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

Scott,
I am on Lake Okeechobee in Lakeport.
Yes my Dad is the one who named the car the Southern Star. He owned it from about 1940 to 1950. It was one of the best know sprint cars of that era. He amost always got appearance money plus what the car won. Bill France callled him a few times to bring the Southern Star to the Carolinas so he could avertise the Southern Star was going to be there. Dad said France gave him $200 or more plus what the car won. Dad had a lot of good dricers in the car over the years but Bill Cantrell drove it the most [about 5 years]. Joie Ray [the Black driver]
Thanks for asking,
Jim also drove it a lot and won his only feature in it.

 

.....'Rootie, I too am thoroughly enjoying sm66p's pics from the Bob Bergeron Collection. And jjones752, 'that's the first thing I thought of when I saw that pic of JR. Because he only got to run the car twice. The first race at Reading (PA) and then he and Wally went to Eldora and away he went!!!
This photo of JR in #1 and Mario Andretti in #9 at Reading is from the Dick Wallen book. I wish that when the guys post pics, they could identify who they are, especially since a lot of us don't readily recognize a lot of the IMCA drivers. But, post #10568, far left looks like the great "One Armed Bandit!"

 

Post 10554 - 1968 Little 500
Left pic.. 14 - Benny Rapp, 98 Ray Wright
Middle.... 5 - Gene Bell
Right..... 26 - Wayne Funk

 

Post 10557 - 4.3.66
6 - Don Branson
1 - Johnny Rutherford
26 - Al Smith
4(1) - ?

 

#10556- Gordon Wooley #1
#10565- #94 appears to be Tassi Vattis's champ car, probably Homeier up, 1959/60

 

I was working on a, rudimentary at this point, website in honor of my Dad, Jim Ruth (you may know him as Spike Ruth on here) and his years as a sprint car driver. I'll be doing more work on it, to better it, but I thought I'd post a link to it so that it can be bookmarked for the future. There are a number of photos on there for now, so please feel free to take a look.

It is linked below:


http://JimRuthRacing.yolasite.com

 

The #3 in post 10564 is Englewood Speedway, Englewood CO probably 1959 when the BCRA (Big Car Racing Assoc.)ran sprints and champ cars on the 1/3 mile dirt oval. I can't recognize the driver, but check out the Corvette trophy car in the background! Maybe Gordon Herring?

 

#41 Is probablyHenry(Hank) Jacoby, of Franklin,Pennsylvania, in the Waclaski and Jacoby #4 (renumbered as #41) Trevis Craft built "low rail" sprinter. Hank was quite a runner on the western Penna. supeumodified circuit in the early to mid 1960's. He was quite a nice guy as well. John S.

 

Can anyone Identify the roadster behind the #14 sprinter that I think is Benny Rapp of Toledo,Ohio???? The roll bar and toai appear to be that of the old Jim Robbins car! John S.

 

Scott: Is the #11 a URC car that later was driven by Bryant Ingalls? John S.

 

You're right Mitch, a young Gordon Herring.

 

thanks for the great photos sm66p.liked the shot of Horstmeyer in the Johnson Offy in post 10565.Somewhere stashed away I have a photo of the Johnson Offy with a roll cage and Wing!!!

 

Thanks for using a photo of my Foyt stained glass window. Over the years I have done two Novi windows.
Steve

 

Five GRRRRREAT pages of pictures that track your Dad's .. Jim (Spike) Ruth's .. career as a sprint car driver.

THANKS. I'll be sure to follow it.

 

A couple of significant Allentown pics. 9-24-60... Johnny Thomson was killed shortly after, on the 1st lap. 9-21-63.... Johnny White went on to win his only USAC sprint car feature in the Fike #1.

 

Yeah, that is an awesome peice of art there, Couldn't help but have it in there.

