60'-70's Vintage Oval Track Modifieds

Looks kind of like the guy next to the 888 in post #9842 (pg. 493). The guy in that post had a little bit longer hair than this buzz-cut, but it could be him.

Just a guess...

 

ParkFan, good detective work, but the one you found is a dirt car at what might be Middletown or Nazareth, and the Melnick 888 was a New England pavement special. By the way, I'm a (Riverside) Park fan, too, if that's what your handle means!

 

1975 ROC

1. Hendrick 2. M Treichler 3. Stevens 4. Jarzombek all on lead lap
5. Evans -1 6. Caso -2 7. K Bouchard -3 8. Hensley 9. R Miller -3 10. Harbach -3 11. R Bouchard -5 12. Dostie -5 13. Dorman -7 14. DaSarro -7 15. Bolia -8 16. Cagle -8 17. Kent -8 18. Vee -8 19. Croft -8 20. Severage -10 21. Ross -15 22. Worley -15 (trans) 23. Winters -15 (trans) 24. Landry 25. Holdridge (engine) 26. Park (handling) 27. R Treichler (gear box) 28. Anderson (trans) 29. Bodine (rear) 30. Thurman (engine) 31. Reutimann (wreck) 32. Evonsion (wreck) 33. Shampine (engine) 34. Beavers (handling) 35. Troyer (wreck) 36. Seamon (engine) 37. Cook (trans) 38. Hoag (engine) 39. Kelly (oil pressure) 40. Rudolph (hub) 41. Husted (water pump) 42. Brunnhoelzl Jr (steering) 43. McNamara (trans) 44. Watt (trans) 45. Wood (wreck) 46. Flemke (engine) 47. Bryant (engine) 48. Wagner (trans) 49. Hoag (chasis) 50. LaJoie (engine) 51. Fidanza (oil pressure) 52. Radford (brakes) 53. Sacks (handling) 54. Bonnett (oil pan)

Bodine had fast time of 38.012, 142.060, BC Wood was low time at a speed of 128.525

Late Model Race was won by Bobby Allison the day before

Bodine also had fast time for 1976 ROC and only 23 cars finished, have to look for 1977 program for results.

 

Here are a couple of shots of Leo Matte's #92, one with Jack Lecuyer at Riverside and another at a car show.

 

This looks like another Riverside shot but not positive.

 

Here is an old one that I have no information on.

 

Here is the Elm Garage Falcon at the Eastern States Exposition.

 

RAF, that "percent sign" car belonged to the late Don "Wimpy" Kinney, whose coupes and Vegas had great success at Plainville with Stan Greger driving. Your shot indeed comes from Riverside Park, and that appears to be Richie Galullo at the wheel. And yes, Richie is the son of the great Danny Galullo. Sadly, Wimpy Kinney died a few years back.

 

On a personal note, as a kid growing up in Southington, CT, I used to pedal my bicycle a few miles every time I got the chance just to ride past Wimpy's house. His garage was out back, but if the door was open I could catch a glimpse of his "percent sign" Modified, which was bright yellow. Ah, where have the years gone?

 

Here is a shot of the 8 Ball late model at the Eastern States.

 

Here's a couple of shots of Rene Charland's #3, not sure where they were taken.

 

My first memory of Trenton is when we got to the track for the 75 ROC's qualifing had started and as we walked in Paul Radford was out there in the #45 Gremlin flying by. I was 7 years old and we had been to Grand National Races but to see the cars like the ones I watched at Wall Stadium on a BIG track was awesome! I am sure I drove my dad nuts asking him if the drivers I knew from Wall were there. I also remember Neil Bonnett in that full bodied #12 Camaro and instantly became a fan.

 

RAF, Post 9909 is Dick Dixon's 8ball but that's Danny Galullo in it. Wonder why? Maybe Dixon brought two cars that day. Ideas anyone? Denny Z

 

Denny, that's a bit before my time, but I wonder if maybe Dixon supported those Harvey Tattersall late model and convertible races by bringing extra cars? Our Eddie Flemke book had a shot of Eddie in one of Dick's convertibles at another Tattersall show, at Menands, I believe. Those fields were kinda light, I believe, and it wouldn't have been out of character for Harvey to pay some quiet "show up" money, would it? Just thinking out loud ...

