Forum: Oklahomatidbits.com General Forum (go)
Moderators:  /  David Smith Jr

Can any one state the reason that racing at Fairgrounds Speedway was held on Tuesday nights during the 1975 season.

Mike

I believe the ORA got cross ways with Bud and sanctioned their own races. ORA theatened to ban any driver that raced MarCar. Bud countered with late models since few open wheelers would cross over.

Kinda hard to believe given the love affair everyone (including me) had with Bud in his later years, but in fact there was a time when Bud was just as evil as all the other promoters that get bashed.

Anybody else remember it differently?

HM

I remember there was a major falling out between the two groups (ORA & MarCar). I was working nights back then and had to leave to go to work a couple of times because the programs ran alittle long. Here were the top 10 in each division in 1975.

Super Modifieds

1. Larry Holman 2. David Brotherton 3.Bobby Walker 4. D.E. Suggs 5. Terry Doss 6. Mike Allison 7. Eugene Hair 8. Evard Humphrey 9. Bill Levesey 10. Benny Taylor

Modifieds

1. Larry Wilson 2. Danny Daniels 3. Jerry Havill 4. Troy Matchen 5. Ken Hailey 6. Darrell Jennings 7. Paul Ott 8. Glen Owens 9. Jerry Schwartz 10. Bruce Moss

Can you believe it was about money? Unbelievable, I know. One side of the story runs that certain racers kept pushing for rules that made the cars more and more expensive, and Bud couldn't pay the purses they thought they needed to support the cars. They thought the racers would be better off promoting their own shows, so they did. Larry Hill eventually came in to take over the promotion. Didn't Bud run the full bodies on Sunday afternoons for a while? Anyway, there are a lot of people who can give the "full" version, but it wasn't anything that hasn't happened everywhere at one time or another. "One a them racin' deals" I reckon.

I know this-

After '75, the financial loss on being competitive got even greater. As the race cars got more 'elitist', the crowds dropped.

Jalopies replaced the midgets for the same reasons.

Hopefully Shane will get on here and post on this as well. Was told that last ORA meeting where everybody and there dog was at, right before the official closing of the track, that Shane was in attendance and that was the first time he had been to an ORA meeting since drivers picketted the speedway.

David Smith Jr.
www.oklahomatidbits.com

Got any points standings from back then of Street Stocks or Late Models ??

Here is a pic of the third place car. This was my dads car.

What year did they start running Streets Stocks & Late Models, I thought it was after the '75' season?

I really like this picture!!

Man, I can't remember plus I was only 9 or 10 at the time back then.

The only thing I remember for sure was I couldn't understand why Danny Daniels didn't race in the INDY 500 on TV......

David,

This was quite a car as you know.For the ones that don't know this was Walkers 1st Space Frame parallell front cross rear 4-bar it had more inovations 2nd car that I ever saw with an inboard brake and it had roller bearing plate sway bars. The guy standing there in those converse shoes could drive her too. I won't get into Mar-Car and ORA issues at that time it wasn't good for either party. Yes Shane was at that ORA meeting and it was the 1st one he had been too since the split up with Mar-Car. Other neat things in this pic Bob Cody in the #43 Parson Chassis, Edd Riggle in the Orange #16 old style Nance Chassis & right off Bobby's butt James Skinner's #65 blue & white Walker spring front chassis. Even with the split-up racing was still alot of fun in those days and the people who post or read on this great site who were not born yet or to young to remember really in your wildest dreams don't realize what you missed out on!!!!!!!!!!

Oh and Danny Daniels he might have surprised you if he ever had a chance to run Indy he was one of the smoothest slick track driver's that I ever watched and he was one of the few drivers who ran both brake and throttle on the same side so he could heel and toe, he was an innovator in his own right right along with Gil Lambert who he drove for and they were diffently one of the top teams.

Can't argue with you there.

And yes, once you've had a taste of the old days of the supers, everything else comes up missing something. I firmly beleive true racing fans still go today to watch when they can. But the jalopies, and then the supermods brought in many people that might have never cared for dirt track racing at all. Those extra butts in the seats brought intensity, money, and constituency power to any local govt. officials.