 

I'm going to pat my friend Steve Bonesteel on the back, because he would never do it himself. Steve is just like most of the rest of us -- loves these great old cars, gets his hands dirty in his backyard shop, and tows his vintage Don Thomas sprint roadster and his Rasmussen car (both of which he restored himself) to the races on his open trailer. But then he goes where none of us go -- downstairs to his stained-glass art studio where he turns out these fantastic, world-class 3' x 5' race car masterpieces. I'm no stained glass expert, but I know that I've never seen better stuff anywhere. Go to www.stevebonesteel.com and see if you don't agree.

 

.....'Hey Rootie, 'That's a might impressive list of drivers that drove that Fike Plumbing car! 'Love that pic of the 1963 Chevy Impala Convertible pacing the field, especially with Foyt in that #21 car that he bought from Elmer George. Also, thanks again to sm66p for going back into his archives for some more pics of Chuck Amati and Wally's #1 & #9 cars. We'll have to notify our friend NedFry, who besides Wynns#1, is such a big fan of Wally's #1, that he built his own replica of that very car.

 

The 'story' goes that White wasn't above using a slide job a time or two. A week or two later A.J. took exception to that practice and gave him a "attitude ajustment" at W/G I believe. Or so the story goes.

 

Any pics of the Rasmussen car? I am curious,and I love sprint roadsters. John S.

 

Does anybody know who is "shoeing" the Lowther "Deuce" in the first photo. Cat had lots of history in Pittsburgh,Pa. as both a sprinter and as a super-modified, in the late 50's and early to mid 60's. John S.

 

Rootie,
I agree with you from what I heard years ago about AJ and White [I think Aj was put on probation]. I have also heard that JR said the car was not all that good. Makes PJ GOOD?
Jim

 

Yeah it must have been a real shitbox. I mean, P. J. only had 25 USAC sprint car wins, most if not all in that car, and who knows how many IMCA/CRA wins. A real crate for sure.

 

Hi Old Bill,
Can not remember if in a previous page we have discussed the Holynski, red #96 that Jim Hurtubise drove to 2nd place at Reading one day. As I remember, it had an Offy with a chome roll cage. Did Steve Travers drive it also? Who built it and where did it go? Thanks in advance!

 

Got a few for ya!!....Rich

 

Thank you Larry.

 

Joe>Steve Travers did drive the car in Western Pa.I remember seeing the car run as a super-modified in a long distance,end of the season invitational on the 1/2 mile at Heidelberg Raceway.Idon't know who built it,but something in my memory points to a connection of some sort with the McMillen Engineering brothers(Jim and Dave)from Elwood City. I also remember that at that time,Steve Travers called New Castle,Penna. his home.Elwood City is very close to New Castle. I believe his son Dick still lives in Dubois,Pa.I vaguely remember Bob Burriss driving a car at Clinton,Penna's Greater Pittsburgh Speedway with the same rollbar configuration. Was this the same car?????????? John S.

 

I'd love to hear more about the Holynski 96 car because I believe it was in this area[eastern ND] for many years.It had a chrome dragster style rollcage.The upper frame rail had been widened to clear small block chev heads.It was owned and driven while in this area by Gary Akason[sp?]After several years of use and abuse the chassis sat behind one of the Akason family barns.Then if my 58 year old memory is correct Greg Schnieder from MN bought the car on one of his many buying trips to this area.Last I heard the frame was in the Moline Ill. area amongst many other chassis a collector stores there.
p.s. Akason only used the dragster cage for a few years and then put on a more conventional cage-but the original chrome cage did sell with the car.

 

Ok, here is some of the story. A few years ago Pat York told me he had the Eldon Rasmussen USAC sprint roadster frame and a some parts no body rearend with some suspension parts,well a pile of pipes, but Pat had the history and names of owners after Eldon. I have recrated the frame and suspension and running gear close to how Eldon had it. And here it goes, I started building the body, starting with the belly pan, at this point I couldn't help myself, It now has a beautiful Watson type roadster body, but still a sprint car, with aluminium center section and fiberglass nose and tail. I have not figured out how to post photos yet but I will work on that. By the way if there are any old parts to the car out there in the midwest let me know.

 

Is the Tom York roadster the same car? John S.