History Vintage "Cageless" Midget Picture Thread

WOW ...... Fantastic pictures. Thanks, Denny Z

 

John,
Crocky was the consumate gatherer. He bequest all his wonderful stuff to EMMR. Crocky saved every pit pass which he attached the date, track and winner on each. he had the canncelled check and receipt for his ticket for the first Brickyard 500. ARDC rule books from 1939 on. etc. etc. etc. I could go on and on and the wonderfull workers at EMMR are not nearly done cataloging This wonderful stuff.
Tony Stwarts father delivered a trailer full of this stuff to us.

 

Glad to hear that, Stan. I should have figured Tony and Nelson would have been involved. Crocky knew that they would handle it the way he wanted.

 

More Midget action from Latimore Valley.

Gordon White in the Tassi Vatis #9 Kurtis Offy.

 

Nice photos Tony.

Thanks.

 

I believe the Bourgnon 36 that was light/dark blue and driven by George Rice(Viola) was in a fire and needed to be restored again. The three guys mentioned probably have a better idea of the status of the car now.

 

Looking forward to hearing from any of them if they know what car this #36 with the B is.

I can never keep all that stuff straight.

 

Buildy.
That car belongs to Bill St. George. Bill owns the Bourgnon car and the Mordenti Kurtis. The Bourgnon car was black and powder blue with a gold stripe between. It was damaged in a fire. I don`t know which of the two this car is. Bill always had a bunch of neat cars.

 

How many Mordenti cars were there? If there was only one then I think it's a Pawl chassis. Splitting hairs I know

 

Hi Buildy,
The 36 car is the Yaccavone Kurtis that Bill Dils was killed in.
It was first thought to be a Mordenti car but both of those are accounted for, the original is currently in our building for finishing touches owed by Dave Shore, while the second one went to Austrailia.
Just got back from Winchester with Sprinter2. GREAT time!

 

Bill StGeorge owns the car. It was originallly the Bill Dill's 42. StGeorge at one time owned Nagy's Trevis . After selling the Trevis he painted the Kurtis using Charlie's colors and numbers. Bill also owns the Bourgnon 36 of Georgie Rice fame that is being restored by Bill Goodfellow.

 

Ken; The Darrell 83 was originally found and restored by the Barclays, Jim Sr. and Jr. not Joe Fiore. The car changed hands several times and I purchased the car in 1997 and made several changes to satisfy the AACA
requirements.

See you at Kenny's show
Doug

 

What's the go with the skids connected to the wishbone bracket?

Never seen that before on a speedway car. I also note the cable tie attached to the rear wishbone mount on the car posted at 1229 .

These are features used in saltlakes racing . Are they making their way into Vintage Speedway?

 

Fredeuce, The skids under the radius front mounts were safety item if you lost a wheel or spindle etc. They may have been mandatory in USA ,because so many photos on this site show at least one on the Right side & Both sides in most cases. The Zip tie was also a safety item to prevent the front of the radius from droping into the track and upending the car in the event of a rod end or bolt failure

 

Thanks very Much Stan,Joe and Doug!

If I understand correctly,both the Mordenti,and the Bourgnon cars are being restored!

Very good!

 

THANKS Doug.
CTtoPA PM'ed me with the same info.

Yes, see 'ya at Ken Brenn's show on September 12th in Warren, NJ.
I hope we see some other HAMBers there too.

 

Again THANKS!!!!

I THINK before the Trevis, Nagy owned a pearl white Kurtis / Kurtis type Offy maybe?

Sometimes this old brain gets a bit foggy.

 

Stan ..

Is that the same car that was Volvo powered for awhile & driven by Tom Cochrane (mid or late 60's) at places like Old Bridge (NJ)?

If I remember correctly, when Al ?something? (from Brooklyn, NY) who owned the car died .. Howie Moratti (his brother in law) had some kind of claim regarding the car.

Also, has Harold Seaman spoken to you about possibly meeting up at Ken Brenn's show on Sept. 12th?

 

Anyone know what car this one was?

 

Here is a terrible quality picture of one of my Cherry Park programs with George Rice in the Bourgnon #36.

 

I love that car-I hope to see it when it is restored!

