I first got hooked on racing over at Flamboro Speedway in the late 60's. I was 16 and had just got my drivers license, I didn't live that far from the track so I'd head over there most weekends to see Howie Scannell, Earl Ross & Bruce Van Dyke battle it out in the Late Models (back then they were running big blocks, #99 in his 426 Hemi, #13 in his 427 Rat and #08 with his 427 Ford Tunnel Port.
The Red Cap Racer's or Hobby Cars, now known as the Canadian Vintage Modifieds ran every weekend at Flamboro as well, with the likes of Harry Nicholson #14, Freddy Poets #54 and Billy Lyons #09. Back then some of those guys were still running Flat Head V8's.
Even back in those days I cheered for the Ford's 😉
Anyway from there I ventured to Cayuga, Pinecrest, & Satellite Speedway, then later Mosport & Delaware and needless to say, I've been hooked ever since!
I would say the 2 race cars that stick out in my mind the most would be Howie Scannell's #99 yellow Dodge Coronet and Harry Nicholson's #14 Model B Ford.
The race from the past that sticks out in my mind the most would come later at Cayuga when Junior Hanley & Don Biederman were like 1/2 a lap ahead of everyone else, and coming to take the checkered they got into each other, collected themselves up and still finished 1'st & 2'nd.
Biederman using the wall (or was it flex beam back then) to straighten out coming off of 4 at Flamboro, lol.
Standing in the pits at Mosport about 3 feet away from Bobby Unser at the Molson Diamond Indy.
Gary Beck in his top fuel dragster doing a burn out at Delaware during intermission.
The Mad Canadian making all those unsucessful jumps! He always seemed to crash but was always a thrill to watch.
http://www.nfb.ca/film/mad_canadian/
Oh those sights, sounds and smells from those old days at Flamboro, there was nothing like it!
The races back in the day were less bump and run because the rules were a little looser and the cars weren't so even. But, your right, when it did happen it usually planted the seed for a little action in the pits. It happens so often now that I expect it to happen and I think the driver's do too. I loved the speed and the racing back in the 70s and the last couple of years have indicated that those days are coming back. Some of the lap times last year were very impressive and there seems to be more cars running these fast laps. I think the owners upgrading the track is helping with the lap times as the all time track record was broken (shullick in the supermod 61, correct me if I'm wrong) and all of the other classes were very fast respectively. I have watched the races at this track since about 1970 and have experienced the ups and downs and feel that it is definitely on an upward swing.
Oh without question the races are on an upward swing. (I assume Falsehatchet is referring to Delaware)
I can't stress enough just how great a job these guys are doing right now. I know it makes me sound like a fanboy, but its not that simple. If you look at the history of this place, we've very rarely ever seen the kind of LM counts we're seeing now. Guys will talk about the big Super Late Model glory years in the 70s and early 80s and how great it was back then. And to be certain, those were some great years. Just bear in mind that most of those memories are of the big races, the Export A series, later the Wheelspin series etc. With the exception of maybe a couple years, maybe 79-81 or so, Delaware has NEVER enjoyed the LM car counts for regular friday night racing that we have right now. Not for Super Late, and not even later for the lower budget/higher entertainment factor CASCAR LM. But car counts aren't the only measure.
One other area we blossomed this year was fresh blood in the ranks. I'm not talking about just-fell-off-the-turnip-truck rookies either. We had guys coming out that were fairly new to Delaware, yet were well experienced in their own right, like David and Gary Elliott, Drew Spicer, Rob Clarke, Rankin (early on...sorry he didn't stick around), Stephen Matthews, Mark Watson etc. It was a huge influx and a great shot in the arm for Delaware. Couple that with the fact that all the Delaware stalwarts were in good form and showing up every week, like Robblee, Sheridan, Lindsay, Hooker, Verhoeven. The talent pool for this level of racing has never been deeper. Remember back in the "good ol days" the number of potential winners was much much smaller.
Here’s another place were shining right now, the equipment and the talent. I was doing some research for the story I wrote for the Delaware APC 300 souvenir program, and made a discovery. In 1983, the year Russ Urlin won and was then DQd, the fast time was set by, guess who, Jr Hanley at 18.92. (And remember that no one could touch this guy back then….the race would likely have been no contest except that Jr discovered a cracked block before taking the green.) This past year at the APC 300, the top 9 guys broke that, and all but 2 were Delaware regulars. The others were Brandon Watson and Kennington. These cars are going faster than they ever have before, with the possible exception of later in the mid 80s when Novotny tossed the rulebook and left it wide open.
So, ladies and gentlemen, I’m here to tell you that the “good old days” are upon us now. We’re living them. So don’t let it go to waste. Enjoy it, and do everything you can to keep these guys coming back. If you have kids, bring them down for autographs. In 20-30 years those autographs will be priceless. Keep them safe. I know. I once had a small poster that I went around and got every driver in the 82 McKerlie Millen 200 to sign, plus all the Street Stock guys too. If there was one item from my childhood that I wish I could have back, its that.
I'm so old childhood hadn't been invented yet when I was a kid.. >:(
I'm so old childhood hadn't been invented yet when I was a kid.. >:(
Well, considering that cars hadn't been invented yet either.....
😉