Photo of the Day

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#3907 - It's so curious that in the 1960s unique types of race cars developed in certain parts of the country, only to die off when common configurations became more standard across the country. The "skeeters" in Georgia, South Carolina, and into Florida and Alabama were certainly noteworthy, as were the "Cutdowns," the forebears of the New England Super Modifieds in the Merrimack Valley of New England. But perhaps of all of them, the most colorful were the "Milwaukee Modifieds." The racy, short-wheelbased designs brought enthusiastic crowds to tracks like Hale's Corners, Cedarburg, Slinger, Beaver Dam, and State Fair Park between 1959 and the mid-1970s. Clever promoters added distinct local color by encouraging lead drivers to have nicknames such as Miles "The Mouse" Melius. (Bradley Poulsen Collection)

#3906 - In 1959 Wendell Scott eked out the Virginia State Sportsman championship, overcoming monstrous odds. That's Donnie Drummond sitting with him on the hood. Donnie's dad, Buck, traveled with Wendell to "protect him from fights." Photo from HARD DRIVING, The Wendell Scott Story, by Brian Donovan. (Scott Family Photo)

#3905 - "In 1970 Tiny Lund picked up a Grand American Pepsi-Cola sponsorship, got a new Camaro, had a new crew chief by the name of Ronnie Hopkins, which all teamed up to set records unapproachable for, perhaps, the next hundred years. Lund peeled off 10 consecutive wins, tying Richard Petty's all-time mark established in 1967, the year he won 27 GN races." From UNDENIABLY UNWANTED: Grand Touring and GN East 1968-1973, by Greg Fielden. (Ray Masser Photo)

#3904 - The little quarter-mile in Shiocton, Wisconsin, was certainly informal, but also, apparently, quite a lively place. It presented stock cars on Sunday afternoons from 1960 through 1973. A frequent added attraction was a contest to determine who could author the most remarkable flip down a special embankment. The winner was awarded a case of beer to soothe any bruises. (Bradley Poulsen Collection)

#3903 - "The 150-mile Midget race on the mile in Oakland, California, in 1937 ended up in a scoring mix-up which saw Peewee Distarce flagged as the winner. A few days later a re-check of the scoring tape revealed that Fred Friday actually won the race. Gordon Cleveland had blown a tire and crashed over the bank in the first turn. Some spectators eluded guards and were looking at Cleveland's wrecked car when Sam Hanks also blew a tire and went through the hole in the fence made by Cleveland. The spectators scattered but Hanks' car struck a 16-year-old boy, killing him instantly and injuring Hanks. As Distarce was driving home, he struck a drunken farm hand who had staggered out on the highway. The drunk was killed but Peewee wasn't held. A bad end to a bad weekend." Quote and Photo from THE MIGHTY MIDGETS, by Jack C. Fox (Fox Collection)

#3902 - It was a UMP Modified race on the Springfield Mile in August 2012. Kenny Wallace was on his way to a third-place finish after a spirited duel with his buddy Ken Schrader. Still very much at it today, these guys define 'real racer.' (Mike Feltenberger Photo)

#3901 - On July 9, 1972, driver Bill Utz took some exception to the quality of flagging at a Sprint Car race on the Du Quoin mile. After several restarts, "including one in which Utz ran over another car's tire and was done for the day, Utz ascended the flag stand and made his displeasure known. The combatants avoided falling off the stand, but reportedly the flagman had a shiner to wear the following week." From MORE FAST MEMORIES: Springfield Speedway 1970s -1980s, by Terry Young and Joyce Standridge. (Young and Standridge Collections)

#3900 - Some years ago, when race tracks were beginning to consider barriers, the ARCA Racing Series came up with the idea of installing hay bales in the turns on the Du Quoin mile before the running of the annual Southern Illinois 100. They didn't turn out exactly as planned. Rich Hayes found them to be a launching pad. He landed on all fours outside the track where he watched the rest of the race. (Photo and caption by Don Figler)

#3899 - The Falconis of Southboro, Massachusetts, are one of New England's most respected racing families. They are known for keeping Westboro Speedway in operation for three decades and fielding red #10 cars since the days of the jalopies. Their winners have been Billy Tibbert, Joe Ross, Fred Borden, Joe Cast, Reino Tulonen, Fats Caruso, Lew Boyd, John Falconi II and John Falconi III. Just last month Jamie Falconi wheeled this Fred Borden replica car to victory lane at New Hampshire's Star Speedway. That brings their family tradition to eight decades. (Falconi Collection)

#3898 - A classic ISMA duel in 1996 in the morning fog at Daytona. From ISMA 1990-1996, by Mark and Martin Raffauf. (Brian Cleary Photo)

