teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Here are a couple photos taken in the teardown barn by Bill Truby. They were taken at Bowling Green in the 70s.

Anybody recognize anybody?
Is that Wesley doing the tech?

Tom Sheehan

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r...ks/bgtech2.jpg

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r...tks/bgtech.jpg

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r...ks/bgtech3.jpg

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Marty Barrett
Harry Doolittle Comet
Jimmy Gower convertible
Looks like Larry Pritchett with the cyl head

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Mark, do you remember the weight/hp factor for X/SA?

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Dave ,No I don't for sure. 24-25b #, maybe. I don't save all that old stuff. Travis has all those old rule books. Maybe he'll see this . X/S became a FWD class later on.

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

I found my old rule books; X was 23.00-23.99 in the '73 book.

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

In the first photo, the guy leaning over the valve spring tester in the background is John Biedenkapp. He was the Div. II Tech Dir. then. X/S was 23-23.99.

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Does anyone have a full picture of Harry's Comet?

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

That doesn't look like Pritchett to me in the pic. Is that '65 Chevelle convertible Jimmy Gower's? Not Wesley in the pic either.

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Middle picture far right side . My old partner Ray (Tex) Cook and next to him Kevin Schmidt. I was probably under the car.

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Dave,

If anybody would have a picture of the comet it would be Tom Kasch. We are all from the same area and I remember that car.

Steve

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Tom, Wesley was with X in Div.1 when he broke in about 72-73

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Photo #2

Looks like Marlin Snyder holding his 813 head off his 68 250hp 327. He also looks like he's sweating bullets that his valve spring is not over the 84lbs installed height ( those were the days )

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

That looks like Bill Nelson, wearing the nhra tee shirt in the first picture.

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

We used to have a "John Biedenkapp Memorial Race" at our local track, Brainerd Optimist Drag Strip, in the early eighties. It was like a points race but was for charity. There were some great names in NHRA racing at those events. Sure wish I'd used my camera more.

Wayne.

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Dave that's the car Jack has now (under dog)

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

only have the w/s white car

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Artie -- Wasn't that the race where you and Tex ( the late Ray Cook ) invented the steel belted radial ? ?

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

No the "steel belted radial" was a couple of years earlier. By then we knew where to put the weight. Kevin Schmidt wasn't with us for the "tire" incident.

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Tom,

Thanks for sharing these photos. Some of my earliest memories of being at the track were from Bowling Green. I still remember sleeping in the camper in the Camping World parking lot while the "crew" went throught teardown with our friend's C/SA Corvette, "Butch Cassidy". I think I was there in '79 and '80 - I was VERY young then, but still remember being at those races.

I would be interested in any pics of the gold Corvette with "Butch Cassidy" on the side. Von Cassidy won C/SA at the Sportsnationals in '80, I believe. I remember that it was a big deal to win class at that race back in the day!

Brian

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Brian

Here are a few more shots from teardown.
There is a gold vette in one of the bays and I'm not sure who it is.

The second photo looks like it is from the rear of the facility (camperworld).
Both are Bill Truby photos.


http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r...ownbgtruby.jpg

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r...wnabgtruby.jpg

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Brian

Here is one of the vette you asked for also.

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r...bsabgtruby.jpg

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Tom,

That is TOO COOL! That's Von (the driver) and MY DAD leaning against the car! I guess it was B/SA that he won...

And the Vette in the teardown barn is the same one. The photo was taken a few feet from where I remember our camper being parked that night.

Thanks!!

Brian

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

A little snooping revealed that the "Butch Cassidy" car is now owned by Sammy Pizzolato, and is still racing NHRA, including recent Sportnationals.

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

I'd love to see that one as well Tom. One of the photos shows another Comet(red&white) to the left of the shot. Any idea as to its identity?

Actually, now that I look more closely, the red I see is fender covers and therefore it's probably the W/S car you mentioned.

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

In the staging lane next to the corvette is my old orange, SS/P 65 chevelle. I raced at everyone of those early Sportsnationals. Those were great times.
Eddie Rezac

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Eddie, that was when we could afford it. How ya been?

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Is that you in the shorts?! LOL!!

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

I must have been mistaken about Ray Cook and Kevin.In the center picture. It sure does look like them.
Are all the photos the same year?

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

I think that's my old buddy Fred Burris standing behind Jimmy's convertible in the 2nd picture.

c

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Man, some great old photos.

