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

That's a weird pic of the tail tank coming loose. What ever came off is not attached very well an the roll bar was attached to it also? You would think the upholstery snaps would have held it on a little longer.

 

I think that repair applied to non-turbo crankcases also.
As an aside, considering the modularity of the Offy, how many offys were built out of loose components ( new and/or used)and therefore never got a serial number that shows in the offical Offenhauser build count?

 

Is that Billy Foster in the cockpit?

 

I'm just guessing but that may have been one of the hurriedly added on "roll bars" that teams had to add in order to race at Trenton. Around the time of this photo the New Jersey State Police came up with a requirement that the Indianapolis cars had to have a roll bar in order to race at the New Jersey State Fairgrounds. No one much liked the ruling so some bare minimum height roll bars, that barely cleared the bodywork were often added. And the mountings were often pretty cobbled together as well. Even the Bryan Dean car had a bar so low that it's almost invisible in period photos.

If anyone remembers more about the roll bars being added for Trenton races any additional information would be appreciated.

The one exception to the dissent over the Trenton roll bar mandate apparently was Jack Zink who had already added one to his dirt car as early as 1955. But he didn't get much help from the other racers. I heard a story that Zink was once shouted down at a USAC meeting by the other owners and drivers when he proposed making roll bars mandatory. The main concern of the drivers seemed to be that they didn't want the cars so safe that just anyone could drive them. I know it sounds crazy today but that was the prevailing attitude at the time. And the same sentiments were stated a decade or so later when roll cages were being proposed.

You wouldn't believe it by his later statements but one of the most vocal opponents of the adoption of roll cages in the late 1960s was Mario Andretti. He lost that argument and USAC made cages mandatory in 1971 for sprint cars and midgets and in 1972 for Championship Dirt cars.

 

I was just wondering the other day when the roll bars first showed up. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

 

That is Billy Foster in the Enterprise car at Trenton, 1964.

 

Mike Magill Williams Grove 57.

 

Lutes Spl. Indy 52 dnq.

 

Foyt, Veith Langhorne 59.

 

Rex Easton having some l/r radius rod issues 1954.

 

Milwaukee 200 1957. In this shot you can see Foyt's Hoover #56, (his 2nd Champ Car start) Elisians Lutes#17 and Bud Randall's Hall #62.

 

Shorty Templeman Trenton 58.

 

Rootie....just love your photos....

 

Bud Tingelstad, Hoosier 100 62

 

Danny Oakes Hopkins 63 Indy 53.

 

Hart Fullerton #79 1951.

 

Rootie,
any history on the WRD car Tinglestad is in? Looks like a 1953-57 Kuzma. I don't think I ever saw it race.

thx

 

I really don't now much about it, Jim. I believe the WRD is initials for the owner, William Deakin and it was Offy powered earlier in 1962. Looking through Champ car stats it appears it was often a DNQ.

 

Lee Elkins' McNamara Spl. 1951.

 

Interesting photo,dirt car with header on left side. that said I think this is the Sumar Kuzma. I also think Louie Seymore had something to do with it. Also was told the Sumar was cut down to a sprint car by the Ezra Brooks owner and became the Mackentosh Spl.

 

Rootie...You are the BEST..Great Photos

 

Hopkins1. good call looks like the Sumar#12/#4/#48 of 57/58.

Several dirt cars ran with the left side exhaust in dirt cars. Wilkes' #52 in 59known as the Leader Card Duo, #1 in 60, Racing Associates #3 in 1960. I'm sure there were others.

 

Rootie, Thanks, Great Pctures.

 

Sumar Kuzma 1958- WRD 1962.

 

Leroy Warriner Salem 1952.

 

My first post here. Been reading through all the post for weeks getting caught up. The knowledge base here is amazing. I do a little bit of photography from time to time. Really love old sprint cars!

Here's one of Sam Traylor's Offy Sprints at Latimore.

 

Boy those rears on that 55 car would sling a little dirt at ya

 

Van Johnson- Traylor 55 1957.

 

Don Davis in the Racing Associates 'Red Rooster' Milwaukee 1962.

 

1954 IMCA champion Bob Slater on a temp. AAA license in Ray Erickson's 33 at Langhorne 1955.