okie (Offline)
#11
1/9/10 8:21 PM
Rich that was before my time but I do have pictures of him in the 43 car.I scaned them but do not know how get them on here.I saw him race in the super mods in the 1970-80s.
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ColoradoFan (Offline)
#12
1/9/10 8:26 PM
Do you mean Bill Koepfer? He was from the Fremont,Ohio area and ran there. He also ran some USAC in the 60s and 70s.
Vern Plotts
Danny Burton (Offline)
#13
1/9/10 10:03 PM
Charlie Masters has been known to visit Salem every now and then.
Waddy, KY is between Shelbyville and Frankfort.
Bobby Black's parents lived across the street from us during the 50s in Columbus. I was quite young and it was a much smaller town then. his dad was a fireman, maybe even chief, perhaps the old East Columbus FD. Dave, Bob, or other Columbus residents may recall.
He died of cancer several years ago.
I was at Lawrenceburg the night that the announcer said that Gil Hess had gone to USAC. Wasn't too much later when he was killed.
Jim Bob shows up at a race every now and then. He's a super nice guy. I recall him racing a homemade looking #60 at the 'burg in the early to mid 60s. Marv, help!!
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openwheelfan1 (Offline)
#15
1/10/10 12:20 AM
I was a t Salem the day Gil Hess was killed. They had just repaved turns 1 & 2 and the track was wicked fast. Gil Hess was driving the #60 car, which I think had been driven shortly before by Bill Puterbaugh. I believe it was the third heat, Hess was running second or third and made contact with another car in turn 2. The car snapped upside down, struck the guardrail and continued to flip outside the track, landing in the trees which used to grow right off of the backstraight. The guardrail stripped the cage off of the car and cost Gil his life. Pretty much everyone who saw the accident knew he was dead instantly.
It rained before the feature, resulting in about a 2 hr delay, cooled off the track and we eventually saw one of the best pavement races I think I've ever seen before or since. Gary Bettenhausen, Larry Dickson and Rollie Beale put on a tremendous show, racing at high speed inches apart and outbraving one another (today we call it a "slider") in every turn.
It was a sad day, losing Gil Hess, but an amazing feature.
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DWPRATT3
#16
3/28/10 6:36 PM
Just found this post(late reply). Don't know if you're still looking for info for these drivers. If so Bob Pratt is my uncle. I might be able to help.
BTW that is him to the left in Dale Doty's sprinter at New Bremen 1968.
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Midwest Connection (Offline)
#17
3/28/10 7:48 PM
DWPRATT3,
Greetings, & thanks for responding. Yes by all means, any info on your uncle Bob Pratt would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Rich
SteveE (Offline)
#18
3/28/10 8:22 PM
I believe the car Gil Hess was driving was the #73 Mauri Amerling car and it was Puterbaugh he tangled with. Mickey Shaw had chest pains and pulled in at Eldora speedway on July 26,1969, he died hours later in a Greenville, Ohio hospital of an apparent heart attack.
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Bruce Harrison (Offline)
#19
3/28/10 9:02 PM
I believe Chuck Allen was from California - ran CRA with an occasional Midwest visit.