[revjimk]

Originally Posted by Backitin Run what you brung was during what I consider the golden days of small guy racing. The variety was unreal and if you really wanted to race pretty much anyone could afford it. At Flemington the four or so fastest guys always started at the rear and always put on a show getting to the front. Nobody grumbled about being inverted, today if you put the fast guys back they act like your insulting them or ripping them off. The racing went downhill and tracks closed with the invent of the factory modifieds, especially Grant King mods and Weld cars, cars for wealthy owners and drivers. Besides that the eastern modified owners had to compete with a influx of cocaine money into the sport. I know of two big time cutting edge builders that pretty much helped destroy the sport by having huge pockets of dirty money (both eventually went to jail) but the ball was rolling. Cookie cutters, especially the over priced over engineered cars did nothing but price many guys like me out of the sport and onto motorcycles as we did or maybe finding a different hobby all together. About the same time in the name of outright speed everybody had to go winged, more horsepower needed, more speed equals more money always has. Anytime I hear a interview of a driver of a dirt car and he says he was keeping the car hooked up and as straight as possible, I know the racing sucked.

Interesting..."Besides that the eastern modified owners had to compete with a influx of cocaine money into the sport. I know of two big time cutting edge builders that pretty much helped destroy the sport by having huge pockets of dirty money (both eventually went to jail) but the ball was rolling"... Never heard about that....sounds like it would make a good book or movie

[revjimk]

Where is Flemington anyway?

[c47]

Originally Posted by revjimk Where is Flemington anyway?

where WAS flemington....flemington nj. RIP.
the whole coke gossip could or could not be true....there is a TON of stories and also mob money involvement. luckily that was going on before the internet......

[Backitin]

One a builder and one a driver of "cutting edge" cars.
The kind of team that would build a couple exotic over the top cars to be used once at Syracuse.
All true.
Flemington Fairgrounds in NJ. By far the greatest track, cars and drivers in modified history. Fastest 5/8 mile dirt oval in the world.
The modifieds in the mid seventies were averaging 121 mph. Death and destruction in the early days of tshirts a lap belt and openface helmet. Flemingtons knickname was flip city, lots of em due to the angle of the wood catch rails. Many a crash ended with the cars completely destroyed, some there would be just the cage left and the rest scattered everywhere. Were talking 1000 hp big blocks in 1600 lb. cars welded up in a garage somewhere, not everybody can weld, lol.
Wolfgang went around in a winged car at 144 mph average.
Flemington was much more than a race track, it was a show.
It started with the homebuilt big blocks, the colorful drivers and the promoter took it from there. The promoters name was Paul Kool and he was that. The fairground was all white and purple to match his hemi convertible cuda pace car. Tex Enrite the starter would start the main event standing on the track, He'd have the cars barreling down on him wave the green and just barely get out of the way. He was also dressed in Indian garb, which added to the craziness. It didn't stop there even the water truck driver's added to the show by driving just as sideways as the cars when they were watering. It was really amazing and you could have attended thousands of races across the country but if you didn't see Flemington you aint seen it all.

[sp33dy]

Originally Posted by Backitin One a builder and one a driver of "cutting edge" cars. The kind of team that would build a couple exotic over the top cars to be used once at Syracuse. All true.

Initials were GB. I remember it well. It was the beginning of the end for us blue collar guys who could race competitively with little money, lots of initiative, some ingenuity, and a pair of big ones...