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Brian, Does that 1970 Nationals program have the complete time trial results posted? If so, could you please post that on here too?

Thanks,

Sid

Thanks, Brian!

Sid

David, I remember the first time that I heard the phrase "stacked bars" it was opening day 1973 at the old Tulsa track. I was watching a well known Tulsa driver that was expert at car set ups. He was helping inspect the cars for the first race of the season and I commented that the torsion bars were on top of each other and he said that this would never work because that would put the torsion arms at different angles. Several years later when I was helping Mike and Norman we were pitted next to him at Enid and I noticed that his car had stacked bars on the back. I reminded what that he had said and he just smiled and gave me the finger.

Ray

The Hutchinson natioals are this weekend and I was thinking about the first time that I went. It was 1975 the year after the fire and I was looking at my NCRA yearbook and it was held on July 27. I don't remember how Mike finished at Tulsa the previous night.I fllowed Norman back to Wichita after the Tulsa races we were running low of engines and just the 117and 71 would be running that weekend. We got into Wichita abou 4:00 AM grabed a few hours of sleep and then headed to Hutch. I was surprised when I saw the track, it was a half mile but nothing like OK City Or Tulsa. The temp was bout 105 but it felt like 115.I have my yearbook to help me with some of the results. Harold was in the 3rd heat and I rember hearing the stands yelling LEEP,LEEP,LEEP man he was popular there. He won that heat and would start in the second row behing Dale Reed and Walt. Mike made the feature in the 71 and Gene finished fourth in the B. For some reason the 6 cylinders would really hook up there, Larry Wilson won the B one year and held the record for the fastest 20 laps. Emmett started 18th and Mike started behind him. I saw the best racing that I had ever seen between Harold and Dale they would run right upss to each other but never touch. Mike was really flying and the neatest thing that I saw all ar happened in turn 3, he would go into the turn, the car would set up the left front tire would come up about a foot, you could see the knock off stop turning when he tapped the brakes. He passed Emmitt and was moving to the front and I am sure that he would have had a top ten finish if the battery hadn't gone dead, Emmett finished seventh. Harold ran out of gas and Dale won with Roy Bryant second andWalt third. That was the best race that I have ever seen.

Ray

David, with OK City, Tulsa , Hutch, Muskogee and Devils Bowl all being Half mile tracks but being very different,what kind of set up and wht gear did put in ?

Ray

To All,

I talked to Steve Scott friday night at OKC and found out that Gene Scott is Steve's father-in-law and not his dad, also found out that Gene built the square top #14 that looked like the #161 of Cox. So it was not built by Hank Malone or Les Lusk, they both built cars with square tops but not Gene's.

A few memories of my experience's at Hutch, changing the motor in Gene Jones #33 that Bobby Walker drove in '75 out in that open infield it was a hot SOB, Stone winning in the Hampton #94, mounting tires in the infield for GDYR in '78 (my first time working for Carter-Maxwell) we were mounting all those diamonds with tubes, it was Roger Leesekemp, David Maxwell & myself and as usual it was hot as shit. I blew a tube up mounting Roy Bryants RR diamond it was on an old safety racing rim had about 65# in it when it let go scared the crap out of me. MP winning in OCH'S #1 car when we had the #10 there for back-up if he needed it, Leep Sr willing his way around Stone on the last lap in turn 4 to win now that was a race, Shorty winning in '85 off the back it was a turmulis time it is my all time favorite win at Hutch and I think we both willed our way to that one, winning again in '87 with MP and the heart break of losing in '88 with Estes after we dominated until 2 laps to go and a torsion stop striped out, going back with MP in Gilliams #29 and were supposed to start on the pole and got run over on the pace laps and couldn't get it repaired in time.

Bkcr, That last question is a tough one Super, Champ Cars or Sprints I've ran them all at OKC, Hutch & Devils Bowel, only ran the supers on the big track at Tulsa. At Muskogee Supers and Champs. I can tell you this though gears might not be as differant as you think I've ran a 5.88 with a 302 & 4V on a Jalonie & Rain Tire, and have ran the same ratio with a NCRAchamp car with a injected 360 and a 16 sq ft. wing on a 102" RR and have ran a 5.88 with a 410 with a big wing and 106"RR. I don't know what the last 1 lap record was on that 1/2 mile at OKC but I remember when a 23 sec lap was fast for a super, and 18 sec was fast in a Champ car in '85 or early '86 Shorty turned some mid 17's in that Gambler with the MoTown Missle and at that time it took a good sharp 410 to run mutch faster then that.

 

Yes Jack Belk drove the car but it was before Bob Williams drove it at Ok City National in 70. Dad drove it at the Muskogee National in 69 and won it. And he won the point Chamionship that year there also. I think he was 5th in Tulsa points that year and missed 3 nights.. I spent all that winter every Sunday at Als with my Dad building that car before the 69 session. Al built won other car like it. Chick Shaddox ran it in the 69 an 70 season Green # 17..Dad never drove it again after the 69 year.

