Which current drivers could have competed then?
Current NASCAR
For the drivers of today, there are two that come to mind that I would say could and that would be Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart.
Forum Activity for @jon-clifton
Current NASCAR
For the drivers of today, there are two that come to mind that I would say could and that would be Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart.
The passing of T. Taylor Warren
-RacersReunion® OUTREACH
If there was a star photographer to be named, "T" would get my nomination. He shot some of the greatest Nascar photo's of any photographer. He will be greatly missed.
research for a model project:
Current NASCAR
What was interesting about this race was the fact that Bill France was the mechanic on Milt Marion's car.
The Famous Board Tracks
Stock Car Racing History
Another one's demise I omitted was the board track that was in Akron, Ohio. This track was not destroyed by fire, dismantled or scrapped after it closed. It was stolen piece by piece by the people of the area during the depression who burned it in their fire places to heat their homes when nobody had money to buy coal.
The Famous Board Tracks
Stock Car Racing History
****THE FAMOUS BOARD TRACKS****Thinks of your favorite racetrack. Chances are it is either a dirt or asphalt oval. As we all know, dirt track racing has been around since the beginning of automobile racing although the very early road races that were run were sometimes held on roads that were make out of cobblestone. The first oval dirt track race in the country took place on September 7, 1896 at Narragansett Park in Cranston, Rhode Island on a 1-mile oval.But in the beginning, the dirt tracks that cars raced on were mostly horse tracks at county fairs that were rough and during the race, it would become so dusty that spectator visibility was almost zero and the drivers saw less. As far as asphalt went, it wasn't available yet. But the face of racing was about to see a major change early in it's beginning. In California, an engineer named Fred Moscovics was a big bicycle-racing fanatic. Most bike races were held on small, wooden ovals. So he came up with an idea one day. Why not build a huge track like the bicycles compete on and race cars on that? It would be fast, clean and safe. Perfect idea.Putting his idea into action, Fred and a man named Art Pillsbury designed and built the first wood track in the United States. Located in California, the Los Angeles Motordrome in Playa Del Ray opened on April 8, 1910. It was a huge success right from the beginning. The track was a perfect circle 1 mile in length and was banked 20 degrees all the way around. Nicknamed the Pine Pinwheel and the Pie Pan, the fans loved the speeds attained by the drivers and the fact that they could see the race at all times without the interference of clouds of dust. In 1911, the Playa Del Ray board track held the first night race ever run in the United States.There were 24 board tracks built in the United States for automobile racing that ranged from 1/2 mile in length to the two-mile monsters in Maywood, Illinois, Brooklyn, New York, Cincinnati, Ohio and Tacoma, Washington. The board tracks were extremely fast and easy to drive. Lou Meyer, the first three-time winner of the Indy 500 (1928, 33 and 36) once told me that the way the board tracks were banked, the cars practically steered themselves. He said the only time you really had to turn the wheel was when you were passing another car.As for speed, take 1926 Indy 500 winner Frank Lockhart's run of 147.727 MPH at the 1.5-mile Atlantic City Speedway in Hammonton, New Jersey in 1927. This was faster than any car would go at Indianapolis until 1960 when Jim Hurtibise turned a lap of 149.056. Dario Resta, in an exhibition run at the Sheepshead Bay two-mile board track in New York, turned a lap of 108 MPH in September of 1915. The record for the 1915 Indy 500 was only 89.84 MPH. The major problem with these tracks was with the boards warping and decaying. Without the preservatives we have today, the average life for a board track was 4 years. The longest lasting one was the famous Altoona Speedway in Tipton, Pennsylvania that opened in 1923 and lasted until 1931. Unfortunately, Indy 500 winners Howdy Wilcox (1919), Joe Boyer (1924), and Ray Keech (1929) were all killed at the Altoona track.Wilbur Shaw, a 3-time winner of the Indy 500, once explained how eerie it was to be driving along at 130 MPH and seeing a head in the middle of the track. The head turned out to be a carpenter making repairs during a race and stuck his head up through a hole in the track while the cars were running. Out of the 24 board tracks built, the 2-mile Chicago Speedway in Chicago, Illinois, was the only track to host a 500-mile race. This was run on June 26, 1915 and was won by Dario Resta who would go on to win the Indy 500 the following year. The Miami-Fulford Speedway in Miami, Florida, was the shortest-lived board track. It was a 1.25-mile