Post by kiev4a on Apr 12, 2006 21:57:52 GMT -5
Thought you might be interested in the photos below. The first photo was shot about 1951 of my uncle racing on a local dirt track. My dad shot it with a speed Graphic with focal plane shutter, hence the "leaning wheels."
The second shot, made I think by a commercial photographer, is of my cousin (nephew of the first driver) in 1966 when he won the Western States Championship for modified hardtops--a big deal in those days.
For you who are into that sort of thing, the first car is a 1936 Ford powered by a flathead V8--pretty much stock. The 1966 car was built by my cousin and powered by one of the first Chevy 250 cubic inch six with a head from a 235 cubih inch six which gave it unbelievable compression. On the 1/4-mile track where the racing was held, the six-cylinder would walk away from higher-powered V8s on the short straights and the also run on the outside of the corners which had almost no banking. After my cousin won the championship with a six, the racing committee put more bank on the corners to take away part of his advantage. Later the track dropped the modified hardtop races in favor of "jalopies" (more thrills and crashes). The car shown here still holds the fastest time lap for the track-- hasn't been broken in 40 years!
The second shot, made I think by a commercial photographer, is of my cousin (nephew of the first driver) in 1966 when he won the Western States Championship for modified hardtops--a big deal in those days.
For you who are into that sort of thing, the first car is a 1936 Ford powered by a flathead V8--pretty much stock. The 1966 car was built by my cousin and powered by one of the first Chevy 250 cubic inch six with a head from a 235 cubih inch six which gave it unbelievable compression. On the 1/4-mile track where the racing was held, the six-cylinder would walk away from higher-powered V8s on the short straights and the also run on the outside of the corners which had almost no banking. After my cousin won the championship with a six, the racing committee put more bank on the corners to take away part of his advantage. Later the track dropped the modified hardtop races in favor of "jalopies" (more thrills and crashes). The car shown here still holds the fastest time lap for the track-- hasn't been broken in 40 years!