Forum: Racing From The Past (go)
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Brian,

This is Benny & The Old Man, if I remember right these trophy's were for Fast Time at OKC in '73 or '74 they were given by Parr Automotive. Unfortunately this is one of the ones that Pat had us throw away when we moved to the new shop.

JD,

Yes, the photo of Ken Hailey was one that I gave to Brian. Maybe you can help me out. Do you remember the lion that was the junk yard dog at D & R Auto Salvage? Do you remember his name? Hope to make it Saturday.

Mike

For the record, JUST about everything I post in pics these days comes from Mikes Collection. Of course Mike has been collecting pictures for 40+ years and there have been quite a few contributors as well as his own pictures in his collection. I'm glad he kept them all.

On Oklahoma tidbits Paul Peirce stated his name was "Milo". There is a small town close to here by the name Milo, wonder if there is a connection? For years there was a rumor over there that a resident put a lot of time into being stuntman on a lot of Tarzan movies back when they were hot sellers. Souvineer he couldn't feed maybe? It's a stretch at best, I know.

Thanks Brian,

Hope to be able to come Saturday and see you again. That lion's name was one item I needed to help with my notes on the racing history in Lawton. Who owned that narrow body car we saw at the reunion?

Mike

John Chadwell. It's the old 1380 AJ Little car. I wanted to get and may still someday, a picture of it beside my old coupe as they were both in that picture you gave me of my pops from the late 60's.

I ask my dad last night about that lions name and he said Milo sounded familiar to him and he was sure about it being on McKinley St. in a cage, was quite the novelty back then , he worked for Tompkins Auto Salvage on 2nd St. he was driving a wrecker back in the mid 60's as well as put in Auto Glass to for them and he knew a lot of the workers back then, was quite a lot of characters in the Salvage business according to him back then like Richard Gillam.

Mike hope to see you Sat.

That is Shane Carson and his helper just behind the front end. What was his helpers name? I just new him as "the Kid". Shane even had that on his car, Pit Crew "The Kid"

Ray

Warren, Thanks, I am still saving a glass from the 1975 Tulsa banquet for you. Call me when you are in the Tulsa area at 664-9172 and I will bring it to you.

In early March 1977 threre were sprint races at OK City on friday night and Tulsa on Saterday night and Sunday afternoon. Mike was driving forshes car at these races and we made plans for him, Debbie and Ojar to stay with us while they were in Tulsa. Mike had a wreck in the Sat. night races and the car would not be ready for the Sunday show, so he and I just walked around the pits. The Track was very dry and Dusty with a south wind. The pits were in the north end so we were in a dust storm all day. Rick Ferkel won the Feature. We stopped in one cars pit and Mike said that guy is a real good driver, I asked Mike what is his name and he answered "Sammy Swindell"

Ray

FAIR WARNING!!!!!! Jerry Schwartz will be there sat.( ha!.ha!) I hope ya'll have a good time!

I was just going through a stack of programs last night from Lawton , OKC, Tulsa , Amarillo , Wichita , Hutch, Tri State, Enid, Devils Bowl , Ada-Echo from th e 70's and 80's and was at it for about 4 hrs. and still not halfway through the stack of programs, have not looked at some of them in 20 yrs. and I seen a pic of Mr. Jerry Schwartz #22 I think in 1983 OKC program and a whole bunch of others , quite a deal, even seen Dick Shelton from Ada,OK. in a 6 cyl. Modified #99 known as the "Widow Maker" car from 1973 in about 7 pics in and out of the car and he looks a whole lot like his boy Blake Shelton the country music star, Pretty cool deal and even found a pic of David Grace with timing light in hand and a zip tie between his teeth with Bill Beaman standing beside him beside the 97 car and seen a pic of a young Jim Messmer in a pic of track officials for Fairgrounds Speedway in an 82 or 83 program and shots of Tony Armstrong in and out of the car in some OKC programs, just to name a few who post on here and many other names and faces that are still in the sport or have gotten out of it.

One pic was a former driver who was quite the Hollywood showman , Jett Starr with the BIG Hair and all in the pit area at OKC.

JD,

What is the exact address of Pizza Roundup? From your Lawton programs do you have one from probably 1974, 1975 or 1976 on a profile that Shelia Samples wrote on Wayne Cox, I know she did one ,but I lost my copy.

