1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Video clip :)http://mashthegas.tv/videos/tampa1974.wmv

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

great video!

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Great stuff! Thanks, Al!:thumb:

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Thanks Al, GREAT Memories!:thumb:

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

The blue 44 car looks like it's the same shade of blue as DD has on the Pace car. :darland:

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

I was born in the wrong era.

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Al, you always come up with great stuff.

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Was that the last year at Plant Field? If so, I was there.

Does anyone remember the chronology of racing in Tampa during the 70s? It seems to me there was no winter racing for a couple of years after Plant Field closed, until the new Fair Ground opened. But, East Bay opened about the same time, and I was there for the first winter program they ran. What years were those events?

BTW, in mid-December, we are going to Tampa to watch one of our granddaughters graduate from U.Tampa, which is on the site of Plant Field.

Dick.

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Great stuff...........Anymore footage like that???:thumb::thumb::applaud:

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Any one notice the narrow rear tires? Still believe thats whats needed today for a better show and track conditions.

Lynn

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Thanks so much for sharing. Was this part of the racing show which was on back then? Forgot the name of it. I think that SPEED reran it a few years back. Is there any way to get these films? I would think that there would be a market. I know that I would certainly love to get them.

Frank Daigh

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Originally Posted by thebus79h:
I was born in the wrong era.

I was about to say, This should be called REAL Sprint Car racing! With centered axels, Skinny tires. 40 gallon tail tanks, Sideburns and hippy hair. Open stacks with mud deflectors, Leaf Sprint front suspension

I seen wolfgang, Vogler, Steve Stapp, Opp and a trophy girl even giving the winner a kiss.

Chuck, put them rules with modern safety equiptment, I wouldn't miss a race.

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Originally Posted by Blackduce:
Any one notice the narrow rear tires? Still believe thats whats needed today for a better show and track conditions.

Lynn

I totally agree

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

THOSE RACES WERE RUN AT THE SAME TIME AS THE FLORIDA STATE FAIR WAS GOING ON ACROSS THE STREET .WE USED TO GET A DAY OFF FROM SCHOOL FOR FAIR DAY, MY FRIENDS WOULD BE ACROSS THE STREET AND I WOULD BE AT THE TRACK WATCHING THE REAL ACTION! I REMBER IT ALWAYS SEEMED TO COME DOWN TO OPP OR AMATI AT THAT TRACK,ALSO WHEN YOUR A LITTLE KID THAT TRACK SEEMED A WHOLE LOT WIDER :emote20:

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Very Cool stuff, would like to see more!:thumb::pissonwings:

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Originally Posted by Charles Nungester:
I was about to say, This should be called REAL Sprint Car racing! With centered axels, Skinny tires. 40 gallon tail tanks, Sideburns and hippy hair. Open stacks with mud deflectors, Leaf Sprint front suspension

I seen wolfgang, Vogler, Steve Stapp, Opp and a trophy girl even giving the winner a kiss.

Chuck, put them rules with modern safety equiptment, I wouldn't miss a race.

i totally agree, sleeping in barns, pullin open trailers, a truly dirt and grit form of racing. this video is great. opp use to rule the florida tracks during the winter.

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Originally Posted by Blackduce:
Any one notice the narrow rear tires? Still believe thats whats needed today for a better show and track conditions.

Lynn

Everyone loves this stuff, and there was not one all-aluiminum $40,000+ engine in the field.......imagine that.

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Originally Posted by Al Soran:
Everyone loves this stuff, and there was not one all-aluiminum $40,000+ engine in the field.......imagine that.

But there were Wings

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Is The 18 Car Doc Dawson In Mac Clingan's Car? I Recognise A Lot Of The Others.

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Who is the driver at 1:33 min. with his left hand on his neck? A young Chuck Amati?

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Originally Posted by Al Soran:
Who is the driver at 1:33 min. with his left hand on his neck? A young Chuck Amati?

Bubby Jones I think?

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

the driver at 133 is bubby jones but the guy at 225 is chuck amati

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Originally Posted by amati:
the driver at 133 is bubby jones but the guy at 225 is chuck amati

Hey thanks. Given all the hair and sideburns on all the drivers, I had difficulty picking him out. He's my racing hero, my Dad took me to the races at Marion, IL when I was 5 or 6, and we saw him whip 'em in the #44 Bruce Cogle Ford. I think I knew then what (or who) I wanted to be.

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Dick, that first year at East Bay was the winter of 1978, the last full year of the Rocky Fisher era. There was about 4 weeks of racing in scattered in FL that winter on both pavement and dirt. Sammy and Ferkel were the only 2 I remember who had brought pavement and dirt cars. Sammy was in the 44 of M.A. Brown (Bruce Cogle Ford), Danny Smith drove a brand new Shores house car they had to finish once in FL due to a blizzard that came thru the midwest. Steve Kinser drove for Mark Todd.
Watching Steve Smith, Bobby Allen, Van and Dub May pitch their dirt cars sideways at Orlando Speedworld was priceless.

