinters but one suprise was the amount of SIX PIN HALABRANDS in the swap meet!
    There were probably 25 various sizes and styles there, which I think is a lot. But, they ALL had a hefty price tag on them. The first one I saw was a 16x8 standard big window Hal, I priced it for the hell of it... $850!! Thats where the rest of them started as well. I realize there bringing that on Ebay, but at a swap meet? Well, I didn't see any sell but Who knows, and to each his own, more power to em'..

    But! Amoung the different piles, I did run into one interesting guy. He was nice and knew a lot about Hals. But one set he had was a mystery to me!

    Here they are, They were 18 inch!! The negative offset made me think Indy right away. Upon closer inspection I notice they had the word "Goodyear" molded on the back of them , as well as "Halibrand" and "6.5 offset" The guy mentioned that they said "Thompson" somewhere but I forgot to look for it, maybe it was on the front. The owner thought they might have been made for Mickey Thompson.. maybe for a salt flats car?? I don't know, They also had the smaller six pin pattern.

    Kinda neat.. Check them out and tell me what you know or think. (as with anything at this stage.. They might have already been posted!)

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]


    Here are some other wheel he had. The five lug "No Window Dish" Hals were 16"x6 The pair of two were $1200 More than I'd pay, but.. if you need them to complete a car correctly..??... You gotta do it.

    [​IMG]


    These rears were cool too. The "finned" pressure plates were molded into them. I've seen them before but rarely..

    [​IMG]

    J Shaw
     
  22. Joshua Shaw
    Joined: Feb 7, 2007
    Posts: 2,191

    Joshua Shaw
    Member

    Mickey tried some goofy shit, but I still have not found the wheels above.. The 18" size is whats throwing me off...??...

    These are from the right "off set era" but I'm pretty sure they were all down to 15 inchers by then..??..

    [​IMG]



    [​IMG]


     
  23. Joshua Shaw
    Joined: Feb 7, 2007
    Posts: 2,191

    Joshua Shaw
    Member

    but, it looks like Mickey always ran Goodyears at Indy, so...??..

    [​IMG]

    These might well be 18's but there too narrow..

    [​IMG]


    ????
     
  24. Don't forget "Sheraton-Thompson. Occasionally every 10 years I come across a pair of wheels much like these in a smaller size that has NOVI stamped on the back. Of all places, here in Oklahoma! Bet there's a story behind that.
     
  25. Funny how those "molded in pressure plate wheels" remind me of todays splined rear sprint car models. With most nothing being new under the sun in racing, just evolved, makes me wonder when a cross-spring front suspension car is going to come out to revolutionize sprint cars!


    ................ya know, i do really wonder what would happen if you made a carbon fiber like cross spring and got the extra weight off of the front.(?)
     
  26. racer5c
    Joined: Nov 30, 2002
    Posts: 2,218

    racer5c
    Member

    how bout the time he ran second at Terre Haute in I think it was Bowens sprinter, tore the belly pan off was bicycling and running through the holes with NOTHING but the pedals under his feet
     
  27. racer5c
    Joined: Nov 30, 2002
    Posts: 2,218

    racer5c
    Member

    How could he not be the best hell look at his mom


    his Dad






    and 16 yr old me wrenching on my dad's car he was driving My dad was in the hospital with cancer most of the year, I took care of the car mostly by myself did I say I was 16 yrs old? ( we won that night) and we won the national championship, but then again Rich coulda won in a wheel barrow
     

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  28. Graham08
    Joined: Oct 2, 2007
    Posts: 146

    Graham08
    Member

    Actually that's been done. The Graves supermodifieds built in the late '80's to early '90's had a fiberglass cross spring in the front.

    You're right, nothing new under the sun. I have a bunch of late-model Weld six pin wheels with the pressure plate machined into the center. They call them "center lock" wheels.
     
  29. Graham08
    Joined: Oct 2, 2007
    Posts: 146

    Graham08
    Member

    Denny Hudock emailed me this pic and some info about the Bill Zipay sprinter I had talked about a couple pages back. I thought this was a Leffler car, and was way off on the construction year. Turns out it was actually a Trevis car, and was one of several built with a wide engine compartment to accept a Ford engine. Even though it has a Chevy in this photo, Bill ran Fords more often than not.
     

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  30. indybigjohn
    Joined: May 22, 2008
    Posts: 1,713

    indybigjohn
    Member Emeritus

    I have to agree completely, Roy. When NSSN had that poll for the best midget driver of all time, my vote went to Rich, and they even printed my quote. He was a great friend, too, as I'm sure you know.

    By the way, you saying he could have won in a wheelbarrow reminds me of something I was told once by Milt Hartlauf when he was the promoter at Louisville. Guys were yammering to get rules changed because they thought the present rules favored some drivers, and he said, "Hell, the cream always rises to the top. We could make 'em race on bicycle tires and the same guys would win."
     

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