What was the funniest/strangest/most unexpected place you ever saw a r

[elliottfan]

OK now I am going to post all of my weird unusual race car sightings:

 

First one involves a famous number 22 Camaro. One weekend I was with my family and another family on Lake McQueeney -near Seguin? we were out driving around looking at all the lake houses. All of a sudden I see on with a carport, in that carport is the famouse Vita Fresh #22 Camaro of Jimmy Finger! This was back when Finger was just about the hottest hot shoe around.

 

Second one is from Wichita Falls. OK, I was visiting my Grandma at her house in Wichita Falls in 76 or so. Each house there had the stand alone garage way in the back yard. So I was nosing around in my Grandma's garage and I looked out the window, and I see the neighbor's garage door was up. So, I walked over by the fence and looked in. Lo and behold there is an orange and white #99 (I believe, this was a long time ago) Camaro. It was larry Ashlock's old Camaro. If you don't remember, Ashlock was the king of Wichita Falls and Altus for two solid years in 76-77. Think he later may have been a guest of our government, for some offence, can't remember what. Do not know why his car was there in that garage. Also - the race car wasn't there the next time I visited.

 

Third one is a Chet Phillips car. When Austin was opened back up in 76 after being closed for a while after Ricci Ware closed down, Chet was a frequent visitor. He first raced there In a white #16 1969 Chevelle before he raced the Paul Jett mustard colored Camaro. I remember that car real well because it was so loud and it revved so high. I almost think it was geared for a shorter track than Speed-o-Rama. Well I always thought that car looked familiar to me in the back of my mind. So one day I was browsing through some old Steve Smith Autobooks volumes. If you remember, he publsihed books on suspension, handling and car setup in the early 70's. Lo and behold, there in the Steve Smith book is a picture of that #16 Chevelle in the book. So the Phillips got that car from the west coast, where Steve took all his pictures. Most of his photos were of Jimmy Insolo (theres some greatness right there).

 

OK I also have told the story on here of the older couple I met in Austin and I was trying to buy a Falcon Super Stock and trailer from them. They told me this Falcon was the twin to Buddy Woodall's #43 Falcon. They told me the story of how they had built a new Mustang Mach I for the 1973 season and were all ready to go with their new car except it got stolen one night. They were so discouraged they were getting out of racing completely. So, years later, one day in 1981, I happen to be driving with my wife through west texas, we passed thru Brownwood, and I see that Mustang Mach I late model in a junkyard. Amazing coincidence!

 

I used to work at Tracor in Austin and sometimes when 183 was bottled up I would take a shortcut thru east Austin, driving parallel to 183 and getting over to Manor Road. I started to notice in a field off to the east there before Manor Road was an old Camaro late model, Green and Black #43. Think it was Charles Collins car? After months of driving by there I began to notice another old racecar there in the field, and old nova in dark primer. Finally figured out that was Joe Priests' old 65 Nova. Only saw him drive this car one time at Speed-o-Rama in 77 or 78, when he made a couple of real slow laps. never saw him race it again. I went by there agin like 10 years later, and both cars were gone.

 

And I forgot another race car sighting from early in 1975 or so. This one has a Ricci Ware and a Marvin Phillips connection: At that time I was working for an oil man in Austin, and he told me one day I had to deliver something to San Angelo. Had to deliver a letter to the San Angelo courthouse and it had to be there exactly at like 8 am when they opened. This was before UPS and Fedex I think. So, the next morning I get up at o dark thirty and head west out of austin. I got there on time, hand delivered the letter, and head back to Austin. Happened to pass an auto shop with lots of cars in the yard. One of them was a big block sprint car, painted orange and white. I remembered it was Ricci Wares old sprint car painted in the BFI colors. Also, does anyone remember when Hot Rod magazine did a 3 page spread on the Ricci Ware empire? They had a picture of all the race cars out front of the Ware house. Think it was the pinto mini stock, Ricci's midget, and this big block sprinter that I found in San Angelo!

[elliottfan]

Anyone else ever see the 'Hussein' racing car when it was on display in Austin? It was at Rod Kennedy's car museum on 15th street sometime in the early 70's. That was a sports racing car, Chrysler Hemi power. I think AJ was the driver. Also, in that same museum, they had a Chapparal 2F - it had won a major 6 hour race in Europe years before as a prototype racer.