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

They all look the same , but dif. colors !!!!!

 

I thought I would show you my pictures on Flickr. My father is Larry Miller from southern Indiana and he was Karl Kinsers first driver in a sprint car around 1965. In 1967 Karl purchased a new car built in Columbus,IN. This car became legendary as Larry Miller won about 100-125 features in this car over a 4 year period. The car became known as "Big Bertha" as it featured a 427 Chevy engine. There are about 40 pictures total at the link.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gkmiller-racing/

Here's one of the pics.

 

Josh,

It was GREAT to meet you today with Geno and Dale. Your are three cool dadios. You are always welcome!
Best,
Ebert

 

aceace14-thanks for sharing! Very cool about your Dad and Karl Kinser.
Your dad must have been quite a racer to run for Karl K.!


I really like this one

 

Here is ole Corngrower hisself in the Dreyer-Reinbold garage in front of the Window World, Richard Petty entry. Thanks to Eric and all the guys in the garage who took the time to answer our questions in a very friendly and professional manner. We had a few minutes to chat with John Andretti which was a pleasant experience. This guy is one cooool dude.
To those of us who play with race cars and streetrods, you have got to see an Indy car up close. The attention to detail is impressive. They even have the radio antennas aerodynamic.
HG

 

Nice to see the #43 on an INDY car, I wish them luck.

 

John Andretti was very cool. In the center of all that.. We talked about Sprint cars and Midgets, and when he last drove them and how he would really like to run a TQ midget.

I think there are a few guys that would give him a try, what do ya think?

JD

 

aceace14, I remember the car and I remember your dad. From Bedford, wasn't he? One night at the old 25th St. Fairgrounds in Columbus I watched him run off and hide from the field. That was the night Chuck Amati couldn't get his car running the way he wanted and let Bobby Kinser try it in the feature. Bobby started last and came all the way through to second, but couldn't catch Larry. I was standing there when he got out of the car and told Chuck, "It feels allright to me."

 

Me and John Andretti, he is in the # 43 there also, Sherman Armstrong car, Paul Leffler was the mechanic on it.

 

I like how close your elbow is to the right rear!

 

That's Bad ass Roy!


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Guys, I'm hitting the road tomorrow for ten days. Starting in Cottonwood Arizona. I gotta cover a couple Bike shows one out West and one the next weekend in North Carolina. And a "Chopper ride" from across the country from the West show to the East show.

I'll be on the look out for Sprint cars races to sneek away too!

Talk to ya later.

Joshua Shaw

 

No photo, but some info.
I spoke with Ray Chaike, former USAC Sprint Car starter and good friend of Clyde Gutzweiler. Seems Ray was seriously injured in that car at the Cincinnati Race Bowl in pre season tests in 1958.

The car was a Watson, that, as mentioned earlier, Bob Swikert owned and lost his life in. Somehow Dizz Wilson wound up with the car, and after "stripping" the good stuff he sold it to Gutzweiler.

Nelson Stacy drove the car in the Little 500 in 1958 starting on the front row.

After Stan Bowman was killed in the car in 1962, Gutzweiler built a new car. Here the years get fuzzy as well as who drove when, but that later car was the car that Ron Lux was driving at Tulsa when he lost his life.

Note: Clyde's car always wore the number 19.

In those days drivers changed rides weekly, and cars were run for years, with various owners, paint schemes, sponsors, etc. Not like today's throw away cars.

Blacki Suede

 

Checked the Gutzwiller, note the spelling, out a little more. Nelson Stacy drove the Gutzwiller #19 in the Little 500 in 1958 and 1959, sitting on the pole in '59. Stacy did not finish either race. And, Ron Lux was driving a number 63? when he was fatally injured in 1966 at the Tulsa Fairgrounds 3/8ths mile dirt in a USAC race. So maybe Gutzwiller did not always run the number 19 as I was told.

Blackie Suede

 

I think Jerry Caster and friends built "Big Bertha", inColumbus, In. Carl put the big block init as he bought it with no engine [I think]. Larry Miller was a really good driver. Josh, have a good safe trip.
Jim Graybeal

 

Ray Tellas:

 

Thanks a million Rootie, I really appreciate it.

 

Be safe and be blessed Josh
PK

 

FYI AARA @ Washington Court House fairgrounds Sat. & Sun. 16th-17th. Climb in the Way-Back machine, come hear the Offys run and it's FREE. Now how do you make it any better than that???????
Butch Evans

 

Rootie-
Thanks for the Bromme pic.
Since its said that something like 110 different drivers wheeled the Smith Speed Shop sprints and Dirt Cars, there should be a big bunch of action, or at least pit, pics of these guys with those cars.
Do you by chance have any?
Thanks once again!

 

A couple of your old URC cohorts, Earl Halaquist and crew 1966, Larry Dickson in the Smith car at Terra Haute 1967 and also Brce Jacobi in the Smith car at Oswego 1966.

 

I, bought that Smith car when I, started to run with USAC, gave Vogler his first USAC sprint ride in it. Don vogler drove it at a none USAC race for Rich, cause USAC would not give him permission to run. Don went from last to 2 in two laps. there is more to it ... may be some other time .

 

Was Vogler driving an old VW? I heard it had to be push started and he really didn't seem to mind!LOL

 

Yes, he came to see me with that thing , him and Cindy !!When they left he ran along side to start it and jumped in when it fired .

 

Heres a couple of pix from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, today.

We took our Parnelli Jones "ol calhoun " roadster and our Parnelli Jones "Fike Plumbing" sprint car to the "Polo Barn" and spent about an hour with Parnelli and PJ Jones, doing a photo shoot.

Parnelli felt "right at home" getting back into the roadster but, as PJ strapped into the Fike sprint car, he thought his Dad was crazy for racing that car without a "cage".

 

Thanks Blackie Suede for the early info on the Gutzwiller car - that would tend to support what many had thought about the Sweikert connection. Al

 

Wow my all time favorite Indy driver and two of the most beautiful cars around.

 

What about the old Chevy truck that had the bungee cord to holf iy in 3rd gear, amd the blue van with the white "airplane tail" painted on it

Roy Caruthers

 

as PJ strapped into the Fike sprint car, he thought his Dad was crazy for racing that car without a "cage".[/QUOTE]

Paige wouldn't have thought so, he stood on the gas!!!

 

Just found this info while looking for something else. Here is some more info on the roadster posted by Northeast. This was in the June 1948 issue of SCTA News: A new N.C.R.R.A track job considered one of the best looking cars owned by Herk Viglienzone. The first five times out car has ben one of five fastest qualifiers. It's powered with a Chrysler 6. Seted in the car is young Jimmy Bianchini, son of Virgil, member of Stockton Auto Club.

 

Paige wouldn't have thought so, he stood on the gas!!![/QUOTE]


He knew NOT the definition of fear behind the wheel of a race car. But then PJ was of course pretty much the same way 20 years ago.