#3897 The late John Andretti: “Going to the semifinals in my very first NHRA Top Fuel race in the Taco Bell Express! I loved the people and the fans in drag racing, but I liked to drive more than five seconds at a time.” From JOHN ANDRETTI RACER, as told to Jade Gurss. (Richard Shute Photo)

#3896 - On opening day at Williams Grove, March 30, 1980, Lynn Paxton tried out a brandy-new Lloyd Sprinter with a Davey Brown big block. It felt good – so good in fact, that he snuck past Keith Kauffman in the Weikert Livestock car and won the show. Photo from LYNN PAXTON: My Way, by Don Robinson. (Paxton Family Photo)

#3895 - Fresno's Johnny Boyd was a shining star in the Midgets with BCRA, URA, AAA, and USAC in the 1950s. His favorite ride was in Jack London’s Kurtis-Kraft. “Our original plan was to produce 30 cars," said Frank Kurtis. They went on to pump out 550 between 1948 and 1952. Quote and photo from KURTIS-KRAFT GENEAOLOGY: Companion Edition, An Illustrated History, by Bill Montgomery (Jack Fox Photo)

#3894 - "A.J. Foyt and his long-time engine builder Howard Gilbert warm up their Cosworth engine while observing the autograph seekers outside the Pocono garages." Quote and Photo from SPEED! Indy Car Racing, Photographs by Chet Jezierski.

#3893 - Those jalopy days in California sure were frisky, and Scotty Cain and Marvin Porter were no small part of it. Here they gather for some discussion after an on-track difference of opinion. Photo from RACING’S REAL McCOY, by Jack McCoy and Keith Sellers. (Montgomery Collection)

#3892 - At a quick glance, it looks dreamy, but it wasn't. It was a wild 13-car crash between turns three and four in the 1991 Daytona 500. Photo from HIGH BANKS AND HEROES: 65 Years at Daytona, Home of the Great American Race, by the editors of the Daytona Beach News Journal.

#3891 - Rodger Ward sat confidently in a Leader Card dirt car at Williams Grove, PA, in June 1959, and it seemed like it would be a beautiful day. But it wasn't. The race was halted when Van Johnson was killed in Jake Vargo's car, the same car Dick Linder had died in at Trenton in April. Ward kept the lead on the restart, but the event was halted 14 laps later for rain. Ward made $1275 for the day. From LEADER CARD RACERS: A Dynasty of Speed, by Gordon White. (Photo RMA/Knox)

#3890 - In 2000, following a four-year absence, A.J. Foyt returned to Winston Cup in a one-car team run by Waddell Wilson. An advertising agency hired David Kimble to draw the car, and here's the incredible cutaway he came up with. From DAVID KIMBLE’S CUTAWAYS: Techniques & Stories Behind the Art, by David Kimble.

#3889 - Bet this was fun to watch. Jeff Hoetzler (4), Joey Payne and Ted Christopher (13) went at it in the closing laps of the Atlantic City Indoors in 2009. TC prevailed. From STRAPPED IN magazine, May 2009. (Mike Feltenberger photo.)

#3888 - A new aero era? "The battered cars of #42 Joe Nemechek, #43 John Andretti, and #4 Bobby Hamilton tool around Talladega Superspeedway at reduced speed after a 20-car crash in the April 26, 1998 DieHard 500." Photo and Quote from NASCAR: THE COMPLETE HISTORY, by Greg Fielden.

#3887 - Here’s the "Southern Gentleman" Freddy Smith celebrating a win at Wythe Raceway on Memorial Day 1980 with NDRA spark plug Robert Smawley and his perky trophy girl Eva Taylor. Photo from THE ROCK-EM. SOCK-EM, TRAVELIN’ DIRT SHOW, by Gary L. Parker. (Smawley Collection)

#3886 - Popular California racer Larry "The Sundrop Kid" Damitz started racing Jalopies in 1953 without ever stopping or winning. Remarkably he won the Antioch (CA) Speedway Limited Late Model championship in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2016. When he passed away before the season started in 2017, he was 87 and planning another turn for the title. (Antioch Speedway Collection)

#3885 - Of her close friendship with Mario, Linda Vaughn remarked, "During a dinner one day, Niki Lauda said, 'Oh, you're Mario Andretti's mistress.' I answered 'No. I’m his sister!'" (Quote and photo from Mario Andretti by Bernard Asset. Bernard Asset Photo)

#3884 - No caption. Credit is Hop Up magazine, January 1952.

