WHAT'S NEW?
ARCHIVE 5
UPDATE:
DAYTON SPEEDWAY LIVES ON DISPLAY…AGAIN!
We had such a great time meeting all the FODS at the DARF charity car show that we decided to do it again!
The Race Cars and Future Stars Expo will be held March 26 – 29, 2009 at the Miami Valley Centre Mall in Piqua, Ohio. The mall is adjacent to I-75. An almost unbelievable 90 race cars have been committed for this amazing show!
And did I mention that DSL will be there on Saturday and Sunday (only)? Yep, not only will the unusual suspects be there, but Chick Hale has agreed to once again sign autographs at the DSL table. We’re hoping that Chick will put in some time on both Saturday and Sunday.
As for the rest of the gang, you’ll find me and Jerry Wahl there on both days, all day. Ace researcher Rick Patterson is still firming up his plans, but expect him to stop by sometime for sure. Gene Ingram (harleygene@comcast.net) is not likely to be able to make this show, but Rand Thompson (caprirand@comcast.net) who is a regular contributor to this site and provides us a great book review or two for our Bookshelf each week will be there on Saturday fro around 2 p.m. ‘til 5 p.m.
We’ll have a new selection of slides showing stock car racing as it was in the ‘50s, some laptop slide shows, and I’ll be bringing a scanner to digitize any Dayton Speedway related photos or memorabilia you might have.
Admission? There is no admission! It’s a mall, after all! Please stop by and say hi!
CHAMP CARS AT DAYTON
Can you believe that there was once a champ car race at Dayton Speedway? On August 12, 1956, Ed Elisian drove his Watson Offy to win the 50 lap non-points champ car event on Dayton’s high banks.
The other thirteen cars starters followed Elisian across the finish line. Remarkably, at least in my view, is that all 14 of the starters finished the event and all of them were on the same lap! That either speaks to how evenly matched the cars were or the level of caution that the drivers were exercising to avoid some calamity.
Which is not to say that anyone was feather-footing their way around the speedway. Jack Turner in his Travelon Trailer Shilala Offy apparently sent a new track record of 18.568 seconds, breaking the record that had been set by Elmer George in a sprint car.
Walther’s Dayton Steel Foundry was represented when Jim McWithey, whose obituary we recently published, drove their Kurtis 4000 to a heat win (yep, they used heat races to determine the starting order for the feature event). Unfortunately McWithey trailed the field finishing dead least in the feature.
As far as I know we have no photos of any of the cars, drivers, or racing action from this one-time-only event. If you have photos or other memorabilia that you would be willing to share, please contact me here.
While you are waiting for me to do some research and write the story of that race, you can click here to see the results of that day’s events.
ENGLE AND THIESEN
If you have been following along during the past 11 months, you are familiar with the sad story of racer Al Thiesen who was apparently exceptionally fast as a racing driver (he was the 1934 Midwest champion despite a September Dayton Speedway crash that ended his season), but who was also cursed with a string of injures during his career, a career that ended during midget practice in April, 1935, in the coliseum in Detroit, MI, when he suffered fatal injuries.
You are probably equally as familiar with Charlie Engle’s life story. Charlie’s racing career took him to the highest highs, but the lowest of lows as well. Charlie’s life ended in 1974 when he was murdered in one of the two taverns he owned in Dayton, Ohio.
As sometimes happens here at DSL, it seems that the lives of these two men were connected. Specifically, Thiesen was driving for Daytonian Johnny Vance at the time he was injured in September, 1934, at the Dayton Speedway.
With Thiesen recovering from his injuries, the Vance ride went to… yep, you guessed it; Charlie Engle.
Pretty amazing how everything is linked in one way or the other, huh?
WYLIE OF THE RACING WYLIES
Big Tom Stenger played a very big part in Midwest auto racing for many years. Stenger’s Ford sponsored many race cars over the years and a lot of folks benefited from his generosity.
I was thinking the other day that someday we ought to have a photo of Tom on DSL.
FODS Dan Wylie (dreamrv1@yahoo.com) took the time to point out to me that we already had a photo of Tom Stenger on the website. In fact, he’s right there on the home page (here). Scroll down to the photo of Lenny Waldo in the Stenger’s sprint car and there just behind it, wearing a black shirt and white pants, with his hands on his hips is the man himself, Tom Stenger. Thanks Dan!
Dan is from the family of racing Wylies. Here’s what he said:
Hi Foggy –
My Dad owned cars back in the late 40's and early 50's. He also was involved back in the late 60's. As General Manager for Rubicon Cadillac, he was involved in sponsorship and getting races televised on TV Channel 22. We brought new Cadillacs out to use as pace cars on occasion. It was a thrill then as A.J., Sonny, Larry, and several other high profile open wheel drivers competed in such a relaxed, fan friendly environment.
Thanks for the site!
Dan
You’ll find photos of Dan’s dad’s (also named Dan) race cars and equipment here in the 1950s-1960s Gallery. Dan was the owner of Miami Trailer Sales and he owned and sponsored a pair of ’38 stock cars. You’ll find the photos near the bottom of the page in the left hand column.
His drivers included Dick Arnold, Jack Perkins, Dick Dunlevy, Sr., Tex Shackleford, Oda Green, Red Harvey, and Tom and Jack Bowsher.
These were surely the golden years of stock car racing and perhaps racing in general. The Wylie- owned stockers raced seven days a week!
BEST DOCUMENTED DAYTON EVENT
It turns out that the racing events held at Dayton Speedway on May 6, 1979, may be the best documented day in the entire history of the track.
The Late Model feature that day was a sizzler. Dick Dunlevy, Jr. and Buster Blackford battled hammer and tong until Buster’s tire blew and put him into the wall between turns one and two. Don Wilbur then took up the chase and battled Dunlevy, Jr. all the way to the checkered flag.
From that day we have (1) newspaper articles, (2) photos taken by FODS Scott Solem (kb8zcb@netzero.net), and (3) film shot by the family of Mick Miller!
We were showing that film at the recent DARF charity car show. Remember how I told you in the last update that a car could be seen clearly in the film going out of the park? Well, check out this recent message from Scott Solem:
Foggy -
I am wondering if the flying stock that went over the 2nd. turn guardrail was "Robin Egg Blue" in color? I am thinking that could be Max McIntire in early practice that cloudy, cool May day at the races. He was driving a light blue car when he had his OTW experience.
Larry Gorman went through the rail between the 1~2 turns during a late model feature. It was later in the season because the foliage was much thicker. I remember a very hot Sunday afternoon when that took place…
Scott
It looks like we might have found the exact date for Max McIntire’s Over the Wall adventure!
Scott also commented on the Terry Senneker photo (it’s here on the Help page as Mystery Number Nine) that shows him with the checkered flag in victory lane:
The Terry Senneker victory photos were not from an ASA sanctioned late model feature. Terry showed up and took the money during an open competition 100 lap event. His brother, Bob did the same thing later during the $1200 to win "Sugar Bear 100" open comp. late model feature sometime around 1980.
I would truly love to see that film from 1979. I remember the Late Model feature between, Dunlevy, Blackford, Wilbur. They were running "Micky Thompson" street tires on their race cars at 110+ MPH turning into the high banked corners at Dayton! That was a crazy tire rule back then. Those "Mickey Thompson" tires are what put Buster Blackford in to the turn 1 rail that day if I remember correctly. Thank you for this web site.
Dayton Speedway will always be a huge part of my life. I think of "her" daily. Scott
Thanks, Scott. I’m not sure that we will be able to make film from that day’s racing available, but we are working on it.
SPEAKING OF THE EVENTS OF MAY 6, 1979
Dick Dunlevy, Jr.’s win on May 6, 1979, was a big one and he went on that year to be the Dayton Speedway Late Model champion.
Accordingly, I’ve copied the text of the newspaper articles describing that day’s racing program here on the Dunlevy family page.
MORE ON JACK HARRISON
In the last Update I told you about the connection between Jack Harrison and George Henderson and the distinct possibility that Harrison’s Ford ended up in the possession of George Henderson who thoroughly destroyed the car when he went over the wall at Dayton Speedway. (You can read about Harrison and Henderson here.)
Ace researcher Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net) found another item about Harrison in the book that celebrates ARCA’s 50th anniversary (ARCA: 50 Years of Racing). This was written by Tom Davidson who was a MARC car owner before he became the ARCA Official Photographer.
