Glen Tavares

GPT collection

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Ibelieve these pictures in the pits are Martinsville if im wrong let me know thanks.Glen
Dennis  Garrett
@dennis-garrett   6 years ago
Not Martinsville Speedway pits? Too much flat open spaces, don't see any concrete walls and concrete grandstands ?
Dave Fulton
@dave-fulton   6 years ago
Might be Trenton
Dave Fulton
@dave-fulton   6 years ago
Sonny Hutchins at speed in Donlavey Fairlane $90 at Trenton 1970:bertha.jpg
bertha.jpg
bertha.jpg  •  107KB

Dave Fulton
@dave-fulton   6 years ago
bertha.jpg
David Wayne Taylor
@david-wayne-taylor   6 years ago
Fulton is correct. Photo is definitely from Trenton 8-22 or 8-23-70.  Al Tasnady was driving. I currently own the car, which is restored to 1968/Sonny Hutchins trim. Glen could I please have a high resolution copy for my scrapbook? Please send private message. Thanks
David Wayne Taylor
@david-wayne-taylor   6 years ago
This car has popped up a couple of times on older posts, and  I would like to offer a little more of its history. This car was built by Junie Donlavey in the winter of 1968 and campaigned in 1968 and 1969, in the newly created Late Model Sportsman Division, on numerous VA and MD tracks (to include Southside, South Boston, Langley, and Beltsville) by Sonny Hutchins. Sonny won the 68 LMS championship at Southside and finished second in VA points. His ride was shared in a similarly painted 63 Donlavey Fairlane #90 these two years (the same one which Lennie Pond drove in the 68 Permatex race at Daytona in 68, as #93).  In 1970 Runt Harris, Mel Bradley and Larry Manning drove it during the regular season. Then Al Tasnady drove it at Trenton as a Modified (simply by changing to wider wheels). In 1971, Donlavey returned it to LMS configuration for Bill Dennis (between his G-N starts). The car was last (known to be) driven in 1972 at the Martinsville Cardinal race by Max Berrier, who filled in for an ailing Buddy Baker, scheduled to drive that weekend.  With all that said, I now own the car, and have been developing and recording the racing history on this car (sort of car genealogy) to preserve its record. My biggest obstacle has been period newspapers which promoted a race on Thursday, then only mentioned the winner and one or two others on Monday, with a rare mention of the car models or number. I guess the editors considered racing to be a redneck sport, deserving little attention.  Likewise, I have not found a single related track which kept its weekly records. Fortunately, there are forums like this that offer memory and knowledge to preserve records not otherwise in print.  Thanks to all of you.  Consequently, I am very appreciative to anyone who will share photos, race program’s or digital images with me which I could add to the car’s history.
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