#3883 - Floridian Bobby Malzhan spent most of his successful career on Northern tracks, as did others such as Will Gagle, Buzzy Reutimann, and Sprint Car ace Bobby Allen. He campaigned spiffy Modifieds numbered 99 and SSS. Before he left the Sunshine State, though, his equipment seemed somewhat less well-conceived. How about that suicide front end, the non-existent roll bar and wind screen – and that flathead apparently requiring a reservoir for a radiator. (Brian Sharp Collection)

#3882 - Good guy Neil "Terrible" Tooley from Evans Mills, NY, was quite the gasser aboard Supers and Modifieds, especially on the fastest tracks. Little got in his way, as seen here at Oswego in 1971, when he literally jumped over Bob Stelter's #71. He stayed upright and motored right on. That same year, however, a fiery mishap was a bit too much. A dislodged pipe flew into his car, penetrating his seat and forcing him to dismount, miraculously uninjured. (Coastal 181 Collection)

#3881 - Speedy Kevin Chaffee up there in Northern Vermont has lots of followers, and I’m one of them. Last week he pleased all of us with a big win in the Dirt Car Special at Bear Ridge Speedway. A few winters back, he went down to Florida quietly to do some racing and he asked to borrow the racing name I often used, "Finch Fenton." As soon as he did, my phone started ringing - "How had I gotten so fast in my old age?" (bearridgespeedway.com, Alan Ward Photo)

#3880 - "Ralph Moody. His dad didn't want him to race - until he found out Ralph was winning." From THE LAST LAP: The Life and Times and Death of NASCAR’s Legendary Heroes, by Peter Golenbock (Ralph Moody Collection)

#3879 - Gary Gray exercises the Gapco Sprinter through Terre Haute’s fourth turn on September 16, 1980. From SPRINT CAR PICTORIAL 1980, by Crucean/Mahoney Adventures, Inc.

#3878 - "It took a hard-nosed man to guide the World of Outlaws through its infancy and into its wild adolescence. That was Ted Johnson, who founded it and ran it from its debut in 1978 until he sold it to DIRT Motorsports in 2004. Ted tried driving Midgets as a young man in Wisconsin, but he was a traveling china salesman when he seized upon the idea of organizing the coast-to-coast traveling Sprint Car breed." From SEA TO SHINING SEA: Racing from the Wild West to Daytona, by Ken Clapp with Bones Bourcier. (Ken Dippel Photo, ProNyne Museum Collection)

#3877 - The start of an AAA Stock Car event on July 4, 1939. Check out the fourth row inside. Can you imagine driving a pre-war convertible at Langhorne with no roll bar? (Photo from AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE RACING, by Albert R. Bochroch)

#3876 - Was there anything that the late will Cagle drove - and didn’t excel in? Here he was at the Winter Sprint Car Nationals in Tampa. (Doug Haack Photo, Bradley Poulsen Collection)

#3875 - "In 1961, famed actor and drag racing legend "TV" Tommy Ivo rolled out a creation that would become one of, if not the, greatest exhibition vehicles of all time and one that would solidify his standing as the sport's greatest showman. With four Buick V8 engines strapped to the frame rails, Ivo's all-wheel drive dragster was a true marvel. The engines on the left side drove the front wheels through a Halibrand quick-change center section, while the motors on the right powered the rear wheels through a second Halibrand situated to the right of Ivo in the driver's compartment. All told, this monster packed 1,856 cubic inches and made over 2,000 combined horsepower." (Quote from DRAGZINE.com, photo from THE HISTORY OF LIONS DRAG STRIP 1955-1972, by Lou Hart, Lions Automotive Foundation Museum)

#3874 - A recent exhibit at the St. Louis Art Museum, "Roaring: Art Fashion and the Automobile in France, 1918-1939," featured 12 vintage cars from that era, including six race cars. Pictured is a 1923 Bugatti Type 32. It was built to compete in the French Grand Prix of the same year. It was powered by a 90bhp 2-liter straight-eight engine; take note of the crank at the nose of the car to start it. It acquired the nickname of "Tank de Tours" because of its particular shape, which resembles the battle tanks of its era. During the race, the car reached a top speed of 180km, about 112mph on the straightaway. The car did not handle well at high speeds because the aerodynamics, a major concern with today's race cars, were similar to that of a wing profile, which meant that it would tend to rise at high speeds. However, this car managed to finish third in the event. (Caption and photo courtesy Don Figler)

#3873 - Bob Mays, Midwestern racing historian par excellence, has seen a ton of racing and has recorded much of it. Frontline and center in the turn at Granite City, Illinois, on August 31, 1995 for the USAC Sprints, he was clickin' away when Warren Mockler launched into a sky ride while Charlie Workman ducked - and escaped. (Bob Mays Photo)

