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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. Rootie Kazoootie
    Joined: Nov 27, 2006
    Posts: 8,134

    Rootie Kazoootie
    Member
    from Colorado

    Nice tin work MB, I'm jealous, most all my attempts ended up looking like a stepped on beer can. :(
     
  2. Ken_Schou
    Joined: Oct 6, 2009
    Posts: 822

    Ken_Schou
    Member

    Speaking in general here and not about any one particular facility .... although I HATE to say &/or admit it sometime it simply pays to stop operating a speedway and lease it out for another use or convert it to another use &/or sell it and work off the income &/or interest generated by the sale.

    Many times the various kinds of entertainment available to everyone has a lot to do with it. Any kind of entertainment that you can think of is COMPETITION for a grass roots speedway. .... Other times it's a difference between a promoter that KNOWS how to ACTUALLY PROMOTE .. put on a "show", entertain the people, generate excitement vs. a promoter that's not more than (being nice) a property manager.

    Sometimes too the closing of a speedway is due to envioronmental issues, that in the past either weren't a factor or were much easier to deal with. Dust from a dirt track and noise are only two of many issues that have caused the closure of more places than one might ever realize.

    In the late 40's & 50's, when there wasn't much to do it was much easier to make a buck promoting a grass roots facility. With more & more to do each and every year, both for adults & kids in gets increasing difficult.

    Today's economy is not on the side of our local speedways either. Less people have a disposable income and those that do have some, have less of it.

    If I could shed quite a few years and get involved in the promotion grass roots speedway again, I'd look to a facility in a rural area, as I personally feel that even though the population is denser .. the more suburban &/or urban the area the more entertainment / things there are to do (competition) there is, plus there's a great difference in the sophistication (for lack of a better word) of the people in the area and the type of entertainment they'll seek.

    Just my two cents!!
     
  3. THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER
    Joined: Jun 6, 2007
    Posts: 5,369

    THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER
    Member
    from FRENCHTOWN

    That is stunning!
     
  4. Miller27
    Joined: Sep 18, 2010
    Posts: 10

    Miller27
    Member

    Pattybuilt, they have not built anything there, they have however torn down the entire track, nothing left. They are currently excavating the soil for cement and Storing construction cranes on the famous track..............very sad......
     
  5. BZNEIL
    Joined: May 28, 2005
    Posts: 660

    BZNEIL
    Member

    Metal Bender, your work always amazes me.
     
  6. jjones752
    Joined: Apr 3, 2008
    Posts: 205

    jjones752
    Member
    from Indy

    It'll be 20 years ago this Thanksgiving the last race was held "Where the San Diego, Harbor & 91 Freeways COLLIDE!!!"
     

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

    racer5c
    Member

    The last REAL Turkey Night!! glad I got to race in it!
     
  8. indybigjohn
    Joined: May 22, 2008
    Posts: 1,713

    indybigjohn
    Member Emeritus

    Ken Schou, I understand that it's sometimes makes economic sense to use the property for something else. It's when they don't use it for ANYTHING that ticks me off. It's been thirty years this fall since the Fairgrounds Motor Speedway in Louisville was closed.
     
  9. jimg12
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 307

    jimg12
    Member

    I always heard that the Fairgrounds Speedway was the only thing on the State Fairgrounds property that made the State of KY. any money and they tear it down and make a parking lot out of it. I drove my first race [TQ] there in May, 1965. I think it was a 100 lapper. They used to run 500 lappers for Sprint Cars there. Bernie won his first Sprint Car race there[I built the engine], can not remember the year.
    Jim
     
  10. baldtireman
    Joined: Aug 3, 2009
    Posts: 378

    baldtireman
    Member

    Jim: I remember Bernie Graybeal racing at Heidelberg Raceway in the early/middle 1960's in western Penna on the big 1/2 mile in a sprint #19. Do I remember correctly that he hit the front stretch wall driving a white/blue car #19? John S.
     
