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Who the devil ARE these Crazy Characters


Budman

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Buddy, I was age 16 in '63, but I did regularly attend Meyer Speedway races. In '63, the weekly races were Modified Stock Cars and Bronco Stock Cars. As I recall, the only Super Modified Car race held in Houston in that year was the July 4th Liberty Bell 300. The cars pictured may or may not be full Supers, but they are not what were known as Houston Modified Stocks in '63. Could the # 3 pictured (almost) have been converted to/from a Roadster/Modified that raced at Meyer Speedway on Thursday nights in '60? The Modifieds racing at Playland Speedway in the late '50s and '60, although mostly '32-'34 coupe bodies, were more like Supers than those raced as Modifieds at Meyer in the early/mid '60s. The Houston Modified Car's rules had a major change after the '60 season when Playland Speedway shut down and the weekly races moved to the 1/2 mile Meyer Speedway. The '61 new rules required a '37 or newer "stock(?)" body. Some were stock, and some were made from stock. Blackie Lothringer did race a Modified # 3 at Playland some in the '50s, but if my memory is correct, the car (more similar to those pictured at Austin '63) that he raced in '59 at Playland Speedway was # 77. The # 77 was described as the "Surrey Without The Fringe On Top". However, as I recall, and I was there, the fringe was added for the '59 Labor Day Weekend event. Blackie later raced a Modified Stock Car at Meyer, but I'm not sure about the number. I'll need to check the video from '66, it has a slow motion spin out of Blackie. I believe the video is from film made of the complete show on 9/25/66, including heat races and 100 lap features for the Modifieds and the Bronco Stocks. I'm just trying add a little of what I remember about a great time in local/regional auto racing. Many fantastic cars, drivers, mechanics, and very memorable officials. I am so grateful to have played, although very limited, a small part as a competitor and mostly a fan for a short time. There is so much I don't know and don't remember, but thanks to this site I am learning a lot about Texas racing.

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Did it look anything like this, supertx?

Buddy,

After applying some "somewhat educated" guesswork, I would think that this car is identical/semi identical in appearance to at least two other cars driven by Billy Wade in the Supermodified/Modified Class at Houston's Playland Speedway during the '50s and the '60 season as well.

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O/T,

 

Rodlea who gets on here from time to time has a far better memory of all that from that era than I do. Even better, he kept a scrap book of clippings and pictures from back then.

 

RETrot,

Here's a question for you from that early 60's era. I remember an orange and white car #10 super-mod that ran out of Houston. He would run Austin on Friday night and Meyer on Saturday nights. It was a good looking car. I can't remember the driver's name. Can you or Rodlea help me out?

 

Does the name Willis ring a bell?

That would be Jimmy Willis in the # 10 powered by a Nail Head Buick. That old Buick ran real good considering Jimmy never put a lot of money in the engine.

I agree Jim. The only # 10 Modified I recall from that era in Houston was primarily driven by Jimmy Willis. Although different cars/rules, he raced an early '30's coupe bodied Supermodifed/Modified Stock Car at Playland in the late '50s and possibly '60, and after Playland closed prior to the '61 racing season, He drove a modified late '30s coupe bodied Modified Stock Car at Meyer Speedway.

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Larry..someone that you guys haven't talked about on here is Jackie Woosley #4 at meyer.I remember the cae kit car he brought to meyer. It was probably the first kit car in this part of the country and was pretty quick when it first came out. AS far as old pictures and stats,noone had as much stuff as Bob Lavaras. When he died his wife gave all his racing stuff to Kent Lewis. About 5 filing cabinets full according to Kent. Saw Mike Plowman the last time about a year ago and he told me his dad is still working at the ford dealership in Galveston. He has to be a hundred years old by now. ( Galveston Gambler..#28..Joe Plowman). I always thought it was neat ,all the names that Tater Pete used to give all the drivers. Don't think my dad ever cared that much for his.( Undesirable ).........Denny..aka..Texas Hotshoe..

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I think "Ole Tater" had stories to go along with those nicknames. I heard about the "Undesirable" Don Burton and the Jimmy McKinney "The Villain" stories. But nothing about Joe Plowman "Galveston Gambler" or "Working Girl's Friend" George Tennison Jr. As for Jackie Woosley, is that the car he was hurt in? It seems like he no longer raced after a crash in about '68 that I did not see but heard about.

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I am pretty sure it was the car he got hurt in. I was thinking either he or someone else drove it a few times after that. Bennie Coats had a car he ran on dirt that looked an awful lot like it but I never asked him where the car came from.