#3872 - "The origins of NASCAR's Sportsmen circuit date back to 1949. Bowman-Gray Stadium’s promoter Alvin Hawkins felt the need to add a division of races to his weekly Modified and Amateur classification …Hawkins decided to start a division which was similar to the popular Modifieds, but the use of expensive parts was not allowed. On the first scheduled race, Hawkins marveling at the number of contestants…, said 'Can you believe this field? There ain't no money to speak of, so them boys certainly must be Sportsmen.' Instantly, it had its name." From SIZZLING LATE MODEL SPORTSMAN SERIES: “The Lost Years” – 1977-1981 NASCAR Late Model Sportsman, by Greg Fielden (Jack Cansler Photo)

#3871 - That's Ramo Stott cruisin' the upstairs on his way to winning the 1972 Michigan 200. He was from Keokuk, Iowa. Keokuk, seated on the banks of the Mississippi, launched some of the finest Late Model drivers in the country - Don White, Ernie Derr, Dick and Ron Hutchinson, Gordon Blankenship, and Stott, who won this on a single set of tires. From FENDERED FURY: The Complete History of USAC Stock Car Racing, by Bob Mays, Richie Murray, Pat Sullivan, Steve Zautke. (C.V. Haschel Photo)

#3870 - Justin King and Walt Geis pace the field for the start of a AAA midget race at the Cincinnati Bowl. The "Cincy' Bowl" opened in 1948 and ran for a decade. Its pavement, turns banked to 35 degrees and straights to 16 degrees, made it one of the fastest places around. From KURTIS-KRAFT Midget Genealogy Companion Edition, An Illustrated History, by Bill Montgomery. (Dave Knox Photo)

#3869 - "Carl Edward's signature move after each of his Cup Series wins was to climb onto his car and backflip off it onto the ground. Race fans got to see the stunt twenty-eight times in his thirteen seasons before Edwards shocked the NASCAR world by retiring unexpectedly after the 2016 season, walking away from the sport entirely without explanation." Photo and Caption from NASCAR 75 YEARS, by Kelly Crandall, Jimmy Creed, Mike Hembree, Al Pierce. (David J Griffin Photo)

#3868 - "Morgan Shepherd was caught up in a big crash in the 1980 Sportsman 300 at Daytona, the season opener for the LMS circuit. In the mishap Shepherd was knocked out and is seen here in a motionless state. The car, which he and his chief mechanic Johnny Townsend had labored on all winter long, was now a totaled mess. Shepherd had to borrow rides in ensuing races and gave up his desire to run for the title. But in June, when he secured a sponsor in Hot Rod Barnes, he had some assistance in preparing a new car and Morgan found himself still in the point chase. And, in one if the greatest comebacks stories never told, Shep won the 1980 LMS championship." From SIZZLING LATE MODEL SPORTSMAN SERIES: "The Lost Years" - 1977-1981 NASCAR Late Model Sportsman, by Greg Fielden. (David Chobat Photo)

#3867 - The PASS MODS are a cost-controlled modified series sanctioned by the Pro All Stars Series. Here Kyle Hewins #21 and Zach Bowie #6 are side by side for the lead at Oxford PLains Speedway. Zach and Kyle currently are the leaders in the MODS points standings. (Photo by Norm Marx)

#3866 - PASS Super Late Models flash by the puddle in turn four in a 75 lap qualifier for the Celebration of America 300 at Oxford Plains Speedway on Tuesday, July 1st, 2025. In the COA 300 lapper on 7/2 Johnny Clark in the #54 scored a 4th while Mike Hopkins #15 raced to 6th. (Photo by Norm Marx)

#3865 - Some days are stones...That was Richard Petty trying to regroup after a sub-par qualifying effort for the 1981 Wrangler 400 at Richmond. He did manage to improve on his 21st starting spot to finish 11th, but was still five laps down behind winner Benny Parsons. His efforts produced $5,660. (Caption and Photo by Mike Feltenberger)

#3864 - SCONE, the Sprint Cars of New England circuit, is cookin' with gas these days under the leadership of Vermont racing personality Justin St. Louis. Last Saturday they put on a barn-burner of a feature at Devil's Bowl Speedway, snatched by a 21-year-old charger from Fultonville, NY, Chase Moran. He's shown here receiving the Coastal 181 Cup from SCONE officials Dennis and Danny Douville. Danny is himself a two-time SCONE champ. (Justin St. Louis Photo)

