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

Metal Bender
Thank you so much for the reply. I'm still figuring out this forum a little I see your from TX did you race with Tom around Illinois, or down your way? I would love to hear any stories you might have I could relay to his Wife.

 

Metalbender: Did your ex - Central Excavating Car race in Western Pa,out of Oil City,By Mr. Dick Cotterman as #81? John S.

 

Actually, Paddy, the 7up plant was a little north of the track site, about where Carl Karcher Enterprises (of Carl's Jr./Hardees fame) is now located. You can still make out the path of the track in the aerial photo below, no doubt in part preserved by erstwhile MX-er's such as yourself. The property remains pretty much as shown, or it least it was when I moved outta SoCal two years ago. According to friends who lived in a condo on the other side of the 101, locals still refer to the place as the Thunderbowl.

 

Yup , I, think Dick got the car from Pete Salamie and made a sprinter out of it he lived on the side of a mountian and took the car around it at 7am to let me see it runing

 

I, lived in Wisconsin back then and ran all over the midwest. Jimmy Murphy out of Mich. was driving for me then , but Lou Fegers was the first one to drive my car at Knoxville we hold a record there about 30 feet , over a light pole off the back shoot theres more to that story !!!

 

Sorry for your loss. I posted this some back, so you may have already seen it. If not, it's a pretty cool shot.

 

Pretty neat! How well did you do with the car. As I remember, it didnt do very well around here. Probably too heavy,and those "Trevis" 4-bar cars were tough to beat! . Little did I know that the car was famous as an ex-Agajanian #98.

 

Anybody know what became of the "Heintzelman" chassis sprint that was owned/raced when new by Pittsburgh's Gus Linder . He told me that he sold it to a racer in Minnesota,back then. John S.

 

JJones752 did the Carpinteria track use the built up area in your arial photo for the grandstands? You are right the area I was thinking is about 150 yards north of were the track was, thanks for letting me know, allways thought it was closer to the trees, my dad took me there when I was real young to a jalopy race, don't remember, What year did they close the joint and does anybody know if the picture of the 22 midget pit picture is at Carp?

 

It's been a loooonnng time, so I don't remember how the pits were configured, but the stands were on a berm and/or the track was cut into the hillside roughly where Carpinteria Rd. runs in the aerial. The land just Northeast of the track was reconfigured when the freeway went in, so the parking lot was about where the Southbound lanes now sit. It could be that the embankment behind the 22's tail is the termination of the grandstand berm. I remember there was a pony ride setup at the Northwest end of the stands.
I don't remember exactly when it closed, sometime around the late 50's/early 60's. I do recall going to one Jalopy race where they had a midget exhibition at intermission, and the midgets hotlapped before the show, many with mechanics in the car instead of the regular driver, no helmets, belts unbuckled. It was a different time.

 

Found this recently at a yard sale in Indy. Titled "Duel in the Dirt", Al Unser Sr. and Mario! Thought you guys might appreciate this. It is framed, signed and numbered by Ron Burton. Bet you wish you lived in the racing capitol of the world so you could find this kinda stuff at yard sales!


Bob

 

Another cool sight in Indy, a guy on Gasoline Alley bought this car just for the engine in it. Not sure of any history of it or what he has done with it.

Bob

 

The car ran and handeld good Idid alot of work on it be for it was run , just never enough $$$$ for the engine , just a blue coller guy that loved racing. Now I, build cars better than I, had to run back then , oh well I, still got the bug or sickness as we say !! 72 and still benden metal

 

Bob, who has that car?

 

Racer12, Ron Burton...I remember him, is he still around? Denny Z

 

http://www.indiegogo.com/Where-They-Raced

make sure you also click on the gallery 3 tab some cool board track video from Beverly Hills

 

belongs to Jerry Shields

 

where those cars built in ohio. i know george harbour drove one for the reno brothers back in the 80's.

 

Unfortnately we lost "Lightening" Lou a few years back at age 80. He had been very active running his Chevy II Grant King midget in the Vintage meets.

It seemed like everbody knew him and some would come to the pits after to greet him. I think he remembered very few of them, but he could usually work around that by feigning recognition alright.

When someone would ask the enevitable question..."how fast will it go?"
He would reply..."Oh, 100, 150, as fast as you want to go"

Only Lou could get away with that.

 

Found this 1968 shot on Jimmies Old time racing page.

Curt Grogan

 

Central Pennsylvania. Made famous by a driver named Opperman. Ever hear of him?

 

Keep goin' buddy, and try to teach a few of the youngsters the skills you have, so that the future is there! John S.

 

welllllllllllllllllll. lol. he made a lot of things famous.

 

cg5, Hey that's me. Where did you find that? Denny Z

 

Dave from 'Retro Ford'came up with a rail to bring the water from the back of the block to the front of the motor.I can now build the firewall /engine plate and fix in the motor for good.Also had a stainless header plate cut so I can get on with the exhaust.Plumbing in the radiator and brakes next.I cant wait to get on to the ECU? .......whats wrong with points and plugs and a good distributor?.....

 

I also posted this in the Old Stock Car thread.

This site has quite a few local (Pittsburgh/Southwestern PA area) vintage dirt track shots circulating around during this offseason, if anyone's interested.
There are a few guys that are still in-the-know posting some great vintage shots. Check out both the Old Sprint and Late Model threads:

http://racestud.com/forums/index.php?showforum=22

I work a pushtruck at Lernerville Speedway.
The pics below are of the old New Kensington (PA) Speedway, shown at the top of the ariel shots at the end of the bridge. I live in what was Turn 1. Track was built in the early 20's, and the grandstands burned in '54, ending it's track days. The inner track was used for dog racing, outer was horses and cars. Stories have it that Alcoa used the area behind the backstrech to supposedly "store" their (ahem) "by-products" of aluminum and paint manufacturing.

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I have a few more that I need to scan in. I'll post them when I do.

 

MotoArts, Linky no worky. Denny Z

 

Linky worky in Minnysoty, Denny must havey Macky.

 

I thinkey we all wackey!

 

He He Ha Ha....Denny Z