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

Video snippets
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=204585743030567&set=vb.106198526202623&type=2&theater

 

That is a great video! That make me want to drive my midget some more!

 

Richard Corrow recently finished restoration on this beauty. It was really fast on the road course but the engine failed

 

What sort of engine does it have?

 

i spoke with Ron at lenth right after you called....thanks John..

 

I think Ford Focus.
I've emailed him and will share the details once he sends them. I do know he said the chassis was # X-107.
He debuted the car at our Tucson Speedway event in April and it went really well right off the trailer.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/91981316@N06/sets/72157633188888275/
then ran Firebird RC and now Auto Club RC.
Blue Oval

 

We ran phoenix, Sacramento and MESA MARIN. We loved it. Didn't have to watch out for the ;I would rather crash than finish 2nd; guys.

 

You're welcome....

 

I love the mirrors.....

 

This is my first post after googling the name of the driver, Cliff Cockrum, who used to drive my dads sprint car in the 60's and finding this forum by accident. That is Cliff at the wheel somewhere?, maybe Cedar Rapids around 1968. My dad was Darrell Davis and raced in the IMCA circuit. I have seen some posts by the son of Luke Easter who drove dads car after Cliff and hope to correspond.

 

STOLEN

From Greg Dierks' front yard in Palos Verdes, CA on June 25th, 2013 in a Wells Cargo white trailer.

$500 Reward leading to recovery.

No questions asked.

Call Greg at 310 377 8085

Car has run on many So Cal tracks Chevy V8 engine.

Might be parted out so keep eyes open for any parts.

The car has historical significance for the family.

 

I am hoping to make it to the Winchester old timers weekend this year. I see the date on the schedule but does anybody have any more information? Is it on track both days, do I need to pre register etc?
Thanks,
Neil

 

Maybe problem was caused by the oil pick up? Happened to Gordon White at Lime Rock some years ago.

 

Beautiful car, not fond of the size of the roll bar though.

 

Road race specs

 

Welcome to this great forum. Glad to see your family raced on some of the same tracks we ran stock cars on in the great time period of the 1960's and 1970's. We ran stock cars at Cedar Rapids as well as Davenport, Waterloo, Farley, Dubuque, West Liberty, Columbus Junction, Tipton etc. On rain outs, we would try to get to Knoxville Ia and were hooked on open wheel ever since. Again, welcome

 

I didn't know that, why so high?

 

Don't know why so high but I'm told that's what they (VARA, HSR West) require.

Here's John Kerr with his Miller Schofield that he runs more on RCs than ovals.
Same deal.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Cliff ran Lawrenceburg (Indiana) in the mid to late 70's. Pretty much weekly on Sat nights. I may have some old B&W photos somewhere. Would have been caged sprint car. I believe he ran out of Illinois?

Blacki-Suede

 

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <wunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <wontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> I feel I must respond to your feelings regarding the high roll bar question. In most of the vintage racing associations it is required that you must run shoulder harness. In case of a tommy tip over for any reason the head and neck become the roll bar and even with a midget this will break your neck. We are not out here racing for money and making a living at a vintage sport we just do it for fun. I hate it when a vintage racer gets hurt doing this for fun. Too many have died over the years and some of them made their livings from racing in the glory days and survived only to die doing something they loved all their lives as I do. In the glory days there were no shoulder harness until the 60&#8217;s and many died do to this. I feel better now that I have said this and I hope some of you understand. I raced in the 60&#8217;s with a low bar but no shoulder harness. I survived and am still here.
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I heard the term "died doing what he loved" far too often back then...

On another note.... maybe rock climbers should get rid of all that safety shit. Real men live by their wits.

 

Don't know about the west coast, but a lot of vintage sporty clubs actually race each other in comparable classes. Though consideration is given when passing, they can run as flat out as they want. Thus the safety rules are more stringent than you would find at the typical putt around parade laps at vintage oval shows.

 

Rootie Kazoootie: Yes, most of the 'vintage oval shows' are designed to be 'putt around parade laps' for VERY good reasons: ask any old time open-wheel racer about what can happen at 10/10's racing, then add in pre-cage vehicles, aging drivers & younger owner/drivers who weren't drivers 'back-in-the-day'(& didn't learn how to be smooth before they tried fast), & you can quickly see an ugly situation waiting to happen! There are a few clubs that actually do race, but they usually have some sort of 'training program' for drivers they aren't familier with so that each can learn the others style of driving before an all-out competition.(& yes, they usually do add much of the modern safety equipment: they are racers, not idiots!)

 

Don't know about the vintage clubs, but I learned while at IRP that SCCA requires that the roll bar be a specified height above the driver's helmet.

 

Yeah, I understand all that and have no problem with the vintage oval stuff. Just trying to answer the original question as to why the tall roll bar.

 

Yes, your right. Roll cages are not really practical on open wheel road race cars due to egress matters so they are more fussy about the single hoop bars. And a lot of the r/r vintage clubs try to mirror the SCCA specs, probably for insurance requirements.

 

Good news to report on George Blacker, vintage sprrintcar driver with our West Coast Vintage Racers SW Chapter. who was in a horrific crash over the weekend.
All details and updates can be found at this link:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/georgeblacker

 

Beautiful car,with nice curves(like my girlfriend) at a perfect attitude on the track.Is it a "Wally" car??

 

I build and drive vintage style open wheel cars at tracks where we go fast, like Fontana, Michigan, Milwaukee and Phoenix.
The most uncomfortable, I get, is at the short track putt putt meets where I am on track with some 17 or 18 year old wannabe racer in his dad's old (not vintage, just old) cage sprint car or midget.
At the big tracks, in my 20s Miller replica, I am running a top speed of around 90 to 95 MPH and I am on track with Indy roadsters and some rear engine Indy cars that are running speeds of 120 to 130 MPH. I use rear view mirrors on all of my cars so I can keep an eye on these faster, overtaking cars.
At the top level meets, there are a couple of effective rules we follow.
No passing on the left! Drive in the lane appropriate to your speed!

macmiller in INDY