History Historic Stock Car Photos

Cecil Gordon 's #24 looks like Darlington about 1973

 

The Chevelle looks like one Dale bought off Harry Gant after he used up the old cars Ralph left him about 76 or so.

 

The Chevelle looks like one Dale bought off Harry Gant after he used up the old cars Ralph left him about 76 or so.

 

I saw this wreck on the front stretch. Petty's arm & head were outside the car. Buck Brigance was the first one to get to him. The driver's window net became mandatory after this wreck. Petty seperated his shoulder & Jim Paschal subbed fom him ,for a few weeks, I believe.The famous red shop rag that was soaked in water that Petty was known for sucking on while driving was thrown out on the track beside the car causing many in the stands to think his brains were on the track. He had already wrecked his "Superbird" in the same spot in practice & was running the short track RR when this happened. David Pearson won the race !!!!!!!!!!

 

Trying to attach a pic of an early car of Stokey Hamberg. Not for sure the exact year but it must have been late '50s or early '60s. Just till trying to find my way around here....if this pic doesn't show, bear with me....

 

He didn't get the accolades that the rest of the Alabama Gang got, but he was a good driver.TB

 

Bob Bergeron Collection

 

This is at Austin Speed-O-Rama in the mid 50's My father Raymond Johnson is driving the #2

 

Here's my Father again in the Early 60's at Austin Speed-O-Roma.

 

Now, in them days it was racin', Rayj53!

sm66p, I think the No. 35 is Andy Hampton in an ex-Nichols '65 Dodge in the ARCA race at Daytona.

 

Sorry I missed that earlier.

He was a dedicated driver from what I remember. As mentioned in my earlier post, He was burned badly and as he healed he had his hands formed so he could better grip a steering wheel. I am sure he will be missed.

 

Here's another one of my Father's Car

 

I heard from a friend of his that the surgeon told him his hands would never be the same, they would have lees movement, or something to that effect, so he told the guy to sew his hands back in a curve, so he would still be able to drive a race car.TB

 

I will add a little to this. After the fingers were set the small ones did not curve and were of no use to jerry so on the next operations he had them remove the small digits. He said they just got in the way. While at the Snowball Derby after the fire several of us {Weymond Stricklands crew hut daddy} would open Jerrys beer cans and bend them so he could hold them. He also told a joke about a talk with a funeral home director that asked if he would like to be creamated? Jerry said he tried it one time and did not like it. To add a little more when Driver Tony Walls was burned when his race car caught fire Jerry was a constant vistor to help him out. One last thing Red Farmer was at Jerrys side when he pased away. The were the best of friends..

 

Tony's fire was at I-70 Speedway in the World Cup 300 at the end of the year. He was hit in the rear and his fuel cell ruptured. If memory serves, he was wearing cheap single layer gloves and a cheap single layer suit that fit him badly (too short in the arms and legs).

 

To expand on Petty's Darlington wreck. Richard stated that he hit the wall messing up the steering but did not think about pulling into the pits to have it repaired and ooops !

If not for that wreck and Richard missing several races he would have been in a dead heat with Bobby Isaac for the years Championship.

The car was a Ray Nichels Plymouth that Chrysler engineers took a real good look at in Petty's junk yard. That car or what is left of it may still be back there, buired.

 

A friend once told me that if you couldn't afford a good drivers suit you sure couldn't afford the hospital bills if you got burnt.

He also told me to never go into a turn faster than you thought you could come out of it.

 

The #77 in front is Todd Ford of San Antonio, and this car was recently found, and is being looked at for possible restoration. Todd Ford himself, who now lives in Pipe Creek, Texas, near Bandera, verified the car. The Black #99 is Harold Peppers (sp?) of San Antonio.