 

big vintage racing festival this coming saturday the 28th of august in pecatonica,il.
gates open at 7am,hot laps at 2-4 pm
race practice at 4:30-6:30
opening ceremonies and racing at 7pm
plus venders/swap meet and musical entertainment

sounds like a nce deal,information has been sent all over the country

 

Hi Buildy,
The car you asked about, is the Darrell Villa Offy (blue 83) that won the 1959 ARDC championship with Bert Brooks. In 1960, Carl Miller bought it, later becoming the Martha J. car. Hope this helps

 

Yep, sure looks like the car that Tommy Cochrane drove in the 60's (Volvo powered at the time) at places like Old Bridge (NJ). With the Volvo, in comparison, it was kind of a lead sled. The light blue paint was old at the time & had sort of morfed into more of a teal. I think the ARDC was running weekly at Old Bridge at the time.

I can't remember the name of the man that owned it (Al something?) .. if I remember correctly he died of a brain tumor. He "might" have been related to Howie Moratti? Brother in laws I think?

Cochrane drove it & most times maintained it. Sal Casale, myself & sometimes Eddie Moran crewed it at the track.

At an extra distance race at Old Bridge, to add some flavor to the show, the ARDC brought a well respected announcer / midget expert / historian out of retirement (Ted Webb) and from his memory of the past he mistakenly announced the car as still being the Bourgnon car (Cochrane up).

THANKS CTtoPa.

 

""The car you asked about, is the Darrell Villa Offy (blue 83) that won the 1959 ARDC championship with Bert Brooks. In 1960, Carl Miller bought it, later becoming the Martha J. car. Hope this helps"

Thanks very much Joe.

Sure would like to see that one back to original!

 

Annual Racing Expo at the Hinchliffe Stadium, in Paterson, NJ On September 5th

Paterson, NJ - The extremely popular CARQUEST Gasoline Alley TV / Internet Show will take a break from the studio in Allentown, PA, pack their gear and take the show on the road on September 5th as they travel to the Garden State of New Jersey to take part in the annual Racing Expo scheduled for the famous Hinchliffe Stadium located behind the Great Falls of the Passaic River in Paterson, New Jersey. The Gasoline Alley Gang of Ed and Steve Pados will tape another another fabulous edition of their show from 12 Noon until 2 PM and talk to the many racing legends who will be taking part in the show and help bring awareness of the great legacy of the famous stadium.

(NOTE:- The show will air on Monday evening, September 6th, from 6 to 8 PM on channels 103 and 137 and worldwide on the Internet. This will be a special "theme" format of their show, teamed with the ongoing efforts of the Friends of Hinchliffe and racing personalities Ronny Dennis, Jim Reilly and Keith Majka the Pados brothers are honored to play a small part in the preservation of one of the great all-purpose stadiums in the country.)

The Hinchliffe Stadium was built in the era of the Great Depression and opened in 1932 with a seating capacity for 10,000 fans. Baseball was the first sport to use the stadium as the New York Black Yankees and the New York Cubans both played their home games there and later the stadium included football with the Paterson Panthers and later the Night Hawks. With the popularity of auto racing sweeping throughout the country, the stadium hosted exciting midget auto racing. That later gave way to the early years of stock car racing. The famous stadium has also hosted many other varied events throughout it's years of existence, which included Boxing, Track and Field, and Soccer. While the stadium has remained dormant for the past few years, the rich legacy of the history of the great stadium remains and it is hoped through the efforts of the Friends Of Hinchliffe Stadium and it's racing counterparts, the stadium will once again hear the roar of throaty race cars once again competing on it's 1/4 mile asphalt oval.

For the Pados Brothers, the return to New Jersey is significant. The Gasoline Alley name for the popular show came through their father Ed Pados, Sr who was raised in nearby Garfield, New Jersey, later moved to Milford, New Jersey and eventually settled in the Keystone State of Pennsylvania. The elder Pados was a frequent visitor to Gasoline Alley, in Paterson, NJ, where the legendary racing great Ted Horn had his race shops. The elder Pados was a close friend with this racing hero. Later when the Pados Brothers began to field race cars themselves, they utilized the motor services of the great John Bohlander who by then was located in the former Horn race shops. Through those friendships and alliances, the name of the Gasoline Alley Show was born. It is devoted to providing it's large audience with many trips back to the annals of racing history; as well as providing the exposure to the current racers and the youthful racing stars of the future.

