Forum Activity for @steve-struve

A Historic Night for NASCAR - July 24, 2013

Current NASCAR

I must add my congratulations to Tony and crew, as well as everyone else involved with this race. Eldora was all spruced up like I have never seen her before. Fans were ecstatic and I saw more enthusiasm and pure joy from the TV crews and announcers than I have seen in many years. NASCAR ought to take note.

The race, itself, reminded me of many a Friday and Saturday night spent at a track - back when racing was fun and everyone had a good time. People helped each other then, and that was resurrected again last night when Norm Benning damaged his truck in making it into the main event. One of the announcers (Phil ?) said that when he got back in the pits folks from FIVE teams showed up to help fix the car and get it ready for the Main.

I was kind of hoping Schrader would win, just for old times sake. Kenny was the first actual Cup driver I ever sat down and talked to - he was running a local show at the dirt track in Tucson a day or so before running the Cup race at Riverside. I asked him about Charlotte. I was being transferred from Tucson to Charlotte, and I had never even been to the city. Kenny went out of his way to tell me lots of things about the city and the area, and how friendly everyone there would be. I really appreciated his input.

I really do hope the powers that be see this race as a GOOD THING. Now, maybe Nationwide cars on The Milwaukee Mile ? All they'd need to do is look at some of the ARCA events for the last few years - those guys run dirt every year, and still seem to make it to Talladega also and put on a good show at both places, just fine.

Steve

Bruton Says 70% Sure He'll Move Fall Charlotte Race to Las Vegas

Current NASCAR

Greed, and MORE Greed ! I agree with all of you. I even have the perspective of having lived in both Concord and in Las Vegas (fifteen years at each place) ! The powers that be here in LV would pony up any amount of money to get another race. They even brag locally that the Spring race here generates over $ 110 MILLION dollars in NON-Gaming revenue. (One can only guess at the money generated in Gaming wins here during Race Week). There have been political rumblings here about getting another race and the press has been all over it for the last few years. Bruton is trying to blackmail "someone" - either the Concord City fathers, the Las Vegas powerful, maybe Atlanta, Texas, or perhaps even some location that hasn't made the headlines yet.

If the additional race comes here, I will not attend either. The best racing in Las Vegas is at the Bull Ring on Saturday nights. That's still a pretty good show. On a similar note - did anyone see the ARCA race from Toledo ? One of the best races I've seen in a LONG time. I would gladly pay to go see the ARCA boys run any day.

Honestly, I think this is all some kind of smoke screen - everyone should just wait for the dust to settle. Not much we can do about it anyway....

Dick Trickle commits suicide

Stock Car Racing History

There is a Las Vegas connection to this tragedy. Dick's brother Chuck lives here and has been a local racer for many years. To read the story about this in the LV Review Journal, go to:

http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/motor-sports/dick-trickle-was-constant-pain-apparent-suicide-brother-says

RIP Dick - you were the greatest !

Bob Creviston photos

Stock Car Racing History

Roger, I thought I might have something from Eldora, but I do not have any shots of the #75 car there. I searched my database and I did come up with two shots - both taken at Dayton Speedway. I know they weren't taken at the same race, but were probably taken the same year. Most likely 1966 or 1967. Enjoy.

Steve

Pictures to add to the Photo's Archives

Stock Car Racing History

David, Welcome. Do you know Brian Norton (bnorton734) ? He's a member here and the ARCA historian. You will find MANY photos here from ARCA's glory days of the 60's and 70's. Check our Brian's photos, and also look at mine. I'm sure there is a Ron Grana photo or twopostedthere. Enjoy.

Steve Struve

The Evolution and History of Trophy Girls, Icons of Racing

Stock Car Racing History

Time to add my 2 worth....

Some of these photos were published here before. This is the 1968 Miss Dayton Speedway contest. The contestants were in two different convertibles. The first four got it right the second four managed to get out of order somewhere along the way. I have no idea who won. If these young ladies were about twenty at the time of the contest, they would be reaching retirement age about now. Would love to see a comparison photo. My guess is that at least a few "still got it" !