Dad only ran the car one time at OK City and they were having all kinds off trouble with the car.Dad did not get off work untill about 330pm and we didnt hit the road un till 4pm . We were in OK City at the track at 645pm about 200 miles. When he went out for the hot laps he was still putting his helmet on when the car was moving. It would not run and he pulled out of the hot laps. .He didnt finish the heat race and it was missing badly in the B feature. I know when we got back home we went to Iola Ks to help Al pull the engine..We worked on it all day and missed Tulsa that night. .We went back up there Thursday night and put a new moter Al had in it and he won Friday at Muskogge.They never got the chance to go back because dad was leading the point in Muskogge. They missed a Point race at Muskogge to go run at OK City and they had all that trouble...

All them years around Al i only seen his engines have trouble and not run right only 2 times. . Once at OK City and once in Muskogge it was Cam shaft troulble or in that area.at Ok City.. I only seen one of Als engines blow and it was in Topeka in 1963. Dad just won the Belleville Fair and Al was worried about the engine because of how hard Belleville was on engines. And it let go the next friday in Topeka.. Dad and Al broke alot of Axles in the early 60s other than that his cars was alway ready to race and always finished..

Ok City was to far to drive every week or they would have ran there. Al had to pull the car over 100 miles to Tulsa and Muskogge every week.

And we lived 100 Miles from Al.in Iola. It was over 200 miles to Ok City for Al..Al had his garage there at his house and didnt like to turn prople away to go race.He was one heck of a good shade tree Mechanic as he calls himself. I talked to him on the phone earlyer today he turned 97 July 7th. We was going out to eat with his girl friend. 97 and he still got it. Aint that somthing. Tim

Win as if you are use to it.And lose as if you enjoyed 
it for a change.Its hard to get to the top and alot 
harder to stay there.

I do remember a #711 but i dont know if it was from this area, or around Al or not . but the one that Jerry Everhart drove was simaliar but i dont know much about that car.or not sure where it came from.. I never looked at that car much.. There were some other cars Al helped on i may have to asked him. I wasnt around Al much in 67, 68 or 70 . Dad was driving for other people then.But i do know Al was involed or helped build some other cars around that time..

Bud Hatch from Yates center lived close to Al Weiland he had one that was Orange #87 ,Al helped him build it.. Bud won some Features in Topeka with it in 68 or 69. And i think he ran it in Tulsa some also. There was a blue one that was from Joplin that Rex Hill drove i think it was #151 and i think it was the same car that Al helped build for Bud. that was the Orange # 87. Rex ran 6th in the Muskogge Nationals .in 69.with that car. My dad helped them with the set up on that car. Bud Hatch and Rex Hill were very close friends and Bud told me he sold that car to someone in Joplin but i dont remember who owned it. I will have to get the scrap books out to refresh my mind on that one.

And Johnnie Ward had one that was # 84 he ran at Tulsa and Muskogge in 69.But this car was built in Joplin by John Ward..There were not many Supers biult in Joplin. Chick Shaddox from Jane Mo south of Joplin had one Al biult for him in the Winter before the 68 year. He ran it at Tulsa and Muskogge in 68 and 69. Joplin only ran Supers in 68 and 69 and they were gone in early 70 and this area went to full bodys. I will have to do a little reshearch to see what other Supers Al was involved with and what other ones were built around Joplin.

The only drivers from Joplin that stayed with the Supers when they quit in Joplin were My Dad Jack Belk and Chick Shaddox.from 70 on Joplin went to Finders. Untill the IMCA mods came around about 10 years later.

Win as if you are use to it.And lose as if you enjoyed 
it for a change.Its hard to get to the top and alot 
harder to stay there.

I am pretty sure that the 711 was a Tulsa car. Jerry Everhart drove it and a Tulsa driver, Jerry Holm drove it. Tim I am looking for a program that I have with a picture of your father driveng the 88, the ex Nance car. I will post it as soon as I find It. That car sure looked better the way that it was painted as the 88 than as the Nance house car. I remember back in 1970 that car and Frankie's 55 had the wood back bumpers.

Ray

The Johnson ownered that car. There son David and the to Grandkids Gil and Chad.still have that bumper off that car. I asked him and he said he still has the Bumper.Next time i go down i will check it out.They also said they still have the engine out of that car from 1971. I remember Frankie having a wood bumper also,i sure did like that 55 car and Frankie.

I ran 305 Sprints with the Johnson boys a few years back. They live just south of Joplin..We have stayed good friends all these years.

They have the blue #37 car that Roy Bryant won Wichita with in 1975. Al Weiland put that car together for Roy. Al told me Roy came over with it, and it was a big pile in his garage,but he said that was the best car parts wise that he had ever seen at that time.It was a Nance kit all top dollar stuff at that time..He said it had all the lighted parts and he really enjoyed putting it togehter because he didint have to build anything. He said it was all there just puter toghter . He was real happy that Roy won at 81 Speedway that year.

