60'-70's Vintage Oval Track Modifieds

Drinking ICE COLD BEER, sittin' round tellin' lies.....one of my favorite past times........lol

 

I remember some of those races back in '78 where Geoff would beat up on the locals at Waterford and Stafford (and at many other places). However, when Maynard came to Stafford for the Sizzler, he kicked the crap out of Geoff, Richie and all the rest. It was astounding what that big block did to the competition, there was no question who was king that day. Geoff toured with at least two cars that year, as did Richie. As far as I know, Maynard brought just one car (the prototype of the 'factory car'). I was most impressed with Maynard beating up on the bullies. My vote for MT in '78.

 

I still say that looks like Les Alberti with his arms crossed.

 

This guy also built some neat mods....Bobby Vee....here is a Gremlin from the early 70's







I don't know about the Gremlin but this Plymouth Arrow was built by Bobby Vee and Bob Cuneo. They formed a company called Chassis Dynamic. I believe they later merged with Geoff Bodine under the name Bo-Dyn Chassis.

 

This next car out of the Chassis Dynamics stable for Bobby Vee stirred up quite a bit of controversey....

It was a Dodge Omni...







I believe a Howie Hodge photo



According to a piece written in Speedway Scene in a column called Modified Madness by some guy Bones Bourcier (lol) the car was not allowed to run by Nascar for altered body panels....I don't know if modification were made to the car so it could run again or not....it seemed to show up at more tracks than just Stafford








A lynch mob photo



A Rich Oakley photo





alongside not Richie Evans, but what I think was a young Mike Stefanik in a back-up Evans car at Thompson I believe...I believe another Howie Hodger photo






looping it in front of George Kent in the Cal Smales #41 and Geoff Bodine

 

and some final shots of Bobby Vee... in the X6...







and I believe this is also Bobby Vee in the #11....I believe this is a Dodge Challenger....I believe these are all Howie Hodge Photos








alongside Ken Bouchard I believe in the same car also built by Chassis Dynamics

 

Bob Cuneo did the design/build the 72x Gremlin with Bob Vee.

 

I spoke to Jeff at the Icebreaker. The car is behind his garage I believe in a few pieces but could be put together again.

 

Welcome Jaws, wonder what took you so long!

 

Is this a Bobby Vee car?

 

Jack Johnson at Syracuse, N.Y. (photog unknown)

 

Does anyone have any photos of Bobby Vee's coupe. he drove it in the early 70's & it was a work of art in & of itself. I would like to see it posted here if you do

 

OTE=#99 Vintage Racer;6588851]Is this a Bobby Vee car? tommy comford in don lings car

 

doug french in the 12

 

Here's a guy from LI who built some pretty nice modifieds and had some success running them....Billy Spade

one of his earlier coaches...





without the hump








at Islip circa 1972 with Richie Gomes in the X27 Gremlin, Fred Harback in the Butch Meceika #18 and Art Tappen in the #14 Pinto




At Islip again in the coach that was nicknamed the hearst battling what looks like the X3 Pinto of Jim Hendrickson...however the driver of the X3 appears to have a full face helmet, which I don't recall Jim Hendrickson ever wearing...



a Len Calinoff photo of the hearst in it's aqua color




on the track again at Islip with Charlie J's #1 lurking in the background....

 

I think Billy was running a small block with a double barrell carburator on this version of the car above

below the hearst painted purple










one of his ugliest cars I think ( a corvaire)




the coach with an updated gremlin body and back to the familiar aqua color




I believe Bobby Holmberg is actually driving the car this time at Freeport

 

another driver from the LI that I think graduated from the midgets....Richie Gomes in the X27


his mustang





and his very clean gremlin on the trailer






in the pits





on the track in front of Billy Spade

 

One of the best regular Saturday night Modified features I have ever seen run at Islip Speedway was between Billy Spade in the early coach and Charlie J. It must have been back in 1969, or 70 and they ran door to door for lap after lap. Billy on the outside and CJ on the inside. CJ would get a wheel on Billy in the corner but Billy would get Charlie on the straights. I believe Charlie J won that night but, boy, was that some battle.

Billy's coach was w/o the hump and the stands were going wild. Any one recall that race here?

 

I am quite sure Richie Gomes went from the Figure 8's to the modifieds and did not run midgets. He was one of the few drivers who made the transition from F-8's to modifieds successfully.

The only others from Islip I can think of right off were Charlie Siebert, Art Tappan, Quinn Vollgraff and Chris Young.

 

These are fantastic pictures..brings back such great memories..love the picture of the haulers lined up in a row!!

 

Reading March 1979! enjoy!

 

a few from Islip....

Carl Risch in the #4 and Joe Biondollilo in the #07




a blurry picture I took on the pit ramp at Islip as a 9 year old with a polaroid of Jim Kelly's #22 Skyhawk




Joe Mamolito #31 in a spin in front of the #11 of George Wagner




Joe in the #31 gets by this time as Richard Clark in the #50 and Herbie Hulse in the #12 get together




Joe spinning again with Frank Saladino as John Michalowski in the #86 gets squeezes into the wall




John Michalowski in the #303





Bobby Lane in the #6 ( a great figure 8 driver who never did make it in the mods--might have been more for lack of $)

 

P. B. Crowell was not a beer distributor .He and Charles Reed were partners in a trucking company and owned cars driven by many drivers including D.W., the Allison brothers ,Jimmy Griggs, Freddy Fryar,Bill Morton. Eddie Mitchel and many others.So get your facts straight

 

Yes, Jan, this is an absolutely critical distinction. P. B. Crowell was not in the business of distributing beer on trucks. He was in the business of providing trucks for the distribution of things, such as beer.
Nice way of introducing yourself here, John...cough, cough.

(By the way, John, Eddie Mitchell spelled his surname with a capital "M", and two "l"s. I'm sure you want to get your facts straight on that one.)

 

EMMR cars on display at Lincoln Speedway in May 2011! enjoy!

 

I am sure Jan would like to get the facts straight BUT she is dead.. We lost her several years ago. Please excuse this small mistake on her part as she was a very knowelgable person on deep south racing.. But one thing she did know that surprised me was that she knew the number on Jimmy Griggs car " 709 " was the house number of his benifactor Mr. Pilitera from the Birmingham Alabama area. So any way John post some more positive things as you were present during the hey day of auto racing. Just to add one more thing your dad "Charles" was always nice every time I talked to him..... thank you ..........Bobby...