Reading about all these old guys out of the past brings Roy Robbins to mind. As a teenager I was lucky enough to work with Roy. He was an Iron Worker and I worked in the fab shot for the same company. He was one of the nicest most down to earth guys I've ever met, and strong as an ox. He had what they called Popeye arms realy big fore arms and I have seen him lift a flat head block off the ground and set it on a work bench as if it was nothing. He drove for my dad and dad said he was one of the best dirt track guys he had ever seen with just natural ability. I know the didn't care much about stager and shocks back then they were just getting into long torsion bars and jacking weight. Roy said once the car was on the track it was his job to make it work and I guess he did. I heard he was a real scraper at the track he didn't start but finished a lot of fights. I heard he once wrecked into a pond at a race track and couldn't swim and of course he took an old borowed car out to Iowa and won all their money.
I met him at Little Salem about 15 years ago. A mutual friend of our's talked him into coming to the track to see me. He said that was the first time he had been to a race track almost 20 years and was nervous and couldn't wait to get away from there. He would have to be almost 90 now and I was wondering if he is still alive. Last I heard he was living around Scottsburg in.

My dad also speaks of Roy Robbins fondly. He always said that he was one of the best drivers of his day.

Attempts were made to get Mr. Robbins to come to Knoxville last year, the 50th anniversary, but he graciously declined. In the same meeting he made the statement "back then I won a lot of them thousand dollar to win races but the Knoxville one is the only one anybody remembers"

Roy also did a short stint as a prize fighter (boxer)....

We need mole doctors in southern in.!!!!!

I can teach you to be a mole doctor!!

Looking for Cotton Priddy I came up with a picture of "FIDO" and its driver Andy Hampton. This was taken when old Fido was in it's glory days, sure doesn't look like the car Roy won Knoxville with.

http://kentuckymotorsportshalloffame.com/Ovals.html scroll down a little ,looks like the pic was taken outside of Harry Hydes transmission shop.

Those slicks were recaps by Racemaster notice the dental work around the tread, the whitewall were said to have better side bite. There wasn't any stagger in them tires back then the driver had to correct for the slippage between inside and outside tires by doing that stuff they called driving. Thinking back on things now I am surprised Harry didn't think about stagger.


Honest Dad himself

A post on face book said He lives at Little York In. I think they said He was 89.

When I was a kid I got to watch Roy drive. I was at a USAC sprint show at Salem, I'm thinking mid - 90's, when I had the privilege of meeting and talking to him. I always considered myself as a person with big hands. I could palm a basketball in each hand when I was in the 5th grade. That was until I shook hands with Roy Robbins. Not only does he have a HUGE set of paws, it was like shaking hands with a vise grip. I can only imagine how tuff this guy must have been in his younger days !

He lives at the corner of SR 56 and SR 39 west of Scottsburg. If anyone happens to be going through Salem and has a minute to spare, Roy`s scrapbook is in the waiting room at Stewart Automotive.