Oldtimers race fans poll!
 

How many of you seen usac or imca sprint car races in the 60s and 70s?

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I saw both IMCA and USAC in the 1960s and USAC in the 1970s. Were you looking for details or was this just a yes/no question? Glad to provide details, at least what I can remember, if you want.

Frank Daigh

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My first sprint car race to attend was the season opener @ Eldora. If I had to guess, I'd say '64. I remember Bud Tingledtad took a hard flip. I have been going ever since.

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just looking to see how many on here seen the best years of sprint car racing!

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I've been around USAC racing since the 50's.

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Went to my first sprint car race at Paragon in 66 and attended numerous USAC and IMCA races in the 60's and 70"s.

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My first USAC race, 1961 James-O'Connor Memorial 100 lapper at Salem won by Parnelli Jones. Had missed very few USAC events in Indiana and Ohio since then until I cut back a bit a few years ago. Been as far east as Reading, as far west as Manzanita.

Made a few IMCA races at Tri-County Speedway north of Cincinnati. Dick Sutcliffe won one of them. I'd have to look up the others.

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I saw USAC sprints for the first time at Reading, the night before a Champ Car race at Trenton, sometime in the late 50s. I then saw most of those races until the first race at Trenton was won by a rear-engined car. I never went back to Trenton, but I did see a few more sprint races at Reading.

The only IMCA race I ever saw was the last one at the old Tampa Fairgrounds. I don't remember that year either.

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the family sprinter ran some imca races in the 60's and usac in the 70's.

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I saw USAC and IMCA in the 60s. Looks like we have a bunch of old race fans and drivers on this board.:8:

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Hey DUD, what qualifies that era to be the best??

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Duke, I just noticed that this is for "Oldtimers" only. Being a young buck myself, I hope I didn't mess up your poll. :14:

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I have been going to sprints and Midget races since 1949. Saw a lot of good sprint racing with USAC and IMCA in the 60's

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Obviously you weren't there or you would know the answer to that question.:2:

First sprint pavement race I saw was USAC at Salem 1967,
shortly after that went to New Bremen and then Eldora in the early 70's.
Fond memories!

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I started working on USAC sprint cars in 1963, working for Henry Meyer on the Iddings #93. Also worked around Paul Leffler on the Dunseth cars. Lost interest in 1970 when they converted all of the real sprint cars into supermodifieds by requiring roll cages..... Came back to USAC in the late 70s to work for Leffler and Wally Meskowski on the '78 and '79 USAC Sprint Championship winning Armstrong Mould team.
The 60s were the real thing. We raced on only real tracks, half miles like Winchester, Dayton, Salem, New Bremen, Eldora,
Terra Haute, Ascot, Reading, etc...... not the little quarter mile midget tracks that they run now.
The 60s had real car builders and owners and paid drivers rather than mommies and daddies buying prefab kit specracer cars and setups, from the beast store, for their little 15 year old children, in their cute little thousand dollar designer driver suits and helmets.
Frankly, I don't see any potential A.Js, Parnellis, Hurtubises, Jud Larsons, Rutherfords, Greg Welds, Bransons, or Dicksons among the bunch of hacking, slashing, chopping, slide job artist, "roll cage fearless" kiddies of today.
Real sprint car racing was over by 1970 and, even the supermodified version of sprint car racing was, purty much, over by the early 80s

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Been around since the 50s. Saw Larrett Crockett run as well as Pat O'Conner, Bob Sweikert, Jimmy Bryan and some snot nose kid named Foyt.
DG

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Seen a few in the early to late 80s all at Burg. Wasn't till mid 80s when I started branching out to other tracks.

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"Frankly, I don't see any potential A.Js, Parnellis, Hurtubises, Jud Larsons, Rutherfords, Greg Welds, Bransons, or Dicksons among the bunch of hacking, slashing, chopping, slide job artist, "roll cage fearless" kiddies of today."

Mac, I know you have been around for a long time and have been on the 'inside', but I respectfully disagree about the talent in todays young crop of sprint car drivers. The cars they drive today are a good thing. In todays world if we killed them like it happened back then, their would be a total ban of this type of racing. I see young guys like Bryan Clausen, Scott Windom, Cole Whitt, Brady Bacon, Brad Sweet, just to name a few, that if they had been born in 1939, would be your heros today. The talent pool is very deep and the racing is alive and well.
It is not my intention to start a verbal exchange that can only detract from the real issue, but I too have been around a while and can say, the names may be different, but the fire in the bellies of these youngsters is burning bright. They were just born 40 years later. Long after you and me are gone these kids' names will be in the record books. No, they more than likely will not get a chance to win the Indy 500, but it won't be because of a lack of the desire to mix it up on a dirt track with 850 hp 1200 Lb sprints. This is still a dangerous sport, as you know, the sport lost a fine young man at Kville last week. Yes, even with all the safety equipment available today these drivers can still get hurt but lack of talent equal to AJ, Parnelli, Jimmy and Pat is not the issue. Please, come to Gas City this Wednesday night and see for yourself.
With respect,
DG

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[QUOTE=Charles Nungester;108929]Seen a few in the early to late 80s all at Burg. Wasn't till mid 80s when I started branching out to other tracks.[/QU TALKING USAC IMCA! 60S 70S!!!!!!!!!!

