Features VINTAGE SPRINT CAR PIC THREAD, 1965 and older only please.

I need some help from the brain trust on this thread!

Earlier this year I purchased a Stapp sprint car that is reported to be one of the 1974/75 "House " cars. After the 1975 season, the car was said to have been sold to Russ Pollack and driven by Larry Dickson.

Since many on this thread seem to be from the Mid West, I'm hoping that some of you can offer me some contact information on names that should be associated with this car. If you have any info on any of these people, please PM me (for their privacy) as I would like to get as much history on this car as possible.

Charlie Weddle
Bill Burton
Steve Cannon
Russ Pollack
Larry Dickson
Jerry Weeks
Ernie Ensign
Steve Combest

Thanks in advance for any help!!

Sean

 

Can't really say, but looking over his champ car stats he had lots of DNQs, wrecks and mechanicals. Looks like he was relegated to a lot of outdated junk and pickup rides. Hard to impress the top owners that way.

 

GREAT pics Corngrower............My Dad owned a couple of cars in the 40's and early 50's(he drove one and had a driver for the other) in the midwest. Initially ran Ford 60's and then switched to Offy's. Unfortunately I have no pics so maybe someone from the midwest has pics from Sioux City,IA/Omaha,NE/Kansas/MN area!!

 

I have a phone number for Dickson somewhere--I will try to dig it out. I also see Steve Stapp a couple of times a week if that helps.

Roo

 

I am looking to see if anyone has any info/results/pictures from the old Ft. Wayne, Indiana Speedway 5/8 mile track... Particularly 1955-59... The track ran from the 1920's to around '66-'67 at the site of the Allen County Fairground (at the time)...

 

Is this a different track than Baer Field?

 

A different track than Baer. Ft. Wayne was the fourth high banked paved track that AAA/USAC raced on (along with Salem, Dayton, and Winchester). It ran from the late 1920s through the early 1960s. It seemed to have financial issues at times but AAA and USAC both ran there for several years in the 1950s. And before (and after) that groups like Central States and Tom Cherry's AARC put on races there. Parnelli Jones raced on the banks for the first time there in 1959 in the first Fike Plumbing car and got humbled by cars that he had previously beat on the dirt. This led to him getting Harlan Fike to pay for Hank Henry to build him the car in which he became famous driving in USAC. Several books are around which discuss the Ft. Wayne high banks. One that comes to mind is "King of the Hills" by Buzz Rose. Like Winchester, Ft. Wayne started out as an oiled dirt high banked track which was later paved.

 

The old Fort Wayne Speedway was torn down about 1985 to build an industrial park. It stood around a mile from the Memorial Coliseum where they have indoor Midget Racing in Dec.
Buzz Rose's "King of the Hills" IS a good book for information on it.

 

Good seeing you today Roo! That car is bitchin! Even for a straight liner!

 

I spent today and yesterday with an guy I grew up racing with.. He and Stapp are close, he works with, and for him a lot. We talked old sprint cars mostly and how fast we both used to be.. (I was faster)

Anyways, at one point he mentioned a guy calling Stapp (Bopper) on the phone a while back that thought he might have Poncho's Championship Stapp Sprint car.. Bopper explained to him that The Actual Championship car is still in Boppers possesion, in storage. (It is! I've seen it!) But the car that the guy on the phone had WAS A STAPP SPRINTER.. just not that one.

Was that you??

If not, I can PM you Stapp's number. He's a cool guy. And has a good memory.

Either way, Good find!! And good luck!!

J Shaw

 

Josh,
Have you looked at this site?

http://kentuckymotorsportshalloffame.com/

 

Josh in a "real" race car.<G>



Roo

 

Did'nt Stapp and Poncho win more than one championship? If they did I think they used two cars. One a spring front and the other a 4-bar car. I think Buzzy Dobbins has the other car. Buzzy sponsored the cars all the time Poncho drove for Stapp. He had a Chevy dealership in Scottsburg, In. He has an Indy roadster in the living room of his house.
Jim Graybeal

 

It's PANCHO, and yes Stapp would change back and forth from spring front to four bar, I think he would sell a bunch of spring front cars and then no one was buying cars so they would whip everyone with a 4 bar then sell a bunch of four bars then change back to spring front and beat all the four bars he just sold

 

Didnt Poncho drive for Jim Rieder from New Jersey part of the time?

 

Very cool! Thanks!

 

Thanks Dad.

 

Racer5c,
I never could spell, thanks for making it wright.
Jim Graybeal

 

Didnt Pancho drive for Jim Rieder for awhile?

 

Thanks to all who responded to my query! Keep those cards and letters coming!!

When I have some time, I'll post some pics of my project.

Sean

 

yes he did , so did Mark Dizmore, I wish I coulda

 

guess you guys don't want tto hear the infamous Tom Carnagie Pancho Carter victory banquet speach

 

Not at all. Were not into cool old Sprint car stories here...



COME ON WITH IT!!

JD

 

I want to hear it.

 

It's a cool old Indy Car Story not a Sprint Car Story

 

Hey Spike,
Do you have a copy of "Tow Money", the history of URC?

 

I love this thread!!!

 

Joe;
No, i had not heard of it until now. I have been trying for years to find any kind of history about the Club, but no luck until now.
Spike

 

Here's some...