“Jack Harrison was a great driver, but he had a critical medical condition with his stomach ulcers. I remember one race at
16th Street Speedwayin Indianapolis when he was leading the race and under caution. (John) Marcum walked about halfway out in the middle of the frontstretch and Jack slowed so Marcum could hand him a bottle of milk. Of course, the fans were intrigued and I’m sure a lot of people thought that was a put-up deal. But Harrison died of ulcers as a very young man, around 26, I believe. He probably could have lived longer with a different lifestyle, but this was the way he chose to do it, chasing down the road, running race after race, not getting the proper amount of sleep, food or medical attention.”
I FINALLY MET JIM WELTY
For any number of years I’ve been hearing the name “Jim Welty.” Jim is a larger than life character who has spent time behind the wheel of various race cars and has collected military vehicles (some of them super-
sized!) for many years. At the recent DARF charity race car show Jim displayed his spectacular Kurtis midget (shown here on the left).
The midget was built in 1951 by Frank Kurtis in his Burbank, CA shop. Around 1955 it was modified by George Shilala who had purchased Kurtis’ entire midget operation in 1953. Welty displays the car as it would have been raced by legendary Jimmy Bryan during the 1958 season after Bryan’s Indy 500 win in that year.
Here’s what Jim said in the note I recently received:
Mickey -
After seeing your nice display at the DARF race car show today (where I displayed my # 5 Kurtis midget) I decided to hunt up your website and was very impressed. Thanks for all your work !!!
I was interested to see the picture of Bob Pronger in the Cadillac. I could not determine if the caption meant it was the only PICTURE of a Caddy at Dayton---or the only one to race there, (which is incorrect).
I am sure there are others who may recall that in the late 50,s or early 60's the MARC (later ARCA) car counts were low. To fill out the field John Marcum entered his own strickly stock Caddy--- which was totaled coming off turn two. At the time many said it was because the car was too big and heavy to handle on the high banks, but the "well informed " knew it was because the Caddy was PEA GREEN !!!! -----
Times have changed !!!!
Sincerely, Jim Welty
(jimwelty60@aol.com)
In a second message Jim added this:
Besides my own racing at Dayton, with the "flying stocks", ARCA, and late models, (and even once with a CSRA midget), I have several 5 X 11s of my father racing in a 1950 Ford in what was probably the second NASCAR race held there.
Though the pictures are of him, and our family ‘50 Ford, he used a false name as he was afraid his insurance would be canceled---and I don’t know what name it was.
Next time I will tell you about the bravest man that ever raced at DS. You may remember him---but I bet you don't know why he was the bravest. (Or maybe the stupidest.)
It sounds like Jim has more than a few great DS stories to share with the FODS Nation and I’ll see if I
can’t sit down with Jim soon and record some of them.
Thanks to Jim Welty (jimwelty60@aol.com) for checking in at the DSL registration desk!
By the way, you will find that photo of the racing MARC Cadillac driven by Bob Pronger here on the Surges/Richardson page.
Finally, Jim’s racing roots go deep. Visit the 1950’s – 1960’s Gallery here to see and read about Welty’s 1960 Plymouth. Though the photo was taken at Eldora in 1963, this is the same car that Harold Smith ran in MARC races, including MARC events at Dayton Speedway.
A FIRST FOR DAYTON SPEEDWAY
File this under “I might have known this, but I can’t remember for sure, so I might be hearing this for the first time.”
National Speed Sport News carried this item in their March 11, 2009 issue:
“On July 17, 1960, Don Branson became the first driver to top 100 mph on a half-mile race track when he recorded an 18.53-second lap, 104.861 mph, during qualifying for the USAC sprint-car race at the newly resurfaced Dayton Speedway in Ohio.”
Branson was a crowd favorite during this period. He came into the 1960 season as the defending 1959 USAC sprint division champion. His 1960 Indy 500 start saw him record a 4th place finish, the best finish he would enjoy over his career eight starts in the Indianapolis classic.
Branson’s life and career ended abruptly at Ascot Park in Gardena, California, on November 12, 1966, when he lost control in a corner and was hit by Dick Atkins. Branson’s sprinter flipped upside down and he was killed instantly. Atkins died the next day of what was initially thought to be the result of burns received in the accident, but was later found to be a fractured skull.
A FORGOTTEN THANK YOU
In the last Update I mentioned that FODS Ken Koontz stopped by the DSL display at the DARF charity car show and shared a story about his dad and Shorty Miller who worked across the aisle from each other at NCR.
What I forgot to mention was that Ken gave me a nice 11 x 14 aerial photo of Dayton Speedway taken sometime near the end of the track’s life.
Needless to say, I thanked Ken profusely, but he didn’t seem to think it was that big of a deal. According to Ken, he has a nice photo display on the walls at his home near his bar, and all the photos are black and white. Except the aerial shot of Dayton Speedway that he gave to me. It was in color.
“It looked out of place,” he explained.
I’m sure glad that those other photos were black and white. Thanks, Ken! I’ve posted the aerial shot for the time being here at the top of the home page.
EBAY THOUGHTS
Ace DSL researcher Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net) and I recently teamed to win what we think is an important collection of photos that are connected to Dayton Speedway history. Rick did all the heavy lifting on the project; I just threw in some money. Rick had to pay attention and step lively to avoid losing the item at the last minute to some lurker hiding in the grass.
It made me wonder how many times we all bid against each other for something related to Dayton Speedway, only to have the item end up donated by the winner for display on this site.
There’s no way of knowing for sure who else is bidding on any particular item, especially those from the Shorty Miller collection. But if you happen to be furiously bidding on a Dayton Speedway item and wonder if the guy on the other end is me or Rick or one of the other FODS, please contact me here and I will let you know.
When I bid on something, my goal is to share it with the rest of the FODS Nation here and not necessarily to keep the actual item. So if you are willing to share it digitally here at DSL, I’ll be more that happy to let you win if I am bidding.
A NEW INDUCTEE IN THE OTW CLUB
My notes from the DARF charity car show are a bit frazzled, but it’s pretty clear that one of the older FODS visiting the DSL display told me that there was another driver who went over the wall at Dayton who was not yet listed here on the OTW club page.
According to my notes, a driver named Bill Cheeseburg launched his 1959 Ford stock car over the guardrail sometime in 1960. That’s all the information I have, and while that’s not much, it does give us something to work with.
I’ll add this to my list of things to track down. In the meantime, I’ve added a placeholder here on the OTW page.
MORE OTW
I’m starting to think that it might easier to just start listing the drivers who didn’t crash out of Dayton Speedway. Besides the mysterious Bill Cheeseburg, Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net) discovered a photograph that, though muddy, appears to show two cars flying over the Dayton Speedway wall in August, 1956! As usual, we have no idea who the drivers were and its not clear that the article that accompanied the photos made any reference to the incident.
We did learn a bit more about Dick Bailey who crashed out of the track on April 22, 1956, in his Plymouth. It appears that Bailey was involved in a three car pile-up and elected to take the high road to avoid the action. Bailey was unhurt after his 45’ drop down the backside of turn 3.
He was luckier than some stock car drivers that particular Sunday in 1956. Walt Faulkner who set qualifying records at Indy in 1950 and 1951, died during qualifying for a stock car race at Vallejo Speedway when his shoulder strap broke during a crash. He was 36 years old. Other nationally known drivers, George Amick and Bill Homier, were also seriously injured in crashes that day.
THIS GETS MORE AND MORE CONFUSING
Veteran driver Ron Lewis was also a visitor at the DARF charity race car show and he had some additional information about the Stapleton who was the OTW club member. You can see the photos here.
According to Ron, the Stapleton who crashed out of Dayton Speedway was Paul, not A.J. He said he knows this because A.J. decided to sell his car after watching Paul thoroughly destroy his own, and Bill Mullins was the guy who bought A.J.’s car.
Why would Ron remember this? Because the following year at Dayton Speedway, Ron and Bill Mullins won every feature race except for one! Mullins won eight features while Ron won four. Tim Meyers was the only other driver able to steal a feature during the reign of Ron and Bill.
While we are waiting on someone from the Stapleton camp to confirm all this I must admit that I’m confident that Ron has his facts straight; you tend to remember seasons like that one.
Thanks, Ron!
NOT A SINGLE GUESS BY ANYONE
I didn’t receive a single guess from anyone as to the identity of the driver shown in Mystery Number Thirteen here. We’ve already established that Scott Solem, he of the amazing memory, who took the photo can’t remember who it is, and even Jerry Wahl (jlwahl1@hotmail.com) admits to having no idea who it is even though he distinctly remembers the guy running at Dayton.
