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

Speaking of Gil. This photo should be from 1950. Not sure what track.

 

The Ethier car was already stretched-it was his first sprint car ride. Charlie was a very good midget racer, especially on pave and on the banks like Westboro, and Norwood in Massachusetts. All the cars I mentioned (22, etc.), were Caruso sprinters. I'll try to post more photos of them later.

 

Johnny Zeke in the Harvey Tattersal "Catfish" Harley Knucklehead Pop Dryer built car. I had it back in 1970 or so with a two car garage full buyout that had a DO GREEN and a stack of Dayton wires.

 

A few more Caruso Offy photos-hope this isn't overkill. 1) 1950 Mike Nazaruk; 2) 1951 Jud Larson (Williams Grove May 13); 3) 1952 Paul Russo; 4) 1953 Johnny Thomson; 5) 1954 Russ Klar? with Wally Campbell in 25; 6) 1957 Chuck Arnold; 7) 1957.

 

Thanks Bill-I don`t see how any amount of Caruso photos could be overkill-LOL.

I hope the other history fans on here are enjoying them as well!
I`m always ready to see more Caruso photos-I`ve never seen any of the ones you just posted.

That color one might be Russ Klar.
The 1954 one with Wally C. is probably Russ Klar . Still running the blower in that photo.
And look at Campbell in that 25 car. I wish I could have seen him race(too young),I`ve seen movies of him and I have never seen anyone drive the way he did!
They didn`t call him Crazy Wheels for nothing!
I have a 1955 photo of Len Duncan in the car-Imlay photo.

He sure had a lot of different drivers! I NEVER knew Larson drove for him,or Russo and I never knew about the 22 Sprint car at all.
Your collection is something else!

That photo of Larson is an absolute gem!!!

 

Hi Johnny Fast,
Greg still has the Traco car. From what I know, it is not sale. Too bad! I hope he decides to restore it soon before the generation that saw it race leaves us.

 

Hi North East Metal,

Welcome aboard especially a fellow Nutmeger. I sometimes here of KK midgets for sale. I would be glad to help you if I can. I am currentley restoring chassis 139 and 198.
I never get tired of hearing about all knowlage you guys have, keep it up!

 

Only place I have seen with a hedge in the pit area was Hughes Stadium in Sacramento Ca. at the JC college.
Of course that was the scene of the firt sanctioned midget race out west.
aXe

 

Here's my first Kurtis. It was, in fact, the FIRST KK 1/4 midget.

 

Greg Schneider does in fact still own the car and it is at Bernie Hallisky's shop in Shelbyville Indiana awiting it's turn for restoration.

 

Here is a shot of the Ethier wreck at Salem, Indiana in 1951, Sure looks like a sprint or big car to me.
HG

 

The Joe Fiore ROOF overhead cam sprint car in 1949. I had both heads this car ran, sold them to Doc. Pruden in California in the early 1970's, often wonder were they are now.

 

This is Danny Oakes in Dad's first Kurtis leading the main at Balboa Stadium in 1946. This is the car Dad sold to Frank Armi a few months later.

 

Gene,yes I learned today that Ethier was at the wheel of the Caruso Stretched Midget.

Do you have any photos of Caruso cars intact? Would love to see any and all Caruso cars.

 

Dean-terrific photo of Danny Oakes!!!


This thread keeps getting better and better!

 

Buildy, you're right. When I was a newspaper editor in Salem, Russ Barnard showed me a photo of Ethier going over the fence. It was definitely a sprint car.

 

I think most of the readers here know Mike Caruso made his money running a car wrecking yard on Long Island, does anyone have photos of the yard? I've only seen one or two over they years, Bugatti and Mercedes, Hisso and all other types of high end cars rolled in there to be scraped. Any photos of the Bugatti powered Midgets that he got into racing with?

 

I have seen photos of The Caruso Bugatti Powered midgets,may even have one or two,but I have to find them.

I`d love to see his wrecking Yard,too.

My Uncle Jerry said Mike Caruso had race cars all over the place over there.

 

A print I did in memory of Charles Ethier.

 

Not a Bugatti Powered Caruso,but Len Duncan in a Rail Job Caruso #3



Bill Schindler in the Caruso #2 Rail Job Midget



The most Famous Caruso car and Driver- The Caruso Deuce Midget with Bill Schindler-battling with Ted Tappet (Phil Walters) in 1949.



A new website by the Caruso family under construction?

 

A bit off thread but I can't think of a better bunch of guys to ask: When did sprints start using dry sump systems?

 

I'd guess early 1930's, if you see a oil tank cap on the cowl chances are it is a dry sump car.

 

Quite a few of the big cars did use dry sump systems that early. And all of the Offies did. However, dry sumps weren't mandatory in USAC until sometime in the middle 1960s. Several of the Chevies that started running in the late 50s and into the 60s were running regular baffled oil pans. Some old time mechanics (like Henry Meyer) fought USAC over the change to dry sump right up until the end. And IMCA continued to allow wet oil pan systems for several years after USAC did. Someone here probably knows more about this issue and can add more info.

 

The Caruso Racing History.

http://www.micarfabrication.com/caruso_racing.html

If you watch the slideshow on this site there are some photos of the Bugatti Powered Midget.

 

When, I , came from running IMCA to U Suck ( usac ) they said to get a sump , I,couldnt afford one , so we took an out side tank and ran hoses to the oil pan, with a heater in it, cost about $30.00 used it for 2 years !!!

 

1933 Model B/Riley with dry sump:
http://www.1933fordrileyracecar.com/autoracingrestoration.htm

 

More photos from my uncle's shoebox of midget race cars from back when he drove. Photos with drivers name is what I got from the back of the photos. My uncle may have mis-spelled some names. More to come. Enjoy.

 

A few more from the shoebox. Will scan more over the next few days. Next run will include some roadsters and more midget's such as Mike McGreevy, and Elic Vukovitch (sp?)

 

Two features immediately caught my eye on this car:

The use of a 4-bar instead of radius rods on the front suspension

and

The relatively low location of the front pivot point on the rear radius rod / trailing arms. Many cars of that era have the rear pivot higher than the front, for more forward bite I presume. What did Caruso know to do differently?

P.S. I love the louvers on the footbox too.

 

Northeast Metal-thanks for these great historic Midget photos!

Eli Vukovich was the Brother of Bill Vukovich.

He was hell on wheels in a Midget if what I`ve been told is true.