Forum: Racing From The Past (go)
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Man you had to love the 6 cylinder modifieds in the 60-70 era. Usually about 80 of these guys raced on the 1/4 mile every Friday. Nuthin between their pit area & the 1/2 mile but air. The quarter mile had a guard rail thru 1-2, the back straight, 3-4, & a chain link fence behind that. Got away with that for years with no major incidents. The action was RIGHT there in front of you, during the Nationals, started 33 cars on that track!! Lots of action. I miss the 1/4 mile track!

In the early 70's, NCRA even had a modified division for a couple of years. Course in the 80's they went to the V-6 engines & priced themselves out of existence.

Remember 1966, Jimmy Whitson driving a 57' Chev, started barrell-rolling down the back straight, rolled 8 or 9 times & ended up piled on the turn 3 guard-rail. Any body know what happened to Ronnie Ake?

By June of 1971, 105 different drivers had earned points in that division!

Yep, thats me, im driving a truck now and doin good, im glad i found this forum, i like talkin old racin, check out www.myspace.com/jandkbruner i got some racin pics on there, and ill be adding more when i get them scanned. i also think i know where some old cars are at east of Lawton. Also on that my space page is some pics of my fishin trip with Stan Constant, hes a fishin guide at texhoma now.

East of Lawton Huh?

6 bangers are now considered cool again. I got to drive one of the last ones, and it was probably made in this era! The stuff in that car would turn a shiny nickel these days-Schroeder power assist, powerglide with enclosed driveline, Mopar front axle complete with knockoffs, and a very decent 6 cylinder to push it all. Seems to me like the driver was green.

I am the guy that bought some stuff from your Dad, I would be interested in talking to you about those cars east of Lawton. My E-Mail is [email protected] Thanks

Jerry , I hear they do grow up fast, I just wondered if you had been out to watch any races, I hear what your saying, you go and then it all comes back, be the same for me if I was to quit it and then try it again down the road, guess that is why I am to afraid to quit and have to try to stay away I guess, You sure have not missed anything especially at Lawton , still the same ol stuff from what I have seen , had not ran at Lawton since May of 07 and ran there last month and I believe bent every nerf bar and bumper on the car and dinged up at least 2 wheels, have not tore up that much stuff in all the time between running OKC , Meeker , and some OCRS shows , but I guess that is how it goes.

I would bet there are more old 100" Super Frames and pieces around Lawton than you would think, seems like guys like your dad and others that raced back then , just did not get rid of stuff from back then, heck I remember driving by Bill Cates house west of Lawton and seeing his old Super Frame out there behind his house for a long time as well as the Avant Bros. , I don't know for sure but last time I talked to Johnnie Stinnet , he told me that they still had all there stuff from the Champ Dirt Car days stored up in a barn by Grandfield.

I remember running up 281 north of Lawton between H.E. Bailey TP and Apache. On the east side of the road somewhere up there is somekind of old frame along with some stock cars and stuff. It was about 4 years ago. You can see alot from the cab of the truck, cars and junk yards you would never see from a car.

The guy that owns the wrecker service in Joplin I guess has went around buying up tons of old race cars in the Oklahoma area. I drive by his shop alot and it's hard to not stop at the Flying J and walk up there and see what he has.

Posted from Jackson, MO

Warren Vincent
Cans 4 Kansas Heroes

I'm just glad I got what I wanted before it was all gone around here.

Jim, Remember when there were so many modifieds that they just took so many by points and the rest had to run consy's until they made enough points to make the break.

Old modified drivers off the top of my head: Billy Patton Sr&Jr, Roy Patton, Mike Kupeker,Bill Parker, Don Sherrill, Russ Hill, CH Cave, Ronnie Brotherton, Jerry Parvin, Perry Bodine, Glen Hunter, George Turk, Les Sample, George McAlister, Carol Lister, KL Miller, Troy Matchen, the 3 guys pictured above, Larry Wilson, Danny Shouse, Jim Bean, Mike Allison, Glen Owens, Charlie Kammerzell,Don Engel, Larry Beckman, Ray Barrow, the list can go on & on.

