Home | Register | Quick Links | FAQ | Donate | Contact |
Indiana Open Wheel
> Indiana Open Wheel Forum
>
When and Where Did You See Your 1st Sprint Car Race
|
Thread Tools |
11/10/22, 3:15 PM | #41 | ||
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 6,390 |
One year on their return, Prosser shows up with the first ohv that I remember, it wasn't very long before the Chevy V8 started showing up, his was a Chrysler product of some sort, I want to say Plymouth, but that is subject to correction, then of course there was the rear eng Indy car of Orville's, those were the good old days, and yes, plywood wings were the hot setup, especially at Paragon, I crewed with a Shores car owner, that Alan Barr drove.
__________________
"Being old, isn't half as much fun, as getting there"! Ole Robert I!
_________________________________________________
Last edited by TQ29m; 11/10/22 at 4:47 PM. |
||
|
11/10/22, 3:52 PM | #42 | ||
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2021 Posts: 5,849 |
Quote:
|
||
|
11/10/22, 4:48 PM |
#43
Re: When and Where Did You See Your 1st Sprint Car Race
|
||
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 3,188 |
This has my vote for the best thread ever started on IOW.
Of course I voted Tuesday, and every proposal and candidate I voted for lost. So who am I to judge.
__________________
Chiming in live from the West Coast of Michigan.... Mike
|
||
|
11/10/22, 4:54 PM |
#44
Re: When and Where Did You See Your 1st Sprint Car Race
|
||
Senior Member
Race Count This Year: 42 Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 10,849 |
Salem late 80s. Bloomington mid 90s. Watched Bobby Allen win at Brownstown, cant remember when. Went to tons of Nascar races, raced sail boats (c scow) and a bunch of other fun stuff. After I started dirt track racing I kinda felt like I wasted the first half of my life. Where have you been
__________________
When in doubt Gas It
_________________________________________________
Last edited by mc/rider; 11/10/22 at 5:04 PM. |
||
|
11/10/22, 7:06 PM | #45 | ||
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,838 |
Early 50's my grandfather took me to the Sun Valley Speedway for the Little 500. Remember Tom Cherry winning and one of my favorites Johnny Arnold who started outside front row getting into first turn wall on the start. Think he was driving one of old style Mutual Racing Roadsters.
|
||
|
11/10/22, 8:38 PM | #46 | ||
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 6,390 |
Sitting here trying to think how old I would have been, time stamp it, I was still in grade school, so it must have been 48, 49, some where in that time frame, they ran Columbus on Tuesday night, Franklin on Wednesday night, and I believe Sun Valley on Thurs night, standing room only at each venue, they ran almost every available time they could, plus Salem, they made good money, had to, it was their only job.
Those old Fords and the Clay Smith X cams would make your chest heave, I had one in my 31A coupe, and it would lope so, I'd have to curb it to stop the shimmy.
__________________
"Being old, isn't half as much fun, as getting there"! Ole Robert I!
|
||
|
11/10/22, 8:55 PM |
#47
Re: When and Where Did You See Your 1st Sprint Car Race
|
||
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 4,203 |
The first time I went to Lebanon Valley I was so awestruck by the speeds and such I couldnt tell you if it was good or not. I remember going home and telling my neighbor,who's family took me to the races the very first time,that he had to go watch them sometime. Of course later on he did go with me a few times,and he was out here Labor Day weekend as he wanted to come watch some non wing racing again.
Last time I went to Lebanon was in the 90's on the way home from Pennsylvania. I stopped in as it was sort of on the way home. It wasnt a good race at all but the place was mobbed as they only run there once a year. All the fans were pointing to their buddys that most every car had the right front tire off the ground about a foot down the straightaways. From memory though,Lebanon knows how to sell a lot of food at the concessions. Everything is either $1.00 $2.00 $3.00 and so on,and you can only pay with dollar bills. They had a booth that would give you one dollar bills for $5.00 and $10.00 and so on. No time wasted making change and the line moves along pretty good. I've wondered over the years why other tracks dont do the same thing. Indiana is fine. Its a lot different than living in New England. Over the years I've had lots of fans tell me they want to move here. So far I am the only one of them all that actually did move here. Others have said "find me a job out there" I had to find my own job out here,if they were serious,they could do the same as I did. Quote:
_________________________________________________
Last edited by Andrew S. Quinn; 11/10/22 at 9:01 PM. |
||
|
11/11/22, 4:26 AM |
#48
Re: When and Where Did You See Your 1st Sprint Car Race
|
||
Member
Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 94 |
The original Vallejo Speedway (The fastest 1/4 dirt tract in the West) Vallejo CA 1957 or 1958
|
||
|
11/11/22, 5:25 AM |
#49
Re: When and Where Did You See Your 1st Sprint Car Race
|
||
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2021 Posts: 2,040 |
Late to the thread as yardwork controlled the activity yesterday. I am very lucky to have been raised just a few blocks from IMS. My immediate next door neighbor promoted races at IRP. So my first experience was at IRP in the Spring of 1967 and I have no idea who won.
My parents were not fans of racing. One concession is my Dad took me to IMS one time each year. My first trip there (which really wasn't a trip as it was only blocks away) was 1966. Been a Jim Clark fan ever since and was devastated when he was killed. I understood the cruelty of the sport early. I am very glad I got to see some roadsters and one of my fondest memories was watching Gary Bettenhausen pound around in what I thought was a sprint car when he took his rookie test in Joe Hunts Champ Dirt car. I actually saw that. My brother is nine years older and sold papers at the track. His boss on the paper deal was Mike Mates, a friend of my parents and owner of "Mates Tavern" on 16th Street. I have many, many memories early of Champ Car drivers as several lived around me. (Johnny White, Grant King, Larry Rice) to name a few. I would also like to say RIP to Gene and Emma Smith. They were race fans and their son and I were buddy's. They took me to several races as if I were their own son. The 5/8 Oval series at IRP on Fridays was a high light of the week. |
||
|
11/11/22, 4:52 PM | #50 | ||
Member
Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 129 |
My first race that I can remember was in Terre Haute and the track was somewhere around 25th street,. this was in the forties and I was born in 39. I don't remember what the ran but more than likely just jalopies. A local guy, Ruffus Turner had a sprint back then powered by an airplane engine. he built the whole car. I never did see him race,. I think he just hired drivers.
|
||
|
Indiana Open Wheel
> Indiana Open Wheel Forum
>
When and Where Did You See Your 1st Sprint Car Race
|