txtom

Saw a couple older 1/4 midgets in Irving last yesterday, thought ya'll would like to see them...........They, and several vintage oval cars, were part of the Manifolds on Main show up there.

The complete list of USAC races at Meyer:

October 11, 1959, 50 laps, Sprint Car (Midwest), won by A.J. Foyt

November 22, 1959, 100 laps, Midget, won by Gene Force

December 6, 1959, 100 laps, USAC/ARCA Stock Car, won by Harold Smith

March 20, 1960, 30 laps, Sprint Car (Midwest), won by Don Branson

April 10, 1960, 50 laps, Midget, won by Dale Swaim

October 23, 1960, 50 laps, Sprint Car (Midwest), won by Parnelli Jones

I have a listing of a USAC Sprint Car race held 10/11/59. A.J. Foyt won the 50 lapper.

Good to see Supermod,(Ricky Otts) on here.

Wouldn't happen to have some pictures you'd like to share here?

If you need help with scanning or posting, we got all kinds of folks here that can do it.

And are you still racing on the West Coast?

My history on Cuddihy is as follows:

The 3/8ths mile dirt oval was open from June, 1969 to 1975. It was situated North/South.

A dragstrip was immediately west of the oval, running the same North/South, and it was one of the taxiways from the days of Cuddihy Naval Field.

There was also a 2.2 mile road course that encompassed the runways and taxiways, but it only ran about the first year or so, 1969.

There is still evidence of the oval, which was southwest of the intersection of Old Brownsville Road (665) and FM 763. If you turn south on 763, you can see a very small lake on the right next to a mound of dirt. That lake is over the southern turns of the track.

If you pull up a satellite image of Cuddihy field, you can see the taxiway that served as the drag strip, and also the outline of the oval. It is all within a stone's throw of STS Speedway.

The Champions:

San Antonio Speedway Track Champions 1977 – 2005

1977 Hi-Way 16 Raceway

Late Model Sportsman – Terry Labonte

Limited Sportsman – Steve Klestinec

1978 Hi-Way 16 Raceway

Late Model Sportsman – Freddy Fryar

Limited Sportsman – Danny Stewart

1979 Hi-Way 16 Raceway

Late Model Sportsman – Slick Yoemans

Limited Sportsman - Danny Stewart

Thunder – Gary Chappell

1980 Hi-Way 16 Raceway

Late Model Sportsman – Rick Rapp

Limited Stock - Eddie Bierschwale

Thunder – Ervin Breiten, Jr.

1981 Hi-Way 16 Raceway

Late Model Sportsman – Tommy Davis

Limited Stock – Carl Wentreck

Thunder – Ervin Breiten, Jr.

1982 Hi-Way 16 Raceway

Late Model Sportsman – Keith Riethmeyer

Limited Late Model – Carl Wentreck

Thunder – Gary Chappell

Lightning – Melvin Meyer, Jr.

1983 San Antonio Speedway

Late Model Sportsman – Hubert Bean

Limited Late Model – Tex Horn

Thunder – Ervin Breiten, Jr.

1984 San Antonio Raceway

Late Model Sportsman – Keith Riethmeyer

Limited Late Model – Wally Garcia

Super Stock – Beaver Stelzig

Pro Street Stock – Terry Brooks

Novice Street Stock – Bill Mann

1985 San Antonio Raceway

Late Model Sportsman – John Kelly

Super Stock – Gary Chappell

Street Stock – Terry Brooks

1986 San Antonio Raceway

Super Series – John Kelly

Late Model Stock – Ervin Breiten, Jr.

Super Street Stock – Gene Couch

Bomber – Willie Mazur

Four Cylinder Modified – Ricci Ware, Jr.

1987 San Antonio Raceway

Super Series – George Hagy III

Late Model Stock – Darrell Forrest

Super Street Stock – Gene Couch

Bomber – Jason Oates

Four Cylinder Modified – Ricci Ware, Jr.

1988 San Antonio Raceway

Late Model Stock – Beaver Stelzig

Super Street Stock – Ervin Breiten, Jr.

Bomber – Bill Kaiser

1989 San Antonio International Speedway

Super Stock – Beaver Stelzig

Modified Stock – Donny Horelka

Hobby Stock – Bobby Villanueva

Open Wheel Modified – John Meyer

1990 San Antonio International Speedway

NASCAR Late Model – Jason Oates

Charger – Bobby Villanueva

1991 San Antonio International Speedway

NASCAR Late Model Stock – Jason Oates

Super Street Stock – Kenny Hurley

Charger – Joe Aramendia

1992 San Antonio International Speedway

NASCAR Late Model – George Hagy III

Super Street Stock – Larry Bendele

Charger – Lloyd Fisher, Jr.

1993 San Antonio Speedway

NASCAR Late Model – Ervin Breiten, Jr.

Super Street Stock – Larry Bendele

Charger – Steve Smith

1994 San Antonio Speedway

NASCAR Late Model – Ervin Breiten, Jr.

Sportsman – Robert Barker

Charger – Scott Jerkins

1995 San Antonio Speedway

NASCAR Late Model – Robert Barker

Sportsman – David Barker IV

Charger – Terry Bernsen

1996 River City Raceway

NASCAR Late Model – Donny Horelka

Super Street Stock – David Barker IV

Charger – David Edwards

1997 San Antonio Speedway

NASCAR Late Model – Jason Oates

Super Street Stock – Brandon Bendele

Charger – Bob Smith

Thunder – Tammy DeSalme-Bernsen

1998 San Antonio Speedway

NASCAR Late Model – Brandon Bendele

Super Street Stock – Terry Bernsen

Charger – Leland Waddell

Thunder – Charlie Henley

Super Late Model – Mike Denman

1999 San Antonio Speedway

NASCAR Late Model – Brandon Bendele (also NASCAR Sunnbelt Regional Champion)

Super Street Stock – Kenny Hurley

Grand American Modified – Dennis Taylor

Charger – Greg Rohmer

Thunder – Robert Mayberry

2000 San Antonio Speedway

NASCAR Late Model – Donny Horelka

Super Street Stock – R.L. Alexander

Grand American Modified – (TIE) Chris Swenson and Newton Barta, Jr.

Charger – Greg Rohmer

Thunder – Robert Mayberry

2001 San Antonio Speedway

NASCAR Late Model – Brandon Bendele (also NASCAR Sunnbelt Regional Champion)

Super Street Stock – Kevin Bendele

Grand American Modified – James Cole

Charger – Jesse Salazar

2002 San Antonio Speedway

NASCAR Late Model – Mike Balzer

Super Street Stock – Damon Bean

Charger – Jeff Smith

2003 San Antonio Speedway

NASCAR Late Model – Larry Bendele

Sportsman – Marcus Bellino Road Runner – Chris “Homer” Pitner

2004 San Antonio Speedway

NASCAR Late Model – Larry Bendele

Sportsman – Justin Oates (also NASCAR Sunbelt ShorTrack Regional Champion)

Road Runner – Greg Rohmer

Women On Wheels – Kelly Earnhardt

2005 San Antonio Speedway

NASCAR Late Model – Robert Barker

Sportsman – Greg Rohmer

Road Runner – Randy Frautschi

Women On Wheels – Mona Turner

2006 San Antonio Speedway

NASCAR Late Model – Joe Aramendia

Sportsman – Mark Mathias

Road Runner – J R Eichelberger

Grand Stock – Jody Wayne Stuart

I bet Freddy Fryar had a lap or two at SAS don't you reckon?

78 track champion.

It's been almost 4 years since I went out there and snapped some pictures, but the only asphalt left then was pieces of the infield "X".

There are no remnants of the actual track anywhere that I could see.

And to think, after all these years, Larry still mixes it up with the youngsters at HMP.

And a helluva nice guy.

I read on another website that there was another car involved in the wreck but it didn't say what happend. I always believed he just got bumped and slamed into the wall. The other car that was involved also had no laps in just like loius, so if he was hit in the side like one of you said that would make more sinse in why both cars were out of the race. Does anyone have any pictures or other info?

Louis was t-boned in the right side of the car, directly between the front and back tires. At some point, the front end of the Camaro hit something as it is also pushed in, but I don't know any specifics.

The car basically ended up looking like you put the right door against a big pillar and pulled the front and back around it, to the point that the right door skin was over four feet to the left of where it should have been. Add the tubing, interior sheetnetal, etc, and all that was pushed in on Louis. It had very thin wall roll bar tubing, much like muffler pipe.

Interestingly enough, while the chassis was obviously scrapped, almost all of it's suspension and other usable parts were re-used on other cars. According to Lee Machen, one of the Schwabe Camaros had some of this stuff; it was not the camaro he won all the races with, that ended up with Leroy Brooks, it was the yellow, and later brown car that Dwight Hamilton ended up with.

To Stephen Wusterhausen, I am sending you an email concerning a picture of the car.

Manvel,

Here is the rundown of Schild in the Johnson Cup car.

Click this link:

Schild

If you make it to HMP, seek out Larry or Jerry Schild; both raced for Rush at various times. The last time I was at Houston (Last Year), I spent over an hour chatting with old friend Larry Schild, and he had some very fond memories of his years racing for Johnson.

RE,

I remember Chet bringing that rear engine car to longhorn in Austin about 79 or so to shake it down, and they let him run it during intermission. I don't think anyone was at the beer of food booths, as they were all watching that car fly around that little 1/4. He let it hang out, too.

A lot of folks may not remember this, but in the late 70/early 80 timeframe, they had about 6 of the Houston Supers come over to Hwy 16 to put on an exhibition. I don't remember who participated.

I think I remember one with a big red Canadian-style Maple flag on the top wing, if that joggles a memory.

The fans loved them; a big part of that was the fact most of them saw a super for the first time.

Unofficial stop watch times were in the low 17.0 range.

I can think of a couple other times a super came to an Antonio for testing.

Here is Chet Fillip in his Hite Super in 1979. Car # is 24, and the red writing on the rear wing is "Circle Bar Truck Corral", Tom Mitchell's place in Ozona that is currently sponsoring Rick Crawford in Craftsman Truck.

Chet ran a couple years in Nascar, and a couple more in Indy cars for Mitchell in the 80's.

Chet did win at Richmond in late June of this year.

As for his Super, he owned a rear-engined Bill Hite Super that looked just like the #121 pictured. He raced it in the the mid to late 70's timeframe. I've seen pics of it; I will find them when I get to my home computer.

The last time I saw Chet's rear-engine super, it was in the back of his Dad's shop in San Angelo--Fillip Automotive. This was in the mid 90's. I heard it eventually became a display there, but I do not know the current fate of the car since Marv's passing a couple years ago.

But you can talk to Chet or Cory Fillip at Advanced Racing Suspensions in Indianapolis. ARS is their company. Chet may know if any other cars are out there.

The Cheeks, Carroll and Donna, that owned that super may still in Buffalo, Texas; They might have an idea who has the car.

You might contact Buffalo Tank at 800 259 9253. B-Tank is/was a family business.

In the meantime, you guys are doing a great job with the Meyer history. Keep it coming.

Midget, Take a look at this thread, it talks about that car..

Blumrick

Hey guys,

I have a fellow member of another forum that has registered here, and will be sharing some information and pictures about a Bailey Firebird restoration he was involved in a few years ago. His name is Matt Conte, and he is a prominent member of a modeling forum we both are members of.

I think ya'll will enjoy what he has to share.

Tom

Based on lil bits of info I get here and there, two of H.B.'s Firebirds are in private hands, and as MFBarnes stated, at least one is in restoration. Would kile to know more about the two of them, and who has them and their intentions.

Good to see you here, Doug.

If you have any questions about loading pics, give me a call, and we'll get it done.

Did I tell you there were a lot of great memories on this site??!!

Tom

Your're welcome, Randy,

I met Doug in the mid 90's when he ran a slot car track here in SA. My kid started running on it, and I did some myself.

While I was not in this area at the age for those cars, I know several former 1/4 racers, including Doug, the Bragg brothers, Denny Burton, Larry Schild, and others. Good bunch of folks there.

Randy

I spoke with Doug McBride this morning, and he remembered you and some of the names I mentioned from this thread.

With his permission, I have PM'd you his phone number here in San Antonio, and he looks forward to hearing from you.

Tom

I know a Doug McBride here in San Antonio that I think told me he raced these in his youth; he ran around with Dale and Kenneth Bragg.

If you think that is him, I can get him in touch with ya'll.

Tom

KVasbinder,

Click this link to see your dad from the 1978 Pan American track program. Craig Schmidt posted the 1978 program on here a couple years ago.

Program Link

I remember watching Allen run, he especially was good on that figure 8.

Used to talk with him a few minutes each race night.

Now how about posting some pictures on here?

yeah, I have seen reference to both McLaren and Reynolds in that car..

But I don't remember the stands that high off turn 4 at Meyer. The style of the catch fence and the height of the stands looks coming off four at Jackson. Also the inside reminds me of the entrance to the pits at Jackson.

The pic below you previously posted definitely looks like Jackson, and I see similarities to the Locklin picture:

Nevertheless, these old pics are great. I remember an article in some old magazine that talked about the supermodifieds and mentioned McLaren. I saw something else that stated he may have relocated to the Fredericksburg, Texas (In the hill country northwest of San Antonio) area in the 80's.

He raced a couple Copper Classics in Phoenix with that town listed as his home.

I'd have to say that the first car is the #13 of John McLaren.

It appears to say 'Green Hornet" on the hood, and the number visible is a 3, half of his number.

The second car is probably Page Reynolds (or possibly McLaren, depending on the year) in Pancho Locklin's #9 car; the pic is taken in Jackson, Mississippi.