This kind of nostalgia is great for these cold winter nites. This and those other photos from Indy and Edgewater. I was a mere pup then, didn't realise how good those times were.

Just seeing someone mention Marlin Snyder. I was a protege of the Meek Brothers, Toby and Kenny, they ran a Pinto, first in V, later W/S. I remember Ken Hutchinson and his F/S Z-28. Buddy King and his I/S, 69 Camaro, I believe. Otis Isom, had a variety of cars. He's still running brackets today locally.

Maybe someone can jog my memory, a guy out of Columbus, Indiana, Carl was his first name, had a tall blond wife, think her name was Connie, I could be wrong on that one. They had a pretty Buick, ran in G/SA.

Can't forget old George Williams in that Vega wagon. Last time I ran into him was at a Friday nite bracket race, 20 some odd years ago. He still had the Vega!

love seeing this old stuff guys,

Robert Swartz

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Art

Those pics are probably not from the same year (they may be but I am not sure).
Bill Truby was there racing, shooting photos and spectating several years in the 70's. (he provided the BG photos).

I have included photos I've collected from Doug Chyborak (Rezac photo) and Mike Gagnon (cook photo) also.

Tom Sheehan

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r...ainerddcxx.jpg

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r...ybsaindymg.jpg

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Okay then it is Ray (Tex) Cook in the photo. We only lost class at Bowling Green once due to the "steel belted radial" incident. And then R.T. Barrett got the B/SA win with his six pack e body. I remember the corvettes of Ken Bugaj and Von Cassidy They both ran fast as "hell" but had breakage problems. Back then they had to run the stock independant rear.,.
The race we got tossed at we took Norman Blake (photographer) with us. When we got tossed we never went back to the track just went to the motel picked up our stuff and headed home.
We forgot that Norman was at the track (oh well). We didn't think about him till we were about 300 miles away. Luckily he got a ride home with someone else.
After we got home we were dispondent to say the least. Gregg X called us up and explained how to add the weight, and not get caught. And we never had any problems after that. A lot of people considered Gregg X the enemy after that day he was one of our closest friends
Boy those were the days "FLASH FLASH" nhra using common sense

PS the car in the photo never got tossed

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

The black Comet in the picture is Judy McCormack's car. Harry's car was a white W/S.

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Thanks for the clarification.....Tom Kasch or anyone else have full views of either car?

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

was it this one??

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Yep. Carl Lackey, he's the one. Loved that old car. We were tossing names around the other day at a swap meet, remember the car but couldn't recall the name.

Thanks Scott.

If we can get it transferred to a DVD, Tod and I have a tape of the Meek Brothers D/MC car running at a local bracket track in the mid-80's. Once we get it converted, we'll try and post it.

Robert Swartz

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Carl Lackeys Buick GS was sold to a guy that lives near me here in Ill. He still has it,and drives it on the street.

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Here is a shot of the Meek Bros. running modified at Bowling Green during one of the sportsnationals.

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r...ROSPINTOBG.jpg

Here are two shots that Bill Truby took from the same races in Bowling Green.
Both are pics of Lyn Smith......

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r...abglstruby.jpg

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r...nesbgtruby.jpg

Tom Sheehan

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Thanks Tom. You guys are killin' me. It's just great seeing some of this old stuff.

As far as I know, I haven't spoken with him in years, I think Toby still has both of his old cars, the stocker and the modified. Just for a funny story, years ago I was at Toby's tire shop, buying a set of tires for the wife. One of his clerks commented, you look familar? Toby laughed, told him to go back to his office and look at the pictures on his wall, various races, class wins and such taken in their heyday, I was in a half dozen or so.


Lyn, it's nice to know that old Buick is still around.

Robert Swartz

Re: teardown photos from BG in the 70's
 

Great pictures of my GS.Started racing it in76.Still racing it in F,G today 33 years later. Those pics are from 2 different years.Probably around 78,79.One of the Meeks used to work for Rayburn the circle track chassis guy,who back then had a machine shop next to Bob Gliddens house in Ind..Rayburn also raced a hemi pro stock back in the 70's.Back then the pros raced at Div. races.He would take the hemi out of the car on sat night, and have one of his machinist work on it all night back at the shop,pick it up sunday morning and have it back in the car and racing sunday afternoon.