The car needs alot of work but they will get it rolling one of these days hopefully. Thay had the #8 Issac trucking car that Herb Copeland ran in 69, but they sold it to someone in Texas a few months back. They had it rejiged and did alot of work to make it a rolling chassie. They build Edmonds Bodys there also...The Bodys they build fit alot better than the onces you get at Speedway Motors.

One of these days i will figure out how to put some picture on here .i got alot of stuff like Brian does,sure do enjoy the pics and clippings he put on here. Tim

Win as if you are use to it.And lose as if you enjoyed 
it for a change.Its hard to get to the top and alot 
harder to stay there.

Thanks Tim.

David---I sure wish you'd really get into the idea of cloning the 13/76 car, you'd be the guy for the job! That car means a lot to guys my age.

I just got back from Arkansas again today, just catching up.

from 1981 to most of 1983 i built the engines that jerry stone ran.i was in that shop most ever week.i know what went on.never seen a russell baker engine.nobody was useing shavers till after i left.won the ncra,tulsa championship,and okc championship with my engines.we were very fast.i never got a lot of credit for what i did for stone and ofixco.there is a lot i could tell,but i do not thank anyone would want to here about it.you talk about getting even.i built a engine for tom mecer in 85. won 3 in a row at okc. stan c. drove most of the time.pete frazier blowed his shaver trying to catch stan one nite at okc.

ROLAN NIX

Rolan,

Good to see your still kicking!!! Thanks for posting on here, your one of the guys I'm talking about who finally wore Offixco down, I agree you didn't get alot of the credit on your motor's, but if you noticed I did post your name, I knew Stone ran the Shaver's in mid 80's before moving to sprints. I believe Pete had a Baker motor about the same time. I remember in '85 those 3 A-FEA. your talking about that engine was a ROCKET!!!

I saw Tom last Friday night at OKC he was looking good, have you heard anything from Stan??

Keep posting on here I'm sure you have some good stories about the Offixco days!!!!!!!!

Yes Mr. Nix, I'm sure a lot of people want to hear from you!

You guys need to lighten up on Ofixco and Carbone! I haven't been on here in awhile so I haven't been keepin up with all the stories. I was very fortunate to drive for that team from 1981 thru 1986 with Steve's engines. I also drove several sprint cars with his motors.We won our share of races and I will always be thankful to Steve and Loyd for giving me that opportunity. Man, I never knew there were so many bad feelings about those days. I can tell you this, I spent as many hours as anybody in that dyno room probably more than anybody around that shop. We had motors that looked bad fast on there that didn't run well on the track then we had some with average numbers that were my favorite. What I learned from all that was that I really didn't know how to drive. Shane, Mike Peters, Ronnie Shuman, and a few others with sprint car experience would school us on how to get the most out of our cars and motors. Especially the places where you needed to keep your momentum and not scrub speed. Ol Steve was a competitor but I have a hard time believin he would intentionally put bad motors out there with his name on the valve cover. I guarantee you sometimes the motor, chassis, driver, mechanic combinations just don't work. I remember in 1983 as rookie in champ cars winning a bunch of races with one of the first 100" J&J cars and it didn't matter which motor we plugged in. The next year we switched to Carol Nance's stuff, monkey see monkey do, everybody else was fast with em but we couldn't hit our butts.The best dynos were the big 1/2 mile at OKC and Knoxville. I gave Steve more feedback from those two places than anywhere because you could give a motor a chance to run. I was proud of that orange team and was very lucky to be a part of it but I didn't remember so many bad feelins toward us. Oh well it makes for some good stories and gives all of old guys somethin to do. Started my sign deal again and I'm goin to print some shirts for all of us to wear when we get on this site that says... " The older I get, the faster I was!"

Tony

TA,

Lighten up? Hell if we did that it wouldn't be having as much fun!!! You know I never had any problems with you or your crew, you guys were my favorites of that Offixco group. Steve as I've said could build a good engine and we did alot of business with him even though he didn't have to sell to us. The rivalery's back then is what made it a challenge, we could beat hell out of one another and go home and work all week to figure out how to go faster and come back the next week and beat each other up again. I wouldn't change those times for nothing and there isn't one of those guys I really didn't care about one way or the other!!You would laugh at Jerry Stone and Barry Grabel, the 3 of us would yell and scream at one another back in those days and Steve God Rest his Soul would be right in there with us, I don't know how many times we tangled back at the Big Tulsa track and it just carried on for years after but in my eyes Offixco was the Team to beat followed closely by Nance. At the last legends luncheon Stone came up and asked Shorty if he still needed a body guard after all these years, I answered yep and gave old Jerry a big ole bear hug, he was always a big teddy bear!!!!

Rolan,

Hope you enjoy this site, it was started almost a year ago by JD Porter and has blossemed out into a book, when you can check-in and tell us a few stories, we would enjoy them!!

Tim.

Thanks for the info on Al Weiland and his drivers, I still think your dad won a weekly A-FEA. at OKC in Al's car but maybe it was Bob, we all know Bob won the Nationals at OKC. Did Jack ever drive at Hutch during the Nationals?