History Balboa Stadium Jalopy Racing / Bob Hardee Photos

The San Diego Racing Museum Project has just posted a large collection of Jalopy Racing photos from the early to mid 1950's on their website...
Here is a link to that page http://sandiegoracingmuseum.weebly.com/balboa.html

You can contact the museum at [email protected]
They are looking for ANY old San Diego Racing photos or artifacts....

Here is just one of the great shots by Bob Hardee that are on this website

 

My dad and uncles raced jalopies there in late 50s-62 .... I have heard not many photos survived. I am under a blanket in the cement bleachers with the family .... great memories.

EDIT: Visited the site, great shots. Couldn't help on I.D.s.

 

SAM123 ...
What is your Father & Uncle's names that raced at Balboa Stadium
PLEASE contact me at [email protected]

Maybe I can find something for you....If you have car numbers it really helps...

 

Will do. .... and thanks for memorializing this part of SD racing history!

 

Cool!

 

x 2!

 

I was there the night Frenchy Faulkner was killed at Balboa Stadium. In 1959 I was 12 years old. The neighboorhood boys and I would take the bus from North Park to the stadium for a dime. As I remember he got sideways, and another car hit him. Frenchys car went upside down, and burst into flames. The fire was so intense one of the tires exploded sending melted rubber and sparks into the night sky. After the safety crew got the fire out they draped a white sheet on the overturned car. I am sure the car was named the Anderson Special. The accident happened right in front of us, but we were several rows up in the bleachers. They cancelled the Main Event for the evening. I came home and told my dad what happened. That was so long ago, and I'm still screwing with cars.

 

Redneck Racing: Haul Ass and Turn Left

And try to Hold On. Maybe one degree of banking . . . Carnage. Fantastic.

Thanks for the link, great history!

 

Small world. I was also there that night with my Dad. I was about the same age. He never took me to another one.

My first car was a 1936 Ford 1/2 ton that according to my Uncle, who restored it for me, had been a push car at Balboa Stadium. I purchased another 36 1/2 ton last month that brings back a lot of memories. Even the same color.

The site is great. I'l check my collection of photos from my Uncle when we get back to our Summer location in WA. next April.

 

Was your uncle in Allied Gardens ramjet?

Talk about carnage at Balboa ... there was always the figure-eight if things were not exciting enough. I can steal feel those cold concrete bleachers on my butt!! LOL

 

Hoping to post a photo of my uncle George French's KK midget at Balboa Stadium in 1947. The car was owned by he and Jay Walton from ffice:smarttags" /><ST1lace w:st="on"><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comSan Diego</st1:City></ST1lace>. According to D Wallen's book Bill Cantrell won the Red circuit that year in the Drake powered car. If anyone has or knows of any other photos or stories about them it would be welcomed. I think W&F were done racing then as I see no records after 1948. The car must have been built and sorted in 1946 for them to win in January of 47. The first race of record was won by Johnnie Parsons but all others were with Cantrell in the seat. I have no idea where it went afterwards but I have read that Cantrell had his own car which was nearly identical in construction and built near the same time.fficeffice" /><O></O>

 

No we were in La Mesa.

 

toml24 here on the HAMB wrote a book about Jalopy racing in calif. He has many photos and stories about balboa. Years ago a great article was in stock car racing mag about Baloba racing. It was pened by Mike Bell out of Atlanta. Thanks for the thread.... Bobby..

 

Many thanks for the plug: I did author and publish a jalopy book titled "Memories of the California Jalopy Association", but, in all honesty, there is but a very few photos of Balboa Stadium in the book, which does have 1, 550 photos of jalopies in Southern California.
Years ago someone sent me about 60 8 X 10 photos of jalopies at Balboa, but, they were taken from the infield and all you see is the car number on the drivers side door and there is no sponsor writings at all on the cars so you don't know what year it is and almost impossible to ID who's driving.

 

Tom124
I would like to see those 60 Balboa photos
Contact me at [email protected]

Also do you have any photos from Cabrillo Speedway or Lakeside Speedway

 

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/FqvsIZJIKmM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqvsIZJIKmM

Maybe this can help somebody.. I was kind of sure it was Balboa Stadium... I own the reel but have no other real information...

 

My uncle Stan Noble raced there around 1949-50 in a 34 sedan. Matter of
fact I don't remember a west coast track he didn't race at. I have a picture
of that car with me poking my 5 year old head out the windshield hole.
Thanks for sharing the good old days, sure brings back some fond memories.
Rich.....

 

I will see if I can dig them out. I do not have anything from those other tracks.

 

you know. I've got a bunch of old photos of jalopys runnin, my grandma gave me um a while back, originals too!
I'll try and dig um out.
Super cool stuff, seeing these guys tear up cars you'd only dream of having

 

Big. Brass. Balls.

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elvisaurusrex
PLEASE CONTACT ME at [email protected]

or go to the San Diego Racing Museum website & click the CONTACT US button
http://sandiegoracingmuseum.weebly.com/

 

It's really great to see the effort put in by individuals wanting to preserve the racing history here in San Diego. I have heard a number of stories from my father about Paradise Mesa, Balboa Stadium, etc... I will try to find some of his photos and send to the museum for all to enjoy. I spoke to Judd May quite a few years ago; he was very involved in the San Diego motorsports scene, racing a yellow 32 Ford at Paradise Mesa and jalopies he owned that raced at Balboa Stadium. I know Jim Wood raced one of those cars for him.

Attached is the inside of a program from the 1960 season, I think September.

 

WillieRides57
Would love to see anything concering San Dieog Racing history
Anyone can contact me at [email protected]

 

My grandfather Chubby Sorenson raced Jalopies and Midgets in the late 40's early 50's. Balboa was one of his favorite tracks. I have some of his trophies, his original helmet, numerous programs and a few albums of photos from those days.

 

he ran Numbers 127, 3jr, 24, 2, etc.... his car owner was Dale Elenburg.

 

I used to watch the jalopy races on the new fangled TV when I was a pup. It was a love affair, I can tell you. I did manage to get to Ascot to see some of the figure 8 races. That was when racing was something anybody could get into. It was a sport. Now it's all about money. I miss it. I do have the Jalopy Racing Assn book and it brings back a lot of memories. A great read with lots of pictures. I highly recommend it.

 

Dale Elenburg was my grampa. Here is a little tribute I did for my father (Larry Elenburg) and grampa (Dale Elenburg) my uncle Tink Elenburg was the driver.

https://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/10/prweb13777184.htm

I guess they say racing is in the blood cause I started my own racing team. ChapoRacing

 

that website .............there went my evening
fabricator john
miss you dad

 

I dunno...I'm gonna be the first to say it. Those guys wrecked, ruined and threw away an awful lot of early V8 Fords...the very cars that our hobby is based on. Unlike dry lakes/Bonneville/drag racing from which we trace our hot rodding roots, these stock car guys were more of a detriment to hot rodding than anything else (except maybe some engine builders/tuners).

I understand there is some historical significance to these old Jalopy Racers, but they certainly didn't give a shit about the things that HAMBers have come to hold near and dear.

They may look like hot rods...but they ARE NOT hot rods.

JMO...let the hate begin

 

I went to SDHS . Balboa Stadium actually the SDHS stadium. They tore down the original stadium in my sophomore year. My auto shop class was right next to the stadium, and our teacher Mr Cleland would tell us stories about midget cars racing around the foot track.