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Secondary post, on this same topic. I was working the infield crew one Friday night at Kil-Kare and I was very surprised to see my new bride being dragged out of the grandstands to be pressed into service as the evening's Trophy Girl. Never did find out who's idea it was, and I don't think she ever said. All I remember about it was that she was on anatural"high" and I gotseverely "attacked" after we got home thatnight!

Car number and sponsor / owner connections

Stock Car Racing History

Another fine thread...

My contribution is from way before most of these photos - probably 1964 or 1965. Local car sponsored by the soft drink company, 7 Up. This is an old flat-head Sportsman at the Holy Grail of Dirt Tracks - Eldora. From what I have listed in my records the driver name was Kreitz, and I believe the first name was Donnie. This car actually sat on the curb in front of either the driver's or owners house in a little village named Covington, in Ohio. (Where my Cousins lived). I believe the 7 Up distributor was in Troy Ohio.

If anyone can confirm this data please let me know. Anyway, enjoy.....

Full-Size Stock Car Racing Fan and Story Author of Germany

General

Thomas, Welcome. You will, perhaps, find a lot of assistance here. There are many knowledgeable folks here that are historians on all aspects of racing. You may be able to get some good information and ideas from us. One member that you should probably contact is bnorton734. That's Brian Norton, of Michigan. Brian is the ARCA Historian and is a wealth of information. Go to his page on this site and look at his many photos. Brian's a pretty good guy and always willing to talk racing.

While you are at it, go look at my page also. I have about six hundred photos there from the mid 1960's to around 1973. I took all of these shots during the years I worked at various short tracks in the Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky area. By a minor miracle, I located the negatives for these photos about three years ago. I had thought them to be lost for some twenty years or so. I then went out and bought a photo scanner so I could share them with other race fans who remember the good racing from back then. I found Racer's Reunion and decided that this would be about the best place I could show off my photos to people I know appreciate them.

I see you are looking for information on "Waco" Wayne Wattercutter. I attached a couple of photos of his early cars, a few years before he began driving in ARCA.

If you would like to use either of these, let me know, and I will send you the JPEG file. To myknowledge neither has been published in the print media, but both have been shared on the internet, in this site and a couple of other vintage racing sites.

I also may have some photos of Insolo and Schmidt. They would be in color and would be from the mid 1970's. I do not have any of them scanned, but I will go looking through my color negatives to see if I can find anything. I have a few West Coast shots, as I moved to California in the mid 70's and left ARCA and the great short tracks of Ohio for the Winston West guys, and the great short tracks ofSouthernCalifornia and Arizona. (It's a long story....) Anyway welcome ! We're all looking forward to reading your articles.

The future of Racing ?

General

Last night ESPN showed the "Championship" race of Global Rallycross, which was held in the parking lot across the streetfromthe Hilton, right here in LasVegas. This race was held in conjunction with the biggest convention of the year here, SEMA. It's the first time this race was held as part of SEMA. There was a good crowd, and there was a lot of action. The field is international, with some big buck sponsors on board.

I witnessed the previous Rallycross race here in Las Vegas as a companion event to the recent NASCAR Truck Race at LVMS. I didn't actually know the Rallycross race was scheduled - we decided at the last minute to go see the trucks run this year. From what I could tell at the race I watched in person, and the spectators and commentators at last night's race, the audience all appears to be younger - the Skateboard / BMX / X-Games crowd. I think our young people are going to gravitate to this form of racing rather than watch a boring old race where a bunch of guys run around in a big circle.

Don't know whether that's bad or good - that's why I brought it up here. I'm sure there will be some good discussion.

I admit I don't know much about Rallycross, so I looked them up on the internet. There's been a BUNCH of races for this group here in the States, as companion races to other events. Curiously, all of them seemed to be at Bruton's tracks. If there's a spare buck to be made, Bruton will be all over it.

Anyway, I thought I'd throw this out there for discussion. Are we eventually going to be subjected to fast, but dinky four banger cars that run around on some weird shaped road courses made up of Superspeedway pit lanes and Legends tracks, with a jump or two thrown in, and a big pile of dirt ? Looks that way to me, as I gaze into my crystal ball.

Comments ?

updated by @steve-struve: 08/12/18 09:26:17PM

Floyd Gilbert

Stock Car Racing History

Floyd was no stranger to the high banks of Dayton Speedway either !