Please take a look at Mystery Number Thirteen here and if you know who it is, please contact me here.
PIC OF THE WEEK IS A DAZZLER
We have a new Pic of the Week here, courtesy Gene Ingram (harleygene@comcast.net). It’s a great photo of Bob Sweikert with the Iddings Special at Dayton Speedway in 1953. Thanks, Geno!
TWO OF THE GREATEST
Shown here in a photo provided courtesy of Jerry Wahl (jlwahl1@hotmail.com) are two of the greatest 
race promoters the world of auto racing has ever seen. And both played a big part in the history of the Dayton Speedway.
That’s Earl Baltes on the left and the irrepressible John Marcum on the right. We’re not likely to see race promoters like these guys ever again.
ANOTHER ADDITION TO THE DSL BOOKSHELF
Rand Thompson (caprirand@comcast.net) has provided another book review, this one focusing on a good Ohio boy, and arguably the first real superstar our sport ever knew, Barney Oldfield. Barney was born in Wauseon, Ohio, near Toledo, and started his life of speed as a bicycle racer.
Read all about here on the Bookshelf, filed under the author’s name, “Nolan.”
Thanks, Rand!
MAURI ROSE REDUX
I recently told you the story of Mauri Rose’s 10 days in the Auglaize County lock-up after he was indicted for setting fire to the New Bremen Speedway grandstand (and judges’ stand) on September 20, 1931, during a riot related to the promoters’ decision to reduce the purse just moments before the feature race was to be run. (Just off hand I can’t think of a worse time to make such a decision, but things might have been alright had not the announcement been accidentally made over the loudspeaker.)
Rocky and Diane (Beck) Lane (rockyl159@comcast.net) wrote in to say that their old friend and neighbor Ken Fowler, the early racing star who helped Diane’s dad Harold Beck, Sr., come to grips with his first Offenhauser engine, had talked about the Rose incident. It turns out that some years ago Ken shared his version of the New Bremen brouhaha with Rocky and Diane.
According to Ken, Mauri did set fire to the New Bremen grandstand after it became clear that the promoter was going to skip with the purse. Fowler helped Mauri and several others start the fire!
Fowler told the Lane’s that he was so sure that he would be held liable for the fire that he stayed in New Jersey and never visited Ohio again for about five years.
Amazing.
I RIDE OFF INTO THE SUNSET
Another Update comes to an end. I know that there are many FODS out there who have provided photos or clippings or stories and those items have yet to appear on this site. I want you to know that I appreciate your support and your contributions, and if I haven’t yet posted your photo or other item, I will eventually do so.
I guess that the surest sign that the website is a success is the sheer volume of e-mails that I get each day with photos and such. I never anticipated that this hobby would turn into the time consuming effort that it has become and frankly it is impossible for me to keep up.
I’ve asked some of you the same questions over and over I know; thanks for your patience. I’ll continue for as long as this is enjoyable, and I hope that you will continue to support our efforts.
Nest week DSL will be at the Piqua Mall all weekend. That means that the next Update will be late. Again. Please come up and see us!
Mickey
March 22, 2009
UPDATE:
A GRAND TIME WAS HAD BY ALL
I knew that the fantastic Dayton Speedway Lives display/booth/exhibit/whatever-it-was at the Dayton Auto Race Fan Toys for Kids charity race car show would consume a lot of my time and throw my site update schedule out of whack, but I never imagined that a whole two weeks would roll by between those updates!
I had a great time and I got to meet a lot of FODS, most of whom I knew only as e-mail addresses. After working closely with Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net) our ace researcher, for the past 8 months, I finally got to meet him in person. DSL stalwart Jerry Wahl (jlwahl1@hotmail.com) was there, and Gene Ingram (harleygene@comcast.net) who knows almost everything there is to know about open wheel racing dating all the way back to the Roman chariot days was able to stop by on Sunday.
Legendary Chick Hale, Dick Dunlevy, Jr. (the 1979 Dayton Speedway champion), and Don Wilbur all spent some time at the DSL table signing autographs for FODS and fans who stopped by. It was a treat for me to get the spend the weekend with Chick who, at 81, is still putting together an engine he intends to drop into his ’66 Chevelle. I asked him if he thought that he could still run with the drivers at Eldora, and he thought about it awhile before he answered. “I guess I could do OK,” he said, “but I’d need a nice big back bumper.”
Loyal FODS Mike Etienne and John Fannin (jonjonnyonny@aol.com) stopped by with items to be scanned and those photos and programs and articles will show up here eventually. John actually came by on Saturday with his photos and was disappointed to find out that I had not yet been able to set up my scanner at the show. He told me that he would return on Sunday and he was true to his word. I think that he was only half kidding when he mentioned to me on Sunday that he was disappointed that there wasn’t an Update to the site when he got home on Saturday!
I also got to meet Mike Swain in person. Mike had his spectacular Pete Allen Mutual Roaring Roadster at the show. It is just wonderful; it’s as close to “barn fresh” as you can get. It’s not over-restored. And someone, I won’t tell you who, but his initials are “me,” got to sit in the roadster and get his photo taken! Mike is still kind of cool towards the idea of just giving me the car and I can understand that. I’ll wait.
My thanks to all of you who helped make DSL’s very first outing such a success. I hope that you had as much fun as I did.
And for those of you who didn’t get a chance to stop by, here’s what the autograph cards looked like for Hale, Dunlevy, and Wilbur. Remarkably, all the cars shown on these cards competed at Dayton!
A NEW STAFFER ADDED
At the show I got to meet Barney Moore who, by my calculation, is about 84 years old. Sure, you say that you love auto racing and you loved the grand old Dayton Speedway, but I’m pretty sure that Barney has got you beat because Barney not only talked the talk, but he walked the walk…literally.
In 1937 Barney was 12 years old and in the 6th grade. In order to get into Dayton Speedway to watch the races, Barney signed on to sell programs. So he got in free, sold programs, and made a little money. But there was one little problem.
The man who ran the program concession didn’t stay for the entire racing program. He left early. Barney had a choice; he could leave with the man who ran the program concession and miss part of the racing program, or he could…well, he could just go ahead and walk home after the races were over.
And that’s what he did. He walked from Dayton Speedway all the way home, which at the time was about a mile beyond where the Montgomery County Public Library downtown branch is now located!
We haven’t been able to calculate exactly how far that is, and Barney’s forgotten, but a good estimate is around 10 – 12 miles. When we mentioned this figure to Barney, he shrugged it off.
“Hey,” he said. “I was 12 years old and I wanted to see the races.”
In recognition of Barney’s love of racing and of Dayton Speedway, and considering that he already knows the business, I am naming him DSL’s official Program Salesman.
Welcome aboard Barney, and no long walks are required!
MORE SHORTY MILLER
The remnants of the Shorty Miller collection of auto racing memorabilia continue to pop up on ebay. Most recently about 25 or 30 items were listed and though I bid furiously I won just one item, a 1952 “big car” program from DS.
The real treasure this time around was the first place trophy from the Little 500 won by Red Renner in 1952. It had Red’s name on it and, if you can believe the person who listed the item, it likely still bears Red’s fingerprints. I stayed in until $300+ but the trophy finally went for almost $400. I hope that it finds a good home.
FODS Ken Koontz stopped by the DSL display at the DARF charity race car show with a great Shorty Miller story. It seems that Shorty worked at NCR right across the aisle from Ken’s dad and they became friends. Shorty even showed up once to flag Ken’s pinewood derby races.
One weekend, Ken and his dad were out driving and saw the #67 car owned by Ralph Miller sitting in a yard with a "for sale" sign on it. Ken remembers that they stopped and looked the car over, but couldn’t find anyone in the area to talk to about it.
The following Monday Ken’s dad happened to mention the car to Shorty. Shorty disappeared at lunch and when he returned he was the new owner of the #67!
Ken also remembers that the car was originally powered by a Model A engine, but that Miller wouldn’t sell the engine that was then in the car to Shorty.
That’s all the story that Ken remembers, but I’m hoping that there are some FODS out there who remember the car and enough of the car’s history to tell us about the period that Shorty owned the car. Who was the driver(s)? What engine did Shorty end up using? How did he do with the car?
Come on, FODS; scratch those heads and give me some answers to share! You can contact me here.
BOOKSHELF ADDITIONS
Rand Thompson (caprirand@comcast.net) has sent along reviews of three more terrific auto racing books that you should consider adding to your own collection. Roaring Roadsters, Roaring Roadsters #2, and Let ‘Em All Go are reviewed here on our Bookshelf page.