#3863 - New England Supermodified Series (NESS) late race action at White Mountain Motorsports Park on 7/13/25. The battle for first between Matt Swanson #97 and Jeffrey Battle #14 tightens up as they maneuver to pass the #51 of Dave Duggan slowed by a wounded front wing. Swanson held on to score the win. (Photo by Norm Marx)

#3862 - Nick Knepper in the #25 being chased by his father, Steve, during the O'Reilly Auto Parts POWRi Series Midget event at the Belle-Clair Speedway, Belleville, Illinois, June 10, 2005. Note that infamous wooden fence looming in the background. (Caption and photo by Don Figler)

#3861 - "A rare shot of three greats in their respective fields. From left to right: Fabricator Lil' John Buttera, metal shaper Steve Davis, and driver Shirley Muldowney. It was 1971, and they were working on a new car for Shirley at Lil' John's California shop." From HOT ROD MAVERICKS: The Builders, Racers, and Rebels who Revolutionized Hot Rodding, by Tony Thacker. (Motor Trend Group/Petersen Automotive Museum Archive Photo)

#3860 - "Kurt Busch (left) and Ricky Craven race off to the finish of the 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 on March 16 at Darlington Raceway. The two traded paint all the way around the 1.36-mile Raceway during the final lap, with Craven taking a .002-second victory in what is still considered the closest finish in NASCAR history." Quote from NASCAR 75 YEARS, by Kelly Crandall, Jimmy Creed, Mike Hembree, Al Pearce. (Nigel Kinrade Photo)

#3859 - Northeastern Midget Association (NEMA) LITES Division three-wide action at New London-Waterford Speedbowl (CT) on 6/28/25. NEMA Photographer John DaDalt peers into the cockpits of Dylan Coutu #53, Randy Cabral #47, and Kyle Valeri #17.

#3858 - With 5 laps to go out of 300 in the 7/2/25 PASS Super Late Model CELEBRATION OF AMERICA 300 at Oxford Plains Speedway, the hot battle for the lead saw Garrett Hall #94 holding off Austin Teras #29 and Joey Doiron #73d. Getting the max out of his older tires, Hall scored his biggest win with Doiron coming in 2nd. (Photo by Norm Marx)

#3857 - "In an effort to add some variety to the Cup series schedule, NASCAR and the promoters of Bristol Motor Speedway decided to turn the .533-mile facility into a dirt track for the spring 2021 race. More than 23,000 cubic yards of dirt were hauled into the track and put in place so the series could take place on dirt for the first time since 1970. Here Ryan Preece (37) kicks up a plume of dust to pass Cole Custer (41) and Chase Elliott." From NASCAR 75 YEARS, by Kelly Crandall, Jimmy Creed, Mike Hembree, and Al Pierce. (Getty Images)

#3856 - "In 2012 Mel Stultz developed an event that changed the global calendar – The Race of Gentlemen. Here 'barefoot' Mel rides his side-valve Harley-Davidson against the flow at the Flabob/Airport/Drags near Riverside California." Quote and Photo from HOT ROD MAVERICKS: The Builders, Racers, and Rebels Who Revolutionized Hot Rodding, by Tony Thacker. (Tony Thacker Collection)

#3855 - In 1993 Sammy Swindell had had a slim season, and in 1995 he concentrated on NASCAR trucks. In 1996 he regrouped and in 1997 he was ready. He snatched the first three races of the season, two at Manzanita and one at Las Vegas on his way to the title. He's shown here swooping by Dave Blaney who had quite the push. From SAMMY! 50+ Years of Winning, by Sammy Swindell with Bones Bourcier and Bob Mays. (Mike Arthur Photo)

#3854 - Bobby Marvin (#44) and Jim Hurtubise dueled at Langhorne on April 7, 1963. Just a couple of laps later Marvin, substituting for Jimmy McGuire in the Wergland Sprinter, caught the fence exiting Puke Hollow, flipped, and burned. He did not survive. From LANGHORNE: No Man's Land, by Spencer Riggs. (Ray Masser Photo)

#3853 - "PacWest's pairing of Tony Renna and Scott Dixon [check out their eyes!] in 2000 was arguably among the strongest in the history of the Indy Lights championship. Lights team manager Ziggy Harcus added, 'Renna and Dixon were fantastic friends. That was a really good year, to me one of the best years because they were great drivers and great friends, and it just makes things easier.'" From TIME FLIES: The History of PacWest Racing, by John Oreovicz. (Dan R. Boyd Photo)

