Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

Does anyone have any pictures of Larry "Boom Boom" Cannon in the Boom Boom Special #42 from 1969?

Thanks,

RacingNut

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

Here's a picture in his normal ride that year, Blacker and Bridges #B4 at Knoxville until someone finds the one of the 42. Who's car was it?

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

mscs20,

Larry Cannon and Bill Burton are listed as owners. The car was red, white & blue and sometimes called the Velvetex Special.

RacingNut

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

I will discuss with the horcher brothers wednesday night at belleville and will advise. I think this may be a little before their time.

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

Was that the fuzzy car?

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

Pat O'Conner Fan,

That was it! Parts of the car were covered with velvetex electrostatic fiber finish. The fiber finish was fuzzy.The nose cone was done in blue fuzzy fiber and stopped the rock chips on the nose cone. The sponser did car tops and all kinds of stuff with it.

RacingNut

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

same car as my avator

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

Yes it is and I have a picture of Bubby in it as the 87 your avitor shows. Are you in the picture?

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

RacingNut, I called Burton and told him about this thread. (left burton a message, he wasn't home)

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

There was a picture of Larry Cannon in that car in the old Carl Hungness USAC Sprint car book. The photo was from a Winchester race. John Mahoney was the photographer.

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

no i was only 2 yrs old at the time. My grandpa Bill Camfield bought the car from blackard and bridges. put old bub in it and they won some races. that was a very good race car.

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

Vukie,

Thanks. I have the Carl Hungness USAC Sprint Car History 1956-1980, but I don't see the picture in there.

RacingNut

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

His helmet was also done in the same material. I think he had it 2 toned red & blue. I think I saw him with the helmet @ Reading.
mlight9.

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

There's a small photo of the 42 car running at Winchester in the center of page 114 - Bruce Walkup is backing the Smith #25 into the fence and Larry is diving below Tom Bigelow in the Gehlhausen 84

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

Bruce,

Thanks, I knew I had seen it in there somewhere. I must have been looking too hard for it.

RacingNut

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

I have an autograph of his from Reading when I was a kid. Man. I still miss Reading!

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

Here ya go!

Attachment 6715

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

I do not mean to send the thread in a different direction but this stuff brings back a flood of memories.

I remember as a young child watching "Boom Boom", Ol' Bub, "Boom Boom's" brother Steve, Jerry Camfield, Jerry Blundy, Hersh Jenkins, Jack Tyne and many more at Fairbury American Legion Speedway back in the early to mid-sixties. There were a bunch more who I don't recall now but I especially remember "Boom Boom" in the beautiful yellow #B4 was usually the guy to beat when it was feature time.

If my recollection is correct that yellow #B4 was owned by a fellow from the Champaign-Urbana, Illinois area by the name of Unc Blacker (spelling?). I'm sure if I'm mistaken on any of this someone here will set me straight, and I'll thank whoever that may be in advance.

Sorry guys, I couldn't resist.

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

Were Bubby and Larry Cannon racing barbers from Danville? I know I heard that back at the time, but didn't know if it was accurate.
Both Indy racers.

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

...and later there was younger brother Steve " Bang Bang " Cannon.

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

I was gonna post my shot of Larry standing with the car at Syracuse in '69, but MSCS20 beat me to it. If any of you are on Facebook I started a group there Called Vintage Sprint Cars, From the Begining to the 80's. There might be more pictures of it along with other cars or drivers you might be looking for........Rich

Rich, that is an awesome page I might add.

Posted via Mobile Device

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

THANK YOU!!!!!!!! GLAD YOU LIKE IT.I had help with starting it from Joshua Shaw who had started thread on the HAMB,but were kind of limited by a 1969 cut off on the years so We took that idea and opened it up on Face book to the 80's when the sprints really started changing from the traditional style Theres 2 other group/pages that Tony De Seta started up as sister sites called Retro Rear Engines mostly featuring rear engine Indy cars and traditional front engine open wheel race cars featuring sprints,indy cars,track roadsters and such................Rich

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

I grew up in Danville and yes they was both barbers and Steve was also a barber and fireman.

