60'-70's Vintage Oval Track Modifieds

# 19 Little Susie is Malta( Albany/Saratoga)

 

Definitely Malta you can tell by the light poles. I was a 4th turn junkie.

 

Post 9592 I don't recognize anyone. Post 9597 for sure Ralph Boehm. 9598 Rene's car and the truck they used to tow the race car both painted bronze with a stripe down the middle, can't identify the track tho.

RAF, Whats your name? PM me if you prefer. Denny Z

 

A coupe and a coach waiting to be rescued...



Spotted these in the 'hood in Buffalo's East Side while I was in Western N.Y. this week. Pulled the rental car up onto a vacant lot to get a better pic and stuck the Hyundai Elantra rent-a-mobile in the mud. Same neighborhood as where my nephew was murdered two years ago, so this is not a fun place to be stranded. The cars are just sitting there, behind some closed-up buildings. This is a side street off Broadway, across from Broadway & Rommel. I couldn't "rock it out," so I slammed it into reverse and floored it. Wound up in the middle of the street with a mud-covered car and a flat right-rear. Can of Fix-A-Flat and a trip to the car wash and the rental company was none the wiser...

 

RAF, those are some great shots. Is there anyway you can post them full size or regular size? I like to collect old modified photos. BF is my kid. Thank you for sharing what you have so far.

 

That might be AirBorn Park in Plattsburgh,NY.

That looks like Charlie Trombley in the 5 7/8 car behind him.

 

If you click on the pictures you should see the bigger size.

 

Truck, trailer and coupe a super race team.

 

The Elm Garage Falcon out of Conn. at Riverside Park

 

Here is another picture of Rene Charland with one of his many rides. Second picture is the same car repainted and lettered. Again looks like Riverside Park.

 

Those pictures of Rene's car on the trailer towed behind the pick up, race car and tow vehicle all painted the same. Just imagine yourself back in time driving down the highway and this rig came roaring by you, if you were at all interested you might follow it to the race track and all of a sudden become a race fan. There were times (Eastern Bandit Days) Rene's rig and the $ sign that Eddie Flemke drove (actually the $ sign belonged to John Steiger), the $ sign up on the back of Eddie's truck and my car the 4x on a trailer towed by Eddie's truck, we would stop for gas or something to eat and folks would want to know where the races were or they would be fans and just want to talk racing. We had our favorite places to stop all up and down the east coast.
Sadly with today's rigs (all enclosed trailers) that doesn't happen any more.

By the way our favorite places to eat were diners, Howard Johnson's and farm stands along the way, if memory serves me right the Crosstown Diner on the Cross Bronx Expressway, there was a diner on Rt 18 just north of Old Bridge on our way home (Wally Dallenbach and others like the Long Island Gang, DeAngelo, Harbach, Hendricson parden my spell) would all be there. There was a favorite diner on 301 in Maryland, once in a while a McDonald's. Friday morning (after New Egypt / Ft Dix Thursday night) we arrived at Junie Donlevy's shop to get ready for Southside Speedway that night.
Junie was/is the "Perfect Southern Gentleman" to us, allowing us to use his shop for whatever we needed to get ready for that night's race.

Those were great times, Eddie was busy showing the southern folks how to make their cars handle better, then teaching me driving stuff that allowed me still be more than competitive and Rene.....well was Rene...always a cigar and always his pranks.

By the way, did you know that Rene never spun anybody out? All those folks backed into him. He told me that so it must be true.....Right?

That's all for now I gotta have breakfast. Denny Z

 

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"Those pictures of Rene's car on the trailer towed behind the pick up, race car and tow vehicle all painted the same. Just imagine yourself back in time driving down the highway and this rig came roaring by you, if you were at all interested you might follow it to the race track and all of a sudden become a race fan. "

This is something that, In my opinion, has changed for the worse.
When I was a kid in Morgantown Indiana, I used to watch the dirt cars, and Indy roadsters come through on their way to the track on their open trailers. Rady to race, clean, shiny, you couldn't help but imagine them broadsiding around some track, flat out! We pulled the digger on an open trailer in the '60's, and I can remember watching kids plastered to the windows of dad's station wagon when we went by.
Now everything is pulled in a nondescript white box, the kids have no idea what is going down the road next to them. I know it's for the best, but I believe a lot of the romance in auto racing went away with the open trailer. Mike

 

Dr.John, what the hell are you doing on the east side? It ain't nothin but abandoned buildings, hookers and gunshots. Sure there is a lot of stuff hidden in there, after all it used to be car town in the day, but that stuff definitely ain't worth your life. I won't go anywhere near the eastside anymore.

 

Great stuff RAF, BF, and all. Keep them coming.

 

Great to see you posting here, Denny Z. Did you know former Plainville champ Sparky Belmont? He was my uncle and godfather. Would like to hear any stories about him. Thanks for all your input.

 

Have any more pictures of Little Susie? i'm building a car very simular. need some more ideas. Great pics.

 

I believe your question answers itself.

 

Why I will never tow my racecar in an enclosed trailer....and when the roadster is done, I want to build an enclosed trailer with clear plexiglass sides

 

Here are a couple more from the Eastern States Exposition.

 

Here are a couple of shots of Bobby Bard in the Czarnecki Bros. #20, I think at Riverside Park.

 

Zoera, Yes I knew him and raced with him a couple of times but that was at the very beginning of my career and pretty much at the end of his career. So I didn't know him very well. He was a good racer and colorful and the fans loved him I know that. You can be proud of your Uncle. Denny Z

 

Yes, I know, I've been here just about since day one. I know how things work around here. Thank you all the same.

 

Denny do you remember Westhampton, Long Island by any chance ? I heard the turns were wicked there. I saw Ed Flemkys $ race there once. I couldn't believe how fast he was.

 

Hello Randomrodder,
Glad to hear you have been here from the beginning and know how things work. I am fairly new and still learning. If you wish to copy my pictures then check out a site such as Photofiltre or a number of other picture sites and learn how they work so you can upload any photo you have and change it to any size you desire. Hope this helps.

 

Johnnyone, No I don't remember Westhampton. I may gone there once with Eddie and had motor troubles with my car. I don't think Eddie ran there more than once or twice.

Denny Z

 

Here are Kenny Shoemaker and Gene Bergin in "Little Susie" cars.

 

I agree with the enclosed trailer comments. If I was a promo ter I'd offer the first guy across the finish line that came with an open trailer an extra $200. Open trailers are racing advertisements.

I can remember as a kid seein' cars flat towed or trailered and asking my dad if we could go watch'em race. Most of the time we did.

As for diners. The Miss Troy Diner in Albia, NY (just outside Troy) was racing information central. Race car pics on the wall. A hub of Valley information and who was doin' what.

Denny,

Did ya' ever run Pine Bowl Speedway? And did ya' run against Kenny Goodermote in the Harvey 62jr ?

 

I remember as a kid, standing on the corner of Route 111 and Alkier St. in Central Islip/Brentwood watching the cars on trailers and ramp trucks head to Islip Speedway on a Saturday afternoon and getting all fired up for my dad to take us to the races..When we race our dirt car, we travel with an open trailer and kids come and look and ask questions..it's whats make this sport so enjoyable..

 

The diner near Old Bridge was the Peter Pank on rt 9. The parking lot was full of race cars on both Saturday night (Wall) and (Old Bridge Drags ) and Sunday night (Old Bridge )

 

Since the day before dirt was created.