#3852 - Even though the 1940s boom of the mighty Midgets was softening somewhat in 1950 with the advent of television – and the jalopies – things were still pretty lively in Wisconsin. Milwaukee State Fair Park drew quite the fields for its AAA shows. Two features were held on June 10, with California's Bill Vukovich winning one and Joe Sostillio from Massachusetts the other. Meanwhile BMARA racing at Angel Park was eventful, as Al Pavasil proved with a bit too much hustle. Photo from Midgets of Wisconsin: An Illustrated Year-by-Year History of Midget Racing in America’s Dairyland, by Loren Olson. (Armin Krueger, Greenfield Gallery Collection)

#3851 - During the 1967 USAC visit to Dayton, Ohio, Mike Mosely attempted this suspended float in his Watson Ford OHC sprinter. He didn't enjoy a peek at the asphalt, however. It was a KO. (Photo from AUTO RACING PHOTO GREATS - Lloyd Masing Photo)

#3850 - Old-time upstate New York dirt slinger Kenny Shoemaker was a lot of action. He's shown here (top) in Catamount, VT, engaged in conflict resolution, landing one on frequent competitor Rene Charland. His relationship with car owners was equally edgy. Below, he had just flipped with such violence at Fonda, NY, that when Ted Vogel's #95 finally landed, it was sans motor and driver. Both had flown out. "The Shoe’s” comment: 'If a man wants his car to win, he needs to realize it’s gonna be wrecked sometimes.'" Photo from Coastal 181's first book, Kenny’s memoir, THEY CALLED ME THE SHOE. (Shoemaker Collection)

#3849 - The rodeo grounds in Placer County, California, ten miles to the east of Sacramento, switched to stock cars in 1955, becoming Roseville Speedway. Here Frank Henderson cruises the quarter-mile in his early Super on the first day the facility was paved. Three years later it was renamed All American Speedway. It began offering up its annual and high-paying Roseville Classic 150, later under NASCAR sanction. From ALL AMERICAN SPEEDWAY, by Bill Poindexter. (Henderson Family Collection)

#3848 - Jan Opperman became a fixture in Bill Smith's 4x. The man sitting on the trailer is Jerry "Yogi" Janssen, who discovered Op racing V8-60 Midgets in California and brought him back to the Midwest. Yogi was a likeable guy and longtime employee of Speedway Motors. From NEBRASKA DIRT: A Century of Racing in the Cornhusker State, by Bob Mays. (Leroy Byers Photo)

#3847 - Things were always informal at the old Pines Speedway along the Merrimack River in Massachusetts. On this night a bomber lost its way along the backstretch, flipped over the sand bank, and landed loaded up on someone's trailer. Sort of. The driver may have been loaded, too. His seat belt was attached with a dog leash. From PINES SPEEDWAY 10th REUNION PROGRAM. (Photo Russ Conway Collection)

#3846 - What would you give to have seen this? That was Eugene Wesley "Jud" Larson terrorizing everyone at Reading in 1957 in John Pfrommer's Offy. Larson, the strongman from Grand Prairie, Texas, barked after passing his rookie test at Indy in 1952, "There ain't anything wrong with this joint a little dirt wouldn’t improve." Quote and Photo from THE PFROMMER OFFY: A History of an Iconic Sprint Car, by Alan F. Gross. (Dave Knox Photo)

#3845 - Two seriously credentialed East Coast Modified standouts, Kenny Brenn Jr. and Billy Pauch: "I remember one night (at Flemington, NJ) they battled each other through the whole feature side-by-side," Ken Brenn Sr. called up a memory. "I don’t remember who won, but the race was so good, they parked both of them on the start-finish line. When they interviewed Kenny on the frontstretch, they asked what the difference was between him and Billy Pauch. Kenny told ’em, 'He does it for a living, and I do it for fun.' That was probably very, very true." Quote and Photo from THE LAST COWBOY: The Life and Times of Billy Pauch, by Buffy Swanson.

#3844 - Albert Getzloff, the late DickTrickle's crew chief, recalls, "He did some boxing and stuff in high school and years ago, he really had to horse those cars around without any power steering. So his arms were big and he was really, really strong. He didn't have a lot of motor either in earlier years, so he really worked on the chassis a lot. He won with his chassis tuning...Dick was a funny guy and he loved to have a few laughs. But a lot of that perception he had was blown out of proportion. There were a lot of half-drank beers around there." Quote and Photo from, WISCONSIN INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY: Where the Big Ones Run, by Joe Verdegan. (Don Lewis Photo)

#3843 - "The late Ted Abbott is best known as Danbury Connecticut Racearena's starter, fatally injured at one of the last races at the track. Abbott was also a flagger at Plainville (CT) earlier in his career. Less well known is the fact Abbott occasionally raced a modified during the early 1970s. This rare image by Bob Thompson shows Abbott standing on the gas in turn four at Thomspon Speedway around 1974." Quote and Photo from MODIFIED STOCK CAR RACING of the '60s and '70s, by Steve Kennedy.

