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

Thanks for taking the time to share these photos Joshua,
If you are at liberty to say, is this the David Uihlein 91 (Eng #3) that was auctioned (sold for 250k) by Dana Mecum at Milwaukee last year?
Carl

 

EXCELLENT!!! Wishing you guys all the luck on the #44 this season! Wish I could help more, everyone on your team is "good people"! And truly understand and pay homage to sprint car racings rich history.

HELL!! You guys gotta be one of the ONLY sprint cars left racing weekly with REAL HAND LAID SILVER LEAF lettering. That's worth something in my book!


Good luck and go fast guys!




Joshua shaw.

 

Nope. It is not.. This is an engine that was completed using a lot of original parts, plus some brand new parts from us at Zakiras.


We did not do the assembly on this engine however... I'll give more details tomorrow.

 

yes I do apologise, as well as the right rear Joshua layed out some slick leaf and hand lettered the car. looks AMAZING! No vinyl tribal on this mean gal.

 

Thanks!
And it's terrific that another complete engine is available for use.
I think Miller produced about 50 91 ci engines and I believe only a handfull are left.

 

Hey, Thanks! Josh.... Those engines, how ever they're put together, are just magnificent. I love seeing the dyno data, as well. Thank you for sharing.

JK

 

borrowed from thevintageracer.com one of my all time favorite cars

 

We agree on that Roy!!! One of the ALL TIME top Sprint cars.

Absolutely Beautiful.


J Shaw

 

racer5c, Josh- and one of the alltime best drivers. Have you read his book? Jim Graybeal

 

I was just watching The History Channel's "American Pickers". It was an episode from Season 2 called "The Emu Chase" and during the show they met a guy named Jerry Lotz in Kentucky or Tennessee (you can look it up). While there they bought a wooden propeller, an Auto Cycle bike, and some old BB guns. HOWEVER, I saw in this guys building what appeared to be an old blue midget - no cage - maybe 60's era. I couldn't believe they didn't pursue that car. Somebody here can probably find out more and let us know. Thanks.

 

Jim, I haven't read it I'd like to

 

Question about torque tube ball. Is it necessary to run a bearing around the output side of the u joint? My u joint is machined for a bearing but my torque ball does not have provisions for a bearing. I know they do not run a bearing in modern cars.
Thanks,
Neil

 

In the wintertime my Dad and Rollie Beale are neighbors and daily
golfing partners (in the summer they live 50 miles apart).

Last year Rollie bought this vintage V8 60 midget to "tinker" with.

Here he is showing it to my brother-in-law Mark.

Last picture is with his restored Rodeo Bar car in Wauseon, Ohio.

 

In the early to mid 60's my dad raced at the little race track in Midvale, Ohio. They had sprints, homemade boxes, roadsters, old Indy cars, etc., but they were all bad fast. One of the fastest was that black #5 C.R. Gill car from NW Ohio driven by Rollie Beale. A lot of great drivers came from NW Ohio. We called those cars "Sandusky Cars" because they raced at placed like Lorain, Sandusky, Midvale, etc., - the same kind of cars that made it to Oswego. You never knew who was going to show up that night. Along the river at the dirt tracks you might hear: "Gus Linder" or "Wayne McGuire is here!" Uh oh. At Midvale you might hear: "Rollie Beale is here!". Uh oh again.
Anybody remember those brake rotors glowing? The darker in got outside, the brighter those rotors would be. Carry the left front clear down the backstretch, drop it with a little puff of smoke, and watch the right front rotor light up red. As the race went on it went from red to bright orange. They looked like neon lights. Rollie was one of those "giants". When he got out of the car it took 5 mins for him to stand all the way up. Guys like Bobbie Adamson, Dale Blaney, are/were like that, too. Bigger than life.

 

Same thing in my Mom's kitchen.

 

Looks like this may be the car

 

That's it....or one from the same stable.

His does say "Wagner Racing" on the hood.

I believe you have it!

 

yeah, just went to lunch with Gus Linder and his family last Saturday. He's 83 but is still full of back in the day stories.

 

yes, just went to lunch with him last Saturday

 

Here is a photo of stan Bowmans fatality at Terra Haute 6-17-62. He was in the former Sweikert car.

 

Does anyone know anything about the hood on the Varney car in post 17936?

I remember seeing afew of the them in the early 70's, but never knew who made them. Always thought that this was one of the better looking hoods ever.

 

<CENTER></CENTER><CENTER> </CENTER><CENTER>Rollie Beal in the C. R. Gill car</CENTER><CENTER>Picture from the Freemont Speedway web site</CENTER>

 

That was my first ride. We didnt have her set up quite right. lol. Handled really super bad at Hatfield Speedway.

 

While looking for a picture of the C. R. Gill car, I stumbled across this photo. With all of the posts about Stan Bowman, I thought this may be of interest. I think the site this shot came from was made by Todd Holloway, Bill Holloway's son. The caption under the photo is from that site as well:

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]1960's- Bill driving a sprinter owned by Gene Besecker from Greenville, OH. Prior to Gene owning this car Bob Swiegert was killed at Salem and Stan Bohman was killed at the Terre Haute Action track in this same car.
[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] ​

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When I was little I always wondered why someone would drive a car that someone else had been killed in. I guess it was because my dad was so superstitious. Other than Smokey Yunick, it seemed everyone avoided the number 13, black cats, and cars painted green - or anything green. When Dad talked about race cars he referred to them as a living thing. He'd say: "That car hurts people", or "That car is a killer". I know if someone was killed at a particular track, he'd find out what motel they were staying in and not ever stay there again. Hell, he wouldn't even look at the place if we drove by. It was like when he walked into the pits, the cars were wild animals. Sometimes they were bulls, sometimes stallions, sometimes demons, but very rarely were they going to be kind to you unless you tamed them for that event. I don't know if he ever looked at the other drivers as competition as much as he did at the battle between the car and himself. If he and the car became "as one" living being, they could accomplish anything. But, if that car had hurt others, it was more than likely going to hurt him, too. I wonder if that's why those drivers seemed to have that victorious brotherhood after an event: they had all man handled their wild beasts and survived. The sense of group accomplishment must have been enormous. It's like they all had a secret understanding and satisfaction of what each other had done. They did all look like gladiators after the show. But, the glory was quickly diminished when a beast had won. For a man to climb into a car that had hurt others has to be one of the most courageous acts possible.

 

Easter you hit the essence of what drivers were like post WWll. I have always thought that what the drivers had experienced growing up in the depression and then the war, what could be worse was their mindset.

They found their bravery through that background, some using out of dimension items for their rectification of risk. Luck was a major consideration, supperstition prevalant. Paul Russo stopped driving for about a month when somebody put a bag of peanuts in the seat of his midget. HOODOO wagons were out there but there were those who saw them as a step up in equipment.

Tommy Hinnershitz painted his tools green so nobody would take them, and he ended his driving career in the Pfrommer offy which had had Mike Nazeruck and Wally Campbell take their last ride in it.

 

I agree, Jim. Spike hit to the truth on that one.

I recall the first time I saw Stan Bowman, in a supermodified at Lawrenceburg in 1960 or 1961. He was awesome.

 

Jerry is a good guy. I sold him a truck load of Sprint car body panels and odd bits and pieces at Louisville a few years back. Just saw him at the Louisville swap a couple weeks ago. The Blue Midget is nice.

I'd say they didn't persue it cause they knew it was outta there league or Element. Those "guys" get burnt pretty good anytime I've seen them deal with ANYTHING automotive related.

Stick with bikes, signs and leather jackets boys.

J Shaw