  11. LittleFauss
    Joined: Feb 2, 2008
    Posts: 272

    LittleFauss

    .....'jjones752, paddybuilt and Miller27, 'That's odd. I made a special trip by there in Aug. of '08 and for as long as I had been going there and as many times, I had a hard time figuring out just exactly where the race track sat. When I did, I've since told everyone that the property is completely paved over with asphalt and had nothing but temporary (portable) office buildings on it. It was an auto auction company. We're all happy that the politicians and the developers got what they deserved. 'Just like Baylands Raceway up in northern california, they were quick to want to tear the race tracks down but, later found out that the ground was contaminated and sinking and unfit to build on. Baylands sat right on the south-eastern edge of San Francisco bay and we all remember looking over from Ascot Park (which was built on top of a garbage dump) and seeing the Mattel corporate building starting to 'lean' over.......'Incidentally, the Turkey Night Grand Prix needs to be run on a half-mile dirt track.
     
  12. Ken_Schou
    Joined: Oct 6, 2009
    Posts: 822

    Ken_Schou
    Member

    metal bender .. is that your (sort of) champ car on eBay?
     
  13. Offy 220
    Joined: Sep 29, 2009
    Posts: 255

    Offy 220
    Member

    Little Fauss,

    I think many fans would agree with you that Turkey Night needs to be run on a half-mile dirt track. A few years ago, Chris A. was at Perris promoting Turkey Night at Irwindale, there was a discussion going on between him and the Perris promoter about bringing Turkey Night back to the dirt. It would be great to see it happen.

    Offy 220
     
  14. bakes
    Joined: Feb 17, 2009
    Posts: 136

    bakes
    Member
    from albany NY

    Any idea who drove the #21 Indy car in pic #6? somewhere I have a picture standing next to it in the Haidinger Ford showroom in Endicott NY when it was on display as a promo.

    The #99 in the next picture is the remains of a former Indy car that became Geoff Bodine's final Oswego Speedway supermodified - you can still see the Brewer Oil sponsorship on one of the body panels. A number of Supermodified fans have wondered whatever happened to that car. Very cool that it still exists!!!

    Thanks for posting - and I agree, the unrestored cars are as much fun as the restored.

    Been going through this thread from post 1 until the above - as the son of a one-time (pretty much literally!) sprint car driver at Shangri-La Speedway in the 1940s (and possibly Campville Speedway in the late 1930s), the sheer amount of information, memories, and photographs blow my mind. Thank you to everyone who has posted in here thus far.
     
  15. KKx125
    Joined: Dec 22, 2008
    Posts: 72

    KKx125
    Member

    Was there that night,Jay Drake 1998,Chris A got pleanty of advice about the loss of a dirt show,when ventured into the stand. Just the same, some of us Aussie fans of midgets will take in Irwindale before going onto Willow Springs for the WRA Walt James Show ,See you there ,Speedy.Love that Dirt.
     
  16. paddybuilt
    Joined: Mar 2, 2009
    Posts: 137

    paddybuilt
    Member
    from SoCal

    Can't make Irwindale, Will be at Willow for Walt Jame's deal, stop by and say Hellow, #97 Supermodified, Turkey night should be on dirt 1/2 mile!
     
  17. jjones752
    Joined: Apr 3, 2008
    Posts: 205

    jjones752
    Member
    from Indy

    If my memory serves twenty years later, the Agajanians had offered the property owner a 99-year lease, knowing full well the land was undevelopable. Heck, the first few years of the track's existence they had to dodge bedsprings working their way out of the landfill. The owner refused the offer, hoping to make a fortune.
    Either he was a complete moron for not knowing the history of the property, or he was hoping to defraud some unsuspecting buyer. Either way, as of this aerial photo, it's "best and highest use" is as a scrap carpark. Sad.
     

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

    indybigjohn
    Member Emeritus


    Jimmy, I flagged that 1965 race. And I remember Bernie winning a sprint race. Things are a little hazy, of course. The 500-lapper was a sprint/supermodified race, and one year we had two 50-lap qualifiers and a 400-lap main. The night we did that, I think Dick Gaines was in one of Dizz Wilson's cars and chased Wayne McGuire all the way. We also ran the ASA sprinters in the early 70s, and that could be when Bernie got his checker.
     
