Bob, photo was probably from the late 70's as Tony Was born in 1971.

Danny, you are correct, at the time the photo was taken, Curt had a Red, 63 Corvette, split window, and I had a Silver one, wish I'd have kept mine, and so does Curt!

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Dave, thanks for the "reality ck", time flys when you're having fun, my wife didn't put a date on the photo, so I was trying to guestimate the time frame, you're right, it's probably early 80's, I know he was still running the Jr Yamaha Class. Thanks! Bob

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Dave, thanks for the "reality ck", time flys when you're having fun, my wife didn't put a date on the photo, so I was trying to guestimate the time frame, you're right, it's probably early 80's, I know he was still running the Jr Yamaha Class. Thanks! Bob

Ahhh, I see his posture now.
Have not seen him for some time. Does he still make it to the track with you on occassion?

FYI Luke keeps me dirt bike riding these days ...budget cut, from 4 wheels to 2 wheels. LOL

As usual, he's busier than a one armed paper hanger! He's the main man at Hampton's used car lot, plus, a full time wrecker operator for the same place, and, buys and sells gold and silver about every weekend. Yeah. he'd love to go, but pretty limited on when. Some of us have time, and no money, others the opposite, some, neither! I got the time now, but no money. Did ya see ole #7, or #78 in the photo's at the top, Don posted some the other day. Bob

The one time I went down there to race, we were the first ones at the track. Practiced way to much, had the gear all wrong ( running alone is much different than race conditions ) Met and fell in love with Dick's daughter, I was like 17 and the pretty lady with that sweet Georgia drawl had me tripping over my own feet! We ran the piston port class with our brand new Komet K-71. My dad raced there in 1975. He ran and won his share of IKF and WKA stuff back in the early 70's with a Komet K88. We raced WKA dirt at Johnson City Tn. and Dick wilson was the pit steward, and during the drivers meeting he told us the way it was. Needless to say things went smooth. I wish the man who put that track in along with Beechnut would call LPS and give them some pointers, his tracks were awesome!

Dickie Wilson had a way, of getting his point across, and unless you were real stupid, you learned early, who the boss was, something that Nelson was soon to learn. Yes, he did have a rather fetching daughter, much too young for the likes of any of us, except maybe Tony, and he was too busy then even. We were running the Open 2-smoke classes, Terry and I were running the 135cc direct drive, International class, and the rest of the guys were running K88's and K78's. That was before all the plastic, and 4-stroke's! Bob

Great post! Brings back alot of memories. My father and I raced at Barnesville from 85-92 for the Gold Cup events. Other than a few Southern Indiana State pavement races(I forget the name of the series) and Barnesville, we mainly raced dirt.

I remember racing at Barnesville with Sarah Fisher, Casey Atwood, Sam Hornish and a few others.

Dickie Wilson sure was a character. I remember he use to get on the PA system and holler for his "n****rs to come take out the trash and clean the bathrooms. As a young kid I had never heard anybody talk like that. I remember Charlie Sox saying to me, "son you're in the south now".

I also remember the track had a arcade and we always ate next door at the Ponderosa restaurant(not the franchise).......

TQ29 running with the wrong crowd.

All I remember being close to the track, when we went there, were empty train cars, with the doors open. Also, in Barnsville, the stores left their displays and products for sale, outside all the time, and the Hardware store there was a History lesson, wooden floors, well worn, and ANYTHING you needed, and, out back, a pristeen, 55 Chev, BelAir 2dr Hardtop, Indian Ivory, and some sort of Turquoise, beautyfull! One time, on the way back to the Motel, after the last day of racing, we had an extra "passenger", Slinky had been letting the air out of the Miller "Lite" display, and had it on board! SIRA is the organization you're thinking of, that's where I met all the later to be "stars of Nascar", the Green's, the Waltrips, and of course Mario's kids, and "Army" Armstrong, a long time TV announcer. Bob

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Can't be all bad, it only took them guys 3-4 cases of beer to get there, all I had to do was dodge beer cans, and back way off, when I saw the side door on Slinky's van sliding back! What a good time we had, sure couldn't do that now, and we didn't even have cell phones, or Tweet, hell, I don't think we even had computers then, at least none with internet connections! WV, look out, we may head your way at any moment! Bob

Dave, I think I just solved the date issue on this pic. I was just going thru some stuff my wife has been "hiding" from me, and amongst the stuff, was 2, pit passes, from Mar, of 1984, so that would make him a first year teenager! Bob!