Austin Racing History

[RodneyRodriguez]

Think this may be first of a series, on the radio show Saturday we took an FM Coffee article and talked history.. Next Up San Antonio.

 

[Budman]

Hey thanks guys.  First time listener here, thanks to your posting.  WOW, all those names mentioned just brought back a ton of great memories to me.  I hope this thread can keep going on and on. There has to be a lot of stuff out there that could be posted on here.

Right now, as I sit at my PC in my study, on the far wall is a poster (the only racing poster I own) from 1962, promoting a midget race at Austin Speed-O-Rama, featuring A.J.Foyt, Jr. 

I'd like to take a look at the FM Coffee article you mentioned.  I think I know who that guy is.  Please PM me where I can find it. I'd like to take a look at it. Thanks.

Edited July 29, 2019 by Budman

[Budman]

Here Ya go Rodney/Russ …………..  A Pic of that Poster.  This is a recent reproduction of an old original poster found stuck up on a wall in an old shop in San Antonio.

TxTom could give you the details on it.  TxTom handed me this poster one night in the pits at THR several years ago. What good are these things if we can't share them with those interested in such stuff !  I hope the sizing works out.  If not, perhaps Nick can help. 

 

 

[Budman]

Where's Waldo?  

 

HERE HE IS !

 

I'm guessing about '64, turns 1/2 at Speed-O-Rama

 

[RodneyRodriguez]

That is good stuff right there! 

[Budman]

Hey Rodney ………..  Got your pm.  Just haven't got back to ya yet.

[RodneyRodriguez]

No prob my friend.

[HiTech]

  2 00 . 250 TO GET IN TO WATCH THE RACES …  lol...  from then to now  .15.00 is a deal .. you could take the whole family to the races back then . but then again 2.00 bucks bought you a lot .. gas food a movie .. i still remember getting paid 80 cents washing dishes at the astor  and tipps restaurants . when i hit a dollar an hour  i was in the money wahoo  that was something to brag about ...lol  working the pit gate in 1971 and 72  i got in free. frank made sure i got a burger and 5 bucks ..who could turn that deal down ..martha labonte was working at cc back then  ..

Edited July 30, 2019 by HiTech

[txtom]

On 7/29/2019 at 12:38 PM, Budman said:

Here Ya go Rodney/Russ …………..  A Pic of that Poster.  This is a recent reproduction of an old original poster found stuck up on a wall in an old shop in San Antonio.

TxTom could give you the details on it.  TxTom handed me this poster one night in the pits at THR several years ago. What good are these things if we can't share them with those interested in such stuff !  I hope the sizing works out.  If not, perhaps Nick can help. 

 

 

So Lee Machen had this poster in pretty sad shape. North Austin machinist extraordinaire Larry Schultz found someone in Austin that recreated it and made about 200 copies. The guy did in in the weathered style you see here.

[Budman]

TOM, THANKS AGAIN FOR THAT POSTER.  I'M GOING TO SCAN ANOTHER OLD PIC FROM '63.  ITS A GREAT ACTION SHOT.  YOU'VE SEEN IT BEFORE, JUST NOT IN ABOUT 10 YEARS OR MORE.  IT WAS THE FIRST PIC I EVER POSTED ON HERE.  I'LL TRY TO GET IT ON HERE LATER THIS EVENING.

[Budman]

Here is an action pic from Austin Speed-O-Rama from 1963 or possibly '64.  It appears to me this may have been the first turn of a Trophy Dash, among the top four season points holders at the time.  Those were all out, hammer down, 6 lap races to start out the evening of racing.  These cars were the asphalt super-modifieds of their time.  As you can see, there was no one prototype for those cars.  All were of different designs. That made it all the more interesting.  The 43 car sports a 343 Chrysler Hemi with three 2 bbl. carbs.  The 2 car sports a 327 chevy with two 4 bbl. carbs.

The Drivers were as follows:  #43 driven by Johnnie Doyle,  #3 driven by Ed Starr, #2 driven by Bill White, #11 high in the background driven by Buddy Jerkins.

Those guys always put on a hell of a show week in and week out on Friday nights in Austin.  It was no nonsense racing, fast, hard and very clean.  Incidents as the one shown here were infrequent.  There were just too many OPEN WHEELS flying around that little quarter mile track where contact could be disastrous.  Those races were tremendously popular at the time. They usually raced before a packed house.  ENJOY -----

 

[Budman]

HI Rodney.  Got your e-mail and read that article by Mr. Coffee (no, not the coffee maker, but rather the gentleman).  Fascinating stuff for sure and I recognized just about all those names mentioned there.  I attended my first race with my dad at Oak Hill Downs when I was 6 years old.  That got me hooked on racing, still to this day. 

Yes, and I'm sure the author of that article is the same Mr. Coffee I am familiar with.  You see, back in the early days of speed-o-rama, the stands were pretty well packed each and every Friday night and folks in the crowd tended to sit in more or less the same place each week.  We would always sit on the top row just south of the press box.  Mr. Coffee (that's all we ever knew him by)  would sit every week four rows below us and about 15 seats south of us.  His claim to fame there was every time the announcer mentioned Waldo Harper's name, Mr. Coffee would clasp his hands around his mouth in a megaphone fashion and shout out in either an authentic or contrived British accent, (we never knew for sure) the phrase "WELL,  BULLY FOR WALDO!"  We never tired of his antics at that and always had a good chuckle.  Just another of the fond memories from that era.

 

Edited August 2, 2019 by Budman

[RodneyRodriguez]

I remember for a time Mr Coffee announced there, he'd say go sponsor a driver you can by him a tar (tire).

So many memories I remember when Speed O Rama would team with the AquaFest and these guys ran The River City Road Races in Austin on Saturdays on the back end of a Speed O Rama Race.

I grew up there my week revolved around being there on Friday nights. Good Times indeed!