Who was "Sliderule"?

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RETrott,

 

I remember a 77 car racing in Austin back about that time. It ran in the super-modified class. No fenders.

As I remember it was a medium metallic blue with white or silver numerals. The body was a highly modified early '30s two door sedan (not a coupe). The interior was painted white. I don't remember who drove it, but it was there just about every week.

 

Do you suppose this could be the same car?

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Buddy,

I don't remember the number, but at Playland/Houston in the late '50s, there was a sedan bodied Super Modified/Modified Stock Car that was body modified/shrunk driven by Bob Bruce out of, I believe, Texas City. In those days, the Playland Super Modified/Modified Stock Cars were without fenders, but after '61 and at Meyer/Houston, the Modified Stock Cars had fenders that were "trimmed". The Playland Modifieds were mostly early '30s type, and the Meyer fendered Modifieds were late '30s type cars with "modified" bodies. The Playland Modified driven by Blackie Lothringer in the late '50s may have been a sedan body, but very modified as I recall, but I think it was #77. At Meyer towards the mid '60s, Jackie Woosley had the modified sedan bodied "Bat Mobile" Modified, and towards the late '60s Larry Schild ran a modified sedan bodied Modified. There may have been others, but at this point I am out of memory. The car you mentioned sounds like a Playland car, and after '60, those cars were not racing in Houston unless in the Liberty Bell Super Modified July 4th event. It could have been a car that raced on the Navasota dirt track, but I only attended a few of those events in the mid/late '60s, and can't remember much about those cars.

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Yep, The Liberty Bell was pretty much "run what you brung". I saw Jackie's wreck. It was a bad ride. I'm glad he survived it. I remember the few sedan bodies. Those guys could take a sedan and make a coupe out of it and vice versa. I remember the CAE cars and also the Edmunds cars. They were hard to beat. I remember one weekend there was a big race in Mobile. All the fast supers showed up as well as the sprinters. Everything was going their way until one of the locals showed up with a home built two springer and set fast time. Never know....................

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RETrott,

 

I remember a 77 car racing in Austin back about that time. It ran in the super-modified class. No fenders.

As I remember it was a medium metallic blue with white or silver numerals. The body was a highly modified early '30s two door sedan (not a coupe). The interior was painted white. I don't remember who drove it, but it was there just about every week.

 

Do you suppose this could be the same car?

 

 

Buddy,

It was Billy Griswald that drove the 77 you're talking about. I remember in 1961 in a 50 lap Southwest Super Modified Car Championship at Austin Speed O Rama it was involved in a 6 car wreck. Red Gary spun into Charles Johnson. Jack Cotten skidded into Johnson came whistling out of the curve and powered into Griswald. Johnson and Griswald locked momentarily, then Johnson's #10 car flipped over the top of Griswald's. The race was won by Bill White driving #2 roadster.

Rodney

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Dang Rodlea, I remember that incident in that race. The 10 ended up on its top, the 77 on its side. I can't believe I didn't remember it being Griswold. Is he the one that drove it every week?

 

You remember the black and white 11 that Charles Johnson drove with the 6 carbs? You don't happen to have a pic of that car do you?

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O/T,

 

Rodlea who gets on here from time to time has a far better memory of all that from that era than I do. Even better, he kept a scrap book of clippings and pictures from back then.

 

RETrot,

Here's a question for you from that early 60's era. I remember an orange and white car #10 super-mod that ran out of Houston. He would run Austin on Friday night and Meyer on Saturday nights. It was a good looking car. I can't remember the driver's name. Can you or Rodlea help me out?

 

Does the name Willis ring a bell?

That would be Jimmy Willis in the # 10 powered by a Nail Head Buick. That old Buick ran real good considering Jimmy never put a lot of money in the engine.

I agree Jim. The only # 10 Modified I recall from that era in Houston was primarily driven by Jimmy Willis. Although different cars/rules, he raced an early '30's coupe bodied Supermodifed/Modified Stock Car at Playland in the late '50s and possibly '60, and after Playland closed prior to the '61 racing season, He drove a modified late '30s coupe bodied Modified Stock Car at Meyer Speedway.