The list of celebrities and guests expected at annual event include the legendary Chris Economaki of National Speed Sport News, whose name is synonymous with the history of auto racing. Former Hinchcliffe racers Bill Claren, Ronny Kohler, Bob Krieger, Neil Cole, and Russ Meyer are scheduled to take part in the festivities. Bill Nash, who attended every racing event ever held at the stadium and was close personal friends with the famous open cockpit race driver Bill Schindler, is the recognized historian of the stadium. He will talk about the rich history of the racing action that took place there. Legendary midget & sprint car driver Jimmy Maguire plus many other open cockpit stand outs such as Johnny Mann and Billy Courtwright are expected. Many former stock car wheel twisters including Nate Strunk and Wyatt Jacobus are also anticipated to be on hand.. If she's up to it, Bette Fornoro, the wife of the late Nick Fornoro, who was a champion midget driver with the American Racing Drivers Club (ARDC) and a former Indy car flag man hope to attend. The American Three Quarter Midget Racing Association (ATQMRA) will take part in the show, with Blu Metz of that organization on hand for the occasion. The Flemington Speedway Historical Society and the Tri-State Memorabilia Group will be on hand, as will famed, veteran race photographer Ace Lane, Jr. and writer Tom Avenengo. DJ Joey Metro Entertainment will provide music throughout the day.

A few of the many cars expected to take part in the show include the Chuck Slate owned restored Elto outboard powered midget, the Ed Picard 1938 midget that was in the Economaki Book, the White Ghost sprint car, the Johnny Zeke midget and a variety of other both vintage and current day race cars from all divisions of racing; plus hot rods, custom cars and street cruisers. All drivers and teams are encouraged to come out and join the festivities along with their cars, as the confines of the stadium are vast and the effort to rekindle and return the speedway to it's pedestal are paramount.

The Stadium itself will have the Gates opening at 10 AM and the Show begins at 12 Noon.

The Stadium is located on Liberty and Maple Street behind the Great Falls, in Paterson, NJ..

#####

For additional information regarding the show, contact Ronny Dennis at: 718 344 0505 or Jim Reilly at: 973 684 2763.
The website is: www.carlsign.com/hinchliffe.html
You can also email to:[email protected]

 

This new book just released is bound to be a great one, I have known George for forty +years and He never does anything half way.
check out the release page at

www.openwheelracers3.com

aXe

 

From Mellott Speedway, Attica, IN the year ? maybe between 1946 - 1950

 

It has been a while since I posted an update on the Ernie Fredricson roadster project. I've been off racing and the restoration crew has been helping Marty Davis restore the Frank Kater Hillegrass-Buick that Jigger Sirois drove to victory in the 1968 Milwaukee Mile 100. They have the time since the roadster is a roller and awaits the return of the motor from the machine shop. The roadster went to its FOURTH vintage show of the summer on 8/29/10. Here is Gregg Kishline's report:
Chuck,

Saturday, we went to Pecatonica to run the Turner midgets, but we thought the
Sun Prairie regulars would like to see the roadster, so we brought it along,
Sunday, to the midget show.

Several senior drivers dropped by - Bob Clements signed the car. I was
surprised to hear so many folks say they were following along on the internet
with the car's ressurrection, and the crowd generously donated about $100, for
the cause. The visitors' reactions were more emotional than I expected -
similar to the day we decided to take on this project.

It was the car's first trip back to Angell Park in 30+ years. Next time it'll
have an engine.

I didn't take any proper pictures, but I did find one with the roadster and
posters included. I see this car all the time - and forgot that we need to post
our progress for the people who remember the #50.

This week, brakes.

gk

 

Speaking of roadsters .. I'm told that the Long Island Frank Curtis built a midget roadster. I'm also told that it was campaigned for a short while by various drivers on both dirt and asphalt. Again, hear say .. I'm told that it was red.

Does anyone have pictures, remember &/or able to tell us any history of this car?

THANKS in advance.