60'-70's Vintage Oval Track Modifieds

LONG SLAND, NY .... Former modified stock car owner & driver Roy Smith (Roy Namiotka) of Jamesport, NY passed away yesterday, after a battle with cancer.

Roy was a regular competitor on the Riverhead (NY) Raceway asphalt oval, until mid season 1966 (in the pre window net era) when his car (numbered "IV") rolled, pinning his left hand.

With that hand severely disabled, many thought his racing career was over. However he went on to build a new car, a coupe that was also numbered "IV" and continued his driving career for a number of years on the 1/2 mile dirt Orange County Fairgrounds Speedway oval, in Middletown, NY.

The wake / viewing will be held at the

De Friest - Grattan Funeral Home
13805 Main Road (Route 25)
Mattituck, NY 11952
(631) 298-4016

Visiting hours will be tomorrow (Tuesday, September 28th) 2 to 4 PM and 7 to 9 PM.

On Wednesday (September 29th) services will be held first at the funeral home at 10 AM, then at the grave side at 11 AM , at the Jamesport (NY) Cemetery, which is located at Main Road (Route 25) and Manor Lane in Jamesport, NY.

Cards and notes of condolence can be sent to .... The Namiotka Family, P.O. Box 87, Jamesport, NY 11947

Condolences can also be left for the family on the funeral home's Web Site at .... http://www.defriestgrattan.com/condolences.htm


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NOTE:-

Many of today's racers & fans know one of his four daughters, Peggy Smith (Peggy Namiotka) who recently retired from modified competition at Riverhead.

Peggy is also a former Grand Am late model champion at Riverhead, late model Rookie of The Year at the Freeport (NY) Stadium Speedway.

Peggy became one of the "Long Island Bad Guys" when she campaigned a Pete Petraitis owned / Artie King wrenched TQ with the American Three Quarter Midget Racing association (ATQMRA).

She was also honored to wear the driving uniform of the first woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500 .. Janet Guthrie .. for a major portion of her career.

 

I'll keep looking for more, but I think he's in post #6720, too. Small world

 

just found this thread, got to page four and saw some familiar cars. i was track photographer at McCarty speedway, Merrick auto racing, dodge city ks. from 1973-1979. i've still got a box of photos somewhere! in the pits every sat. nite during the season.338 pages,,,wow, its gonna take forever to go through!!!
harp

 

welcome harp!

 

oops I meant thread page 248. Sorry about that

 

The Next Old Timers event I have on my calendar is ...

THE OLD BRIDGE (NJ) STADIUM SPEEDWAY REUNION at the Thomas Warne Museum .. 4216 County Route 516 (Old Bridge Matawan Road) .. on October 9th & 10th .. 10 AM to 4 PM.

Do you remember the ARDC midgets, URC sprint cars, the modified & sportsman stock cars, the Old Bridge Drags? Well stop by and re-live the THRILLS and FAST CARS from yesteryear!!

Films, Racing Historians, Dioramas and Memorabilia Collections all celebrating "THE FASTEST TRACK IN THE EAST"!!!
Food & Fun!!!

$5.00 for adults ..... $3.00 for children under 12

For more information ..
1-732-566-2108 or http://www.thomas-warne-museum.com

The Thomas Warne Museum is the home of the Madison Township Historical Society, serving Old Bridge Township, NJ

 

Ken, I was planning on going but I can't...next year I hope. Turns out there is a reunion in my back yard I had promised to go to (Plainville) the same day. Then in the afternoon I have to drive to Seekonk for the races Saturday and Sunday. Please say Hi for me to all the folks I would have met there, tell em I'll be there next year. I am going to the thing Ken Brenn is planning in November no previous commitments there. Denny Z

 

I can't go to the Old Bridge (NJ) Reunion either, my wife has something on the agenda .. but I figured I'd let others know about it.

Hmmm!!! Joe Tinti's Plainville Stadium. Now he was a character!!!

Did they get your Quad 4 midget ride back together for Whip City?
If so, how was the new set up?

Denny, would you be kind enough to either eMail me or Private Message me (PM) with the details of what ever Ken Brenn is planning in November? ..... THANKS!!!

Also in November is the 25th ANNUAL Stan Lobitz shindig at his catering hall in Hazleton, PA. I've heard that MANY famous folks from all over the country are planning to attend. It's almost a MUST DO event, especially for (but not only) open cockpit people. It's FREE to all. Food, etc. all day long, plus a sit down dinner in the evening too. Being the 25th Annual, I hear that it will be VERY SPECIAL!!! ... I'll post more about it, once the Old Bridge Reunion is behind us.

Meanwhile, ENJOY the Plainville (CT) Stadium reunion.

 

Jay,

Thanks for the original photos from Islip. Charlie Siebert had some nice clean rides. I remember him having Vinyl Village on the car as a sponsor along with Artie Tappan.

JBull

 

Art Tappan and Charlie Seibert were closely associated early on. Artie first race car was Charlies Figure 8 car (a real clean Ford Crown Victoria) and from the eights Artie went on to be one of the few figure 8 to move to the modifieds and he had by far the most success.

