In the text it says that the driver was missing his apexes. I don't think so. He was spinning the car out for the camera and the car was doing exactly what he wanted it to do. How many guys do you know who can spin a car out and wind up going forward without touching anything, several times. He always winds up going straight. Whoever it is, he knows what he is doing. Ahhh, Hollywood, thou art drama!
I'm no big fan of Nascar,but some of you think there's nothing to driving one of these cookie cutter cars at 190 mph inches from another car,while the whole time the car is sliding around.Take a young Junior Johnson and put him in todays cars and he would be great.Just like taking a great driver today and putting him back then,be a winner
I like on the mugg shot...occupation...."Hot Rodder" and in the film clip ..definetly drive it like you stole it.. drfting before drifting was cool..or at least by todays standards
Awesome clip...I love how he just kisses the wall with the tail end on that last lap-just a touch to straighten it back up...pretty fancy drivin'! EW
If you want to see the best Ascot Park Gardena racing from ANY Hollywood movie get the movie "PIT STOP". Filmed in 1967 and black & white, by far the most images of Ascot during the 1960s.
What ever happened to the movie that was being made about Junior Johnson? 'Whiskey Beginnings' or something like that? That hillbilly kid from Slingblade was supposed to play JJ.
Yeah, the story and acting were corny to say the least, but great racing footage. I'm surprised nobody brought up the pick up truck Ned drove to the test track as his only transportation. Would have to review the movie again, but I think it was an early 30's Ford. They sent him out on the track in the car knowing it was so far off on the set up that only a real driver would be able to hang on to it. When he came back in, he asked Mike Marsh if he could drive the car set up the way it was. Mike said "Yeah, in a straight line" That's the reason for all the spins in the footage. In the movie, that's what got Ned his first ride. Like I said, corny but cool. Still worth a watch for sure....... Just checked the youtube clip and you can see the pick up. It's even older than I thought Sure looked like Junior Johnson seat of the pants driving talent to me.......
Not sure about a modern NASCAR driver going back in time and driving a real stock car. No power steering, no radios, no spotters telling them go high or low, no cool suits, tires not as good. Yea, the modern cars go fast, but so did the old ones. Think Buddy Baker was first to turn a 200mph lap in 1970 in a 426 hemi powered Dodge. None the less, it still takes big balls to go 190 in a pack of cars inches away from each other.
Footage shot by legendary racing photographer and author, Dick Wallen. Here's me on the left and Dick on the right. The guy in the middle is some guy named Gurney, or something like that. This was in 1975. Dick and I worked together for many years...great guy. Dick's racing footage is in the millions of feet of movie film. Here's some of Dick's footage of the drags in the early 60's that Ryan posted awile back...featuring Pure Hell.......... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=2328
I think almost all the current drivers would have no problem at all.Driving skill is is skill do matter what type car you drive.Guys like Stewart drive dirt track on their own time.The new cars are formula Nascar racers with power steering.But they do have nearly 800 hp and skinny tires for that power.I don't believe any older big block cars had that kind of power. I say the level of competition in modern Nascar is never been more intense. Just cause we don't like the cookie cutter cars,radios and spotters, doesn't mean those guys ain't fuckin racing hard.
I say the level of competition in modern Nascar is never been more intense. Just cause we don't like the cookie cutter cars,radios and spotters, doesn't mean those guys ain't fuckin racing hard. Well said.I don't care for NASCAR but that is tough driving. 40 years ago Tom Wolfe wrote a great short story about Junior Johnson. "The Last American Hero": http://www.esquire.com/features/life-of-junior-johnson-tom-wolfe-0365
Towards the end there, that looked about right for Ascot. And yes, dirt will make the tires howl at you just like asphalt will, only at slightly lower volume. Even on modern dirt cars, wearing modern tires, if it's dry slick and you can't hear the tires moaning and squalling, you aren't trying hard enough.
That was for the movie redline7000. They painted cars to look like the nascar cars so they could use stock shots from real races. They filmed on monday and tuesday after the weekend races that is why the track is dry slick. Right after the got done on Tuesday the track crew would start digging up the track to get ready for the weekend. The drivers that did the stunt driving as I remember were Oren Prosser, Ron Hornaday, Clem Proctor, Jim Blomgren. They were local Ascot and Saugus racers that ran the nascar Pacific coast division. Later to be called Winston west.
I was searching around about some other things... kinda related to Junior Johnson and I stumbled across this oral history interview he gave in June of 1988. It covers his whole life, upbringing, how things used to be in his area... they talk about racing as a driver, a owner, etc.. Anyway, I found it pretty interesting. It was recorded at the race track, and you can hear the race cars buzzing by in the background. -W ---- Oral History Interview with Junior Johnson, June 4, 1988. Interview C-0053. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007). http://docsouth.unc.edu/sohp/C-0053/ Audio with Transcript Listen Online with Text Transcript (Requires QuickTime and JavaScript) Transcript Only (45 p.) HTML file XML/TEI source file Download Complete Audio File (MP3 format / ca. 172 MB, 01:34:00) MP3 Abstract Born in Wilkes County, North Carolina, in the early 1930s, Junior Johnson describes what it was like to grow up in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where moonshining was a commonplace local enterprise. It was because of moonshining, in fact, that Johnson first learned to drive cars, having watched his father and older fathers "haul whiskey." Drawn to cars and fast driving at an early age, Johnson soon became a well-known stock car driver in the region. Johnson speaks at length about what it was like to be one of the founding participants in the then-nascent industry. According to Johnson, stock car drivers were motivated by a competitive drive and a desire to race for the sake of racing. Moreover, Johnson discusses how stock car drivers in the 1950s were known for their propensity to party and shirk the law. He was able to avoid the former, but not the latter, and served eighteen months in prison for moonshining, which he describes as a positive, life-altering experience. He retired from driving at the age of thirty-one, having accomplished all of his racing goals. From then on, Johnson participated in the building of the NASCAR empire by running his own race team. From an insider's perspective, Johnson describes the technological innovations that shaped the evolution of the sport and the changing role of sponsors and audience. In addition to describing his role in the shaping of NASCAR, Johnson talks about his other business endeavor as a poultry farmer for Holly Farms in Wilkes County. Following his success with NASCAR, Johnson and his wife (a childhood sweetheart) returned to Wilkes County as their home base. He describes how that area changed over the course of his lifetime. Finally, Johnson briefly discusses Tom Wolfe's interview of him and his short prison sentence in the 1950s. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junior_Johnson
There will never be any better racing that that thats was done in the 50's 60's. It was the real deal when cars were real cars.Todays racing is no more than rules and more rules.I think the only factory parts left is the hood,roof and deck lid and in the motor department the blocks. The rest is after market
I found this motion picture while browsing YouTube last night. The title is something along the lines of "Junior Johnson at Ascot Park." However, at the end of the clip you can see the name "Mike Marsh" painted on as the driver's name. Even so, the d... To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.[/QUOTE] Ned Arp was good, but no Steve Grayson ... Elvis in Speedway
I remember that Movie, the driver drove in with that Model A pickup, layer in the movie he looses his left hand, feels sorry for himself, then gets a Boost from his girlfriend and back too Racing.... James Canne (spelling ? ) also Played in it, he drove a Hopped up Mustang Fastback with some gal playing a French role...sandy
Johnson was a big chicken grower at the time and he was contracted to Holly Farms to sell his chickens to them... hence the sponsorship.
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