#3842 - That was the California Jalopy Association car driven by Don Edmunds (California's future master builder extraordinaire) flipping to its demise at Huntington Beach in 1949. He had already been ejected through the roof. He ended up with a broken shoulder blade and $3 for the car from the junkyard. (Photo from THE DON EDMUNDS STORY: The Saga of Rotten Red, by Paul Weisel, Jr.)

#3841 - Are you ready? "In 1991 Al Teague donned his open face and a pair of goggles and went for 400 mph with just one blown Chrysler Hemi [at Bonneville. The goal was to take the Summers Brothers’ wheel-driven record of 409 set in 1965 with four unblown engines.] Off the trailer he went 407, but the track was poor and wet. On the down run he went a staggering 425.23 with a terminal speed of 432 mph. The turnaround for the return run was agonizing because of the wet conditions, but they made it, and Al averaged 409.986 for a new record." Quote and Photo from HOT ROD MAVERICKS: The Builders, Racers, and Rebels Who Revolutionized Hot Rodding, by Tony Thacker. (Petersen Automotive Museum Archive)

#3840 - In the late 1970s, when Rod Osterlund started his Winston Cup team, he offered the ride to Dave Byrd, a red-hot racer in the San Jose area. Byrd thought about it but declined, favoring to continue his fabulous Saturday-night career in 30- and 50-lappers for 30 more seasons. Dave Marcis ended up in the Osterlund seat. Then Dale Earnhardt. From SEA TO SHINING SEA, Racing from the Wild West to California, By Ken Clapp with Bones Bourcier. (Dennis Mattish Photo)

#3839 - Our friend Jim Hehl, the racing historian from Florida, writes, "I stumbled across this neat photo from 9/8/68 at the Dayton 500 at Dayton Speedway. That's Benny Parsons, the race winner, and beside him is ARCA's most notable champion and ARCA founder John Marcum. Standing next to John is a young Phil Parsons, while, just to the right of Benney's left shoulder peeking across the hood, is John's young grandson, Ron Drager, who would become longtime ARCA President." (Jim Hehl Collection)

#3838 - Shellhammer’s Speedway in Leesport, PA, the "Little Track by the River," runs 25 different classes, many geared to prepping guys and gals for future racing endeavors. Here Kassidy Kreitz (69K - now a 410 Sprint driver) and Dylan Hoch (who became a multi-feature winner in Sportsman at Grandview) exercise their Slingshots. Caged Karts and Wingless Micros are also part of the action. (Mike Feltenberger photos)

#3837 - They sure tied them light at the old Springfield (IL) Speedway, Rick and Joyce Standridge's home track. No body, no headers, no shoulder harness. From FAST MEMORIES: Springfield Speedway 1947-1987, by Joyce Standridge and Terry Young.

#3836 - "Aldo and Mario Andretti lean in to hear what Foyt has to say after A.J. led the first ninety-seven laps at the Hoosier Hundred, only to snap a brake pedal and finish second. 'I asked him why he was using his brakes,' Mario recalled. 'I think it pissed him off.'" From A.J. FOYT: Survivor, Champion, Legend, by Art Garner. (Revs Institute, The Bruce R. Craig Photograph Collection)

#3835 - Growing up on a farm near Chester, South Carolina, Buck Baker had to outrun police on his very first whiskey run in order to stay out of jail. "If there was something going on that you dare not go to, like the roughest side of town or the roughest joints, that's things I played," he told a reporter shortly before his death in 2002. "I was brought up like an alley dog. I kind of felt like I was Buck Baker, a tough somebody. That may have been because I didn’t have the care of a mother and father, maybe brothers and sisters. Maybe I just had a bad outlook on life. I lived like that for an awful long time, but I never went to jail in the 1930s.” He started his first race at 27 in 1946 and became a two-time NASCAR champ. From THE BEST OF GERALD HODGES, by Gerald Hodges/the Racing Reporter.