Mike

Mike, Round Up Pizza address is 5004 S.E. 29th St. in Del City and yes I believe I seen that Program last night from one of those years on Wayne Cox I am almost sure and will try to look again tonight and make sure and bring that one for you to look at , She wrote another one on Jerry Douglas of his retirement and that was pretty neat story, I kind of read it last night while going through them, Sheila also was the Scorer for the track to along with a guy Don ?, cannot remember his last name , He use to work for Lawton Constitution as the Sports Editor and then got into some trouble and had to leave Lawton and last I heard he was working in McAlister and then got into some trouble there as well , anyway Sheila Samples sure did a lot back then for Lawton Speedway, Heck I think she even did some announcing as well and did'nt she work for a local radio station as well?

You mean KWSO? or was it KSWO?

Brian , It is KSWO which still around with both Radio and T.V.

I thought Sheila might have worked for KCCO am 1050 back then , I don't think KLAW 101 was in exsistence yet , but not for sure on that.

KLAW!

You're right. I had a big crush on that voice of hers. Had a crush on a couple of girls at KSWO too........hmmmmmmmmm, pattern?

In another Lawton program from the mid 70's they have Ken McKay from KSWO radio then at the time interviewing Harold Leep during a Sunday NCRA show at Lawton , got a pic in the program with Ken in the old style travel trailer that KSWO use to have interviewing Leep, Ken was the track announcer then , not sure how long he was there but him and another guy (whose name escapes me) would announce the Sat. races as what they use to bill in the Paper as the 18 BIG Races every Sat. night at the Lawton Speedway , Ya know what is funny to see all the names in Points standing and all that but also some of the sponsors that use to buy spots in the program and heck some of them are still around Lawton and in business , Pawn Shops Etc. and some of the prizes they gave away then as well were pretty interesting.

Tell you another thing I noticed from programs back then mainly OKC , Lawton which is what I have the most of and some Tulsa programs is the results and even the schedules of other tracks in the programs , what a novel idea of tracks working together and posting results from other tracks and promoting other tracks, Heck I even got some old 81/2 X 11 Flyers for Shane WoO shows in the 80's and Fairgrouds Speedway Specials that Larry Hill handed out in each program, things just sure were alot different back then. Been really a lot of fun just taking time to sit down and go through all the old Pics and Programs which now makes me really glad I kept them , some are in not so good shape but I guess with some of them being nearly 30 yrs. old and having so many of them it was tough to keep them all in top of the line shape.

JD,

Thanks for the address, The guy you are talking about is Don Luke and he did work for the Lawton Constitution. He and Clinton Herring stopped by our house one day, Clinton needed something from my dad and Don Luke saw me working on my models and asked dad if he could come back and do an article on me and my hobby. That was 1962. Steve Young was my favorite driver from Wichita Falls at that time, this was when they were running the 1937 Chevy coupes atWichita Falls and Lawton. I still have that article and Steve Young told me at our reunion in Wichita Falls said he still has the article too. I had him sign my article and got our pitcure took together. (PRICELESS!" I would like to copy that article on Wayne Cox. Some memories never die.

Mike

Mike, That is it Don Luke, If I remember he did articles weekly during the season for the Constitution as well as put together that pre season insert paper for the track back in the 70's and had all the car dealers in Lawton buy spots in it and had artilces on A.J. Little , J.L.Nash and Charles Yarbrough , Billy Brown, Ken Sweet when he was from Lawton and if I remember they would do a few on OKC guys that ran at Lawton as well, Charley Wade Olds , Clinton Herring Lincoln-Mercury , Cecil Lawson Buick-Cadillac , Eddie Cordes Dodge, Phillips-Aubrey Chevy all ran there Spring line of trucks and cars in the insert , wish I still had those laying around, going to look through some more drawers tonight and check that out and see if any might have survived.

Mike , I will get that program with that article and run a copy off of it for you and bring it to you Sat. if you can make it , if not I get to Lawton most every week and I can get your ph # through Brian and meet you and get it to you that way. Let me know .

Do you remember that our local radio station KSWO used to broadcast live the first thirty minutes of the Saturday night races at Lawton Speedway. Usually the broadcast covered the heat races for the supers. They did a very good job considering it was a live show allowing time for spinouts flips or whatever. Lawton had some great media coverage during the early 70's to the late 70's. We don't see that kind of promotion going on anymore.

Mike