 

Some more Tom Baldwin and LI mods



I know there was some discussion about this one back on the thread to where it actually occurred. The fire in Baldwin's car was at Riverhead. That is Bobby Lane #6 getting into the back of him and Jim Hendfrickson in the X-3 going by.



The Tyle Brothers Cliff #21 sideways, the #08 of Jim Tyler
Fred Sipala in the X91 vega and Tom Baldwin in the #7. I believe the X91 vega was actually built by Billy Auer who built the two #16 Black Raven Pintos that Teddy Wesnofske drove to the 1974 Islip Track Title



At Islip not sure of the photographer

 

Ken, Yup Quad4 is back together and better than ever. Still haven't won yet but I'm gaining. Pretty sure I'm going to Stan Lobitz's gig. Denny Z

 

Post those pics please!

 

just found this thread, got to page four and saw some familiar cars. i was track photographer at McCarty speedway, Merrick auto racing, dodge city ks. from 1973-1979. i've still got a box of photos somewhere! in the pits every sat. nite during the season.338 pages,,,wow, its gonna take forever to go through!!!
harp

Worth every minute of your time!!

 

I know there was some discussion about this one back on the thread to where it actually occurred. The fire in Baldwin's car was at Riverhead. That is Bobby Lane #6 getting into the back of him and Jim Hendfrickson in the X-3 going by.


That's correct JBull, I remember the night. I also remember Bobby Lane's crew having that same car ready the next week with the paint still burned off and Bob O'Rourk giving them some grief about the appearence. Tom Baldwin was out too but he had more than one car it may or may not have been that one. PS Now that I think about it, it might have been the next day at Islip that they were out?

 

You guys got great pic and bring back alot of memerys for me. I live up state NY and would go to Owego every week with my dad. Now they are back raceing a Chumg, and the New Sagerlaw II. Can wait to go vist and go to the track Racing not the same in Washington..

 

Before Mr Excitement, Jimmy Spencer, showed up on the modified scene we had Jungle John Blewitt Jr. from NJ....

an Ace Lane photo of John in the former Charlie Jarzombek vega....



a Bruce Barmore photo of John racing Fred Harbach in the X90 at Freeport



photographer unknown (in the pits at Wall Stadium?)



another Ace Lane photo



photographer unknown

 

John Blewitt Jr. at speed in a Troyer Built Pinto



battling Fred Harbach at Riverhead



at the Turkey Derby at Wall



In a pack also at Wall, I believe. Jim Hendrickson leading the way in the X3 followed by Geoff Bodine in the Armstrong #1, Richie Evans in the #61, Tom McCann in the #16, John in the #76 (not sure who is in the other #1)



At Islip battling Billy Parks in the #20 (a B7G Wurthemann photo)





At Holland battling Billy Colton in the #22, George Kent in the #26 and Tommy Druar in the #37

 

Here's a few shots of the finished up rear sheetmetal. Getting tired of tired of this kind of work, so it's good it's done and I can go on to some other stuff.

 

Looks great!

 

Thanks, Rich! I've been to your website, so coming from you, that means a lot. Love that retro #14 Gremlin. What vintage is that chassis?

 

Bill
Shamrock 3X sheetmetal work looks great but agree with you that it gets old and tedious......especially on a 36 chevy! To replace all the wood. fenderwells, floorpans, tunnel, rockers, firewall front and back, doors etc I spent well over 200 hours on my 36'. Terry

 

Terry,

Thanks....right you are about those old Chevys w/wood in them. Better to take it all out & replace w/steel, IMHO. And I loosely kept track of hours spent once on my 1st street rod project (38 Chevy coupe). It scared the hell out of me, so I stopped doing that once and for all!

Bill

 

I seem to remember it's an early 90's Troyer. Keep up the fantastic work!

 

I'll keep posting the old ones while you guys keep building the new old ones.....


some leftover shots of John Blewett....I loved this gremlin...Troyer Built I believe...battling with Kenny Bouchard in the Boehler #3 and George Kent in the #26 at Stafford



Blewett and Tony Siscone #14 at Wall



a family photo



At Thompson I believe with George Kent #26 and Richie Evans #61



A match race at Thompson between John Blewett and Richie Evans



Blewett and Evans again this time at Islip, not sure of the photographer

 

When I talked to the owner/driver at Darlington he told me it was a Troyer of that era. He also said it was one of only a few built that were a couple of inches wider than Troyer's normal car.

 

These are some pictures of the modified I drove at Westboro Speedway in the mid-seventies to 1980. This was a great 1/4 mile high banked track, 32 degrees in corners and about 15 degrees on straights. Track was built originally for midgets. You could go 2 and 3 wide. Great speedway, now a shopping mall!!

 

Luckily, I had a chance to go to Westboro before they leveled it. I sat in the 1st and 2nd turn bleachers. Every time the pack rumbled by, I thought the bleachers were going to collapse.

 

Hi, One nite I was racing in the modified feature when Mario Fats Caruso tangled with another car and went right thru the turn one fence which was wood planks!! The track crew ran around to the back stretch and took some planks off the bleachers and nailed them up on on the hole Mario made! We finished the race just before the midnight curfew!

 

I remember cars flying when they hooked the culvert on the inside of the track at Westboro