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

It always seemed strange that Andy was able get a AAA license and drive at the Speedway in the first place. Supposedly, the story was that Granatelli made some kind of behind the scenes deal with Wilbur Shaw although I've never heard the details. If so, Shaw was no dummy so he had to know that it was just about a guarantee that Andy would get into the wall. The only real question was whether or not he would kill himself.

At any rate, Andy was a promoter and businessman, not a race driver. He may have hot rodded on the streets throughout his life but he had just about zero actual racing experience. There were probably a lot more qualified drivers just walking around the pits in 1948 that would never be even considered for a AAA license and never get a chance to run at Indianapolis.

 

Helmet mfg. and 2 time CRA champion, Hal Minyard.

 

Gordo at work at Winchester 1965.

 

Sam was married in the 1930s but I don't recall her name. Here's a picture of the two of them. He got together with Alice around the late 1940s and they got married somewhere around 1951 or 1952. She is one of my closest friends, knowing since 1954. What a lucky guy I am.

 

Reading and looking at all the great photo's and learning more about the history of midgets and sprint cars is inspiring for sure.
Jimbo

 

Bob Swanson drove this car in '39 and '40. Here's a picture.

Bob Swanson drove the car at Indy in '39 and 40'. Here's a picture. Dan

 

Here's a good article on Hanks which might fill in some blanks on his career and his early years in Alhambra.

http://www.alhambrasource.org/stories/“-alhambra-thin-man”-who-refused-give-and-won-indy-500

 

Thank you for posting this picture and thank you for keeping this thread alive. I feel honored to say that I knew Hal. He was a real gentleman and probably put more thought process into driving than any other driver I ever ran into.

 

Mario and Wally looking pretty happy. This was after Mario won the feature at Cumberland Maryland Speedway 1966 after taking over injured J.R.s #1 car. Don't know what's up with the picture of the ragtop and the dragster trophy though.

 

I have a question for Josh, if you care to comment on it sir. The question came up on another thread as to whether anyone is building a sprinter using your fiberglass repo bodies? If so I sure would love to see what others are doing with them. Thank you Josh.

 

Any thoughts on the function of these "protuberances" on the Hoyt machine ?

 

Thanks Dan,
I have those with Swanson and a few others as well as with George Connor in the car for its last appearance at The Speedway in 1948 link https://www.flickr.com/photos/91981316@N06/14069961564/in/album-72157644432842344/

 

Stairsteps for a tiny mechanic?

Seriously, they look like vents, like the ones often found on boats.

 

That's kinda what I was thinking, though I've got to wonder why they just didn't punch another row of louvers like they did along the cockpit panel.

 

As you guys already stated they were likely vents to allow engine heat to get out.

Some of the early Kurtis roadsters were notoriously tight in their engine venting and a lot of the heat found its way into the cockpit. Along with the heat and humidity that was part of the reason for so many relief drivers in both the 1953 and 1954 500s; especially for shorter drivers whose heads didn't stick up far enough to get into the windstream. At any rate everyone figure things out by 1955 a relief driving became something of a rarity again.

If you remember guys like Watson often simply cut notches in their side bodywork next to the motor plate to let out engine and radiator heat. Sometimes he even left off a side panel completely. He also often ran lower belly pans with a gap at the motor plate to do the same thing as well as keep oil from getting into the cockpit.

As for the spacing of the backwards scoops on the Reece car they were probably set at different heights on purpose with a gap in between for a side rail upright tube.

 

Bobby Unser...hooked up!

 

J.R. in the 'Little Red Rooster'

 

Gotta display my ignorance.... Pleasr refresh my "mind".... J.R. is ???

 

Look at the first two photos--you can read it on the cowl.

Roo

 

OK... never would have got it... Tnx

 

Yep that is ' Lone Star J.R. ' since he was from Texas

 

Super nice guy. My brother and I spent some time chatting with him at a trade show some years back.

Roo

 

Yes sir J.R. is a class act, has always been of my favorites

 

The Marchese Bros. Spl. with a young Tony Bettenhausen up, 1946.

 

Cool! First side pods?

 

It was pretty far ahead of it's time when it was built in 1938, what with the aero nose and side mounted radiators. Its been said it was the first Indy car to use a round tube frame but judging by the bodywork in this shot it looks, to me, that it was first built as a rail frame with parallel leaf front suspension. I suspect the tube frame and cross spring probably didn't come about until post war (?)

 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/marchese-special.371509/

 

Paul Russo and 'Basement Bessie' 1951.

 

Rootie...Sre these photos from San Jose????

 

Yes, they are.