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

The old downtown fairgrounds that surrounded the Plant Field speedway closed down in the mid seventies and the fairgrounds was moved to a location of US 301 & I-4. There were no dirt races until East Bay opened in 1977 but races were held on pavement at Golden Gate Speedway about 3 miles north off US 301. The new fairgrounds added the 1/2 mile dirt track in the early eightys hosting both WoO sprints as well as USAC Dirt Champ cars. The new fairgrounds track was abandoned and finally raised for an amphitheator. Rocky Fisher promoted the first two years at East Bay and was dogged with bad weather. East Bay began promotion thereafter then WoO assumed the roll until the All Stars began a long run of Winter Nationals promotion. The current leasers of the track are using the ASCS banner. The current Winter Nationals at East Bay is a pale shadow of it's past.
The Hector Honore Offy with Bobby Grim and Pete Folse running the around the top with knobbies throwing long rooster tails of clay defined the Winternationals in the 50's and is forever ingrained in my memory.:checkered:

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Originally Posted by Offy22:
The Hector Honore Offy with Bobby Grim and Pete Folse running the around the top with knobbies throwing long rooster tails of clay defined the Winternationals in the 50's and is forever ingrained in my memory.:checkered:

One of my biggest racing related regrets is that I never got to see the Honore "Duece" compete. What a record that car and it's legendary drivers put together!

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Hey Al, he didnt have a gold number 2 pushin him around the track did he, I 've heard him and my old man(Cliff Cockrum) had some good battles.

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Mscs20, I Remember That Race. That Was The Year They Qualified One Night And Ran The Race On The Next Night. They Cancelled The Second Night And Ran Rocky Fisher Out Of Town.

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Originally Posted by smith19:
Mscs20, I Remember That Race. That Was The Year They Qualified One Night And Ran The Race On The Next Night. They Cancelled The Second Night And Ran Rocky Fisher Out Of Town.

You shouldn't have took more than you gave
We wouldn't be in this mess today
And though we've gone our separate ways
The dues we have to pay are still the same
-Traffic

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Originally Posted by groove grabber:
Hey Al, he didnt have a gold number 2 pushin him around the track did he, I 've heard him and my old man(Cliff Cockrum) had some good battles.

Groove Grabber,

I called my Dad to see what his recollection was, and he said, "Oh yes" I remember Cliff Cockrum, the Gold Duece." He said he thought it was a CAE car because it had a squared of tank. He dug deep into his memory, and he believes your dad drove the Busy Bee Ford coupe before he got in the Gold Duece, and that possibly Buchwheat Gates drove the Gold Duece at one time as well. He said your dad was really good, but they were all chasing his personal favorite, Gene "The Flyin' Eyeball" Hensen. My Pop has many fond memories of that track and those racers.

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

I've Seen Cliff Many Times At Tri State When I Was A Kid. Was He Involved In A Bad Crash In Pa. Or Am I Thinking Of Someone Else...

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

It was actually there at Tampa, fuel line came loose, floorpan filled with fuel and ignited, Dad had to bail while still rolling down front straight. 2nd and 3rd degree burns from the waist down, One month in Tampa General, many skin grafts and lots of pain later he was out. That was in the New Gold Deuce, 1st race and brand new when it arrived, it was drug to the infield and it burnt to the ground.

Also hit Paragon front straight wall edge sideways and shattered his hip and pelvis.

give him a call, hes in i'll health and cant do much but loves to talk ole racing stories 618-439-4463

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

Originally Posted by groove grabber:
It was actually there at Tampa, fuel line came loose, floorpan filled with fuel and ignited, Dad had to bail while still rolling down front straight. 2nd and 3rd degree burns from the waist down, One month in Tampa General, many skin grafts and lots of pain later he was out. That was in the New Gold Deuce, 1st race and brand new when it arrived, it was drug to the infield and it burnt to the ground.

Also hit Paragon front straight wall edge sideways and shattered his hip and pelvis.

give him a call, hes in i'll health and cant do much but loves to talk ole racing stories 618-439-4463

I was at Paragon that day. Guess I'm getting old, as I remember it he dumped the car and landed on his side on top of the railroad ties on the inside of the frontchute. One of the verticles came up through the cockpit and got him - always amazed me that he wasn't killed that day.

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

This is great stuff guys. Don't stop.

Lynn

Re: 1974 Tampa Sprints
 

I went to 3 IMCA sprint car races at the old fairgrounds during the 1969 state fair. After one of those, we stopped at a restaurant where the truck and open trailer (remember those things??) for the gold 35 driven by Bobby Adamson was parked in their lot. The blinds for all of the front windows of the restaurant were closed, so my ex-wife decided she wanted to pose for a picture sitting in that sprint car. Just as I snapped the photo, someone opened the blinds. You should have seen my ex bail her fanny out of that sprint car in one big hurry. When we went inside, we noticed one table of obviously race crew guys really laughed at her!