 

In 1969 Gordon Heintschel of Wharton,Texas drove the #10 modified coupe with Snoopy painted on the side.He was one of the last modified coupes to run with the new supermodifieds. I remember the supermodifieds around 1969-1970. I know in 1970, Ronnie Chumley drove a late model for Gordon Van Liew who owned Vita Fresh Orange Juice. Chumley use to drive for Poncho Locklin in a modified coupe,after he started driving a late model, Gordon Wooley of Waco started driving a supermodified for Poncho Locklin.Around this time, Bill White drove the #2 supermodified for Macon-Kelley of West Columbia,Texas.He was almost unbeatable at MeyerSpeedway at this time.

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Dang Rodlea, I remember that incident in that race. The 10 ended up on its top, the 77 on its side. I can't believe I didn't remember it being Griswold. Is he the one that drove it every week?

 

You remember the black and white 11 that Charles Johnson drove with the 6 carbs? You don't happen to have a pic of that car do you?

I would love to see some pictures myself. I would also like to know the history of the # 77 Modified mentioned. As already stated, the Modifieds racing at Houston/Playland in '60 were not eligible to race at Houston/Meyer in '61 unless the body was replaced/updated to late '30s with fenders. Although, the new bodies and fenders could be "modified". I'm fairly sure a couple (+ -) were updated Playand era cars. From information on this site, I tend to believe that there were some Playland era Super Modified Stock Cars racing with the Super Modified Cars in Austin (Speedorama?) in the early '60s. From what I remember, the Austin/Speedorama and the Houston/Playland tracks were similiar 1/4 mile paved ovals.

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gwj,

Was '69 when the Modified Stock Cars basically became the Super Modifieds racing at Meyer Speedway/Houston? I'm thinking that the Macon-Kelley Blue # 2 Modified Stock Car, driven by Bill White, added a wing and removed those little fenders and became a Super Modified along about that time.

Gordon Heintschel's name rings a bell, but in '69 I was trying to keep up with the tires and helping on the suspension tuning on the # 47 NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Stock Car, and didn't watch the Modifieds often.

As I recall, Ronnie Chumley drove a NASCAR Late Model Sportsman, VitaFresh Car in '70. I believe it was a Chevell, and he later drove the '57 Chevy. And prior to that, he did sometimes drive Modifieds for Pancho Locklin. Poncho apparently built and raced quite a few of those Modifieds. I remember one fresh built car in about '64, while being driven by Bob Foster in a practice/exhibition session prior to the start of the season, crashed and went over the wall in turn one/two and was destroyed. I don't recall Bob's injuries, but I don't think they were serious.

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gwj,

Was '69 when the Modified Stock Cars basically became the Super Modifieds racing at Meyer Speedway/Houston? I'm thinking that the Macon-Kelley Blue # 2 Modified Stock Car, driven by Bill White, added a wing and removed those little fenders and became a Super Modified along about that time.

Gordon Heintschel's name rings a bell, but in '69 I was trying to keep up with the tires and helping on the suspension tuning on the # 47 NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Stock Car, and didn't watch the Modifieds often.

As I recall, Ronnie Chumley drove a NASCAR Late Model Sportsman, VitaFresh Car in '70. I believe it was a Chevell, and he later drove the '57 Chevy. And prior to that, he did sometimes drive Modifieds for Pancho Locklin. Poncho apparently built and raced quite a few of those Modifieds. I remember one fresh built car in about '64, while being driven by Bob Foster in a practice/exhibition session prior to the start of the season, crashed and went over the wall in turn one/two and was destroyed. I don't recall Bob's injuries, but I don't think they were serious.

 

ReTrott,

The #2 Macon-Kelley car was a supermodify. I'm not sure what year Ponco went from a modified coupe to a supermodified but I have a picture from 1971 when Gordon Wooley was driving for him.I also have a picture of Ronnie Chumley from 1970 in the Gordon Van Liew's Vita Fresh Orange Juice car.When Poncho went to supermodifieds,Ronnie Chumley went to Late Models,he didn't want to drive supermodifieds.That's when Gordon Wooley,Rat Lane and Page Reynolds drove Poncho's supermodified.They use to race in Jackson,Mississippi,Mobile,Alabama,Pensacola,Florida,MeyerSpeedway and a couple times a year,Poncho would go to Oswego,New York. Oswego was like the Indy 500 for supermodifieds.I believe their was a track in Louisiana Poncho would run his supermodified at.Bob Foster sounds familiar. He might have driven for Poncho.Poncho was like a father to me and I spent alot of time at Locklins Auto Parts on Red Bluff Road in Pasadena.His son had a tire store across the street,Mike Locklin Tire Company. I know he always told me,when racing goes to Late Models,he was leaving racing.

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