Bob,

Didn't know your wife was related to Bill Powers. His daughter, Debbie, was my student at Cedar Hall.
Yes, that second picture is Cliff Cockrum. Eddie Leavitt and Jesse James shared the same hometown, Kearney, MO.

Ron,
I never put it together that you taught right down the street from the welding shop. Yes. Deb was her cousin and Bill is her Uncle. Small world.

I think it was at Terre Haute for the Hulman Classic where Gates was leading and ran out of fuel.
In the early 1980s, Gates would run the car at Haubstadt on Sunday nights.

Yes,that second picture is my father . He campaigned that car a few times . Always said that car drove ahead of its time, great picture,one I hadn't seen before. Thank You!!

Shane Cockrum

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When Buckwheat broke his leg at Kokomo, they put him in a cast. Three days later(I think) he knocked it off, and tied on one he made of leather, so he could drive. That people is TOUGH.

The drivers that I am aware of for the #51 car in USAC are Eddie Leavitt, Larry Martin, Larry "Buckwheat" Gates, Rich Vogler, Cliff Cockrum,and (I believe) Steve Kinser. If I remember correctly (and it has been awhile!) I believe Kinser stepped in to the car for an August race at Terre Haute after Vogler had broken his leg the week before. There may have been others that ran the car at Tri-State.

A few crappy snaps from my youth......

Gates turn a car over before it was ever off the jig in the shop! I don't believe any of the Kinser ever drove for them.

Ryan McDonald (Bill King's grandson)

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buckweat tore up a few cars. lol but at the end of his career he was driving as good as anyone. granny always said if someone would just take a ball bat and shake it at him in the turns he would be ok. this was when we were running at tri state in 1975-76.

Going through some old posts and found this one. I saw this car many times in my youth and is what drove my love for sprint car racing. My stepfather Sam Jones built the engines for the King/Powers 51, was always a fast car. Can recall watching Leavitt, Hewitt, Vogler and others drive it.