Both of the Roaring Roadster books include photos and stories from Dayton Speedway, and Let ‘Em All Go is by Chris Economaki with Dave Argabright. For many of us Economaki and his National Speed Sport News are required reading each and every week.
I read Rand’s review of the Roadster books and immediately placed an order for both. At just $20 each they seem like quite a bargain. Read the reviews to find out how you can get your copies.
And speaking of Rand, he recently got a reporting gig. It seems he met Patrick McNamara who had purchased the rights to the MARC Times name from Dick Beebe and McNamara is getting ready to relaunch the publication. Rand, who knows a little something about the Toledo Speedway (actually, he knows pretty much all there is to know about Toledo Speedway) was tagged to provide a weekly column on Toledo Speedway racing!
That means that he has to attend every race at Toledo, gets in free, and gets a little something to cover his expenses. Way to go, Rand!
MORE DSL BOOTH VISITORS
It was nice to finally meet professional photographer Skip Peterson when he stopped by the DSL booth at the DARF charity race car show recently. Skip’s no slouch when it comes to photography, but it’s his dad Ray’s photos that are featured most prominently on this website. You can see several of them on the Home page here and we have a special page dedicated to Ray’s racing photos here.
Keith Wendel (kewendel@fuse.net) who operates www.queencitymotorsports.com also stopped by to say hello. Keith has been a frequent contributor to DSL over the past months. His website is still under construction but please check it out from time to time.
HERE’S WHAT IT’S LIKE
Here’s what it’s like to operate DSL. Every day, week after week, I receive bits of data. A photo. A news clipping. A memory from one of the FODS. And for the most part these bits of data are completely disconnected and isolated. And then one day…POW!...some of the data bits suddenly connect and something completely unexpected emerges: a story!
So it was recently when I was writing about George Henderson, the driver who went Over the Wall at Dayton Speedway on June 22, 1958, shortly after Jack Farris took his brand new, straight from the showroom Mercury over the wall. I frequently got “Henderson” confused with “Harrison” every time I sat down to write about the event. 
Surprise! There is apparently a direct connection between Henderson and Harrison! Investigator Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net) put the story together and it is pretty amazing.
Jack Harrison was a winning race car driver in the ‘50s. He won the 1954 running of the Dayton 500, and he finished 5th in the 1956 edition of that same race. He briefly held the track record at Dayton. He won another MARC race at Dayton in April, 1956, driving (we believe) the car shown here.
But Jack was a man with serious health problems. On May 19, 1956 while leading and during a caution period at the 16th Street Speedway
in Indianapolis, Jack slowed and pulled to the inside. John Marcum, head of MARC, ran out to Jack and gave him a bottle of milk. Jack had ulcers and had raced with them his entire career. His last win, his eleventh, was at Salem in August, 1956. Jack Harrison died sometime after the 1956 season ended, we believe from complications related to surgery intended to give him some relief from his ulcers.
But one of his race cars….well, that’s where Henderson comes in. If you want to read more, you’ll have to go to the Ongoing Research page here.
If you have more information on this subject or conflicting information, please contact me here.
SELF CORRECTING
In the last Update I shared Bart Mantia’s memories of the day that Jim Hurtibise when over the Dayton Speedway wall in 1960. Bart remembered being in the pits and overhearing “Iron Mike” Nazaruk say something like, “We already have a flower fund for that boy.”
About 500 FODS (OK, that’s just pure exaggeration) wrote in immediately to say that Iron Mike couldn’t have been in the pits at Dayton on the day that Hercules went over the rail because Iron Mike died in a racing accident in 1955 at Langhorne.
Typical was this message from new FODS Gifford Solem (wrnoutshu@woh.rr.com). (Gifford is the father of Scott Solem who has provided so many of the photos for this site.)
"Someone has posted the subject accident picture sequence. My late wife was there with another boyfriend (I hadn't met her yet). I was pulling Army Reserve duty @ Ft. Ben Harrison in Indy that day or would have been @ Dayton Speedway.
The reason I'm going into all this is that there is a quotation from someone who was there that day and they claimed to have heard Iron Mike Nazaruk say "we've already started a flower fund for that boy (Hurtibise)." Nazaruk died in 1955 @ Langhorne. The person that quoted Nazaruk had to be clairvoyant."
Gifford Solem
WRNOUTSHU@woh.rr.com
I’m not sure Bart Mantia is clairvoyant, but I can report that he was the first FODS to write in and tell me that it couldn’t have been Nazaruk that day in the Dayton Speedway pits. Bart reported that his favorite driver during those earlier times was Nazaruk and at 70+ years of age he just got his facts jumbled. (I have more than a passing familiarity with that problem myself!)
Bart also reported that his favorite driver now is Danica Patrick. Wow. Bart and I are twin brothers of different mothers!
By the way, one of the FODS who was familiar with the sprint car drivers of that period wrote in to say that the words Bart remembers being spoken sounded like something that Don Branson would say. Don’s gone now, too, so the identity of the driver who spoke that day will have to remain a mystery.
MY FAVORITE CHICK HALE STORY
Here’s my favorite Chick Hale story from the recent DARF car show.
Everyone in this part of the country has heard the name Chick Hale, but not everyone can put the name with the face. I made a special effort to introduce those who stopped by the DSL table to Chick.
When one guy (I’m sorry but I didn’t get his name) paused at the table and picked up one of Chick’s autograph cards I motioned towards Chick and said, “Have you had a chance to meet Chick Hale?”
The guy’s face lit up and he turned and stuck out his hand to Chick. “YOU’RE Chick Hale?!” he said excitedly. Wow, I thought. A real Chick Hale fan. Chick must have thought so, too. Chick stuck out his hand and said that he was Chick.
“In 1969,” the guy told Chick, “you ran me into the wall in the second corner at Eldora and all but put me out of racing!” Oooops.
Fortunately, the passing of almost 40 years had erased any hard feelings, but the memory was apparently as clear as if the event had happened last week.
Later I told Chick that if we set up some bleachers there at the show and just sat the guys that Chick had run over in his long career we’d have quite a crowd. Chick’s only response: “Hey, sometimes you just have to give guys a little fender.”
And the best line of the weekend came from Dick Dunlevy, Jr. Dick and Chick were seated next to each other signing their autograph cards and Chick mentioned he might need a gun to defend himself. “You did alright using a steering wheel,” was Dunlevy’s droll reply.
OUR OFFICIAL DSL FLAGMAN
John Potts (indybigjohn@roadrunner.com) the official DSL flagman, sends along his thanks and warm wishes to all those who signed his photo at the recent DARF car show. He reported that he was so surprised when he opened the envelope and saw what it was that he was rendered speechless. He also reported that his wife considered that momentary silence a welcome break!
Don’t forget to visit www.frontstretch.com every Friday to read John’s column. Don Wilbur, who signed autographs at the DSL booth, remembered a certain “saliva test” and asked me to remind John. I did. John responded by writing about the saliva test in his recent column. Check it out.
CHARLIE ENGLE’S STORY CONTINUES
The subject of Charlie Engle’s life and times continues to haunt us here at the DSL offices. If you’ve clicked on the link at Charlie’s page here and read the story you will have to admit that it is quite an amazing tale.
Karl Brown (aka “Brownie”) is a loyal contributor to DSL and he recently loaned me the newspaper clippings from the time of Charlie’s murder. I noticed that a couple of the clippings were written by well known Dayton Daily News writer Dale Huffman. I sent Dale an e-mail and suggested that it might be worthwhile for him to revisit that story at some point in the future.
Dale responded by saying that he was in fact visiting with Charlie the night of his murder. Engle owned two bars, one on Second Street and one on Third Street, and on the night his life ended Huffman and Engle were talking in the bar on Third Street. As the evening wound down, Engle suggested to Huffman that Dale accompany him to his Second Street bar to close it down. Dale declined at the last minute.
“If I had gone over there I would have been shot and killed with Charlie,” Huffman told me.
Two men fleeing the scene in a pickup truck at high speed were arrested after they crashed hard into an abandoned gas station. Both suffered serious injuries. But the mystery deepens.
The thieves shot Charlie Engle dead, then shot the bar’s patrons off their bar stools one by one. In all, Charlie, his barmaid, and three patrons were shot. One of those patrons later died, but one of them…was arrested and charged with being an accessory to the crime!
