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

Yup,take all the aero-crap off,put the motors in front,some narrow tires on and drivers like Milk and donuts would be history-LOL

 

A little OT, but.... News out of Indy today is that Tony George is no longer the president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Not sure if that is good news or not? He has done a lot behind the scenes that doesn't make the news. We'll have to wait and see how this shakes out....
HG

 

How does that happen? You are born into the spot and the only way to go out is in a casket.


Please don't make Ecclestone the new guy at the helm. That would just be too gay.

 

Thanks for posting the pics... man I wish I had been able to make it. I would like to meet some of the guys I've been posting with. The only one I've met so far has been Jim Graybeal; he's an outstanding lad.
Blessings to everyone,
PK

 

Check out this video from the 100
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZVMXrg6Cco

 

The family and IMS are denying Robin Miller's story about TG being out. Jury's still out on what really is happening.

 

thats a complete different story if thats what he meant then I agree

 

Robin Miller has done more to hurt Indy Car racing and the IMS than anyone in history, I don't know why, other than he was on the CART payroll when he worked at the Indianapolis Star, his unnamed source is surely Steve Kriseloff,

 

Seems to me I remember Parsons saying one time (bemoaning the "buy a ride" mentality) in the 80s "My dad (who was in his 70s at the time) could flat foot one of these around!"

 

Roy;
Brian is exactly right; i meant that hundreds of talented guys busted their tails just to get a Champ Car license; to be allowed to try and pass their rookie test.
Just showing up with a big sponsor, or looking like a "boy toy" didnt get it done.
The front engine cars did seperate the men from the boys!

 

See Spike, we DO agree!!

Sean

 

here one jalopy.

 

I recieved this from the speedway today,
aXe
For Immediate Release

INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY STATEMENT
Wednesday, May 27, 2009

At a regular meeting of the board of directors of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 26, board members asked Tony George, chief executive officer of the IMS companies, to devise a plan for management of Hulman & Company, the Indy Racing League, Clabber Girl and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that would allow him to focus on the business which requires the greatest attention. This plan is to be presented to the board at a meeting later this year.

IMS Chairman of the Board Mari Hulman George said: “There was a general discussion about the challenges and opportunities facing all of our companies and where most of our energies need to be spent. All of our properties are doing well, given the challenges of the current economy. The Indy Racing League represents our greatest growth opportunity and therefore deserves the most attention at this point.”

Tony George said: “Contrary to published reports, I continue to serve as CEO of IMS. Our board of directors met yesterday, and we did discuss how to best confront challenges and exploit opportunities facing our businesses. This is nothing new and is something that we continually do as a board. But no changes in leadership or responsibility have been made. We don’t normally comment on board deliberations concerning our family business. However, the widespread, inaccurate reports and rumors caused my mother and me to conclude that it was necessary to set the record straight. If changes are made in the management of the company that are newsworthy, we will announce them when they are made.”

…IMS2009

 

Humpy Wheeler needs a job. We would be watching Indy Cars of Tomorrow but there would be one hellva pre-race show.

 

There's already a spec car for the IRL. How many different chassis/engine/tire combinations did you see on the starting grid at Indy?

 

pre- 69 sprint cars ?

 

no wings

 

awesome

 

This brings to mind---You had to be a jack of all trades............You had to have fabrication skills to make your hide worth paying during the winter months, be able to interact with those that money/influence or both,take a free meal in exchange for a speaking engagement, sleep on the hood or ground by the car when there wasn't a motel to afford.

Bust your car, then in many cases you had to go allllll the way back to the shop it came from sometimes,on a single axle trailer.

Watch your friends with less talent get the better rides until things sorted themselves out. And then hear them convincingly tell you about the 'new, lighter faster' car in the works.

Deal with the fact that women loved you as long as you had success and the affair was new. Only a very few true Ladies found a racer or vice versa.

One day you find yourself doing well, winning a few races and getting the glory---then you find out the car owner has a life insurance policy taken out on you to pay for the damage to the car if you get killed in it.




.............When the day came to run, sometimes it was 'war with rules', it was the one chance to make up for all the sacrifices you had to make.

 

A few more----

Finding out your "hero" is really a jerk who will cheat at racing and screw your woman given half the chance.

Seeing a 5 year old picture of a heat race feild , then realizing half of those guys are dead now.

-----------

Now the positive for a while

Indy in May
Meeting Tony Hulman
A good run in the presence of both
Offers on the table if your ride doesn't work, no contracts to muddle the issue
A clean, warm room at the Speedway Motel--The racers Hilton
Making all the right moves that pay off, and not entirely knowing why you did them at the time.
Looking in the rear-view mirror to see your roadster looking right back at you, and knowing it is prepped top notch.
A welcomed spot at The White Front when you were in town.

 

Not only would we have the spec parts but would be like "Carney" bumper cars with spring steel surrounding the whole car.
150mph on skinny tires, backin off to turn in, now we're racin boys

 

Hey Vintageracer37, look familiar? Got a cage, but still a long time ago!

www.autoracingmemories.com

 

Rootie I see you are from (or reside) in Colorado? Me too. Your collection of photos is insane! Thank you so much for sharing.

 

Roy-
I agree 100% about Miller. A big mouth who says whatever suits his agenda!
You are right about Krisiloff too. How the hell did he get any say at Indy? He started in Sprints in URC when i did; was then just a weird looking idiot who never did much back here in the East.

 

Yes..........

 

Mitch G.

OMG! Yes, that was a few years ago! That car originally belonged to Duane Harr (and Dennis Hall). It was an Edmunds "kit" car and when my dad bought it, it had a bolt on cage. Along with the deal came the "roll bar". Words cannot express how much I wish I had that car back! After we were done with it, we sold it to Lonnie Smith, and he wadded it up out at Raceland. He junked the frame and used the running gear to build a new car. A sad end

Sean

 

Spike, You could say he married well.

 

Bench Racing at Knoxville Lynn Paxton, "Speedy' Bill Smith, Steve Stapp, Scratch Daniels and Rollie Beale

 

Krissiloff was married to Tony's sister Josie for a while

 

Beale