tommyo

OK guys, ya'll keep talking about that Larry Schild Bronco that I never saw! Anyone here got any photos? I have plenty when the car was reborn as the#7 LMS!

Wow, you see guys, I wasn't even in the country when this took place, but now, thanks to you and RETrott, I now know that Larry Schild drove a Bronco. This is just the kind of info that I'm looking for! Thanks much guys!!

OK, no photos this time. I'm still trying to fill in my "missing years" at Meyer and before. I need help in filling out this list. I know Charlie Schild was the modified champion at Playland in 1959, but beyond that, I have no idea who won what championships there. Help!! OK Meyer now. Here's the the list of track champions I know of at Meyer, please help fill in these missing years! 1961 Modified, Billy Wade 1962 Modified, M.J. Burton 1963 Modified, Bill Blumrick 1964 Modified, Billy Griswold 1965 Modified, George Nash 1966 Modified, Charlie Schild 1967 Modified, George Nash 1968 Modified, Bill White 1969 Modified, Joe Plowman 1970 Modified - unknown and sad because I was THERE! 1971 Modified, Munson Stodder and I have NOTHING after that - again sad, because I was THERE! 1963 Broncos, Paul Maire 1964 Broncos, Tony Barcelona 1965 Broncos, Munson Stodder 1966 and 1967, unknown 1968 Broncos, Bob Brewer Now what was the last year for the Broncos and the 1st year for the NASCAR LMS cars? I know Joe Holly was the 1970 LMS champion and Ronnie Chumley the 1971 LMS Champion - Again, I was THERE in 1972 and I don't even know who won the LMS championship - I'd like to say it's on the tip of my tongue, but... Help me out here guys!!

Randy, might that birthday party have been at the Carriage House on Fallbrook? Sure looks like it to me!

Larry, I don't remember the number or color. It was a Super Modified. I think we called them "Down South Cars". Fred bought the car and brought it to Houston. Fred said the car had run 10 races, winning 7 of them and finishing second in the rest. I'm not sure but he may have bought it in Mississippi. Anyway it was well built and very light. Incredibly fast. I imagine the car was parted out. Jim That is correct - it was the same #7 white supermodified that George Nash won the '71 Liberty Bell with. The next week Fred showed up with the orange #45 super, sister-car to the identical #44 - I have the information somewhere, but I can't remember just now who built those cars. I spoke with Carol, Fred's daughter, about the incident just a few months ago. There are photos of that #7 in post #43 in Meyer Speedway Photos 2...

OK. The recently re-posted photo of Jerry Mann's burned sprint car was taken 1 May 1971. The later photos I've posted, including those dated ones (of the wreck against the 2nd turn wall) were taken later. It was the yellow car that crashed and burned, and the car was reincarnated as the orange car. I prefered the yellow version myself, and was disappointed when it was destroyed before I could get more photos of it, even though the orange version was really sharp as well!!

While I wasn't present at Meyer in 1968 or most of 1969, I have to say the cars are similar, but not the same - look at the roofline of the #52 and compare it to the roofline of the 1st photo of the #2. The roof of the #52 is more level compared to the roofline of the #2 which is definately lower in the back of the cab - of course that could have been remodified...just a thought...

OK Randy, here's you perfect NiftyFifty's evening. You already have several hundred cars present, when you look up and a 60-something pickup (probably Chevy) pulls up with a trailer behind it. The trailer has a home-made tire-rack at the front, and behind that is a completely restored 60's era Meyer Speedway Modified, one of the classic '37-38 Chevy coupes - Fred Furlows's Bill Blumrick-driven black and white #7 with the Frizell whale on the trunk, the (much recently discussed) big beautiful red #5 owned and driven by M.J. Burton, one of Billy Perran's beauties, or even one of Red Garner's beautiful modifieds - let me give you my cell-phone number so you can call me - I'll be there in record time. And any of those combinations would be right at home with the other classics...We can all dream, can't we??

