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

Front row (l-r): Jack Hewitt, Bill Vukovich, Gary Bettenhausen, Johnny Parsons, Mel Kenyon, Bill Engelhart, Bill Smith, Bill Puterbaugh, Pancho Carter.

Center row (l-r): Bruce Walkup, Larry Dickson, Charlie Masters, Steve Lotshaw, Tom Bigelow, Ken Schrader, Johnny Rutherford, Brad Marvel.

Back row (l-r): Duke Cook, Steve Chassey, Jim Mills, Rich Leavell, Joe Saldana, Gary Irvin, Steve Stapp.

bet that was a hell of a party!

 

Tell us more! What was the occasion? Would like to have been a fly on the wall for that one!

 

Better yet.. Pit lizard score card for that group ??

 

Ummmm, yeah!!!!

Any more details?

 

Was a party to Honor Don Smith

 

BZ' My Fike replica runs the side panels straight down to the bottom edge of the lower frame rail. Its easy to do, looks just fine and the square corner gives you much more usable foot room, when running a transmission, like I do, or a clutch, like you are using, than a large radius belly pan.

 

FWIW- From a interview with Don Shepard:

 

Rootie, right on, good story,
Thanks, mlight9.

 

Looks like you could get another 4 in. below the rails and whats the deal with the glued on knock offs ??

 

Thank you.

 

Mr.'bender, I can assure you that if, and when, the ride height needs to be changed, it can, and will, be changed quite easily.
Also, Mr 'bender, "the deal" is that the guy who paid to have this car built wants the fake spinner hubcaps. Were they to, accidentally, come loose and fly over the wall, I would not go looking for them. Actually, I preferred the wheels that I originally installed on the car.(see below)
Should the owner decide, I can install real knock off hubs and wing nuts in less than a hour.

This car runs at tracks such as Eldora, Terra Haute and the mile tracks at the Indiana State Fair, Springfield Ill and DuQuoin Ill. It also runs at Indy Raceway Park, Salem and Winchester.
It has exceeded all reliability and performance specifications that I set, when I built it. The owner likes it, I like it and Parnelli Jones likes it, so the opinions of others are of no concern to me.

The owner's satisfaction with this car led to a commission to build another Parnelli Jones car, The Agajanian #98 Watson roadster.
Besides owning and running these cars, the owner has become personal friends with Parnelli.
BTW..... the roadster has real knock off wheels and hubs

 

I am restoring a Mantz and am in need of photos for guidance, could you help me out?

[email protected]

 

Geeeeeesh must be a sore spot ???

 

Thats a really cool deal; all those guys getting together after all these years! The only guy who looks really different to me is Bill Vukovich. Does he still live on the left coast?

 

Any pictures of Gary in the Willie Davis 24? I sure would like one. Thanks, Ammon

 

I looked real close....... They really don't look THAT crazy.
I saw Vuky at the Gasoline Alley open house this summer. Looks good. Still lives around Indy


ZOOOM

 

I had the HONOR.. of spending the day today with Lynn Paxton at his place, digging through a bunch of old Sprint car parts, getting the tour of his place, and the Eastern Museum and, just enjoying the great old racing stories he tells.
It has been Ten years since I've been to his place and the Museum.. MAN!! What I've learned in this past ten years was worth the trip! I was clueless to what I was looking at back then..
It was a great time, and I got to sit in his BOOPS ALUMINUM car!

Thanks Lynn!! For the load of parts and the great stories!

Joshua Shaw

 

No he moved to Indy

 

nope its Putt Putt

 

That looks like Ralph Liguori rather than Puterbaugh.


actually it doesn't look anything like Ligouri, it is Puterbaugh if you saw it on another site they had it mis marked

 

Just a note re the photo of all the guys at Don Smith's party, from memory about six of them have raced in Australia, a couple of them more than once.

 

Josh,

When Roy and I went to the Jalopy Showdown I had the pleasure of meeting Paxton thanks to Roy. We had lunch with him one afternoon and it was great to listen to some stories, and get to know him a little better. I will be honest, I had heard of him, but did not know much about him at the time. After returning home, I started reading his stats, and some history. Lynn Paxton was one hell of a racer!!!

 

For LittleFauss:
Ascot Nov. 12,1966.
Hal Minyard in the Lehosky #3X- A.J. in the Morales Tamale Wagon #5- McCluskey #51

 

I just meant that Vukovich looks a good bit older than when i last saw him. Didnt mean it ijn any bad way.

 

Rootie,
your last pic is the night we lost Don Branson and Dick Atkins.

I didn't know that the Elmer George/Foyt/Wagner sprint car had a twin, the one Minyard is in????? Always thought it was a one off.

thx

 

Jim,
I believe that is the HOW cut down champ car.

 

Rootie, doesn't look like a watson, the meskowsky car was still on the east coast eother owned by Ken Brenn or Jake Vargo.

The nose looks like the George/Foyt... to me but who knows after all these beers!

 

I think I've seen a site that has some history on the HOW champ car, let me see if Ican find it again.

 

'Man Rootie, Thanks! 'What a beauty. This was the Nov. 12th race? It was customary for Aggie to run two USAC sprint car races at the end of the year at Ascot Park, and I'm pretty sure Dick Atkins and Don Branson lost their lives the week before on the 5th. As soon as I saw the photo I winced.......again remembering that Ascot was gone.....

 

You'r welcome, Branson and Atkins were killed on the 12th I'm sure. That shot would have been taken just before (lap 5) or shortly after as A.J. blew up on lap 16 I believe.