On the #2 car, I have a pic of this same car that shows Buddy Yantis in it. According to Buddy Yantis JR, Yantis owned it, then sold it to Waldo Harper of Austin, and later Bill White of Temple ended up with it. Could this be Raymond driving when Waldo owned it?
I will get with Yantis Jr and see if he knows more; we just spent a few months looking for this particular car to see if it was still around. Bill White, who I am close friends with, remembers the car, just not what he did with it.

I saw a previous posting of yours with the #37 Torino. That was Lee Machen's car. Mac and I go back to the mid 70's together in racing. Mac is retired and living in Smithville, where he is running cattle. He is still the same old grouch he was back then.
Back to your picture of the car, It is shown as #37, and that was the number when Ed Siegmund drove it. When Mac and Ed parted ways, Ed took the #37 with him, and your dad drove the Torino with #87 on it. I have a pic of the car here. Taken at Pan American in San Antonio. If you look closely, you can see that, while the door number was changed, the headlight cover number is still #37.
I got lots of "Mac" stories about that car, Raymond, Jerry Grant, Leroy Brooks, and all the other Austin hot shoes. I get some stuff on here.
Please post any more pics you have from back then.

 

Man, Thats great... I was just a kid when he drove this car. As I remember, he hit the wall (right front tire blew) in Shreveport, LA. in this car and I don't think he drove again after that but I could be wrong. I'll get more photos on here. Thanks for the info.

 

That is correct; the tire cut got cut after contact with another car; I wil ask Mac for the whole story again. We usually talk or see each other every couple weeks.
I am fixing to get his picture collection to scan; and i know he has color pics of the car.
This car was built mostly by Mac, although it had a Tom Pistone front clip that Mac got through Clarence Lovell, and a Holman-Moody built cage. Mac had a 427 he stuck in it for Jackson, Shreveport and the other big tracks, and a 390 for smaller tracks. But it was always a tire eating monster with the weight of the car (these were the days of 9 pounds per cubic inch), and the huge nose weight with the big Ford engine. Lots of weight hanging in front of the crossmember.

 

Here is my stock car. I built it ten years ago and it has been raced at several tracks including the Milwaukee Mile.
The '66 Chevelle I sold in a fit of stupidity right after I finished it. It still races around Wisconsin.

 

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Great pics, Thanks for posting them!

Let's see here, you got Schwabe, Harper, Mac and Bill Burt; add Luther New and you have five of the grouchiest men to ever invade South Texas Racing!
That pic of the Torino is taken in front of Mac's old shop on South Congress between Lessin Lane and Pickle Road before he moved out to Del Valle. The name Lee Anna is Mac's daughter who was just born when this pic was taken.
Saw Schwabe last year at a race in Kyle, Same old ray of sunshine, but we still talked about an hour about most anything. He spends some time at Casey Smiths' race shop on Brodie Lane.
Burt worked off and on with Mac over the years, was there when Mac reitred a few years ago. He's working in South Austin.
Keep them coming and thanks.

 

Here's one I need help on - do not have the driver's name. ARCA race at Eldora in spring of 1966. Indy ? Brian ? Somebody help me on this one. It's a nice old '64 Chevy, but I really don't remember it racing at other ARCA shows that year. Thanks

The Oldtimer

 

There should be a calendar of this stuff ~ I'll buy it

 

My first post here. Great site!

My guess that the driver of the 14 is Bret Miles, son of Winchester 400 winner Dennis Miles.

 

Vegas, I think that 90 is one of Lamarr Marshall's first cars, out of Louisville. His first one was a '62 Chevy with number 64 on it, and then this one. And it does have the look of being raced on that short track at the Fairgrounds. We lost Lamarr to cancer several years back.

 

Indy, I believe you are correct. It's really interesting to me how the memory comes back after someone provides a clue. Knew it, but stored it in an area of my brain that seems to be password protected ! Thanks !

Steve

 

Steve...

Password protected. I like that. Gotta use it myself.

JP

 

John, You are so right.That is Lamars Chev.Tom (Tired Old Man)