He showed up at Meyer one night with a Modified...I believe it had an older body, maybe even a deuce coupe body on it, so it wouldn't be legal to race there with their '37 or newer body rules. Well, the car passed inspection and they let him do a few hot laps around the track before the evening's racing started. He was coming out of the 2nd turn on the 2nd or 3rd lap when the body suddenly lifted off the chasis. I believe he managed to get the car under control without incident, but it showed that he forgot to mention that the body wasn't welded or bolted down, and the safety inspection failed to discover that. I don't remember if it was sometime in'64 or '65...it was pretty exciting, and I don't remember seeing him back there again. He probably came back after I joined the Navy...

were any of you there the night charlie kittel made his first hot laps at meyer??

Red Garner's car, with the red AC Auto Salvage (#51) car of Charlie Ritter in front of it!! By the way, Red's cars were always clean, wern't they?

Jakdad - I wasn't there in '68 but if it's a green "13", it has to be John Mclaren - I have several photos of his cars from 70-72, and possibly even '69, and they were always green "13's."

Ray - I don't remember Norman Cawthorn, but I do have many pics of LJ Honeycutt and will get them posted...eventually

Thanks much! There it is!! I would agree that it's the old M.J.Burton #5, renumbered and re-drivered for the 1965 season . I believe it's Charlie Ritter in the #51 - does that sound familiar to anyone else?? Tommy, I think Charlie Ritter was # 15..?? -Randy I could be wrong..

OK - I went back through this entire post and I didn't find that modified tangle from about 64/65 with the #5 id'd as Walter Ballard - I did find post #261 on page 11 with a multi-car modified tangle from (about) 1962 with the #24 car being id'd as Ballard (by the way, is that the same #24 that George Nash drove in '63?) Anyway, in comparing those recently posted shots of the #55 modified with photos of Burton's #5, I'd almost bet they are the same car - Funny, I don't remember Ballard driving that or any #5 that year, but I didn't make all that many races - The last time I saw Robbie Davidson at Davidson Communications, about 15 years ago, he had the black and white Frizell Pontiac-sponsored #7 of Bill Blumrick in his shop and had owned it for several years at that time. I don't know if he still does - I've seen other posts here that may indicate other people had seen the car, or parts of it, in other places, so maybe he sold it - other than that thou, I have no idea where any of these old beauties ended up! It's a shame!! I just wish (now) that I'd bought more of Mack's photos from those great racing years!

Thanks much to both of you for the "update." My knowledge of anything at Meyer ended about mid-season 1973. I appreciate the info - now the pieces are starting to fall into place!

You are absolutely right about the #55 car looking almost exactly like the #5/#2 cars. I wasn't here between August '65 and August '69, except for maybe a couple of races in mid '66, so I wasn't familiar with Paul Maire or Harry Rushing driving (possibly) that car - I can't add much to solve the mystery - but the Burton/Minor connection is definately there! While you're here, I also missed the last half of the '73 season, and All off them after that. I missed all the Camaro's at Meyer - I've seen the photos posted here - Were they part of the "new" Broncos, the 6-cylinder cars that were supposed to cut down on costs? Was Meyer even a NASCAR track back then? tommyo

I agree - the #55 car does look "taller" - perhaps it was "remodified" to become the #75 and #31??!

Billy Fitchner?? I graduated Sam Houston High School with him! Small world!!

OK guys, tommyo here - I have many, many photos of Larry in the Orange #2 A.J. Foyd-sponsered '68 Chevelle from 1972, which I will soon begin posting - the #50 car must have come along in '73 because I was only attending the Super events and missed all the LMS events at that time and don't ever remember a #50 car with Larry in it, though I've seen photos on this site. In '72 Jerry moved into Larry's old blue #7 '65 Chevelle - for some reason I seem to have more photos of Larry from that perior (70-72) than of any other driver - so many that it will take me quite awhile to get them all posted here - pleae be patient, my time is limited!!