The rest of the story about what happened to the killers will have to wait until I can research the newspaper archives. In the meantime, I have copied the articles in Brownie’s collection here on the Charlie Engle page here.
A SPECIAL SALUTE
Here’s a special nod to loyal FODS Karl Brown. Brownie was called in at the near last minute to head up the vintage display at the DARF charity car show, and he did a great job with the time he was given.
Well done, Brownie.
THE THINGS YOU LEARN
My goodness, the things you learn when you go wandering down the by-ways of auto racing history.
File this under “weird but true.” Mauri Rose was one of our sport’s best known drivers, a champion through and through, and three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500.
But Mauri also spent 10 days in the Auglaize County jail for his alleged role in the riot that destroyed much of New Bremen Speedway on September 20, 1931. Mauri was indicted along with four others for riot and malicious destruction of property.
In the end, we believe, his punishment consisted of those 10 days he spent in lock-up and he paid a fine of some $375 (over $5,000 in today’s money, adjusted for inflation).
LET’S PLAN ON GETTING TOGETHER AGAIN SOON
The DSL table/display/booth/exhibit/whatever will once again be in operation March 28 – 29 at the Piqua (Ohio) Mall race car show. After a bit of prodding from our own Jerry Wahl (jlwahl1@hotmail.com) I decided to give it another go.
We’ll have some slide shows, and other items to check out. I’ll again bring my scanner and laptop to copy any photos or other Dayton Speedway related items you might have. And our own Mr. Midwest Racing, Chick Hale, will be available to sign autographs.
Jerry Wahl will be there, and Rick Patterson is going to try to stop by. It should be a lot of fun. If you missed seeing us at the DARF charity car show, please try to visit the Piqua Mall at the end of March. Admission to the mall, as you might expect, is free and they are expecting lots and lots of race cars.
THE OVER THE WALL CLUB GROWS-AGAIN!
As our Over the Wall club (here) continues to grow, it’s hard not to reach the conclusion that it wasn’t all that difficult to get out of the park at Dayton Speedway. Rick Patterson recently opined that the fence at Dayton Speedway was more of a “suggestion” than a hard and fast rule. How true.
Our first new member of the OTW club popped up as Rick was trying to track down the Henderson/Harrison story. In April, 1956, Jack Harris won a MARC event at Dayton Speedway and in one of the races run that day a driver named Dick Bailey sailed out of the park. That’s all we know for now, but we’ll be trying to learn more about Bailey’s adventure.
We know even less about the second addition to the OTW club. At the DARF charity car show we were showing a film of a race run at Dayton on May 6, 1979. It was a great film, with some exciting feature race action showcasing the driving of Dick Dunlevy, Jr., Buster Blackford, Don Wilbur and others. But in one of the other races run that day for street stocks a race car is clearly shown flying over the wall in the second corner. But who was it?
Newspaper clippings of the day’s activities make no mention of a car careening over the wall. Could it have been the mysterious Larry Gorman who left the track sometime between 1978 and 1980 according to the memory of Scott Solem who provided the photos of the aftermath of Gorman’s crash here on the OTW page?
Not likely. Scott remembers that Gorman smashed through the wall tearing out rotted fence posts and causing a long delay while crews worked to repair the fencing. Such a delay would surely have been mentioned in newspaper accounts of the day. And there was no evidence of a long delay in the film of that day’s activities.
We have to conclude that one more driver took the ride of his life out of the speedway. Accordingly, I’ve inserted a vague listing on the OTW page. Hopefully, we’ll learn more about the incident somewhere down the line.
NEW FODS CHECKING IN
Dale Weiss (wiseman50@hotmail.com) has just checked in for the first time and sends along some information about supermod drivers John McLaren (Dayton Speedway’s Fastest Man) and Butch Harris (OTW member). (Read more here.)
Here’s what Dale had to say:
“Really love your website. Only saw 1 race at Dayton, the Ohio State 500 supermod race. I took 8mm movies all that week at the various tracks.
It was the year McLaren set the NTR. I also remember Butch Harris running a rear engined car. I believe he crashed and that basically ended his career. Supposedly he was a buddy of Foyt and had a Indy ride lined up for the next year.
Only thing I remember about McLaren was that he owned a large machine shop in Texas. I read that Harris now deals in exotic cars, I think in Texas.
Oh yes, the movies no longer exist.
Thanks, I be checking back!
Dale Weis
Valparaiso IN
Thanks, Dale!
You can read the story of this 1976 Dayton Speedway event here.
NEW FODS REMEMBERS WET PAINT
Brent Brodbeck (chedohio@aol.com) is another new FODS with a fond memory of our favorite race track. Here’s what Brent wrote:
"Just popped into your Dayton Speedway site and it reminded me about the time that my brother, dad and I went to the reopening of the speedway. I am not sure what year, but I think it was in the late seventies.
We entered the track, sat on the bleachers in anticipation of a great day of racing. The problem was that the freshly painted bleachers were not dry yet! I remember thinking that my old man was going to be angry, but he said "well boys, we are already covered in paint, might as well enjoy the racing"
We did use our programs to line the wet bleachers, but the damage was already done. My mom however just about came unglued when we all came home with our pants covered in paint.
Most people might think that this was a bad time, but watching the racing that day in the company of my dad and brother are some of the finest memories that I have. I miss the old speedway and often times drive by and think of that day. Thanks for the memories!!!
Brent Brodbeck
Thank you, Brent, for a great story. Your tale might explain why there are so few programs from that event still in circulation!
AS TIME GOES BY
Even though it seems to me that I have been doing this website since the dawn of time, the truth is that it is not yet quite one year old. To celebrate DSL’s first birthday I’m working on putting together a pizza party at a local pizza house. All FODS will be invited for free pizza. I ought to have the plan finalized by the next update, so please check back.
SURGES’ NEWEST PROJECT COMING ALONG FINE
FODS John Surges (vintagemodman@msn.com) who provided this site with all those great ‘50s era stock car slides (here) reports that he is making good progress with his latest vintage stock car. I’ve posted the latest pair of pix near the top of the Surges/Richardson page here.
MSYTERY NUMBER THIRTEEN
FODS Scott Solem (kb8zcb@netzero.net) has got a pretty remarkable memory. Some weeks ago as we were going through his pile of scrapbooks he was able to name almost every driver in every car. And on top of that he could tell the history of the car and what the driver went on to do.
But there was one photo that was a mystery to him. That means that it’s YOUR turn to provide the information that Scott couldn’t provide. Take a look here and then contact me here and tell me something about the driver and car.
And by the way, this isn’t one of those cases where I know the answer and I’m just testing you; neither Scott nor I know the identity of this driver!
PIC OF THE WEEK
There's a new Pic of the Week here (actually it's a pair of Pics) from Rand Thompson (caprirand@comcast.net). The photos were taken a few years ago at the Motorsports Hall of Fame in Novi, Michigan where Steve Chassey's Dowker Roadster was on display. Chassey and the roadster own the Dayton Speedway USAC Sprint Division track record. You can check out Steve's certificates here.
My thanks to Rand for the great photos.
THAT’S A WRAP
Stick a fork in it; this Update is done. I’ll be adding quite a few photos and new pages this coming week, and the next Update will be Sunday, March 22nd. I hope.
Thanks again to all of you who continue to support this website and help keep the memory of that magical 55 acres of real estate that used to be Dayton Speedway alive and well!
Mickey
March 16, 2009
UPDATE:
We’re just about one week away from the big annual Dayton Auto Race Fans Toys for Kids charity car show at Lang’s Chevrolet in Beavercreek, Ohio, and I’m hoping that all FODS within driving distance of the show make a special effort to stop by and say hello.
My decision to enter DSL in the show was sort of last minute, but I think that FODS stopping by will have plenty to occupy them. For example:
Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net), our ace researcher, will be on hand Saturday, March 7th from around 1 p.m. until around 5 p.m. to answer your questions and help you identify any photos that you bring to the show.
Gene Ingram (harleygene@comcast.net) will also be on hand on Saturday, March 7th, from approximately noon to 5 p.m. Gene is the DSL early open-wheel expert and he will be showing a vintage scrapbook he recently acquired. Gene is also hoping to bring a slide-show on his laptop and I know that FODS will find it fascinating.
Jerry Wahl (jlwahl1@hotmail.com) will be on hand to talk Dayton Speedway and Midwest racing history from Saturday morning until about 1 p.m. and then will leave but will return later in the afternoon. He will also be on hand all day Sunday.