 

Here is a shot over the roof of Rene's #3 no idea where it was taken.

 

In 9906

Elm Garage 66 is Billy Gurney

 

Bones, I think your right. Harvey would have paid Dixon to bring a car for another of the Riverside "Stars". Denny Z

 

Many of the Chevy coupes at Riverside seem to have the same two-tone paint style. Was there someone who built these cars for that track or was there preferred painter or what??

Just wondering........

 

I'm not sure of the locations, but I think it would be safe to say that this one wasn't in the "deep north".

This image has got to be from '68 or '69; I'd guess '69.

Wrt your other image, in which the car has slightly different lettering, a B&W of the car with that paint, but different headers, was in post #1759 of this thread.

 

Ganga, you're right, that "faux vinyl top" look was big at Riverside for years. Not sure who started that. I always found it a little odd, but back then, in the homebuilt era, a lot of tracks seemed to develop cars with their own "look" ... Most Waterford cars looked nothing like most Plainville cars, which looked nothing like most Danbury car. Of course, that wasn't true at the NASCAR Modified tracks, because those guys traveled so much and were exposed to more styles, I suppose.

 

. That is the late, great Danny Gallulo in the driver seat usually occupied by car owner Dick Dixon

 

One thing that was great back then was there were no spec rules. Any (almost) safe race car was welcome to compete with the modifieds at almost any regional track. You actually had late models often competing with modifieds. I think that's where the late model modified bodies came from (Falcons, Novas, Corvairs, Cudas, etc.). Nowadays, not only do the spec rules outlaw many older modifieds and engines that still may have a few laps left in them, but the engines have to be built by certain builders. In my opinion, Nascar has ruined local modified racing with these obsurd rules. I was at Waterford the other night and they had eighteen modifieds signed in. There used to be thirty or forty cars at all the local tracks. Just ranting.

 

I agree....

 

Here is a picture of the Slater driven V8.

 

Here is a shot of the XC-1, not sure who drove this or where it ran.

 

I totally agree about the rules. I've almost completely stopped watching NASCAR, or even going to local tracks. All the cars are exactly the same in and out. There's no more creativity, no experimentation. It's funny I was going through some old programs this afternoon and I came across the rules and regulations in my 1952 Brewerton Speedway program. Pretty simple.

 

And what about Nascar charging drivers $300 for a sportsman license? Mechanics must have a license too, and two-way radios with spotters are mandatory. And you can only buy gas from the track and you must have a track-supplied transponder. What's wrong with this scenario? Just another way for your $$ to go to Brian France. The only way short track racing will survive is to get rid of Nascar. In the fifties and sixties, thousands of fans attended short tracks each week without the big 'N' sanction. Car counts were up because rules and fees were down.

 

The xc-1 was driven by Bill Slater and Holly Wilder at Stafford Speedway and by King Carpenter at Trenton in the mid 60's. The car was restored in 1982 for NEAR events by Horace Lyons and Rich Mosher and is currently owned by Ray Belanger of Foxboro Ma.

 

There still are.

NASCAR doesn't sanction much once you get off the eastern seaboard.

If you want to be rid of NASCAR, go West young man!

It's all ASA, UMP, and IMCA around here, none of which are as stifling as NASCAR.

 

It's great to be back posting on the thread. I've served my tax exile. From January to April I work two full time jobs and one of them is income taxes (glad to have both jobs still in this economy). Looks like we may go from 400 to 500 pages faster than any other century mark we've hit. Good to see the familiar folks posting away as well as all of the new contributors. I've pulled up from other sites and scanned in some Artie Tappen from my cauffers. He was one of my favorites. Always had neat looking clean cars, that were fast as well. Here are some of the earliest shots I have of Art with his coupe. All shots are on the track or in the pits at Islip Speedway.