TheCloser Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 at south texas speedway the flagman got hit in the head by a dirt clot and was knocked out in the 90's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trbfan Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 Two things come to my mind from international motorsports: 1. Franz Engstler hits the Safety Car in the 2009 Pau World Touring Car race. 2. The 2011 Le Mans race at Circuit Paul Ricard where the Safety Car forgets to pull off track at the start of the race causing chaos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hrodder Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 I am suprised nobody mentioned the time at HiWay 16 when the car turned around coming out of 4 during practice and slid backwards into to wrecker parked along the front straight as the guy in the wrecker bailed out the passenger door. The other I'll always remember from TV is the lates 90s I believe, when the ARCA race went yellow and as the pace car was waiting for the field to come around he got hit from behind. Sortened the back of the Grand Prix up about 2 or 3 feet. The 2 officials in the pace looked a little stunned. I do. It was Eddie Bierschwale, he was qualifing and almost lost it on the first lap and them coming off turn 4 on the 3rd lap he got backwards and slid the length of the front straight and hit Bubbies wreacker that was parked next to the fire crew just South of the pit wall. He hit the wreacker backwards with the loud petal petal on the floor, he never lifted. I was the first person that got to Eddie who climbed out and started walking North away from the car and wreacker. Both were totaled. I asked him this question. Eddie did the throttle stick? He said Hell no the throttle didn't stick don't you know I am driving the fastest late model in Texas. I can only imagine the conversation that took place between Boss Hog (Don Bierschwale) and Eddie before Eddie got in the car to qualify. By the way Eddies eyes were crossed when he answered my question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dano36 Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 In the early 70s at the Lawton (OK) Speedway a driver went through the guard rail in turn two causing him to flip and he landed upside down in a very large water tank they had there for track watering. Safety crews were there in a big hurry and it was a good thing because no one realized at the time just how deep that tank was. Two went into the water to get him out and in about 15 seconds which seemed like a couple minutes they all came back up to the surface and got the driver to safety. He only suffered minor injuries and a bit of wet lung. Have not been to Lawton for years now but I saw on Google Earth that the water hole is no longer there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiTech Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 I remember the big SAS fire. Mike Meeks was one of the drivers involved, I think. mike denman .if that is spelled right ..i know he was one of em . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiTech Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 billy hardcastle had a nasty over the wall.. the tree ..and on the fence landing at cc ..broke the car darn near in two .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilTPS Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 Debbie: You posted, “I remember the big SAS fire. Mike Meeks was one of the drivers involved, I think”. You are correct about Mike Meeks. There were three other TIDA Late Model Drivers involved in that large main straight-a-way fire. Involved drivers were: Mike Meeks - San Antonio, Mike Denman - Corpus Christi, Johnny Walker - Houston and Beaver Stelzig - San Antonio. Meeks and Denman suffered serious burns. They were hospitalized in the Burn Ward of the Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas for about a month. TIDA-LM Chief Inspector Cotton Sherland and I spent a lot of time visiting them until they were released. It was a terrible time for Mike Meeks, Mike Denman, Cotton Sherland and me. Neil Upchurch Founder and Retired Former Driver, Race & Administrative Director, Texas Pro Sedans & TIDA-LM Series Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAPosse Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 In the early 70s at the Lawton (OK) Speedway a driver went through the guard rail in turn two causing him to flip and he landed upside down in a very large water tank they had there for track watering. Safety crews were there in a big hurry and it was a good thing because no one realized at the time just how deep that tank was. Two went into the water to get him out and in about 15 seconds which seemed like a couple minutes they all came back up to the surface and got the driver to safety. He only suffered minor injuries and a bit of wet lung. Have not been to Lawton for years now but I saw on Google Earth that the water hole is no longer there. This reminded me of Fonda Speedway in NY. I only went there 4-5 times when we were traveling with the sprint cars. The backstretch runs along the Mohawk river and was created from an old canal towpath, with turn 3 configured to miss an old cemetary (no longer there). More than one car has ended up in the river....and imagine the view coming out of turn 2, down the backstretch with tombstones in sight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txtom Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 I do. It was Eddie Bierschwale, he was qualifing and almost lost it on the first lap and them coming off turn 4 on the 3rd lap he got backwards and slid the length of the front straight and hit Bubbies wreacker that was parked next to the fire crew just South of the pit wall. Hrodder has a pic somewhere in his vast collection that he took of the race car and the wrecker while everything was still steaming and smoking. It was some sight to watch that happen in real time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txtom Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 imagine the view coming out of turn 2, down the backstretch with tombstones in sight. Old Birmingham Alabama racers can tell you of a time when there was a drive-in that you could see from the backstretch. It was known to show slight racy movies from time to time, and there was more than a few drivers who crashed because they got distracted and missed their marks..