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Duke---As per the orginal ??? Add me to your list of being at usac and imca races in the 60's and 70's. DW

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That would be April 5, 1964. That was my first USAC race also, won by Johnny Rutherford in the #3 K.E.Y Ignition spoecial! Been hooked ever since.
:6:

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Ok,,
I guess I'm "almost" a relic. Seen lots of IMCA and a few USAC in the 70's- till now. I think mac miller said it pretty well. As stated by others 'lots of talented drivers today',,,,,but,,, how many of 'em sleep in the back of a station wagon for a few hours, if thats what it takes, then go on down the road to the next track? Lots of peddle pushers for sure, that can punch a sprint car around the track,I'll have to agree. Not many Bobby Allen's left in todays 'talent pool' from i'm seeing. Just my humble opinion. BTW: how many here was ever to the short lived race track in Champaign IL? I wonder why that track was plowed up? Anyone know,,just curious.Went to a darn good USAC show there,,in??,, I believe Bubby Jones won that day in the Bobby Hillin Longhorn racing car. That's has been a few moons ago,not sure on that..

Take Care,
BC

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I started attending sprints in the mid 1950's, alot has changed since then but the races and racers of the 50's and 60's will always be my favorite. I still go to a few races each year, but it is not the same.

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Allentown /IMCA Reading / USAC Wms. Grove / USAC
mlight9.

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Reading for my first USAC back in 65 OR 66. Then when we moved here in 69, Terre Haute. Been going to sprint car races literally as long as I can remember.Yes, it was different back in the old days. A lot of the kids running now wouldn't have then. They wouldn't have had the experiance or the age USAC required back then to run.

Also, a lot of the kids would have gone home with shiners if they ran back then. I guess it just seems the respect is different now.

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North Dakota State Fair,1961 Minot North Dakota.USAC & IMCA-be There or Be Square. Tingelstat, Marshman, Bardhol Special, Dean Van Lines Special, The Smell of The Beer Gardens all The Drivers attended following The Races,LOL. Will never forget, a No Dak Driver, wadded His Car flying off the Track in a drainage ditch between the 2 Tracks, lost his right foot, a Year later or so, had a Left foot Drivers Pedal. The Implement Shows were as good as ther Racing, Acres of Shiney Brand New Tractors, Combines, jumping from one to the next.

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I moved to Indiana in 1973 and have had the opportunity to follow sprint & midget racing ever since. Being a young buck though, I probably shouldn't be counted in on this golden oldies poll.:3:

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The 60's for me, were my first USAC sprint car races. I feel very fortunate in my mind, to have seen some of the greatest American open wheelers. Mario Andretti, Bobby and Al Unser, Gordon and Nolan Johncock, Don Branson, Sam Sessions, Rollie Beale, Greg Weld, Roger McCluskey, Jim Hurtibise, etc., the list is a long one - and a great one.

Have a good day...see you at the races

Rich - Arnold, Missouri

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My first was AAA in 1955. I didn't see many IMCA races as I stuck pretty much with USAC from then until today. My favorite era was 1966 through 1976. Ahhh, those were the days. I'm not knocking today's events, but those were the days.:6:

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I was at all the races ran at Champaign. The track operated maybe 3 years? It was one dusty race track on Sunday afternoons. Why the track closed, I don't know.
I saw my first USAC sprint race in 1966 at the THAT. Started going to IMCA races also. IMCA had good shows with drivers like Wooley, Woodside, Weld, and my favorite Bill Utz.

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Hell I don't know. I was three years old when I started going to races. That was 1959.:22:

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I was born in 1961. My dad had raced midgets right after WWII until the early 1950's. In about 1963 he bought a Helliguas Offy and we ran with IMCA. For many years I got to see several state fairs every summer as we followed the IMCA circuit. I remember Jerry Blundy, Dick Sutcliff, Cliff Blundy, Bill Utz, etc. It was a fun time and I can still hear those guys qualify as we sat under those covered grandstands. I loved the cars that ran their tail pipes all the way back and behind the rear tires. Now that was a great sound.

Later, in the late 60's and 70's we started to run over in Ohio at tracks like Lima, Eldora and Fremont with Hal Minyard as our driver. My Dad did not care for USAC in those days. They had their noses up in the air and when we ran with IMCA and the local Ohio tracks we were always treated like they wanted us to be there. So we did not race with USAC until I started driving midgets in 1986.

George Wilkins

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Of course I have! Some of the best races ever. The "one-armed bandit" made it look easy.

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imca in the 70's at plant field:6:

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Toledo in the 60's for me. :6:

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Please tell me was racing a hell of better then and everybody had fun!!!!!!!1

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You Bet Duke, Big time auto racing today, got to have a stable of multi-cars. I remember we had to change the one car over from dirt to pavement & run the same car on weekends. If you crashed , you used cutting torch, welder & porta power, & raced the next day. Now its just a money game.:7::21:

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Seadog,

Wow!...Cool been going to races since '55! I admire anyone that sticks with anything!!!,,,for the log of time. Just curious. Think about it,,,from all the races you've seen, who would you say was your favorite driver to watch when He/She,,:)... showed up? I wonder how many tracks you could think of when you first started going to races are now strip malls,or sub-divisions?,,,:( I can think of several around here that urbam sprawl has consumed.

Take Care,
Barry

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1st USAC race I can recall had to be Salem, early 60s. 1st car I remember was the Fike Plumbing #51 driven by Rufus. Been going off and on ever since.

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My first race was Bloomington in April,1964 when I was 2 months old. I couldn't see the races because a large breast was in my face...