History Indy With The Kelloggs

Thanks for sharing your memories with us. I've lived in Indy my entire life and always been a fan of the 500. My father lived within spitting distance from the track and we would pack our coolers and walk over to watch pratice, qualifing, and the race. Great times. My wife and I enjoy it now. Your pictures and recollection of the history is amazing. Keep it coming!

 

The Turtle Drilling Spl. was a DNQ at Indy in 62 with Leon Clum driving. It never ran again and was stored away until Ron rescued it.

 

thanks

 

This is really cool stuff. I think it's impossible not to love Indy Roadsters. The only thing that irritates me about reading this stuff is that I wasn't able to experience the golden age of motorsport. I do enjoy racing today, but just knowing the way that it was and that those days are never to return again sucks. Add on top of that the nostalgia that I feel for a time that I could not possibly feel nostalgia for and it sucks even more. Never the less...Keep the history coming. I know we all enjoy it.

 

Wow. thanks for sharing. I wish my dad was alive to see these pics. The only thing he loved more than Hot Rods was open-wheel racing.

 

When I was a kid I used to ride my bicycle the few blocks from our house over to Wally Meskowski's and stand OUTSIDE the door and watch him work on cars, he had a reputation for being kinda grumpy or mean but he was always real nice to me, I even got to fly with him in his plane a few times, even flew to Salem to the Sprint Car Races a few times one time we were flying out of Eagle Creek airport and this guy lands coming in the wrong direction about the time we were taking off, Wally landed his plane and I thought he was going to kill the guy. Not revelant to the story on your car but I just thought I would share in case anyone was interested.

 

Just stunning, mate. Just stunning.

 

Indy R0oadsters are the coolest racecars ever. Yours is no exception! Thanks for sharing

 

Kind of ironic that Ron Kellogg is a FNG

thanks for making this happen fellas.

History lessons you can sink your teeth into.

 

Mr Kellogg, I was on the track with the car in Texas in Nov.'09 and also had a nice chat with the current owner, Bob Boone. I worked with Wally Meskowski back in the 70s at the Apmstrong Mould race shop. You might be interested in my Indy roadster website.
mac miller in INDY

 

WOW! What a great post, thanks for posting it. I've always wondered if anyone has started an INDY CAR genealogy chart, this car is a great example. Depending on the paint job it could be one of two cars but in reality is both. I think some cars that started life in the 1930's ran as many as 12-15 Indy 500's.

 

I remember the '57 race very well.

My brother was home from the service and he and I were scouring the Wisconsin countryside looking for a British sports car that suited his tastes. Having spent the better part of two years serving his military duty in Germany, he wanted to trade his '55 Chevy Bel-Aire for something sporty like he'd been exposed to in Europe... a pretty common thing in the 50's.

The race, in those days, was a four hour affair...we had the radio on all day, listening to the race on the Chevy's tube type radio while we stopped at dealer after dealer on our search. The sound of those Offy's screaming down the straights scarred me for life.

I remember that day like it was yesterday.... thanks for sharing a part of history with us.

 

Thanks again Mr. Kellogg for sharing your great story and pictures. As has been mentioned before, Indy roadsters are the quintessential race car design that anyone from the biggest gearhead to your Aunt Betty will instantly recognize as 'a race car'.

 

All I can say is "WOW". I would like to know if the b&w photo's of the Offy engines were taken During the restoration of your old car or sometime ealier? My god but those cars and engines are just plain sexxy! Glad you saved one more.

 

Thanks rubberrodder, for the question, the offys on the tables are waiting for there customers to come by and p/u, the shop is Meyer-Drake in 1953 with the 270s ready to be installed, yes a few years earlier, then the engine in my car, the offy was reduced to 255 cu in, so most 270's were destroked, or a new 255 could be ordered,note the support shafts at the rear of the engine, because of the speed, to compete, most of the teams, had to use more nitro along with the alcohol, which broke the crank in the 1962 attemp to get into the race.

 

Thanks for sharing Ron!

I love that oil tank...

Sam

 

Thank's for sharing. I'm not that familiar with Indy cars as they didn't run them over here, but I'm amazed by the story. One question pops up in my head; what's the deal with the steering wheel angle?
I met Ermie Imerson 10-15 years ago when he toured with his car in Sweden but as I recalled it had a V8 with exhaust in the V and injection system on the outside of the heads. Was that a newer edition?

 

Ron,you captured my sentiments exactly.Now,excuse me while I go daydream.....

 

If you want a taste of nostalgia go to some of the USAC races around the midwest. Sprint cars kick butt and they're as close to what it was like in the 60's and 70's. Indy is a lot of flash and bling but there is nothing like sitting and watching a race live.