jakdad Posted July 21, 2008 Report Share Posted July 21, 2008 Thanks Larry for a great pic! That one must have been in the rafters! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissie (Furlow) Grotts Posted July 21, 2008 Report Share Posted July 21, 2008 This is the first of several pcitures to be posted. to our father Fred Furlow whose legacy will be perserved forever. Happy 80th birthday! From your kids Kenny, our late brother Ronnie, Chrissie and Carol #11, #7, #45 was the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissie (Furlow) Grotts Posted July 21, 2008 Report Share Posted July 21, 2008 THIS POST HAS BEEN MODIFIED DUE TO POSTING ERRORS.. Â Edited by: Midget 85 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakdad Posted July 21, 2008 Report Share Posted July 21, 2008 Something terrible happened to Chrissie's pics! Can anyone help or is this the end of this thread............ The 11 car looks like the sister car to Schilds #1 car. Anybody know? Â Â Â Jim, Â PHOTOS HAVE BEEN EDITED AND RESIZED Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budman Posted July 22, 2008 Report Share Posted July 22, 2008 Don't worry, we'll get Chrissie's pics cleaned up. Thanks for posting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RETrott Posted July 22, 2008 Report Share Posted July 22, 2008 Can't wait. Emersum gooduns! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midget 85 Posted July 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2008 MEYER SPEEDWAY PHOTOS - Courtesy of: Chrissie ( Furlow ) Grotts  Postings have been edited and resized by Midget 85 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xzgqh6 Posted July 22, 2008 Report Share Posted July 22, 2008 THAT WAS ONE HELL OF A DRIVER (IVAL COOPER) AND MR FRED FURLOW. MY DAD USE TO TAKE HIS SUPER TO FREDS PLUMBING CO AND THEY WOULD START THERE CARS OFF OF RIPLEY CIRCLE AFTER THEY INSTALLED THERE NEW ENGINES. SURE IS GOOD TO SEE SOME OF THESE PICS. IT MAKES ME REALIZE WHY I HAVE STAYED IN THE SPORT AS LONG AS I HAVE. WE MAY COMPLAIN OF BUILDING WRECKING AND REPAIRING OUR RACE CARS BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT PART IS ALL THE MEMORIES THAT WE CREATE AND FRIENDS WE MAKE ALONG THE WAY. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midget 85 Posted July 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2008 MORE MEYER SPEEDWAY MEMORIES.. Â Courtesy of Chrissie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midget 85 Posted July 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2008 GREAT MEMORIES ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakdad Posted July 22, 2008 Report Share Posted July 22, 2008 Thanks Randy and Bud! Great pics! Any info on the origins of the white 11 car? Chrissie, can you find out? It sure looks like the sister car to Charlie's 1 car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakdad Posted July 26, 2008 Report Share Posted July 26, 2008 This has been posted before. I call it "The Ghost of Meyer Speedway" Â http://www.svt-enthusiast.com/modules/gall...Pictures?full=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCSannouncer Posted July 26, 2008 Report Share Posted July 26, 2008 Several ghosts and cadavers in that picture, including the virtually abandoned strip mall to the left, the tip of an abandoned part of a massive apartment complex, and some other businesses that are legally dead. Â I used to live very close to that area in the mid 70s. The change that swept through there since is amazing. The last time I was in that area, however, was 2003, so mmmmmmaybe some renewal has taken place but I wouldn't bet on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midget 85 Posted July 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2008 ABSOLUTELY HAUNTING Â Looking at this tomb of what was once the fastest track in the southwest is haunting indeed.. Â It is certainly devistating to think of all the action that was once a thriving race track that now lies in ruins. Â Â A piece of racing history that is slowly erased from the sight of anyone.. Â I'm sure Joseph would have a tear in his eye if he could see this now. Â Those were some great moments! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfbarnes Posted July 27, 2008 Report Share Posted July 27, 2008 (edited) Yeah, it's sad indeed. Â Jim, Larry and Randy, look at that track real close, now look at that track behind the school. That's a 440 yard track and field track, that I am pretty sure is a measured distance if they run track and field distances. Â Now look at Meyers, that is suppose to be a 1/2 mile, sure looks longer to me, could be the reason I always seemed to run out of gear on the straightaways there. Bill White used to always tell me to gear long, and I usually did so, but if you geared for a normal 1/2 mile I always seemed to be floating the valves before the end of the straight. Did anybody bother to actually measure that 1/2 mile? Â Going to scale in the picture, it looks closer to 7 tenths, if it was a 1/2 you had to be riding the bottom all the way around. Edited July 27, 2008 by mfbarnes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakdad Posted July 28, 2008 Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 Mark, I heard once that it was 1/2 mile 8' out from the pole. But you are right about the gears. At one point we had a 6.14 behind the Boss 302 in the Mustang. Little short stroke motor sure sang. I called it the "Little Old Whine Maker" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midget 85 Posted July 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 Mark,  I used to talk with some of the drivers a bit about the gear ratios at Meyer Speedway.  