Відео

I don't understand your comment but will say they could have a long term NASCAR and Indy circuit at Hanford.

Sadly, not all our race memories are happy ones.

Yes! The absolute biggest and best homegrown racers.

There was something going on virtually every day at Ascot. Plus, those were the days went people went outside to find fun.

Thank you! It takes more than racers to put on a race show.

Happy to help out.

Thank you, that means a lot. We cannot go back, but we can remember.

Thank you, I'll pass that along to Joe.

That was a good stretch of racing years.

Thank you. I recall those days fondly.

It's all in English, but we don't speak quite that way today. That's why I just let them fly as written. Though I will admit to struggling from time to time when reading the stories aloud.

There were a few different ways Ford made them work. The LTD, XL, 500XL, I gave up trying to figure them all out.

Yes, some, mostly CRA related. What makes these videos work is the program itself. We need a feature article (117 usually doesn't have one, nor does Mesa Marin), some good images, and the race results. These are not hard and fast rules, but they are at least filters.

South Bay was Dean Thompsons favorite track

Just call CH3-4141

There were some fairly loose engine rules back then. Much of it was self-policed.

True. He was just as often his own worst enemy.

​@@haroldosmer9803 Yes, I agree. He drove as hard as he could every lap no matter how far he was ahead. The reliability of the cars back in his day weren't very good, and he was very tough on his equipment. 😉

George was always fun to talk with. I have a lot of photos from my years as Program Guy. Send me an email or reach out on Facebook and I'll see what I can do to get you a copy.

I'll admit to that little point being one of my favorites in the series.

I have several programs that call them Modifieds, Sprint Cars, and Big Cars (as this cover does) over the years. It varied across the country, too, adding to the confusion.

I never learned why. He was good. Perhaps he should have taken his first Indy opportunity.

@@haroldosmer9803 yeah, I never knew why he didn't make it big also. Don't know what happened with his plans to race at Indy??

It was always a big deal, even though Ascot Park was more of a sprint car track.

Much appreciated.

We've come a ways since then.

You are most welcome. Thank you for the encouraging words.

All true. Racing has always been hard to do. USAC had a heavier hand back in the day and lost a lot of people because of their often petty rules. My nearest track is Ventura Raceway and the crowd there is often full families with small children.

Thank you! Part of what we're after here is bringing some of those old names into the light.

Happy to help out. I'm still not sure why the video was partial. We do what we do, eh?

@@haroldosmer9803 and that's all we can do. :) I appreciate the work.

@@voxnut I NEW ALL OF THE GUYS ...😓

@@fireuptwo I am so sorry.

The only one I can think of is Duquoin… I don’t believe Springfield exists now and of course Syracuse is gone 😞

@@saragrant9749 springfield is still going they had a silvercrown race there last year duquoine is still there and sacramento is still dirt just dont think they have much auto racing there motorbike I think but havent had a silver crown race there in quite awhile think though mainly due to travel costs and most of the racers that do it are from the midwest or east coast you do get several that move here from cali though but most are from the midwest including okahoma

@ I had forgotten about Sacramento. Glad to hear Springfield is still here! I miss Syracuse…

@@saragrant9749 yea they even promised a new track to have it at and it has yet to be built, we did have indy but as I said the state fair though having a place to train horses for the horse track and casino in shelbyvill was more importent, I mean yea I get it indiana is the center of the hub of midwest harness racing and you got lots of amish and farms but of all places indy is called the auto racing capital of the world, its the last place that auto racing should have been shoved aside, and not to mention the hoosier hundred in years past used to be second in prestige to win only to the indy 500 and daytona, what is the equivelent of winning knoxvill nationals or the kings royal or world 100 on dirt today, and was for a time second highest paying in the early days of usac, the indy state fair also went away faster and I think was narrower then duquine and springfield so it was more challenging to drive in what was the crown jewel of all usac dirt events, they revived it as a pavement race and while its indeed 100 miles actually slightly more when they complete the final lap its not dirt and we all know its supposed to be a dirt event the guys and girls that race silvercrown, the fans, the folks from usac, even bobby santos 3 said we all know its home is the indy state fair after he won the first pavement one two years ago. I never saw it at the state fair there was supposed to be one more since they didn't start the limestone surface conversion yet due to covid putting it off, and they would not wait 5 weeks for the end of may so we could have it that is why I am still cross and mad at the indy state fairboard, I didn't know it was such a big thing till I read about what silvercrown and champ car was, and seeing them at a half mile the most you get is 50 miles since all the turning just rips up the tires over the corse of laps even if the cars got enough engine and fuel capacity, trying to have a 200 lap race just physicaly would not work saddly, and the turns are sharper on a half vs one of the miles that is more gentle, as for sacramento I dont know when the last time they raced actual cars there, I know they still flattrack moto there though sometimes, and I wish they would let them do that at indy at least since they race on pea gravel at lima in ohio, it also would have been nice if they would have saved the inner half mile at the indy state fair to keep racing alive there it was the second oldest continual use auto racing venue in use in the usa second only to the milwalkee mile