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBSF Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 Thanks Jim, I only saw some youtube stuff, so I was much more curious than critical. Very difficult situation for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasprd Posted March 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 In the early 70s at the Lawton (OK) Speedway a driver went through the guard rail in turn two causing him to flip and he landed upside down in a very large water tank they had there for track watering. Safety crews were there in a big hurry and it was a good thing because no one realized at the time just how deep that tank was. Two went into the water to get him out and in about 15 seconds which seemed like a couple minutes they all came back up to the surface and got the driver to safety. He only suffered minor injuries and a bit of wet lung. Have not been to Lawton for years now but I saw on Google Earth that the water hole is no longer there. I wonder - did they ever get his car out, or did they just cover it up when they filled in the water hole? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasprd Posted March 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 Does anyone else realize that Montoya only needs four more Jet Dryer kills to become Colombia's First Ace.....? That's a good one! Think they'll paint a jet dryer emblem on his cars, like the fighter pilots & bomber gunners used to paint enemy emblems on their planes in WWII? He got the safety truck, too - does that count as two kills? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dano36 Posted March 2, 2012 Report Share Posted March 2, 2012 I wonder - did they ever get his car out, or did they just cover it up when they filled in the water hole? They actually pulled it out that same night. A wrecker driver dove down to the car and hooked it up. I do not know when they filled in that water hole because I left Lawton shortly after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAPosse Posted March 2, 2012 Report Share Posted March 2, 2012 Old Birmingham Alabama racers can tell you of a time when there was a drive-in that you could see from the backstretch. It was known to show slight racy movies from time to time, and there was more than a few drivers who crashed because they got distracted and missed their marks..... That's funny! Was that at the Fairgrounds? I managed to get there one time....I guess it's torn down now? There was something pretty neat about walking in there, the old fairgrounds feel you don't get at many racetracks anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thumper Posted March 2, 2012 Report Share Posted March 2, 2012 On 2 seperate occasions I saw a sprint car and a sportsman car go into the irrigation canal that ran along the back straightaway.Both went completely under.Drivers got out OK.I almost went in one nite myself.Dont go too high in turn 2 .No wall,something better.Water.Hence the name Riverside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted March 2, 2012 Report Share Posted March 2, 2012 txtom can probably tell this one much better than I can because I was in the pits and missed it. But one night at Pan American someone hung a throttle going into one and punched a nice, neat hole in the wall. No way to repair since the hole was very large. Later that same night, someone else hung a throttle and went zipping out that same hole! Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiTech Posted March 2, 2012 Report Share Posted March 2, 2012 On 2 seperate occasions I saw a sprint car and a sportsman car go into the irrigation canal that ran along the back straightaway.Both went completely under.Drivers got out OK.I almost went in one nite myself.Dont go too high in turn 2 .No wall,something better.Water.Hence the name Riverside. yep i saw that mod take a bath ,,i want to think it was crazy james who this man got together with that sent him swimming..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest THRRD Posted March 3, 2012 Report Share Posted March 3, 2012 Nick, I can tell you from first hand about that night. It was the second weekend of the season .. The car belonged to Waldo Harper and driven by Jimmy Finger. Jimmy was suppoded to drive the car in Mexico for a road race, but for some reason the race got cancelled. On opening night the engine blew up so Waldo told him he could drive it the next weekend. The second week we were voted the most beautiful car. During the second lap of the feature the throttle hung coming down the fron stretch. Jimmy went thru the wall and landed upside down outside of the property line. When we got to him there was fuel every where [ and anyone who knew Waldo back then this was not regular racing fuel, another story later]. Jimmy was yelling to get him out of the car, not because of the fuel, but because of the rattle snakes you could here. The following week, we had to walk on the front stretch to get the trophy for the best looking car because we did not have a car anymore. YA THE GOOD OLD DAYS RIP Waldo, there will never be another like you, Thank GOD. Terry Barden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txtom Posted March 3, 2012 Report Share Posted March 3, 2012 The Harper car outside turn 1 at Pan American. The second car that went through the same hole after restarting the race was a mostly red #6 mid 60's Chevelle; He only ran sporadically, and was never a threat to win. I do not remember the guy's name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiTech Posted March 4, 2012 Report Share Posted March 4, 2012 The Harper car outside turn 1 at Pan American. The second car that went through the same hole after restarting the race was a mostly red #6 mid 60's Chevelle; He only ran sporadically, and was never a threat to win. I do not remember the guy's name. the 96 would look better with 96 on its wheels .either way its 96 , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danielsen Motorsports Posted March 4, 2012 Report Share Posted March 4, 2012 I went to the fights one time and a damn stock car race broke out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BamaChief Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 Old Birmingham Alabama racers can tell you of a time when there was a drive-in that you could see from the backstretch. It was known to show slight racy movies from time to time, and there was more than a few drivers who crashed because they got distracted and missed their marks..... That's funny! Was that at the Fairgrounds? I managed to get there one time....I guess it's torn down now? There was something pretty neat about walking in there, the old fairgrounds feel you don't get at many racetracks anymore. Yes it is gone.... Whats left of the Grandstands looking back on 3 and 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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