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

John

I think I was writing a column for National Speed Sport News when that incident took place...

Howard could be a little intense at times...lol

Remember the time we did the promotion with the Dodge TV sheriff ('your in a heap of trouble' guy). Had Colella and Senneker racing around the track in the newly introduced Dodge pick-up in 1971, with the sheriff riding in a sick Dodge police car chasing them. Senneker kept pushing Colella to go faster, and Tom being Tom, was putting the pick-up up against the front stetch wall... the police car couldn't catch them...lol

Seeing the truck was on loan to Howard... he was going nuts, while I was LMAO.

Do you recall the USAC race at Heidelberg when Greg Weld almost cleared the front-stetch fence? I was with Ed when that happened... he turned white.

Good times...

LM

 

Charley was a great guy!! Have you asked his son Louie if he might have anything?

 

Hi Stooge,
One of the MacNamara#73s is alive and well and has been restored. This is the car that Sweikert drove and later bought, then sold to Jerry Hoyt. Unfortunatly Jerry was killed in the car. The car resides in N.H. along with one of the MacNamara midgets and the Kurtis2000 champ car. Do you know who built this sprint car? Not sure if Tomshe and Turner were involved. Mutt could not remember. Thanks

 

Dickson "gave" him a wheel-Greg suffered permanent damage to one of his eyes in that one! How about when Dickson gave Al Smith a wheel at the start of a heat going onto turn one-Smith upside-down and hurt! I have more funny Spratt stories fo you,if you want!

 

Who is piloting the #29 & #14 that day?? John S.

 

Thank you

 

How about some older ones? My mom's brothers were racers in town and thank goodness they took lots of photos. Not only with cars but with bikes as well. One my Uncle Joe was a master fabricator and probably built most every thing they raced himself. Here are a few photos that I have of the "Amaral Special".

This is without a doubt my favorite photo of my Uncle George the smallest of the bunch who did the driving.



My Uncle Joe.


Out on the track, I believe this is the Ukiah track, one of the very few they raced on here in northern California that still exist today.




This is almost porn to me, what a car! It isn't my uncles, not that I know of.


My uncle George with an earlier "Amaral Special".




By the way, my cousin (Joe's son) has the motor to the Amaral special! He has been searching for the car for years.

Brian

 

Thanks for posting the photo Rootie, do you happen to recall who was driving?

 

Wynns 1#
I have a picture of McNamara #73 with a color scheme with a maroon body and gold nose and a guard over the exhaust pipe. In 1955 – 1956 this car had a gold body with a maroon nose and the same guard over the exhaust pipe. This car was sold between the 1956 and 1957 season, and I don’t know who brought the car. Harry Turner built a new car for the 1957 season. Andy Linden was the driver and he won the first race in the spring at Dayton. This car had a front weight jacker, Linden jacked it to the limit, we had to put a 4 X 4 under the left front to support the wheel when we loaded on the trailer so we could record the wheel weights when we got back home.

 

Racer5c
I need to get in touch with Louie, I know that he has some pictures. The reason I worked for Charlie was that Louie was drafted. I spoke to Louie over a year ago and he's now talking like Charlie if you know what I mean. Thanks for the advice.
stooge73-83

 

Rootie
Thanks for the info
stooge73-83

 

Bobby Black. Also, came across this much better color pic of Black at Winchester I believe.

 

Anybody know anything about the 55 car?

I think it may be the team car to the GAPCO car that ran as the Klincher Locknut Special.

 

here is what Wally's Daughter Joy had to say about this picture

"Yes, after the race at IRP when my mom fired AJ and my dad and AJ unloaded the cars to have a match after the race. Of course a few beers were under the belt already!! I started crying and AJ cancelled the match! There is a magazine with an article about this incident, I have it. I love this picture, boy do I miss my DAD! Those were classic days and memories."

 

Sorry not a race car but I thought this picture was pretty cool

 

Chuck Booth was in the car at the next race at Oswego and it kinda looks like it might be him at Allentown. Says Smith-Ames on the hood. (?)