Legendary Chick Hale will also be at the DSL table to talk about his career and his experiences at Dayton Speedway. I hope to have some new autograph cards for Chick to sign for FODS who visit. They’re yours free until Chick runs out (or until Chick has to leave).
Dick Dunlevy Jr. (racin4theracers@aol.com) will be on hand to sign autograph cards and he will be bringing a DVD showing some Dayton Speedway racing action. This DVD is the only one I’ve heard of that shows Dayton Speedway action so I know that FODS will be anxious to check it out. Melanie Dunlevy will also be stopping by the DSL table and is looking forward to meeting and matching wits with her fellow FODS.
Besides the great crew above, I’ll personally treat each and every FODS who visits the DSL table to a coffee or soft drink (at least until I run out of change).
We’ll also have free balloons and possibly face painting for the younger FODS who attend the show.
Finally, I am working on two other possible additions. First, I hope to be able to bring a laptop and a scanner so that I can scan any Dayton Speedway or related photos that you bring to the show.
Second, I’ve been named the caretaker for the amazing Surges/Richardson slide collection, and IF I can find a slide projector and IF I can find a screen, I hope to show the collection continuously during the show.
Whew! That’s a lot of activity at one little table! I’m anxious to meet all of you who live in the area and who have played such an important part in the success of DSL since I started the site in April, 2008.
Make plans now to attend! Admission to the show is just $5 ($3 for Seniors) and kids get in free. We’ll see you at the show!
**********
There’s a new Pic of the Week here, and I think that you will find it both interesting and intriguing. It was found in the Surges/Richardson collection. (See here for the photos already posted from that collection.)
On June 22, 1958, Jack Farris and George Henderson both were involved in separate massive crashes at Dayton Speedway, and both cleared the outside guardrail and ended up outside the track. Farris crashed out of the track on lap 76 and Henderson followed shortly thereafter on lap 132. The Pic of the Week shows (we think) the aftermath of the Henderson crash.
If you look closely you will see a yellowish wad of metal just barely visible beyond the guardrail in turn four. We believe that’s the car driven by George Henderson and I’ve posted a close-up of the car after it was towed back to the pits on the Over the Wall page here.
And there is more to be seen in the Pic of the Week photo. They might have left Farris’ car where it was after his crash because it appears that the wrecker seen on the road leading up from the pits is in the process of just then removing Farris’ Mercury.
Both Farris and Henderson’s accidents must have been ferocious. If you look closely you will see that the tire fencing (or what would pass as tire fencing) backing the guardrail in the fourth corner is undisturbed, meaning that Farris’ and Henderson’s cars must have gone out somewhere back towards the third corner and ended the crash in the fourth corner. When you think of all the things outside the track that ought to have slowed the crashing cars, it makes you shudder to realize the momentum they must have had to reach their final resting place.
And remember the little yellow car that we have been trying to identify? (You can read more about our search here on the page devoted to on-going research.) Not only have we not been able to pin down any information about the little yellow car, but now we clearly have a little white car to wonder about as well! Look closely at the three race cars sitting on the track near the accident scene, all angled down the banking, and you will see that the car in the middle is…well, it definitely isn’t something from Detroit.
**********
As I mentioned above, FODS John Surges (vintagemodman@msn.com) stunned me by deciding that I would be the caretaker of the amazing slides we refer to as the Surges/Richardson collection. The slides arrived in the mail a few days ago and I am picking through them now.
My thanks to John for thinking of me and his continued support of DSL!
**********
In the last Update I told you the story of “Lucky” Bob Bollheimer, Diane (Beck) Lane’s uncle, who started his brother-in-law Harold Beck, Sr.’s car in the middle of the front row of a midget field arranged Indy-style at Powell Speedway in 1951. On the first or second lap, Lucky Bob hooked a rut or got bumped and during the resultant flips of Bob’s midget his seatbelt broke and Bob was dumped out onto the track in front of the entire field.
The story had a happy ending; the entire field of midgets managed to miss Bob while he was lying there on the track and he suffered no lasting injuries.
Rocky and
Diane Lanefound a photograph taken of the crash and I’ve posted it here on the Beck page.
Thanks Rocky and Diane!
**********
Dayton Speedway’s “Fastest man,” John McLaren (read about him here) was a threat wherever he chose to unload his Bill Hite rear-engined supermodified. But our ace researcher Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net) found a newspaper article that suggests that the Dayton record setting machine ended its days on August 29, 1982 at the Jackson International Speedway when John hammered the wall in the first corner.
I’ve added the newspaper clipping here on John’s page, along with a photo of the car driven by Ricky Otts. Why Otts? Otts drove a Hite car that was the mirror image of McLaren’s and drove it well enough to hold the Winchester Speedway track record from 1981 through 1988 and the Oswego track record from 1984 through at least 1986.
It’s remarkable to think that between McLaren and Otts, they and their Hite cars owned “fastest man” honors at two of the famous “hills,” Winchester and Dayton!
**********
FODS Keith Wendel (kewendel@fuse.net) of the www.queencitymotorsports.com site sent along the photo of the trophy you see here on the left.
Keith took the photo himself in January, 2008, when he visited Mutt Anderson’s shop in Xenia, Ohio. It’s a trophy from the Dayton Speedway for midget races won there in 1953 and 1954 with Iron Mike Nazurak behind the wheel of the Mutt Anderson Special.
Keith reports that Mutt’s son, Mike, told the story this way. The speedway promoter had decided that the special midget race would be held annually until someone won the big race twice.
Anderson and Nazurak took the checkers the first two years the event was run. They handed the trophy over to Anderson and discontinued the event.
Sort of reminds you of the story over on the Over the Wall page where the speedway management created a special trophy for the next racer to go over the wall, and someone went over the wall almost before the announcer had finished describing the trophy!
Thanks, Keith for thinking of us here at DSL!
**********
DSL BookMaster Rand Thompson (caprirand@comcast.net) reviews another book for the DSL Bookshelf in this Update. Judging from Rand’s review, My Hero, My Friend, Jimmy Bryan by Len Gasper and Phil Sampaio sounds like a great read, but if you are interested in adding this volume to your bookshelf you’ll have to act quickly. The book is out of print but the author, Len Gasper, still has some copies that he is willing to sell.
You can read the review and find out how to order this terrific book here on the DSL Bookshelf.
Thank you, Rand, for another great selection.
**********
I hope that you all remembered to check out “Driven,” the weekly column by DSL’s official flagman, John Potts. Each week John shares a great story from his many years in the sport, and much of that time was spent waving the silks and trying to maintain some order among those rowdy race car drivers.
“Driven” appears each and every Friday over at www.frontstretch.com. Poke around and you will find the link to John’s columns.
The photo below obviously wasn’t shot at Dayton, but it shows our flagman in action at Louisville Downs. Those highly regarded Spanish matadors haven’t got a thing on John; I doubt that even the bravest ever faced a bull weighing almost two tons!
**********
Rand Thompson (caprirand@comcast.net) reports that the 6th Annual Racer’s Reunion is set for the Toledo Speedway Bar & Grill on Saturday March 14, 2009, from Noon until 6 p.m. Rand reports that there could be as many as 350 former racers on hand!
There is no admission charge and the Toledo Speedway Bar & Grill will be in full operation for your food and drink needs. The Bar & Grill is located on the Toledo Speedway grounds at 5639 Benore Road in (where else?) Toledo, Ohio.
My old pal Foggy Goggles is threatening to attend the event “since there’s still some of them boys I got a bone to pick with. I ain’t sayin’ I’m gonna’ throw the first punch, but if any of them boys in my age and weight bracket (108 years old/87 pounds) want to step outside and “dance” I’ll sure oblige.”
Foggy’s idle threats notwithstanding, the Racers’ Reunion sounds like a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
Click here to get all the info that you will need to ensure that you are a part of the good times.
**********
Elsewhere on this site (here) I tell the story of how my driver almost ran over Earl Baltes at Dayton Speedway. I thought that you would like to see the car (and crew) that might have changed the course of auto racing history in the Midwest had not Earl been fleet of foot.
I’ve posted the photo (taken at Dayton) of that race car and crew here at the top of the 1950s – 1960s Gallery.
**********
Not a single guess! I am shocked that no one recognized any of the ladies shown in Mystery Number Twelve here, or offered a guess as to why they were called out from wherever they were to receive flowers. I thought sure that somewhere there would be a FODS who recognized a mom, or wife, or sister, or aunt, or grandmother.
