Don Carlton 1967 GTX?

[GRAPE]

Don Carlton was driving the Sox & Martin 69.5 Six Pack Road Runner for a match races at Atco in MAY -June 1969

[Liteweight]

Originally Posted by Myron Piatek

Here is a quote from a May, 1977 Car Craft article by Al Kirschenbaum:

"Years later, when Don's flat-towed '68 Hemi 'Cuda plowed into a tree in a highway mishap, Buddy Martin bought the car and gave him a job driving it.

That car is this one. Definately had some front repair done to it.

liteweight

[Hemi Moose]

Originally Posted by James L Miller

http://www.na-motorsports.com/Tracks/FL/Bradenton.html

This says Bradenton opened in mid-1973. That sounds about right to me as I graduated from HS in St. Petersburg in 1975 and the track was built just before then. Some of the guys from our auto shop class went down there to see the Division 2 races. That would have been late 1974 or early 1975. I seem to recall Carlton in the Challenger Missile in 1971.

Thanks guys for the info. It's looking like it must be an S&M car if it proves out. Anyone have more info on the RO GTX? Was it just one of them, or were there two?

I believe they had a '67 440 GTX, a '67 Hemi GTX and '67 Hemi RO Belvedere, but don't ask me about any specifics about them...Paul C had a topic several months back which we discussed some options on some various old photos of the '67 Sox & Martin cars...

[treessavoy]

Originally Posted by James L Miller

http://www.na-motorsports.com/Tracks/FL/Bradenton.html

This says Bradenton opened in mid-1973. That sounds about right to me as I graduated from HS in St. Petersburg in 1975 and the track was built just before then. Some of the guys from our auto shop class went down there to see the Division 2 races. That would have been late 1974 or early 1975. I seem to recall Carlton in the Challenger Missile in 1971.

Thanks guys for the info. It's looking like it must be an S&M car if it proves out. Anyone have more info on the RO GTX? Was it just one of them, or were there two?

Just a note: the Sox and Martin GTX was actually their RO Belvedere, they added the GTX liverery to make it stand out.

JimR

[Frito]

Originally Posted by jackarnew

I was at Bradenton Fla. testing with Bill Stiles, the day they put Carlton in the Missel. Watched his name go on the car and make his first run in it.
He was a super shoe!

Jack, What year was this? I was at the Bradenton test session the week before Gainsville in 76 with a Super Stocker. Same rig that is in my pic.

[chris3racing]

Finding all the information you want about Don Carlton, Sox and those guys is pretty easy if you go to the people who built the cars, traveled with them and was involved in the design and construction. Go to Moparts site and search. I sent Stewart Pomroy, Ted, Dick Oldfield all an email and told them about your questions an they may come one the thread with answers and photos, if available.

[James L Miller]

Originally Posted by chris3racing

Finding all the information you want about Don Carlton, Sox and those guys is pretty easy if you go to the people who built the cars, traveled with them and was involved in the design and construction. Go to Moparts site and search. I sent Stewart Pomroy, Ted, Dick Oldfield all an email and told them about your questions an they may come one the thread with answers and photos, if available.

I e-mailed Stewart, Dick, Ted Spehar, Hoover and several others of the Missile gang before I started this thread and only Stewart and Steve Reasbeck have replied. I got some replies from Reed and Mark J on the subject as well. Maybe you will have better luck with them? I occassionally get e-mail from Dick, so I guess there was no info or interest in a "might be Carlton's" car. My friend still hasn't looked at it, but promised some photos when he gets to look at it. I'm not holding my breath that it's a S&M car. I've looked at dozens of cars over the years that rarely were as advertised.

[chris3racing]

As of this post I have heard from Stewart and Joe Pappas, who is a long time friend of Carlton and still in close contact with his family. Over the years that I knew Carlton I do not recall that he had a GTX. As all of my contacts and others on this post know Sox & Martin had an army of cars out on the tracks in those days. It is a possibility that Don could have driven a Sox & Martin GTX. If you have photos or have the car, there are always people who can look at the car and give you an honest opinion as to it being a Sox & Martin built car. Almost every year there is an old race car at the East Coast Drag Time Hall of Fame Reunion in Henderson, NC which we, the old racers and crew members, are asked to try to verify that a car is a "Historic Race Car." By the way there are ways to look at the construction of a car and be able to determine who, more than likely built it.

[James L Miller]

Joe was on my list. I only know those guys through Stewart. I can't remember how I met him. It must have been through Moparts, but that must have been about ten years ago. I had no idea there was so many Hemi guys in the Tampa Bay area. I grew up there and didn't know any of them from 35 years ago. I wished I would have known Stewart back when the Missile was testing at Bradenton. That might have changed my career path hanging out with those guys.

[jackarnew]

Originally Posted by Frito

Jack, What year was this? I was at the Bradenton test session the week before Gainsville in 76 with a Super Stocker. Same rig that is in my pic.

Frito, I was working on Bill's 70 Duster P/S. We (Bill&I) had just installed a Franklin quick change in the car . That was the first year for the Duster,so it must have been 1970. Don't think it was any later.
Rear was Chry's idea and didn't work came out soon as we returned home .