Motion Pictures Jalopy Racing in the 50s (with color film)

The two things I remember most about jalopy racing are Dick Lane yelling "Whoooa Nellie" as Parnelli Jones was tearing up Gardena Speedway.

 

The All-Time classic Parnelli Jones racing photo: 1955 Long Beach Veteran's Memorial Stadium. A athletic running track surrounds a football field and is used as a jalopy race track. A raised 4 1/2 inch concrete lip lines the football field to help retain water during irrigation. The jalopy drivers discovered that putting their left front tire over this concrete lip in the turns would make it impossible for another driver to nerf/bump them out of the way. Parnelli Jones has his left front tire over the lip at hi-speed and the other jalopy is trying to do the same. I wonder how this lap finished?

 

It would be interesting to know at what point in the turn the cars are at. Mr Jones looks like he is about to spin out to me, based on the angle of the 3 cars involved, the direction the driver on # 26 is looking, and at the angle the front tires are turned in relation to the angle of the car. The driver in #26 is heading the direction he is looking, and the tires are turned about right to maintain that direction. Parnelli is looking more towards the infield and the car is too sideways to maintain the angle he is traveling. The front tires are pulling him into the infield. The tire hooked inside the curb is not allowing the front end to slide enough, the rear end is coming around, when the other front tire drops over the curb, Parnelli is in for a loop.
Least that's the way I see it...Gene

 

Neat thread. Agree, ol TomL is the absolute guru of SoCal dirt. I got in on this deal the last couple of years flatties ran, 62-63. By 65 Fig 8 coupes took over with unlimited engines, a few of the old oval jalopies tried that with some success, but Chevy frames with less flex worked better than the Fords. 60 to 70MPH was fast enough for the equipment, I used a jet pilot helmet (about 15 lbs!) and friction seat belt in the beginning.

 

RON, long time since we last talked. Good to hear from you. You have got to watch this short film of Figure-8 racing from Ascot. You just might see someone you know!!

 

Hey TomL Yes Sir, I knew MOST of these guys, probably 65 or 66.....I am even in the video, about the middle, Orange #153 coupe, on the small oval, cut of by 290 Gene Millard, but recovered...this is perfectly typical of that era, Sauer, Thomas, Jones, Thoms, Troy Still, Garrett, some really good drivers in some decent equipment....and it got better the next couple years. PS I just saw this post, neat.

 

That's a great vid. Tom I just got your book and it is the best collection of jalopy racing pictures I have ever seen! Thanks again for the heads-up!

 

Early Figure-8 history from Ascot Park during 1962 and 1963. The 2 people I would like so much to find are Bob Hobbs, the very first Ascot Park Figure-8 champion from 1962, and, Larry Kennedy, who did the PR and photo work at Ascot in 1963 and 1964. Kennedy was a Air Force reservist on call, and Hobbs was rumored to live in Arizona somewhere. The memorabilia both of those men could have might be spectacular!