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tommyo

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Posts posted by tommyo

  1. 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!!

  2. :ph34r: Jim,

    Was the stolen car the white #7 that won the '71 Liberty Bell 300, driven in that event by George Nash? And, I have to wonder where it could have been raced without being ID'd. And yes, the Browning-Furlow Plumbing Company was in that area, off Long Drive. But I was told it happened at an "Engine Machine Shop" in the area, although you are most likely correct. :unsure:

    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...

  3. 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!!

  4. 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...

  5. 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??

  6. 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...

  7. 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..

  8. 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!

  9. 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

  10. Randy,

    As for Lee Hutchenson (sp), I know for a fact that he, at least some of the time, lived near Howard Dr/WinklerDr/Monroe Rd off the Gulf Frwy. I just have no recall of him having a Modified. I also have no recall regarding the pictured #55, as numbered. To me, that modified '38 Chevy Coupe/Modified Stock Car appears "taller" than the referred to #31 and/or #75 Modified. HOWEVER, what I do recall, Paul Maire, with help from Bob Ashby, built a '38 Chevy Modified in about '66/'68. That car was numbered #76, but was red, and quite similiar to the pictured car. Looking at the picture, I see strong similiarities to the famous #5 Modified Stock Car from '62 & '63 that was owned and driven by MJ Burton. And, Bob Ashby had a lot to do with that car as well. I am fairly well convinced, that the modified '38 Chevy Coupe Modified #76, and the previously built modified '38 Chevy Coupe Modified #5 from '62/'63, were built with the same or similiar plans. As for Paul Maire, he had also owned/driven the #76 Bronco Stock Car, that was later owned/driven by Harry Rushing. And, in my last memory of the #76 Modified, it was being driven by Harry Rushing in about '68/'69. At one time, Paul Maire lived near Howard Dr/Gulf Fwy as well, and so did Harry Rushing.

    I do wonder though, if maybe at some point Johnny Mac Pierce had something to do with the pictured #55 Modified. Just a thought, because Johnny drove Paul Yeatts' #55 Bronco in the mid '60s.

    So, for my nickel, I would think the pictured #55 Modified, if not the former MJ Burton car, is likely the Paul Maire/Bob Ashby built #76 from about '67/'68. ;)

    As for Buddy Evans, I remember him driving two modified '37/'38 Chevy Coupe Modifieds #55, in the early/mid '60s. The first car was orange & white, and became the #53 Car in mid season '61. The other car I recall, was slightly smaller after modifications, and unique among those Modifieds, the B post was left in place. Painted orange, I don't know what became of the later car. :unsure:

     

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

  11. NASCAR Late Model Sportsman, '71. Owned/built by Charlie Schild, pictured on the right, and driven by Larry Schild. Pictured in the Bingle Road driveway, results of qualifing race crash at Meyer Spdwy/Houston for the annual 200 Lap LMS National Championship points race. Exiting turn four, L J Honeycutt, Freddy Fryar, and Larry Schild got together and crashed into the inside/pit road guardrail. Results are apparent on the A J Foyt Chevrolet sponsored Schild #7 Car. As I recall, a crewmember on the #7 Car, engine mechanic George Billetdeaux (sp?), aka Billydoo, was on pit road just behind the guardrail near the soon to be crash area. He turned to attempt to run, and was struck in the uh, behind by the #7 left front coil spring that had flown over the guardrail. He had a painful, but not too serious, injury. An accident, I don't know if anyone was to blame. Lettering on the #7 car was done by the late Billy Fitchner, an old elementary school friend of mine from the 50s.

     

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

  12. 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!!

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