  19. Joshua Shaw
    Joined: Feb 7, 2007
    Posts: 2,191

    Joshua Shaw
    Member

    BAKES:

    Do you have the post # or page number of where your looking at the picture on here? It'll make it easier to find. :p

    (I remeber posting them, but it's been a while, maybe in the 400's (pages)

    Thanks,

    J Shaw
     
  20. RABs32
    Joined: Nov 14, 2009
    Posts: 807

    RABs32
    Member
    from new jersey

    Hey Josh I think he's talking about your photos from your trip to McConnels place,I think somewhere around page 480/481, I saw them last nite while checking to see if I posted any of the shots I found saturday.....Rich
     
  21. Joshua Shaw
    Joined: Feb 7, 2007
    Posts: 2,191

    Joshua Shaw
    Member

    Ah! Got it. Checked it out. Unfortunatly, I do not know. But, I'm going there in a week, So... I'll check. ;)

    JD
     
  22. metal bender
    Joined: Apr 1, 2009
    Posts: 178

    metal bender
    Member
    from texas

    You sort of a racer , show us yours or you just a wanabe go for type ? :confused:
     
  23. RABs32
    Joined: Nov 14, 2009
    Posts: 807

    RABs32
    Member
    from new jersey

    Marty, found this shot of Buckley runnin the #5 T/Q at Atlantic City in the early 70's.....Rich
     

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  24. joemarsicano
    Joined: Jan 21, 2008
    Posts: 188

    joemarsicano
    Member
    from Palmyra PA

    Mystery part id... Any idea? I know that it is part of the 6 spline drive train, just wondering where in the drive train it might go.
     

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  25. 28dreyer
    Joined: Jan 23, 2008
    Posts: 1,166

    28dreyer
    Member
    from Minnesota

    Looks like a in and out coupler that was commonly used instead of a true dog (segmented) clutch like the better in/out boxes used. This was commonly a sliding gear out of like a Model A gearbox that had a groove for a shift fork. This one has either had the external teeth cut off in a lathe, or is a purpose built part for a better box, but still not a true dog clutch.

    There was a coupler gear with external teeth bolted to the flange of the crank that mated up with the internal teeth of that sliding gear. These were normally purpose built for whatever engine you were utilizing the box with.

    There were literally dozens of manufacturers of these boxes. They came in two styles. Either just an in/out function or in combination with a gear ratio change.

    The latter were of two types, either an over and under box utilizing a pair of change gears like a quick change rear, or a planetary style that required only one change gear, but had a adjustable sliding mounting to maintain correct gear mounting distance with the various diameters of change gears. This was called a slider box.

    Slider boxes maintained the engine rotation direction back to the ring and pinion.

    Over and under boxes reversed the direction of the drive shaft, necessitating reversal of the ring and pinion mounting.
     
  26. Miller27
    Joined: Sep 18, 2010
    Posts: 10

    Miller27
    Member

    Rich, I love the picture of Buck in the TQ....AWESOME....he never has talked about running any TQ stuff.....
     
  27. Bill Van Dyke
    Joined: May 21, 2008
    Posts: 810

    Bill Van Dyke
    Member

    Stumbled on this pic I took in '52 of Hank Arnold's first ride. It was painted purple and lime green. Hank named it the "Honey Bucket". Sponsored by Sid Rumsey Mobil and Miller Razor Radio where Hank worked. Raced at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds with guys like Roger Mc Cluskey, Bill Cheesbourg and R.C. Whitwell. At 13, probably not much help, but David Caid and I used to crew the car.:D
     

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  28. joemarsicano
    Joined: Jan 21, 2008
    Posts: 188

    joemarsicano
    Member
    from Palmyra PA

    Thanks Dreyer and everyone else that pm'ed me.
     
  29. dguitard
    Joined: Jan 23, 2010
    Posts: 10

    dguitard
    Member

    I thought that car was called the "cherry bomb". Oh well, before my time! I did see David Caid race at the old Tucson Speedway 1/4 mile back in the late '50's. Remember he use to spin-out alot. Heck, I was only 5 or 6 at the time. Don't know if you're on facebook but there are some pretty cool old photos at the Hank Arnold Fans page on facebook.
     
  30. RABs32
    Joined: Nov 14, 2009
    Posts: 807

    RABs32
    Member
    from new jersey

    Found these while burning a disc for a friend.....Rich
     

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