Ironic as it may seem the answers were different with several builders and drivers. Probably tire size played some factor as well as inflation with tire pressure.  The answers were from 4.56 to 5.32 gears one even ran a 4.11 ( must have been a high groover) at Meyerland.  The more you look at this history, the more interesting it becomes.  Probably one thing we need to observe was the drivers skills and the talent of so many that ran that 1/2 miler?  Got a good point here where you brought out the fact about the size of Meyer Speedway. It did seem to be a little larger didn't it?  To people like Bill White and many other heros that ran there, it probably felt like a 1/4 mile as fast as they lapped it  Charlie Schild once told me he estimated the average speed in the modifieds he would guess would be around 110 MPH on the backstretch before grooming for turn 3.  That reference was to the Modified Stockers..  I am sure the "Winged Mods" did even more.  Would that be about right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakdad Posted July 28, 2008 Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 That sounds right to Randy. our car turned about 200 more RPM on the back chute than the front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RETrott Posted July 29, 2008 Report Share Posted July 29, 2008 Mark, From what heard, I understood the Meyer Spdwy back straightaway to measure 586 ft, and the front straightaway area slightly shorter, possibly about 560 ft. I don't recall any stated turn length measurement, and I wonder what the white line around the oval near the middle of the pavement measured. If that measured 1/2 mile, then the groove may have measured slightly more, but my guess would be no more than 9/16 mile. By the way, any idea where the 3/8 mile is measured on the Houston Motorsports Park D oval? I would think that JFM Spdwy was definitely at least 3/16 mile longer than HMP Spdwy. Â Randy, Unfortunately, sometimes around spdwy pit areas, it's a good idea to not believe anything you hear, and only half of what you see. But, for Meyer Spdwy/Houston Modified Stock Cars in the mid/late '60s, just guessing, I would think a 5:32 gear would be a little low. But, like I said, just guessing. The faster Modifieds could have an average speed of 82 mph+, and, like Charlie said, top speeds of about 110 mph. The Meyer Spdwy/Houston Bronco Stock Cars of the mid/late '60s era, had average speeds of 70 mph+, and I would think from 5:38 to 5:86 gears for the most part. Top speed was probably 90 mph+. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midget 85 Posted July 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2008 Good feedback guys! Â Larry Schild ran a special built right front hub on the the # 2 Bronco, based on what he would tell me. Â The hub assembly was suppose to engage negative camber as you entered the turns and then return to a more positive camber on the straights. Â Must have been some trick to that one. Can anyone add more to this? Â Supposedly, it was special engineered for Larry and Charlie for this Bronco.. Â Â LARRY Â Let's get some pictures up on you guys. You, Mark, Jim, need to share some info here since all of you guys were there on the circuit. Â Maybe you have already posted and I just missed them somewhere.. Â If you guys need help with posting, let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrellk54 Posted July 29, 2008 Report Share Posted July 29, 2008 I'm not sure if this relates to the 60's much. But when I raced bronco's in the mid to late 70's we ran a 250 c.i. chevy with a 5.38 gear. I ran a 3 speed so I ran high gear. But my brother Dale with the same motor and gear ran a 4 speed but raced in 3rd gear. I can only remember having to qualify twice in the 3 years I raced. The last time I qualified I turned a 26.41 and Judsen Massingil(sp) turned a 25.98. I don't know what that equates to mph wise probably some where between 75 to 80? Â Darrell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midget 85 Posted July 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2008 Thanks Darrell! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrellk54 Posted July 29, 2008 Report Share Posted July 29, 2008 I'm re-replying because it looks like I may not have done something right last time I posted. Does anyone know of any videos or pictures of the bronco's from the 70's? Camaro's, Mustang's, Nova's, etc. My brother's and I all drove Camaro's. I'll try to see if I can get my scanner going and download the few pictures I have. I do have quite a few pictures on 35mm slides. Does anyone know of any software I can use to enlarge these. I also have a number of pic's from the 2 weekends we raced at Shrevespot at the State Fair. The bronco's were the support show for the late model races in 77. Terry Labonte won that one. Â Thanks, Darrell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakdad Posted July 29, 2008 Report Share Posted July 29, 2008 Thanks for the input. I didn't know we had Bronco race cars in the 70s. yes please post pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myersjr80 Posted July 30, 2008 Report Share Posted July 30, 2008 DARRELL Â IT WAS WHEN WE WERE THE YOUNG GUYS, I WENT TO MY DAD ABOUT THE PICUTRES FROM THE BRONCOS THAT STARTED BACK UP IN THE THE MID 70'S. GREAT FRIENDS BACK THEN KENNY BURNS WILLIE VEACH, DALE , GARY BALOCK, PLOWMAN, TOMMY (TUCKER) SMITH, ANY MANY OTHERS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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