oval that ran it's only race, a 300 miler, on February 22, 1926 that was won by Pete DePaolo who had won the Indy 500 the year before. Seven months later, a hurricane destroyed the track. The materials and lumber that were salvaged were used to rebuild the town of Miami. To this day, there are still houses in Miami that have numbers on the rafters that came from the speedway. The 50-degree banks of this track were so steep that a car had to be going at least 110 MPH or it would slide off the banking.One unique feature with the board tracks was that most of them had 3 lines painted on them. The low and middle lines were used for racing but the only time a driver would go above the "high" line was to pass another car. By the late 1920s and early 30s, the board track era was winding down. Most of the tracks, when they needed extensive repairs from the harsh weather and the pounding of racecars on them were not repaired by the owners, due to the enormous cost of fixing them. The Los Angeles Motor Speedway in Beverly Hills was torn down in 1924 and the elite Beverly Hills-Wiltshire Hotel built on the property. The San Carlos and Los Angeles Motordrome Speedways in California were destroyed by fire. The Rockingham Speedway in Salem, New Hampshire, closed after Fred Comer was killed there in 1928. The Chicago track was torn down after three years and a hospital for wounded World War One soldiers was built on the site.The last well-known board track race was run at the Woodbridge Speedway in Woodbridge, New Jersey. Some of the smaller board tracks continued to hold midget and some motorcycle races after this but as for the big cars, an era had ended when Bernie Karnatz took the checkered flag at Woodbridge, New Jersey on October 18, 1931.FACT: It took 263 freight cars of lumber to build the 1.5-mile Atlantic City board track in New Jersey in 1924.
updated by @jon-clifton: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
Pet Peeves
Uncategorized
Another peeve I have is qualifying. They have guaranteed spots for former champions, guys high in points and who ever Nascar wants be in the field. This is bull. If 60 cars show up, 60 cars qualify and the fastest 43 race. If you're a past champion and you were 44th quickest, you go home.
Pet Peeves
Uncategorized
When I think of some of the things that have taken place in the world of automobile racing, sometimes I just have to really wonder what goes through the minds of some people at times. I have been involved in racing since the 1950s and I have seen some of the weirdest things take place and I often wondered what makes some people act the way they do. I decided to make a little list of some of my pet peeves in our great sport. This column doesnt necessarily pertain to the big Nascar races but also the Saturday night tracks.Totaled before anything goes on.I have no problem with someone if they want to drink. But have you ever noticed that there is always one who has to drink at least a keg before they ever get to the stands? I understand that someone drinking and getting drunk while the race is going on is one thing. Dont get me wrong. Im not goody-two-shoes since Ive got drunk during a race and I drank enough in my day. But when you have already drank so much that you need help to get to your seat before the pre-race ceremonies even start, I think that is a little too much. But, as I stated, thats their choice and more power to them.Standing.How come every time a car spins or there is an accident, everyone stands up? Do people realize that you can usually see more if you stayed seated? I say that because there are a lot of people that are mid 5 feet tall or a little more and it never fails that the person who stands up in front of you is 6 feet 5 inches tall. And since he is one of the guys who have drank one of those kegs before the race, you sure as heck are not going to tell him hes rude because of the fact that you might be the next caution when he launches you out of the stands onto the track.Equipment.Back when we raced, we would struggle every week to try to get qualified. The usual big shots never had to worry about that because they had the financial backing and sponsors to make sure they did. How do you compete with teams and other drivers who have more money in their engine than you have in your entire car? And when you finally win a feature, they immediately protest you and, with a little persuasion, something will happen to fail the post race inspection? I personally saw this at a sprint car race. When the car was literally taken apart and nothing could be found illegal; they said the roll cage was of an inch too narrow in the cockpit. Again, the big money team prevailed.Booing.This is something that I never did much although I had just as much right to voice my opinion as everyone else did. If you boo someone, you are showing your feelings towards that driver and you paid just as much for your ticket as the person who cheers for the same driver. BUT, whether its during