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RABs32 (Offline)
  #21 10/5/12 4:34 PM
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
mscs20 (Offline)
  #22 10/5/12 4:36 PM
Rich, that is an awesome page I might add.

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RABs32 (Offline)
  #23 10/5/12 5:43 PM
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
Avon Open Wheel fan (Offline)
  #24 10/5/12 6:29 PM
Originally Posted by ThePurple73:
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.
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.
ISF (Offline)
  #25 10/5/12 9:42 PM
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

Silver Crown Championship Dirt Cars properly driven on a one mile dirt track are classic poetry in motion. Using that analogy, Jack Hewitt is one of the greatest poets of all time.
Avon Open Wheel fan (Offline)
  #26 10/5/12 10:17 PM
Found these pictures online this really brings back the good old days.
2 Likes: BrentTFunk, interpreter66
mscs20 (Offline)
  #27 10/5/12 10:20 PM
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.
ThePurple73 (Offline)
  #28 10/5/12 10:56 PM
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.
wcoughdrop (Offline)
  #29 11/27/16 4:28 PM
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.
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Speedwrench (Offline)
  #30 11/27/16 9:14 PM
Originally Posted by mscs20:
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.
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.
Likes: EBookerFan
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