 

Gene: This is after the wreck as rebuilt. Note the amateur lettering. The car came from Cal with a nice "Railroad Gothic" number and a classic '32 Ford (commercial) radiator shell. It also had a Ford 6 engine.

 

I just asked my dad about this, He hung out at Dayton spedway all through the 50s and 60s, The biggest shops of his memory were Delphos tool and machine which was Hank Meyers shop and Charlie Engle's shop. on a side note anybody have any pictures of these two shops or individuals? Much thanks in advance

 

So any of you guys ever thought it would be cool to have your own race track to take your toys out for a spin now and then? Well, have I got a deal for you: Howsabout a 7-1/2 (yes, as in s-e-v-e-n) mile oval located in sunny So.Cal. Shouldn't set you back much more than $50 mil or so and I would be glad to be your full time onsite caretaker free of charge.
http://hooniverse.com/2011/01/14/ho...-track-for-sale-commence-scheming/#more-40278

 

Their was a Dick Cecil but I think he was always around Indy.

 

Thanks everyone for the thoughts on the Dayton garage. My dad (Luke), my mom and I went to Dayton to pick up the car because Dad had an IMCA race in Allentown. Harry and his partner/brother/buddy - whatever his relationship was - took us to dinner in Dayton. Harry said it was an old place where all of the USAC guys liked to eat. I remember it being upstairs in a building. Fancy and expensive - had to be for USAC because I don't think IMCA guys could afford it! Dad said Harry fixed everything on the Trevis car except the two center bolts on the front spring. They broke going down the backstretch at Allentown during a heat race. The front end shot to the side so severe the steering arm turned upside down. So, when Dad tried to pull to the right up against the fence to get out of traffic, the car shot to the left and hit the inside wall/fence and stopped going into three in a cloud of dust - and yep - he was facing traffic. Somebody ran right over him and ripped the rear end and axle out of the other guys car and it ended up on Dad's lap - while that guy flipped badly. There was a tire mark on the right side of Dad's new Bell helmet (still gray) and a groove on the left side from the rear roll bar. Both drivers thought the other had been seriously injured. They met face to face while walking down pit road from differnt ends - they hugged and Dad kissed the guy on the cheek while the entire crowd laughed and applauded. It was 1967 and I think the next race we went to was Mt. Clemens, MI. I was only 10 when all this happened and hopefully I didn't burn up too many brain memory cells during college. So, please excuse me if I make errors.

 

John S,
Larry Dickson is in the Nesler#29 and I think Arnie Knepper is in John Werglands #14

 

Back to the garage - this place was nothing fancy - old wood framed and block wall stuck together and it all wove back and forth for about a 1/2 block or more. I was only there for a little bit, but I remember sprint cars, champ cars, etc., setting in there and parts everywhere. Old tails, noses, hoods hanging in the rafters. It was great! I don't think the garage was just for racecars, though. I think there were some street cars in there, too. If anyone remembers this place or a guy named Harry Cecil (I think) I'd love to hear from you. Thanks.

 

Hello, amazing photos lately!!!! I love this sight. So many people, With so much knowledge. It is just unbelievable!!! Well, I thought I would post A couple photos of the badger in progress. Thanks to everyone who posted photos they are great!!!!!

 

Moe, it looks great. I was hoping to get some pics of mine today as a roller but....

I went backward today on my midget. I found out that nickel plating the front hubs was a bad idea. The races and seals do not fit well and crinkle the plating on the way in. After spending hours scraping, sanding and putting many band aids on, I finally got the nickel out and the races in. Then I realized that the knock off nut will not thread on because of the thickness of the plating. Spent some more time trying to wire wheel the plating off the threads but that didn't help. So then I pounded all the races back out, unthreaded all the drive pins back out and have them ready to take back to the plater to get all the nickel taken back off so I can paint or powder them. Long day to go backwards.

I hope rebuilding the calipers will go a little more smoothly.

 

He is still here

 

It's also been advertised in AutoWeek magazine.

 

IMCA at Allentown, 1967