History Vintage "Cageless" Midget Picture Thread

True enough, especially with the old cars and no power steering on the short tracks.

I was at the first 100 mile midget race on the pavement at the Milwaukee Mile. If I remember correctly they were time trialing very close to the champ cars. I think they were able to flat foot it around the whole track. Sort of like running a go cart on a paved 1/4 mile.

Well the Little 500 is 33 Sprint cars on a 1/4 mile paved track, 500 laps with at least one pit stop and the cars need to be push started. There are so many cars I must admit, I enjoyed the one time I went there. This year I passed on it and went to Lincoln Park Speedway at Putnamville the same night instead, to watch the sprints on the 5/16 dirt.

 

Anderson also hosted a 400 lap race foe midgets in 2007 (I think) with similar pitstop rules to the Little 500. Maybe someone can fill us in on the results that day.

In some ways modern midgets are the equal of a 1970s sprint car but on a shorter wheelbase. About the same horsepower and tire width.

 

We ran a 500 lapper at the Speedrome in around 81 with midgets.. One fuel stop, didnt need to change tires since nothing wore in oil. I dont think they did it again in the next couple years, if ever.

 

"Sprint cars (and midgets) were made to run sprint races. Short tracks, balls to the wall for 20 miles or less on 1/2 mile and shorter tracks. If you can find anything more exciting on four wheels, tell me about it."

Amen, Brother!
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I've seen some pretty good Midget and Sprint Car races that were 50, 100, 250 and 300 milers on tracks up to a mile in size.

 

In 66 through 68, Eldora ran 500 lappers (250 miles) for sprints - no mandatory pit stops.

 

I wish they would run the "big" races throughout the season as long as about 80 percent of a full tank of gas would normally get the cars, regardless of the size track. I think you get more for your money that way as a spectator and at least the fast guys who might have started in the back for some reason or another still have a reasonable chance to drive to the front without the aid of an abnormally large number of (really boring) cautions / restarts. Plus they'd also have to set up the car and manage all the variables for the total distance. 20 laps seems like a heat race to me, they just get going and it's over way too soon! Gary

 

We had lots of time to bench race before our season ending 50 lapper at Rockford this season - 50 laps of green flag racing BTW - and I was chatting with our new champion Patrick Bruns about his Silver Crown drives. The first time he practiced the car he came in the pits mad as hell demanding that his crew identify the SOB who kept ramming his bumper every time he went into a corner. They looked at him like he was nuts. "You were all by yourself out there."
That's when he realized what 40 gallons of fuel slapping the seat back felt like.

 

That's funny. Another good reason for a rear view mirror? Haha. Gary

 

gearguy and 28dreyer, you guys have been a lot of help. The full story is it's coming up in an auction but it's too far for me to get a chance to check it out before the auction. So I'm trying to find out as much as I can before hand. I've got a couple of new pictures, I'm wondering if anyone has any guesses on what type of engine this is? Comparing pictures of the exhaust spacing it doesn't look like an Offy. Anything look familiar about the engine or body? As the auction gets closer I'm getting worried that it will be too far out of my range. Any idea what kind of money something like this might be worth?

 

Wow lobuktruk, Considering the apparent age of the car and how long it appears to have been sitting (Are those "high water marks" on the tire?) that bodywork is in remarkably good shape.

 

I think those are "flat tire" marks.

 

One more try before I head to the auction tomorrow? Any suggestions on what I should be looking for? Any price range?

 

PM being sent.

 

had a few 500 lappers at speedrome, I ran an offy there in 1989 and became the last person to run a usac feature in an offy, i'd post a picture but it had a cage

 

Some news from The Western Racing Association WRA
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=236178&page=965

 

Roy,I dont think any body would object to seeing a good looking midget with a cage,particuly if it had an Offy. I think the time has come to include some early caged midgets as some of these cars may have run cageless and been updated to run into the 1980s. I know in Australia cageless cars where updated and raced well into the 1980s,In fact a 1969 Edmunds won our local state ChampionShip in 1984,With an Offy. What do you guys think, Speedy

 

Strapoli 66 with and without cage

 

Indianapolis Speedrome 500 lap USAC national midget race 1989
Duke Edwards Offy, the engine in this car was from the car that Bob Wente won the USAC National Championship with, Duke Edwards still had the car it came out of when I drove this Edmunds

 

Hmmmmm....

 

Love the unique steering wheel. I wonder if it was home made.

 

I know, it's cool ain't it?

 

On the other hand - I'd do something about those driver's head rests.

 

No doubt! But then, the car needs to generally be unburied, pulled out and RESTORED!

 

I remember the night you drove that car, Roy. I was walking in during practice and Danny Bogard came up and said, "You're not gonna believe this - we've got an Offy out there."

 

I know Johnny Mann is the caged 66 who is the other driver?

 

GTX, looks like Johnny there too.

 

While at the Lobitz party today, November 11th, I made mention of the website below, how it covers racing in the US from 1919 to 1949, and how so many Northeastern Midget races are covered in the 40&#8217;s. At times they had the chance to race at up to six different tracks on certain days in &#8217;47 & 48. And that was almost every day of the week &#8211; multiple tracks.
The website is pretty large, with 1146 pages. To save time, click on a year you want to see and you&#8217;ll be led right to it.
I was asked to post the link on &#8220;Ham&#8221;, so here ya go!

http://www.dlg.speedfreaks.org/archive/book/us_1919-1949.pdf

 

Hi, just signed up after discovering this thread the other day. Love all the detail of classic midget racing. I crewed back in the 1970s in SMRC for my dad Hank Bierbaum and brother Johnny Bierbaum. We ran an Edmunds Sesco from 1974 thru 1982. Johnny also ran for a few years in the micro midgets at Blackbird, Del. and helped Frank Elliott build a really potent micro with a side-mounted engine that won the Blackbird championship in 1978. Thanks to all here for the great memories and expertise about the classic midgets.