Found this one of Ed Strada....photographer unknown....
More pictures of guys in and from the Southern Tier...
First one is Brett Bodine in the Thomas Brothers Country Ham BGN car @ Martinsville
Al Wilcox at Shangri-La. "Uncle" Al owns Trackside Products in Binghamton and is co-promoter @ Penn Can
The pits at Five Mile Point..I have no ID's on the cars..maybe someone could help with that.
found this today...Those were the days!
5 mile pits 184.harry benjamin 23.bob payne 76.don hakes 104.skipper peake
I'm at work and someone tells me Rick Coyles in the building. It didn't click but then my bud fills in the blanks. Rick is Vern Coyles son. Vern was a very accomplished driver in the fifties. Rick currently drives a modified atr Shangri-La II but he also drove a super-modified for Ernie June back in the early ninties.
He let me borrow this picture. This is Rick with Ernie's famous #59 at Flemington in 1993. This was the first race run on the newly paved track (dirt lovers..unclench your teeth!). According to Rick the car didn't look like this very long as a torsion bar broke with catastrophic results...the car was wreaked badly and Rick was banged up and burned. The car is currently "hanging" with Bobby June
Great photo Bob! Thanks so much to you and Rick.
Got my scanner working again so I've got a few blasts from the past to post up. First one is Cal Lane coming in off the track at Chemung Speedrome. This photo was shot by one of my family members. Probably by my cousin or my brother around 1966. What I like about it is the rich scene of pit activity and the way it shows how the track was laid out in relationship to the pits. The guy at the right with the fire extingusher has on a really crazy vest. I'll put the cropped version up next so you can get a better look at Cal and his machine.
Here's the cropped version, somewhat blurry but priceless.
I really like this next one. It's blurry so you can make out the cars but it shows a typical family scene on the side hill off turn four at the Speedrome. That's probably my Mom and my two sisters on the blanket & I might be in my Mom's lap. Notice the backstretch pit side pole barn viewing area. The strairs took you right up on the roof and I got to go up there right before the place closed down and man that had to be a rush when those cars went flying by! Black and White and blurry but this picture says a lot!
Here's another one off turn four only this time the "Moderns" are racing on Saturday at the Drome circa 1966. Photo by Welty.
Last two tonight. Mert Belknapp in the 66X takes a modern stock win. If you look closely in the cropped version of the photo you can see he lost most of his right rear fender to do it! Taken by a Welty family member form the grandstand seating. DALE