Both Larry and Steve had cut my hair a few times growing up. I may be able to come up with some pictures of Larry we Watched Larry and Steve at many race tracks in the midwest.

I actually went to school with Bubby Jones kids so this does bring back many memories for me as well.

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

In addition to being barbers, either Bubby or Larry was a Vermillion County official of some sort. County Clerk, Recorder of Deeds or something.

I spoke with Bubby at the Ovals out at Perris a few years ago and asked him about his barbering days. He said he had to make a decision way back when to be a barber or a racer.

I reckon he made the correct choice. Especially for so many race fans he entertained over the years.

And yes, he did remember well his days racing a sprinter at Fairbury

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

Found these pictures online this really brings back the good old days.

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

The unique thing about this #42 car, he built it just like the #B4, and our #27, except he could add 8" to the front clip, change the hood, and then run it with the usac champ cars. I don't have any records to know how many times he did it, but being the innovator that he was, it made for good discussion. Larry also was the first one to run the Firestone rib front tires in the Illinois area. He showed up at Springfield Speedway with them on B4 and lapped all but 5th place. In a month everyone had a set.

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

I remember Bubby driving the MA Brown 44 car. One of the coolest races I saw Bubby drive was in the #14 Red Crush car in the Knoxville Nationals prior to the wing days. Seems they were real fast in later years at the nationals in the 91 CRA car.

My dad ran with all those guys. My aunt Charlene worked for speed sport news. I have pics of a lot of the guys we ran with have a lot of them on my site at racersreunion.com
We ran stocks, sprints, and modified cars out of rantoul illinois. They called my dad smitty.

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

Don't remember that feature of the car, but I thought USAC had prohibited dual purpose cars that could be run as sprinters and champ dirt cars by the time Larry built this one. I think they did that to shut down Henry Meyer and the Iddings Auto Glass car.

Have some of him in the b4 ,his usac car,and indy car autographed. We ran with him in the 60s and 770s. I will see what I have.

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

I remember well "Boom Boom" driving the B4 at Fairbury American Legion Speedway and winning many a feature there. Bobby Carrigan and Ol' Bub were both very tough at Fairbury, as well. My question is, who exactly owned the B4 sprinter? I was told a fellow by the name of Unc Blacker out of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois owned it but I have no idea it that information is accurate or not.

One night after a race with HAR Larry begged my dad to cut my hair!!! Sitting on the open trailers fender i got scalped!!! A few years older but about the same mop in this pic,,,,

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

Richard "Unk" Blacker owned it, Wink Bridges who owned Tri-R Construction in Champaign sponsored it.....kept the money behind it, although as much as they won, it probably sustained itself. Unk did all the engine work and maintenance.

Update, Unk's son just told me that Wink Bridges did actually own the last yellow B4, the one most people remember. Unk only mechaniced.....for a percentage of the prize money. There were 2 previous versions that you would call a sprint or super modified. Unk owned those.

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

It seems to me that the ownership of the B4 was a three person deal. One of the other names was Wink Bridges and the third name does not come to me at the moment, but he may have been associated with a Lincoln/Mercury dealership in the Champaign/Urbana area.

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

MSCS20 - Didn't mean to step on your post. I must have been typing as you were posting.

The Lincoln/Mercury thing. Wasn't there a car that ran USAC that came along after the B4 cars that was sponsored by that dealership? I seem to remember that Johnnie Parsons drove it and it was a Stapp springer. Somehow I want to think that some tie in between its ownership and the B4 gang.

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

Thanks guys.

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

Am I early, or late to the scene, but in the mid to late 50's I recall "BoomBoom" running at Paragon a lot, seems like the number was 11? I was with the "crew" for the guy that owned the car that Alan Barr drove for, as well as the rear engine car that was a former Indy car, I sold him his first Chev engine, Orville Yeadon. Lots of beer between now and then, way more then necessary! Bob

Re: Larry Cannon 1969 #42
 

The B-4 car is in LUDLOW, ILL. completely restored and total new, chrome and all. Belongs to Al Thomas who still runs a SPRINTER at local tracks today Al is like in his 70's and retired from owning THOMAS BROS. TRUCKING. Even there semi's was sharp trucks.:6: