Old Racing Pics

[WildRacer5]

I think that the old racing pics are just great!! My family didn't get into racing until the late 80's when I was like 10, so I never got to go to the old Pan AM Speedway, but I've heard a lot of really great things about it. I grew up at the old Longhorn Speedway. We went to SAS and CC but to here everyone talk about the old tracks make me remember all the fun nights I had at Longhorn. No disrespect to THR but they just don't have the same feel. Looking at the old pics transforms me back to time when racing was racing, when you went to kick everybody's tail, and it didn't matter how much money you had or the little black box to help you drive(some would disagree on both) but how hard you worked and how good you drove your car. I know that this post is long but I just wanted to say thanks for helping keep old memories alive and helping me learn part of the racing heritage that I don't know. I hope that I can do it for the next generation

[txtom]

Wildracer--

That is one great thing about a forum like this, it let's some of us relive old memories. When I really started to get involved in racing around here in the early 70's, all the cars were home-built, and most of the engines. Tommy Davis had the first of what I'd call a "store bought" chassis. You've probably notice that our local racing is now pretty much all "write a check and go racing". Now I understand part of it; you can't hardly build a car in a two car garage anymore. But back in those days, cars were built on 4 jack stands in whatever space you had. An old friend of mine who is no longer around, Bob York, worked on his outside his 1-car garage here in Schertz.

These days, a local feature will have a bunch of Monte Carlos, a Ford or two, maybe a Dodge. Some old timers on this board will remember feature line-ups at Pan American that had Glenn Schwabe in a camaro, Paul Jett had an early chevelle, then a camaro, Bill Cummings in a firebird(an Air Force Major at Randolph AFB when I worked there in my teens), James Crawford of Austin in an old barracuda, Fred Elbel in an olds, Jim Blevins SR and Bruce Hobbs in mustangs, Buddy Woodall in an old fairlane, Jerry Stanley in Howard Reithmeyer's chevelle, Tex Horn in a '56 Chevy, Jerry Grant in a '57, Leroy Brooks in what loosely resembled an olds, I think Leroy Farmer ran there a few times in an old charger, and Raymond Johnson in Lee Machen's torino. When Melvin Myers put a big-block in his camaro and had Buddy Jerkins drive it, you could hear that motor a mile away. The hobby class had a big mix from mid-60s chevelles to the Kelly Brother's '58 fords. I know this is just scratching the surface of what we saw back then. And the fast guys started in the rear. No little black boxes or anything like that here. And I've seen cars with a firestone on one corner, a M&H racemaster on another, etc; all kinds of tires then.

Some of my closest friends I first met at Pan-Am or Austin, and we are still heavily involved in it today. I still enjoy going to the track and hanging out with and helping old friends. but I think we would all agree that it was a little simpler and a lot more fun back then. Maybe it's because we were a lot younger and had more energy!

I gotta get with Nick or Jim to figure out how to post pics, When I do, I got a few I think you'd enjoy.

And I'm glad someone else appreciates the ramblings from Nick, FryarFan, and Myself, among others. Hell, find us at the track, and we'll be doing the same thing there!

[jakdad]

Yep, thousands of race cars were built over the years just like this, in someones yard or driveway.

 

http://www.svt-enthusiast.com/modules/gall...nversion_edited

[MonaB]

Yep, thousands of race cars were built over the years just like this, in someones yard or driveway.

DANG!!!!! I really feel old!!! I remember before Speed O Rama (Longhorn Speedway). I remember Oak Hill Downs and Austin Raceway. The good old dirt tracks!!! Then Speed O Rama was built and that closed down the dirt tracks. Everyone went to the asphalt track. Not near as dirty. Yeah, right!!! That's back when they raced flat head ford motors and '32 Ford coupes. Waldo Harper drove for my uncle then and he wa 21 years old. Does that date me???? I guess that really makes me older than dirt!!!

[Bobby]

I will go ahead and disagree on the money issue. On one hand you had teams with fancy transporters, spare motors with Crane heads, and a body and frame shop at their disposal so they never missed a race. Then you had teams that ran hand-me-down everything, and pulled the car to the track with a tow dolly.

 

I would guess the spread in performance was as much then as now, if not more. The pictures show quite a variety of cars carrying the checkered flag, but some of those were only able to do so in the heat races. The features were a different matter.

 

Nor did you have situations where a newcomer bought their way into good equipment but didn't know what to do with it. Those with good equipment had it because they had demonstrated competence and earned sponsors

[Budman]

Mona,

I remember Oak Hill very well. Waldo driving for your uncle. Would his name happen to be Donald?

[JohnnyT66]

whats odd is the purse/tow money, to todays numbers...A pan am hobby car got almost as much as todays pure stocks.. we are talking home built cars on this class..Our total cost race ready was about $1200.00.. thats tires and all..We got $60.00 in tow money if we did not make the show.. that a llittle more then the last place pay at many tracks today.. and we are talking the mid 70s..So in 30 years, we went backwards...Not blaming the tracks, talking about the average guy trying to race and brake even.... GOOD LUCK!!.. frank t

[jakdad]

I tried to Google Map the old Oak Hill track but no luck. Is any of it still there? I found one site that showed the gate to the property but that was it. No info on how to map it.

[txtom]

Jakdad,

 

The old Oak Hills is at the entrance to Motorola. Google William Cannon Blvd in Austin. Follow it west until you get to where it crosses HWY 71/290 in Oak Hill. Across 71, it is the entrance to Motorola, and there is a small lake to the left of Cannon; That is just about where the track was.

 

update--click this link, the lake is about the location of the track.

 

Map

[jakdad]

Thanks tom, Looks like they made the track into a lake...............................