Midwest Connection - Mario Andretti & Roger McCluskey USAC sprints - 1966
 

USAC came to Oswego Speedway, New York - my hometown. The photo below is one that I took of #1 Mario Andretti and # 51 Roger McCluskey in 1966 :Steer

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

Midwest Connection
Rich Edwards - Arnold, Missouri
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n...ndAndretti.jpg

Re: Midwest Connection - Mario Andretti & Roger McCluskey USAC sprints - 1966
 

I love getting up in the morning lately! Thanks again, Rich. Patti will love this one, too!

Re: Midwest Connection - Mario Andretti & Roger McCluskey USAC sprints - 1966
 

Rich, I second Dwight's thoughts; what a great picture to wake up to. I was at that race with my Dad, what memories that picture brought back. With Classic fast approaching alot of other racing memories from that same era have been surfacing. Not only was Oswego graced with the stars from USAC during that era, it was at the height of the midwest invasion of supermodified drivers at Oswego Art Bennett, Nolan & Gordie Johncock, Sammy Sessions, Baldy Baker, Johnny Benson Sr., Wayne Landon and Jim Gressley were some of those drivers that made many a Classic memorable. I heard rumors about a year ago that the USAC Silver Crown Cars would be back in Oswego in 2009, only time will tell how the new management feels about bringing them to Oswego. I was at the last USAC SC race held at the Syracuse Fairgrounds, the crowd could have been better. IMHO, USAC needs both a pavement race and a dirt race in Central N. Y. to build the fan base. Many of the younger fans at Oswego have no idea what a USAC car looks like or the history that this era evokes.

Dwight, you are right I loved this picture.

Safe racing to all Labor Day Weekend Competitors and fans,


Patti

Re: Midwest Connection - Mario Andretti & Roger McCluskey USAC sprints - 1966
 

Neat pic!!! Mario is in the Wally Meskowski #1 and Roger is in the Mut Anderson #51. I believe that car (#51) was eventually purchased by or for Salt Walther.

Re: Midwest Connection - Mario Andretti & Roger McCluskey USAC sprints - 1966
 

Dang, I was one year old! I was three when Cecil won his track championship!

Thanks for the great pics!

Chuck, thinking somehow cecil looks younger than me

Re: Midwest Connection - Mario Andretti & Roger McCluskey USAC sprints - 1966
 

Why is the spaghetti eater in the #1 car? Wasn't Johnny Rutherford the 1965 USAC sprint champ?

Re: Midwest Connection - Mario Andretti & Roger McCluskey USAC sprints - 1966
 

JR broke both his arms in an early-season "out of the park" flip at Eldora. :icon_smile_blackeye

Re: Midwest Connection - Mario Andretti & Roger McCluskey USAC sprints - 1966
 

OK gotcha, I was thinking that his Eldora flip was in '64 and not '66. My uncle was just telling me the story of that flip the other day. He and his buddy were right there at the turn three gate, just yards from where JR landed. They ran over to the car and Rutherford was conscious but moaning. My uncle goes, "Just sit still, you're going to be ok." His buddy goes, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S GONNA BE OK?? LOOK AT HIS F&$@ING ARMS!!!!!"

Re: Midwest Connection - Mario Andretti & Roger McCluskey USAC sprints - 1966
 

Very cool picture. Lots of history at the Big O. :thumb

Re: Midwest Connection - Mario Andretti & Roger McCluskey USAC sprints - 1966
 

As you can see the car has the number 1 on it for the national champion (Rutherford). Ironically in 1965 McCluskey had the 1 on the other car in the picture (H&H Machine Tool Spl.) and broke his arm in the first race at Reading. So two years in a row the champion broke their arm/arms,Rutherford broke both of his.

Vern Plotts