Great Oregon Racers

I posted it a couple of pages back, tell Ron thanks, from all of us who were there. I was an old timer back then, 13 0r 14. Precious footage of the Bob Duedall coupe, now restored and owned by Jim Lindsay, another Great Oregon Racer.

 

I didn't know Gary Coe had a website!
Emailed him several times about this and that, he never mentioned it!
Here's a link!:

https://garycoe.wordpress.com/page/3/

 

Woodburn, circa 65-66.

 

The Radke Cobra-Photo from Jeff Holter

 

Goodell at Woodburn, I was at this race! A Good funny car race, hot summer! FUN DAY

 

Correction, that photo is from Bobby Mead, on the left.

 

More on Chet's Cobra. Over a year ago I was contacted through the HAMB, the current owner wanted any info, pictures, etc, that I might have on the car. My old buddy, since the 5th grade- 1958, Bobby Mead, traveled with Chet, and had all kinds of pictures, news clippings, and still had his Cobra Racing Team shirt. It turns out, the owner who lives in Munich Germany, shipped the car to the northwest last Summer, and showed up in Bobby's driveway. They hauled the Cobra to Woodburn and filmed for hours, the best part, Bobby did the driving. Bobby said his orders were to make it perform, and don't spare the horses ! Quite a reunion, made possible by the HAMB.

 

Cool stuff Marty! Thanks for all your valuable contributions to this thread and to Oregon Racing of all types over the years! THANK YOU!!!

 

I just spent a ton of time looking at this whole thread. All I can say is WOW, and the only reason I don't wish that I was there when all of this was happening, is that I get to help carry it all forward. I'll be racing a white 63 Valiant HardTop with a hot Slant in it this year, been racing at a lot of these tracks over the last 10 years or so.

I'll be easy to find. Slant six cars are few and far in-between.

Hope to meet some of you out there, and also look forward to seeing more photos!

 

I seem to recall a ?Valiant wagon racing at Woodburn, real serious slant six and a ?Lenco.

 

Kool, hope to see you out there. I'll be there all summer running in modern muscle. Kinda like the old Super Stock days as most all the cars are right off the showroom with just slicks.

 

Actually out of Springfield

And few did!!

 

That might have been it. One of the members had a 61 Impala 348/350hp 4 speed car and they rolled into Sutherland looking the fastest guy in town who happened to be my grandfather and his identical 61 impala, same colors and everything lol. They went out to the marked off road and had quite the crowd of people including off duty cops watching and ran them off.

 

That's true. There was a fast C1 (approx 58-61) Corvette I think out of Junction City around that time. I think it was a maroon color. Do you remember it Dave?

 

I believe that was Dave Mueller's rig. Blue 64 Valiant wagon, very hot slant 6 on alcohol and yes, a Lenco. Last I raced with him he was running in the 11s.

 

Harold Davis A/Altered Madras Dragstrip 1968
The second Altered built by Bob Gibson, Harold Davis, and Earl Rowland
Powered by a 427 Chev and running a 4 speed using only 3rd and 4th
3 races and 3 clutches later a 426 Hemi and Torqueflite were purchased, then a supercharger, then some nitro, and then it becomes a lot of work and a lot of money. My parents decided it was a lot more fun running the Wild Wild West car in Super Stock. The Altered went for sale and we never saw it again. If you look close you can see the clutch smoke pouring out the right side.

 

That's Lloyd Hamilton in the A/D in the other lane. Great shot, I will send it to Lloyd.

 

Thinking of forming a vintage Woodburn Facebook group, but not many seem interested. IF you are interested, please PM me here on the HAMB.
Thanks!-Gary

 

Lloyd got back with me, and noted the red and white 59 Ford belonged to Adrian Wright, Performance Engines in Aurora. I love this shot of Adrian at the starting line at Woodburn, making some adjustments.

 

I made a trip down to Grants Pass to see my Mom and she gave me a scrapbook. I will start to post some of the pics. I even ran across a letter from Marty Strode to my Dad, but no picture of me in the altered. They used to let me steer it down the return road, it was a big thrill for a 10 year old.

 

Alan, that August 15th date had to be 1965. That was my Mother's 43rd birthday, we celebrated it at the strip. Brother Jerry ran his '62 Ford 406 in A/S, my brother in-law ran a new Mustang fastback, and I ran my '49 Olds. I will look at my movies, and see if I have any footage of the Altered.

 

OK now from the scrapbook we are going way back to a track roadster. I will have to guess on some of the details since this is before my time. Feel free to chime in if you know anything or recognize anything. Harold Davis sitting in the roadster about 1950 at I am guessing Portland Speedway. I don't know if he owned the car or was just driving. I like the motor!.

 

Alan, here is a shot of the roadster at Scappoose, around '52. According to Al Drake, Harold owned the car, and it was the first hotrod to turn 100 mph in Oregon. I am busy for the next few days, (getting ready to display a Bonneville Lakester at P-Trans on Saturday) but I will look up the story and fill in the details. Better yet, you should come to the show Sat, and talk with Al himself.

 

Ran into these two characters at the Portland Transmission car show Saturday. Sandy and I were honored to meet these two, it made our day. Albert Drake on the left, author of many books on early hot rods and their history, still has a very sharp memory. Marty Strode on the right, professional car builder and part time story teller, he knows everybody. I wish I had 10% of his talent at car building. We saw an absolutely beautiful black 23 T Track Roadster that Marty built, my favorite car of the whole show. If you haven't been to this show, it is a must see, it covers about 16 city blocks.

 

Thanks for the kind words Alan, I wish I could drive a Sprint Car like you !

 

They're easy to drive Marty, you don't even have to learn how to shift, direct drive. The wife says I was an OK driver, but she thought it was obvious that I did not understand the function of the wings is for downforce, not lift. Six times she watched me try unsuccessfully to bring it in from altitude. I apologize for the modern 1989 pic, although the technology is old, I will make it up on the next one.

 

The caption with the picture says Wild Bill Hyde. Don't know what track this is, but can't imagine running there.

 

Yes the #10 car is the Nelson Ranger Special driven by "wild Bill Hyde". It was owned and built by Cliff Nelson in the 40's first powered by a Flathead Ford and then repowered after the war with a Ranger Aircraft engine. It was very competitive here on the West coast thru the late 50's. My buddy Mark "Briz" Brislawn is the owner, we rescued this car from a blackberry patch and restored it several years ago. It has been on display several times in Museums around the P.N.W.