Also to be included in the list above and part of the NCRA mods and the only 2-Time NCRA Modified Champion, Jerry Havill #6, Jerry is still very active in the racing world as he is a tire mark-up specialist for Goodyear and marks up the Nationwide & Cup tires at the Nascar Races. Occasionly you'll see him in the pits at OKC.

Don't know what happened to Ronnie Ake I know Charles Jarvis bought the #101 car in pic above and drove it for awhile.

You guys get together on a time to meet I'm done for year racing, like to sit down and talk!!!!

I'm in, and I will even try to shut up and listen!

Interesting- pokeyokie on here has informed me that Merle Bettenhausen drove at Lawton for Clinton Herring(?) when he was stationed at Ft. Sill in the late 60's. The car was a #41 yellow coupe.

If I'm not mistaken, Larry Rices first USAC race was in a midget at Lawton as well in '68. Quite a few names have snuck through there under the radar.

For a time, Pat Patterson not only drove an Edmunds bodied car, IT WAS AN EDMUNDS! Tag on the dash and everything. Edmunds only built around 35, mostly 90 inch wb, which makes that car very rare. Wish someone would find that one if it is still with us. There were at least 3 more in NCRA territory.

Garland Newsom was the racer who was killed in the '79 tornado. At the time Garland had cancer really bad, little time left to live. So when the twister was coming through, he was working on the race car, one thing he loved doing, and I guess he put his fate in God's hands.

Another racer from the day told me that JL Nash was killed accidently(officially) in that Lawton nightclub. He was walking in when the guy being shot at was running out. JL took the bullet.

David , Been to Cowtown this past weekend and done for the year to, be a great deal to get together bring some pics and talk.

Lets decide on a time & a place, better probably on the week-end, I'm in!

I agree on a Friday or Saturday night , I might be wrong but I would bet this get together would last a while. Any ideas on a place ?, maybe that had a side room to get a bite of food and talk and the place would not mind it . OKC,Midwest City, Mustang,Norman, not real sure what would be the best for the majority?

I would have questions to ask that is for sure about stuff I often wondered about and why it went the way it did and how it all worked back then, from just racin to tunin on the cars back then, I would expect to be enlightened by this get together.

I'll throw out the first suggestion for a place Round Up Pizza on 29th in MWC , eat there often ,Buffet Style and it's cheap and good, they got Pizza, Chk. Mojo Potatoes, Salad, and they have a side room in the back of the place , could check on it and see if they charge or could just reserve a table or 2 for us on the night we plan it, but hey I am open to anyplace, just my suggestion.

WARNING- DO NOT USE THE BREAKFAST BUFFET AT THE PILOT ON EASTERN.......Let's just say that if there were a qualification procedure for which food could go through you the quickest, they would set fast time.

Pizza & a cold beer just goes with racin stories. All we need is a date! Count me in & let me know what to bring & I'll be there.

Dec. issue of Flat-Out. Have you guys seen it? Just maybe Bob Mays is sneakin a peek, his column this month was on the Hutch race, 1983' Stone vs. Leep. Leep won. Really good stuff, ya gotta see it.

Picture today is Wallace Collins from 1971. wallace was just another local guy who wanted to race & put on a show. Yellow # 40.

Also, the bad news that Darrell Wooley passed, we're losin all our older guys. We gotta keep OKC area racing history alive boys.

Got a story about Wallace Collins.

We had a set of his 6 banger headers, still do. For years around here it was known that when you went and got a set from Wallace, he'd ask what cam ,gear, etc. you were running. When he got through, you walked out the door confident that you had THE SET of headers for your racecar!

Years later my Dad met his son at an ONG function. He mentioned what he knew about Wallace, and asked if he really knew all that information well enough to tailor a set of headers. To wit the reply was-"No, he was probably using that to find out what everybody else was running"!

They are good headers, will have them as long as my Uncle doesn't come looking for them.

Mike Monotoby let me post this,

Mike done models of a couple of my sprints cars, pretty cool stuff. Do any of you guys remember a video tape that was selling of Harold Leeps racing career, i bought one about 12 yrs ago, dont know what happend to it, sure would like to see it again.