introductions or during the race, why do people, at the top of their lings of course, have to call this driver names that would make a sailor stand up and salute? What about the kids in the stands who have to hear these people not only teach them a few words they never knew existed, but then have a chance to learn that another expression of booing is giving this driver the middle finger.No time for the fans.This is something that may seem like a trivial thing to some people but to a kid, it could be the world. Pertaining to your weekly track, why is there always a driver or two who doesnt have the time for the fans? I know when I was a kid, before the feature was ever complete, we were down at the pit gate waiting for the cars to finish the race and get to their trailers so we would be the first ones to rush through the pit gate and get to our favorite driver. It seems that a few of them (not all) always want to be the first ones out while the fans are coming in? A lot of these fans really want an autograph and to have a chance to meet their favorite driver and since one of these drivers might be the one the fan is looking for, they wont get that chance. The late great Al Tasnady was an example of being a fan favorite. If one person came up to Tas, he would find the time to talk and sign an autograph. If there were people lined up throughout the speedway and it took him until the sun came up, Tas would still be at his trailer signing autographs at dawn. And what Northeast race fan of the 1950s and 60s could ever forget the time Tas took a crippled boy for a lap around the Reading, PA Fairgrounds? The late New England driver Ed Flemke was another example. Ed was usually the last one to leave the pits and he went as far as having a light installed inside the cockpit of his car so when the kids climbed in it following the races, they could see what it was like inside a racecar.Racetrack food and outlandish prices.These words should speak for themselves. I am a firm believer that if you are going to put money out to get a little in return, you deserve to do just that. But when you buy some cheap hot dogs that are made with God only knows what and charge somebody more for one that you paid for a dozen of them, thats outlandish. Cheeseburgers are another favorite. Somebody will buy some meat that is so greasy that when you eat one, it is like biting into an oil change. That is not right. And how about a $5.00 or $6.00 racetrack draft beer. (Do they still have draft beer at any tracks?) I can remember a cup that looked like a shot glass and of it would be foam. Now theres a real moneymaker. That is why I have always said that the best food, for the most part, is found at your local Friday and Saturday night track. Not trying to speak for all tracks but the Volunteer speedway in Bulls Gap, TN is the most reasonable all around. The best admission price for your hard-earned dollar and the food has always been great. The now defunct East Windsor speedway in New Jersey was another one for good prices and great food.The National Anthem.If there is any one song that stands for what our great country is about, it is the National Anthem. How come when the National Anthem is played at the races, there is always some guy who wont remove his hat? I think its pretty sad that before the invocation is given and the National Anthem is played at a major Nascar race, the announcer has to tell the gentlemen to remove their hats. And of course there will always be someone who wont. And for the people who sing our National Anthem. I think it is horrifying the way some of these so-called singers literally destroy our countrys song. If you cant sing it the way it was composed to be sung, dont! I think every track should have the singer perform the song beforehand and let it be judged by a group of Veterans. If they approve, let them sing it. If they dont, get someone who can. If you hear it sung thirty-six times in a season, you will hear thirty-six different versions. Unless Ive been missing something, the song was never re-written and I can remember how it is supposed to go.Well, I guess Ill get off of my soapbox. These are just some of my pet peeves. If you have any of your own, add them here.
updated by @jon-clifton: 12/03/16 05:47:57PM
Did you know?
Stock Car Racing History
Did you know...Back in the days of the riding mechanics at Indy, before Takeo Hirashimo could be licensed as a riding mechanic, he had to have lead plates put in his shoes to meet the 122 pound weight requirement?In 1966, the drag racing division of Nascar sanctioned 575 meets?David Pearson was the first driver to win fifty super-speedway races?On September 21, 1918, Ben Gotoff from Russia became the first driver to race in the state of Tennessee?
Did you know?
Stock Car Racing History
Winning the Indy 500 is one of the greatest feats any driver can imagine. Did you know when Frank Lockhart won it in 1926, to celebrate victory, he took his wife to a drugstore for a double chocolate malt?