Forum Activity for @steve-struve

Question of the Day for March 23, 2011

General

My father took me to a very interesting place - Frankie's Forest Park, in Dayton Ohio, in 1952. I was at the tender age of FIVE. Frankie's was an amusement park with a 1/5th mile asphalt race track, and, to this day, it was the only track I've ever seen where you could ride a roller coaster and watch the race - from above.

We entered the track late, so we ended up sitting down front. In the first race, one of those neat pre-war Ford Coupes slammed into the guardrail and flipped right in front of me, landing right on the roof. I left. They found me in the top row of the grandstands sitting on some woman's lap. True story. Naturally, I was forever hooked after that !

This is to every one involved in Racers Reunion and their friends

-RacersReunion® OUTREACH

I just signed up. Awaiting approval of my membership ! Looked around a bit and heck, half my friends form Racers Reunion are there too. Who knew ? A big bunch of my old photos are dirt, but I've just posted everything to Racers Reunion all along. If it stays alive, good. If it doesn't, please absorb the pohto record there into Racers Reunion. Many good cars and drivers shown there. Thanks.

Steve Struve

Need your feedback

General

Jeff, The site is OK, however you wish to format it. There are a few things that COULD change, if you get around to it. (I KNOW how much time this takes...). Many of the previous suggestions, or wishes, are valid and some changes may made - that's the evolution ofany site. I think it's terriffic that you have asked what we think. Usually its Take It Or Leave it. Thanks for that.

As a photo contributor I would also like to see some sort capabilities, but I also understand that would probably require all of the existing items to be edited somewhat (Tags, topics, etc). Not sure if you could rely on the original posters to go back in and make those updates. Might be better if you have a Photo Committee with editing powers, for photos other than their own, and let them slowly bring every shot up to some pre-determined format. Then there could be many different sort capabilities.

Personally, I'd like to see a log-in window on the main page. (Used to be this way, and if you have the program remember you, typing in the first few letters of your e-mail address will self-fill in the rest.). Now I need to go to a second screen to get a login box. Same thing for the sign out - I'd make the signout a button, of some contrasting color, like the Donate button. One click exit would be easier that way.

Just a few things - it really ain't broke so you don't have to fix it. But chances are you will get some good suggestions worthy of future consideration. Thanks.

Steve Struve

The passing of two Ohio racing legends

Stock Car Racing History

Recent "Legend" losses.......

Recently two local Ohio auto racing legends have passed away. Everyone knew these two guys - Chick Hale, legendary driver, and Bobby Korn, legendary car builder. The racing community is poorer, with their loss.

Attached are a couple of photos - Chick Hale driving his dirt car on the asphalt banks of Dayton Speedway, and Dick Freeman driving Korn's Malco Torch, also on the Dayton hills.

For some very good articles and lots morre photos of these two giants, go to the Dayton Speedway Lives ! web site. Rest in peace, guys......

Steve

updated by @steve-struve: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM

Another AWESOME Web Site

Stock Car Racing History

I have also visited an awesome Web Site. However, visiting the site came AFTER I had toured the facility....

Let me explain:

Justlast week I had the opportunity to visit a racing museum here in Las Vegas. I was overwhelmed. Totally. (Didnt even know the place existed !)

One of my wifes suppliers (for her work) is a machine shop here in Vegas named Micar .

The owner is a great guy named Brian Caruso, whom I found out is a grandson to the famous Mike Caruso racing enterprise from New York. The Carusos fielded midgets, sprints, go carts, and modifieds beginning just after WW II, and had many great, well known drivers working for them through the years. I met Brians father, Mike Caruso, Jr. who is still quite active and very knowledgeable about early racing history. Me being from Ohio, the Carusostold me they ran at Dayton several times and also at New Bremen and Salem. (They lost a driver at Salem and it still haunts them). These people were traveling long distancesbefore the days of interstate highways and basically traveled all over the country to race. Mike Jr. has a never ending supply of tales to tell.

The Carusos have converted the second story of their machine shop into a racing museum and Brian has created a web site. You might want to check out: www.carusomidgetracing.com

Explore through this site, and have fun doing it. Look at ALL the photos. When you get to the Comments tab and the Family, Friends, and Visitors page opens up, the last five photos at the bottom of that page are of myself and the wife, plus our eight year old grandson. I think he had as much fun touring the place, as I did.

Mike Caruso, Jr. might be a good source of information hes a real character ! Hes a blast to sit down with and talk to but youd better be prepared to spend awhile doing so.

Let me know what you think about this web site. I realize it's open wheel, and this is mainly a Stock Car site, but Racing Historyis what we're all interested in. Thanks.

Steve

HELP - CAN'T GET THE BOTTOM PARAGRAPHS TO CHANGE TO WHITE LETTERS !!!

updated by @steve-struve: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM

Unknown Racetrack ?

Historic Speedways and Ghost Tracks

I spent a couple of hours last night looking at the California Coast in Google Earth, trying to get a match. I even slanted the view and changed the direction more westernly looking, to try and simulate the coastline configuration. Had three or four fairly close matches to the costal terrain, but no positive identification. I do believe this is west - central California and above. Down south, the land is more sandy and the trees are much different- if there are any trees at all ! Also, all of the aerial photographs in my dad's album were either along the west coast or bombed out factory buildings in Japan. I'll keep looking. Thanks. Steve

Unknown Racetrack ?

Historic Speedways and Ghost Tracks

Along with the many 35MM negatives I rediscovered a couple of years ago,that I have slowly been addingto Racer's Reunion, I also discovered a treasure trove of my father's World War II photos. Those I also have scanned and they are being posted to the appropriate web sites which cover the history of the war. However, I have ONE shot that may be of interest to the racing community, and in fact, I am looking for information on exactly what and where this is.

I believe it is a race track. This scan is of a contact print taken with a K-20 aerial camera mounted in the belly of a B-29. I do believethe location is state side - probably in California. My Dad's unit trained in Fresno and around the San Francisco area.The photo timeframe is 1944, a year.

As I enlarge this I thought it was a horse racing track, but there is obviously banking in the turns. From the scale of the buildings the track is at least a mile and a half long. Another reason to think it is a horse track is the rather fancy grandstand buildings in the foreground. The mystery deepens - other photos show what appears to be a marshalling yard or depot with tons of equipment staged for shipping.

I am hoping the Racers Reunion crowd may be able to help in the identification of this facility. One theory I have is that this WAS a horse track and the government took it over and reconfigured the track surface some to make, maybe, a proving ground or test track. (Just a wild theory).

Anyway, can anyone ID this place ? Do you think it was ever a race track ? Any help is certainly appreciated. Thanks

Steve Struve

updated by @steve-struve: 12/05/16 04:08:38PM