Where it all started for me...

[Bob Hubbard]

Great thread ....Keep the stories coming ....

[CIRF]

My first exposure to racing was at Fairbury American Legion Speedway. I don't recall the exact year but I was a very young lad and it was in the late 1960's. My father was very good friends with one of the sprint car (rail cars/supermodifieds) drivers and one of the stock car drivers. Jack Tyne was the name of the sprint car driver. Jack later won several track championships in stock cars at FALS and was one of the nicest guys you'd ever meet. Luckily, later in life I too became good friends with Jack. Sadly we lost Jack several years ago. I'd venture a guess that Jack Tyne was the most universally beloved drivers ever to race at Fairbury. The stock car driver who my dad was friends with name escapes me but he drove a '37 Chevy coupe.

I'm very glad I was exposed to the sprint cars as well as the stock cars at FALS. It ingrained an appreciation for the open wheel cars in addition to my love the of the fendered cars. The sprinters/rail cars put on a spectacular show week in and week out at FALS!

[birky time]

early 80's around 5-6 yrs old dad would take me to KC raceway (Atomic) watch the sprint cars...gordan the kinsers wolfgang! I remember walking thru the parking lot hearing cars set back there and idle sounding like thunder in the distance giving me cold chills lol....Still gives me cold chills!Now I prefer watching late models becausemy opinion they produce better racing

[2drace]

My first exposure to racing was at Fairbury American Legion Speedway. I don't recall the exact year but I was a very young lad and it was in the late 1960's. My father was very good friends with one of the sprint car (rail cars/supermodifieds) drivers and one of the stock car drivers. Jack Tyne was the name of the sprint car driver. Jack later won several track championships in stock cars at FALS and was one of the nicest guys you'd ever meet. Luckily, later in life I too became good friends with Jack. Sadly we lost Jack several years ago. I'd venture a guess that Jack Tyne was the most universally beloved drivers ever to race at Fairbury. The stock car driver who my dad was friends with name escapes me but he drove a '37 Chevy coupe.

I'm very glad I was exposed to the sprint cars as well as the stock cars at FALS. It ingrained an appreciation for the open wheel cars in addition to my love the of the fendered cars. The sprinters/rail cars put on a spectacular show week in and week out at FALS!

Dang Cirf I could have written everything about the same except my favorites were Lynn Wilson and Bobby Shell. Rail cars were Boom Boom Cannon in his B4. My grandma and grandpa were the ones who took me to the races regularly

[golddirt]

Man these stories are great! Back when racers would race for a cup of coffee instead of making a living racing they had real jobs and built there own cars. Oh yeah the fancy guys had trailers!! Sweet times

[427c.i.]

My Dad raised me right...as a Don Bohlander fan from the git-go!
I was also partial to Ray Guss Sr.
Mike Chasteen always had one of the nicest looking race cars.
Jerry Wooland "The Flyin' Fuzz" stood out in my young mind.
JR McMahill...another fine looking car.
Fred Strube, that red #S2 just looked MEAN!
Gary Webb climbing in the car through the windshield.
Ed Bolen never taking a victory lap when he won from the pole.
Bohlander packing the track with his helmet on.
Track packing done in the opposite direction.
School bus haulers.
Lloyd Ewing was one of the best flagmen.


Peoria Speedway was a cool place in the 70's

[DoubleZero]

In 1964, my dad bought a blowed-up '55 Chevy, off a used car lot. Two weeks later, it had been "built", roll bars, etc. and was an "Eastern Late Model". He entered it at the Carolina Beach (NC) Speedway, there were no rules. There was barely a track, but there was a $500 claimer rule. FIVE HUNDRED dollars for the entire car! "Hoss" Ellington, and crew-chief-engine-builder, "Runt" Pittman ruled Carolina Beach. Both would have future NASCAR careers. (Runt would ultimately build the winning engines for three Daytona 500's. Hoss owned the Hawaiian Tropic #1 Oldsmobile driven by Donnie Allison to legendary status in the 1979 '500.) When they didn't win, Richard Brickhouse (1969 Talladega 500 winner), or Jackie Rogers did. Tough guys, that started in a dirt-pit that called itself a race track, in 1964.

[chupp n bloomer fan]

Great thread Krooser

When I was born(1981) my Dad was racing. And my Mom used to go to the races with her Dad in Pa/Oh.

My Dad started in six cylinders at the Canfield Fairgrounds in 1971 or 1974. They had a small track and then the horse/big track I believe it was. After the six cylinders it was semi lates asphalt and dirt in Ohio and Pa, with a sprinkle of WVa and Fla. He did have a late model that was John Rebhans(sp), a rich steel guy in NE Ohio for a short time(82?). But he was beating the fancy new car with the one that was stored in the steel mill so that got axed. His last year and a half was in a late model at Sharon and Raceway 7, and he was ok. Him and his crew chief knew the car needed stiffened, but the owner of the car wouldn't let them touch it, so he finally said fuk it and never raced again. Battling Davey J, Banal, Hordusky etc with a sh!t chassis just got old. Was going to race emods when they first came into NE Ohio in about 1994, and then changed his mind. I wish he woulda, he was retired 4 1/2 years in 2013 and a rare blood cancer took him.

In the semi late he won on asphalt and dirt, championships on both too. From the mid 70's to the mid 80's. Even used I think it's a 302, because they gave you a big weight break, till he won too much in that and that was over with. Oh, and yes, they cheated back then too FYI. You ask any old timer who won, they've been cheating and exposing gray areas since competition began.

This is why I'm still into racing. Do I go a lot, no. Work, not wanting to devote a whole evening/night to racing, just where I'm at right now. I still enjoy it, and love competition, but life and family kinda takes over for some of us. I think that has as much to do with local shows not doing well as anything. Our work and daily schedules just don't have much "free time" in them. And when it does, I have 2 girls, I try to take them shopping etc. They like racing, just not enough I do believe.

Kinda off topic maybe, but kinda a run down of how I got into racing. Sadly, my Dad didn't care for it in the end. I took him to the DTWC and he fell asleep in about 06. Only kept going for my brother, who runs modifieds. And Sharon cancelled his division, so he is rarely racing right now. Has a year old Mars modified.

I guess just try to pass it on if you can. But my Dad was one like I've heard some say, if he wasn't racing, he didn't really care for it. Needed the competition.

[fastford]

I also didnt start dirt track racing till a little later in life, my dad and my uncle campaigned a super stock ford back in the early 60s and thought drag racing was all there was. I carried on with the drag stuff till the late 80s when i discovered i could no longer be competitive in any form of heads up drag racing , because of the expense . I had been going to the dirt track with friends on and off over the years and in the early 90,s decided to give it a try. Now my dad didnt like it at first , but with his back ground as a machinist and a nack to be able to build what ever we needed our selves, he soon became hooked up until his death 5 years ago , it was all he studied , i am thankful for the skills he taught me , because with out them , there is no way me and my kids could race today.....There was also an old man that owned and built winning cars at TST for years , but had quit for a while, that started coming around that helped me tremendously , they both had a huge part in what success we have enjoyed and I am eternally grateful ......

[Bob Hubbard]

Ford Fairlane

I remember going to see this car being built when I was about 12 .... I can see my dads blue 64 falcon in the back ground ..... Funny how you remember little things like this when your a kid .... Bruce Gould's car before he started driving for stricker .... He went on to win the 1st world 100 race in 1971 .... I always had to check out the 427 cu in numbers painted on the hood ..... Good times