Come on, gang! Take another look at these lovely ladies and see if you recognized any of them. Send your answers and guesses to me here.
**********
A new FODS, Bart Mantia (lupo73@woh.rr.com) has checked in. Bart was in the pits on July 17, 1960, when Jim Hurtubise joined the Dayton Speedway Over the Wall club. Bart says that it all happened so fast all he recalls is seeing Herk’s car go over the guardrail tail first.
Bart was standing near Mike Nazaruk at the time and he recalls that Iron Mike simply asked “We already have a flower fund for that boy?”
Great story, Bart, and he sent along a photo of Herk’s sprint car down among the trees. You can see it here on the Over the Wall page.
Thanks, Bart!
**********
I wish that I had done a better job of planning when I started this site. Of course, back in April, 2008 I had no idea that the site would grow to its current size. I’ve added pages where it made sense to do so at the time, but the result of that sort of approach is that I have backed myself into a digital corner when it comes to photos.
If you take a look at the tabs under “Galleries” you’ll see that my approach, though sound at first, has become pretty haphazard. My first thought was that dividing the photos by decades would work, but then came the terrific Peterson Photos, and then the Marvelous ‘50s Mods arrived, and…you get the picture.
Now I find myself with a lot of photos that ought to go in the 1970s – 1980s Gallery (makes sense since there were more folks taking photographs in the ‘70s and ‘80s than in the ‘30s and ‘40s) but if put them there, that page will be so large that some FODS will grow old waiting for their computers to load the data.
So, having said all that, you should know that I am going to be reworking some of the Galleries. I’m going to split what is now the 1970s – 1980s gallery into four separate pages; “1970s - Stock Cars, 1970s - Open Wheel, 1980s - Stock Cars, and 1980s - Open Wheel.
Depending on how many ARCA photos start to pile up on my desk, I might break those out on a separate page.
Stay tuned and be patient; I’m working without a net when it comes to website mastery!
**********
Time to tie a bow on this Update. I have hundreds of additional photos to add to the site, but they will have to wait just a bit longer while I try to get ready for the DARF car show next Saturday and Sunday.
Because of the preparation necessary and the fact that the car who will occupy the entire weekend, my next Update will be late and small while I try to regroup and reorganize the Galleries.
As always, I thank you for your kind support of the site and for your many contributions to keeping the memory of that grand old track Dayton Speedway alive and well.
Mickey
March 1, 2009
UPDATE:
Big news, FODS! The Dayton Speedway Lives! gang will be appearing in person at the Dayton Auto Race Fans Toys for Kids Charity Race Car Show on Saturday March 7, and Sunday March 8, at Lang’s Chevrolet. The show runs from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Admission to this charity event is just $5 for adults, $3 for seniors, and kids are admitted free of charge.
I hope to have some of our hero drivers, owners, and perhaps promoters from the past on hand to sign autographs and hand out photos and some of the FODS whose names appear regularly on this site will also be there to swap Dayton Speedway tales with visitors.
I absolutely insist that every FODS within the sound of my voice (or keyboard) make plans to stop by and say hello so that I can personally thank you for your support and encouragement over the past 10 months.
And I will buy a new Chevrolet for every FODS in attendance. (OK, wait a minute. That last part was a complete fabrication. No new cars will be distributed. I don’t know what got into me…). However, I will treat any FODS who attend to a soft drink or coffee. It’s the least I can do for your steady support over the past 10 months.
Watch this site for updates as to dates and times that former drivers and owners will be appearing.
**********
We note sad news with this Update as both Don Renner, Sr., and Dick Beebe, two well known and respected members of our racing family, have left us.
**********
Our Over the Wall club adds a new member this week, thanks to a note I found in Buzz Rose’s book Kings of the Hills. Here’s what Buzz reported in the chapter dealing with the 1950 AAA sprint season on the Midwest Circuit:
“For the first time since WWII there were no fatal accidents on the circuit and only a handful of minor injuries that, given the intensity of the competition was somewhat of a miracle in itself. The most serious looking accident of the year happened at the Dayton 100 on October 1st. A little known driver named Boots Arvin had the steering break on him at the end of the back straight and sailed over the fence at full throttles, landing right-side up in a cornfield almost 100 feet from the race track. Other than some seriously aggravated hemorrhoids, Arvin was uninjured and disappeared into history with his name inscribed on the short list of men who got out of the ballpark on the hills in a sprint car and lived to tell about it.”
I’ve post Boots’ name and Buzz’s description of Boots’ adventure here on the Over the Wall page. Boots must truly be “little known;” Buzz’s book has hundreds if not thousands of photos of drivers from that era, but none of Boots.
Step up, FODS! Can someone find a photo of Boots Arvin so that we can give him the notice due him? Contact me here!
**********
Dave Sceva, one of Neal Sceva’s kids, has announced that he will step out of the black #51 late model and let young Zach Germain have a go. Zach’s got his eye on the NASCAR Cup series at some point down the road, and Dave and Company have decided to assist. You can visit their website, www.setracingllc.com for more details.
If it is not yet a federal law that there has to be a Sceva behind the wheel of a #51 each and every season, Congress should consider such legislation.
**********
Loyal FODS and current President of the Army Chapter of FODS, MSgt Matt Stevens, sent along a note to let us know his status. When last we checked, Matt was attending the prestigious Sergeant Major Academy in El Paso. Here’s what Matt had to say:
Mickey,
Just finished watching the rain shortened Daytona 500 and was curious to check the FODS site out afterwards. I really like the nostalgia pictures. Additionally, the pictures of the Ed Beckley [see it here] jump really brought back some fond memories. Keep up the great work!
All is well here in El Paso. We just learned that after my May graduation from the Academy, we will be moving to Cajun country down in Louisiana. I am about to invest in some big bug zappers. Fort Polk is a less than desirable location. However, not all is bad…they have great hunting and fishing in the area. Not certain of the racing scene just yet. More to follow later in the summer.
I noticed my email address was missing a letter. Please add an “e” after the “t” and before the “v”. The email should be matthew.john.stevens@us.army.mil .
Again, thanks for the website.
Regards,
Matt Stevens
It’s always a pleasure to hear from Matt who is serving with several hundred thousand potential FODS there in the Big Green Machine. I fixed Matt’s e-mail address on the Friends page here.
If you’re not doing anything in the next few minutes, why not drop Matt an e-mail and tell him how much you appreciate what he and his fellow soldiers are doing for us each and every day. And since you share an interest in Dayton Speedway with Matt, it’ll be like e-mailing an old friend.
**********
I received an e-mail from Melanie Dunlevy (racin4theracers@aol.com). I was afraid at first that it might be the answers to the next Mystery photo that I have not yet even selected, far less posted. (Melanie has some kind of super power that enables her to come up with the answers to the Mystery photos within mere minutes of them being posted on this site.)
Instead it was a nice note full of Dayton Speedway memories and an explanation of how she’s able to so quickly identify the mystery drivers. Here’s some of what she wrote:
Hi Mike!
I don't think you know this, but I worked at Dayton Speedway in ‘75 & ‘76. Dad was pit steward during that time, and I worked the pit gate. So, knowing a few of these drivers wasn't a guess, in fact I ended up marrying one of them!
Dick and I enjoy the site. In fact, I think Dick checks it daily for new items. He makes me sign the mystery questions, although I do know most of them. Lena [the Lion: see Mystery Number 10 here] was the most fun to answer, as I do remember her being a crew member. Some of the memorable pre-race activities were Joey Chitwood's thrill show, and the cast from the Midwestern Hayride were there, I even think Bonnie Lou sang the national anthem, among other songs, to entertain the crowd. She even got into Paul Parks red #4 ‘63-‘64 Galaxy and sang "Take a Ride in My Little Red Wagon", then made a lap around the track.
It's fun to get the answer right FIRST.
When you get to be our age, and you remember to get up in the morning, that's great.
To go down memory lane at Dayton Speedway and STILL remember, that's awsome!
I have a good Don Thompson story I'll share later, that's YOUR mystery!
Take care and keep up the wonderful memories,
Melanie
Melanie also tipped that Dick wasn’t the only race car driver in the family. Check out Melanie’s story of her racing career here on the Stories page.
And, in recognition of Melanie’s driving career, I have named her President of the Powder Puff Chapter of the FODS. Congratulations Melanie Dunlevy!