I do not know how or why the video is cut off at 5 minutes. The video has been re-uploaded, though we've kept both the long and short versions up. This is a 15 minute video, sorry for the trouble.

@@haroldosmer9803 perfect - thanks so much!

@@voxnut ua-cam.com/video/DBU4Evufv7Y/v-deo.html This should do it.

Thank you for the kind words. Those were some great racing days.

@@haroldosmer9803 I went to these races. Had friends that worked for Gary. Larry stopped by Gary's shop the following week to talk things over!

Excellent. You are the exact kind of person Retro Racing Reports is for!

Yes, yes, yes! It all seems so simple when looking back but it was probably much like today. Happy to stir the memory pot.

Thank you for the kind words. Sorry about your friend. Those were some dangerous times to be a race driver.

@@haroldosmer9803 thank you for your condolences, yes we lost many great drivers over the years,

Thank you for sharing that tough story on your uncle. It's good he was able to pass his stories along.

Yes, Phoenix would be Manzanita.

I LIVE NYS (ROCHESTER) BROTHER WAS I PHYX IN 73 / VISIT ( NEW NEICE) / XEROX WAS ON STRIKE THEN ( STAYED 42 YEARS IN MAINT TRADES / WENT TO RACE / ALSO SAW CHUCK CHIPRICH( OSWEGO SUPER DRIVER) = SAN JOSE TRIP / I WENT BOB RUSSEL DRIVER SCHOOL AT LA GUNA SECA ( MONTEREY) ROAD COURSE/ ALSO SCHOOLS CHARLOTTE & VEGAS & PIKES PEEK & TUCSON & FONTANA 2 MILE / YOUNGER DAYS / I"M NOW 76 = MEMS

Seems that way. But Corona was just one stop on the Southwest swing.

Earl Kelley got him to come west along with an unknown driver named Sammy Swindell to run at the San Jose Fairground in a series called "revolution in the dirt".He beat the best west coast drivers there too.

@@jeffhall8282 Yes, I remember when Rick Ferkle brought the "Humper Tires" to Asot, got up on the cushion, and flew past everybody. Being from Ohio, I was a big fan of Rick and have followed Sammy Swindell since. I'm the proud owner of Sammy's dad's jacket, which he wore for five years' worth of traveling with the outlaws. Sam was a very good sprint car driver, as well.

@@jeffhall8282 There was a generational shift underway. Many new top drivers coming in to replace the old top.

@@TheMikeWaddell QUESTION SAN JOSE ( WENT 1 TIME LONG AGO) 1 MILE OR 1/2 MILE ) MOTORCYCLES ??

Very true. Most of this type of book are first person, typically recorded discussions. The writer can (and should) take some editing honors to help the story flow. This book is great because it reveals the depth of Ed Pink's work. Motorsports guys tend to see things through their own discipline and down realize someone like Ed did more than drag racing engines (or Midget engines, or boat engines, or...).

Thank you. This one in particular is loaded with images. Makes it more fun!

Excellent! Your dad was one of the great owners of that era. It takes more than drivers ya know.

As it happens, I just posted (on Harold Osmer facebook page) a stack of images from the pits at the 1987 Turkey Night Grand Prix. It's only images with driver names and no data, but they are candid.

Ventura is the perfect size for Midget racing. Bring a jacket and something to sit on.

Thank you! They are an important part of the story.

Interesting how we all get our favorites. My initial goal was a '67 but this one came up first and here we are. Someone will come along one day and have to have it. Until then ...

The notes say Parnelli went out with "magneto trouble" which back then was generic for bad engine. Cantrell's was marked as "sour" from L132 on. It wasn't until 1969 when they dropped the lap count to 100.