**********
New FODS Tom Taylor (ttaylor14@satx.rr.com) was one of those who correctly guessed the identity of the driver (Terry Senneker) shown in the Mystery Number Nine photo here. He included a note with his guess and I am just now getting around to running it. Here’s what Tom had to say:
Hello Mickey,
I am basically from the San Antonio, Texas area. I have lived in several areas, due to my Military background; my Father and I both are retired Air Force.
I have been involved in short track racing for 36 of my 50 years, and I spent many years crewing for various cars that ran both ASA and Bob Harmon’s All-Pro, two series that I think set the bench mark for racing series. While I was mostly southern based, (All Pro) I made several ASA races, including the co-sanctioned events at Nashville in the early 80’s. Those AA400’s were a whos-who of short track racing.
As for recognizing Terry, I was a big fan of Bob Senneker; to this day, I still think he may be the smoothest late model driver I have ever seen. His cars were always so good, it looked effortless for him to drive them. I have seen Terry race a few races in the Midwest, and it is easy to see they are family.
I happened onto your site about Dayton; sadly, it is a track I have not been to. But it is a track I have heard and read many stories about; and I am a huge fan of the historical side of racing.
You have a great remembrance of Dayton there, although I hate to see any track anywhere close. Our asphalt racing here in Texas is in bad shape for a variety of reasons; therefore, I now travel more to Pensacola for the Snowball Derby, Opp for the Rattler, and various other venues.
I have backed away from the crew duties, and now focus on the history around here. I have a FOKI site that I have started posting pics of mostly Texas racing, although I have a whole section on the AA400 races from 1982 to 1987. They are at: http://public.fotki.com/txtom/auto-racing/the-hayden-family-c/all-american-400-ra/
They came from the personal collection of All Pro official Len Hayden. I also have frequent contact with John Potts, who was an ASA official and flagman for years.
Now I have gone and done it, I rambled on far too long. I just enjoy stuff like this.
Take care, and have a great New Years,
Tom
**********
And while I am taking care of old business, fresh FODS Alan Price (fixer7526@wmconnect.com) was another one of those who correctly guessed Terry Senneker’s identity. He went on to say that he thinks that the photo (shown here) was taken at the Dayton 500, or possibly just a regular feature race.
Mickey,
I believe it would have to be 1979 or 1980 since they were the only years that Terry drove the Anastor Racing # 37.
The Dayton 500's of those years featured the ASA National Late Model Sportsman cars which meant that they had to have cast iron intake and exhaust manifolds and possibly 2 barrel carburetors. I have no listing of Terry starting any race in that series. He raced in the ASA Circuit of Champions. My only other guess is that he won a regular late model race.
I grew up about 7 miles from the Winchester Speedway and saw my first race there in 1975. This was a USAC sprint race and was when Jeff Bloom and Marvin Carmen were going at it in the roadsters. Been going there ever since and never missed any from 1978 up to about 1987. This included ASA, USAC stocks, sprints and midgets and ICAR plus the open competition races with the supermodifieds.
Never made it to Dayton before it closed and only went to Salem for the first time in 1991.
I also know Gene Ingram and Dale Fairfax and we share the same interests in Mutual and other groups.
Alan Price
Anyone out there want to hazard a guess as to when the photo was taken? Clearly Terry won a race, but which race? If you can help, contact me here.
**********
In the last Update I posted a couple of pictures of famous Dayton Speedway driver Briar Johnson whose name appears frequently in the pages here at DSL! This week I couldn’t resist featuring Briar again in the Pic of the Week here. Briar is shown with fellow driver Levi Dunaway, who was also a Dayton Speedway competitor, and Pete Sipe at Richmond Speedway around 1953. Sipe was the owner and promoter of the Richmond track.
My thanks to loyal FODS Gene Ingram (harleygene@comcast.net) who provided the photo.
**********
Enthusiastic FODS Rocky and Diane (Beck) Lane (rockyl159@comcast.net) nominated three books from their own collection to be added to our Bookshelf here. They include the classic Gentlemen, Start Your Engines by Wilbur Shaw and Russ Catlin’s volume on Ted Horn.
My thanks to the Lanes for their continued support!
**********
On the Over the Wall page here I’ve added a “before” photo of George Henderson who went out of the park with Jack Farris on June 22, 1958. My thanks to Rick Patterson (elvis334@att.net) who was able to identify Henderson.
I’m still hoping that someone can uncover a photo or two of Farris’ and Henderson’s cars after the accident. Likewise, a photo of Jim Hurtubise’s wild ride into the tree tops would be much appreciated! You can contact me here if you have such photos or if you were present at the speedway when any of our Over the Wall gang were inducted into the club!
**********
The photo that you see here on the left shows a lucky, lucky race driver. It’s Bob Bollheimer, and the photo of Bob comes to us courtesy of FODS Dale Fairfax. The photo has been resident in the 1950s – 1960s Gallery here for some months. I wanted to repost the photo here on the Update and here on the Beck family page because, as it turns out, Bob is the uncle of Diane (Beck) Lane and Bob once drove Harold Beck. Sr.’s midget.
And the part about being lucky, lucky, lucky? While behind the wheel of Harold Sr.’s midget, in a race at Powell Speedway near Columbus, Bob hooked a rut or was bumped by another driver on the first lap of a race where they started 33 midgets. Bob, who started in the middle of the front row, flipped the car and while flipping, his seat belt broke and he fell out onto the track, and…
Go on and visit the Beck family page here for the rest of this amazing story!
My thanks to Diane (rockyl159@comcast.net) for the great story. By the way, Diane is always interested in reliving the open wheel races from the ‘50s and ‘60s, and believe me her memory is fantastic. (How many folks do you know who can rattle off the four sizes that Offenhauser engines were available in, and tell you where they were used?)
Drop her a line and introduce yourself!
**********
There is, by actual count, just one racing Cadillac on this website, and it appears here on the Surges/Richardson page (and in much reduced size on the right). Recent FODS Stan Kalwasinski (skalwasinski@yahoo.com) has come through with the identity of the brave pilot of that #63 Caddy!
The driver is Bob Pronger of Blue Island, Illinois.
When I look at the racing Caddy I can’t help but wonder how much that machine weighed in racing trim, and what the horsepower could have possibly been.
Thank you Stan for rescuing another of the DSL! featured drivers from obscurity!
**********
Veteran FODS Kenneth Koontz (koontzkenneth@yahoo.com) wrote in to ask about how the Hall of Fame project was progressing. Ken is anxious to find out the results of the voting, and I suspect that many of the rest of you in the vast FODS Nation are equally anxious. Here’s the status:
I’ve almost finished sorting through the ballots. There were no “hanging chads” but some folks voted for guys who weren’t nominated, or voted more than once a week, or voted for more than ten nominees at a time, and so on.
I hope to land corporate backing for a first-class induction ceremony sometime in April after the first year inductees are announced. If that doesn’t work out, I will be announcing the inductees in the spring, but holding the induction ceremony in the early Fall as the racing season winds down.
My thanks to Ken for his interest and continuing support!
**********
I’ve posted Mystery Number Twelve here, and I have to tell you right up front that even though I was a part of this promotion or whatever it was I cannot remember a single thing about it.
The year was 1976 and my partners and I were taking care of publicity and advertising for the speedway. At some point during a USAC sprint show (I think) we presented flowers to these ladies, (and maybe something to the guy in the photo, too). Your job will be to try to remember why we handed out the flowers and, as a bonus, identify some of the ladies who received the bouquets.
**********
Rand Thompson (caprirand@comcast.net) our BookMaster, offers us two more great reads that ought to find their way onto FODS’ bookshelves, Patrick Sullivan’s Brick by Brick, The Story of Auto Racing Pioneer Joie Ray , and Todd Gould’s For Gold & Glory, Charlie Wiggins and the African American Racing Car Circuit. You can read Rand’s reviews here on our Bookshelf.
Thanks, Rand!
(By the way, Rand also provided the Dick Beebe obituary that appears on the DSL homepage here.)
**********
I’ve almost finished scanning FODS Scott Solem’s (kb8zcb@netzero.net) Dayton Speedway photo collection and I will be posting those photos during the week ahead. You’ll find most of them in the 1970s – 1980s photo galleries, so please check back often during this coming week.
**********
That’s it for now. Mark your calendars to come out and see us at the DARF Toys for Kids car show in March. I’m planning to try to bring a laptop and scanner so that I can scan in your DS photos (bring ‘em!) and I will have a paper copy of the DSL site so that you can help us identify some of the Dayton Speedway drivers and cars.
As always, thanks for your continuing support of this site!
Mickey
February 23, 2009