#3834 - Things seemed so much simpler at the Brickyard at the turn of the 1960s. But with visitors like Colin Chapman and Jimmy Clark in October of 1962, everything was about to become a lot more complex. Photo from INDY SPLIT: The Big Money Battle that Nearly Destroyed Indy Racing, by John Oreovicz. (IMS Archive Photo)

#3833 - "As a spokesperson for Montgomery Ward's Riverside Tires, Sam (Nunis) taught his bulldog Hank, named for Ralph Hankinson, to attack Firestone tires as a part of his 'Pit Lane Medicine Show.' Little Hank is seen here biting the tread of a competitor's rear Firestone tire." Quote and photo from The Miller Grill, a historical novel by Bart Stevens. (Nunis Family Collection)

#3832 - It was twelve to go at Turkey Night at Ventura, California, in 2018, and two young guys, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell, were playing rabbit and hound on steroids. Bell won it. "I just got lucky being there in second. Someone was making the bottom work beneath me in three and four, and I figured it was going to get better and better. I trapped Kyle up there with a lapped car." Quote and photo from TURKEY NIGHT: Midget Racing at Thanksgiving - Race by Race 1934 - 2024, by Dave Wolin. (Racer magazine photo)

#3831 - Dick Berggren went to the recent Vintage Drags show at Oxford Pains up in Maine. "This was my favorite. Six chrome carbs and no fenders." (Dick Berggren Photo)

#3830 - From talented lensman John DaDalt: "I've been in Indy for the past week, and here's a shot of Jake Trainor in the Seymour #29 sprint car at Anderson Speedway. Jake had quite a weekend, winning the All-Star midget feature at Indianapolis Raceway Park Friday night. Then, even more impressively, he went from 16th to 5th in the "Hoosier Hundred" USAC Silver Crown race, also at IRP. It was only his second career start in the ‘big cars.’ Then he and the Seymour guys topped it off with a win in the Little 500 on Saturday night at Anderson.” (John DaDalt Photo)

#3829 - That's Donnie Beechler in the 1950 Indy 500 winning car of Johnnie Parsons. He's all set because Bones Bourcier leaned in and told him to take it right to the cushion.

#3828 - In 1948 21-year-old Eddie Sachs moved to Greensboro to compete in Bill France's formative NASCAR events. By 1961 he had become racing's "Clown Prince" and came within three laps of winning the Indy 500. (Photo from REBELS WITHOUT APPLAUSE: Southern Late Model Racing 1938-1949, by Greg Fielden. (Walter Chernokal Photo)

#3827 - Rick Mears. "The fans know we are running at 200mph, but they do not know what that means...I usually put it that we are covering a football field in a second. And that kind of gives them an idea, because they know what a football field looks like. When they’re up in the stands watching from a distance, the cars don't look like they are really running that fast. Another thing is the reason people like stock cars so much; they can run close. Fans don’t realize it, but we can't run close. That’s when we get in trouble, 'cause our cars depend on the air for downforce. When we get close to somebody, the wings 'go away.' The cars won’t handle." Photo and Quote from SPEED! Indy Car Racing, Photographs by Chet Jezierski.

#3826 - It was Brightbill and Horton at an open-comp show at Bridgeport, NJ. No question that Kenny got into his work. (Mike Feltenberger photo, STRAPPED IN magazine)

#3825 - Perhaps the most celebrated Californian Sprint Car driver of all time, Bent Kaeding is the second in three generations of family racers. He may have won some 400 features, but "the things that stick out to me the most are the pre-race and post-race activities like the pancake breakfasts, racing during the fairs, and drinking out on the pavilion until the sun came up." (Quote from Rustmag.com, Saroyan Humphrey Photo)

#3824 - Fan favorite George "Ziggy" Snider, shown with legendary mechanic A.J. Watson. Starting back in 1965, quite remarkably, the Californian had 22 starts at the Brickyard, more than anyone else without winning the race. His eighth place in 1975 was his best finish. He was frequently aboard his buddy A.J. Foyt's entry. Photo from SEA TO SHINING SEA: Racing From the Wild West to Daytona, by Ken Clapp with Bones Bourcier (John Isom Photo)

#3823 - When it was opened, Maine's Oxford Plains Speedway was one primitive place. That was long before Bob Bahre bought it and turned it into a shining facility hosting the nationally recognized Oxford 250 for Super Late Models. Here's some of racer Roland Brown's summer back in 1950. The crowds loved it and were huge. (Photos from Oxford Plains Speedway: The First Three Years 1950-1952, by Floyd E. "Zeke" Trask)

#3822 - Chaos at Eldora in 2007. Dave Darland, Brady Short, Mike Brecht, and Darren Hagen in crunchy company. From MODERN THUNDER: The Illustrated History of USAC National Sprint Car Racing 1983-2019, by Dave Argabright, John Mahoney, and Patrick Sullivan. (John Mahoney Photo)

#3821 - "Poughkeepsie-based Dyson Racing had many of the same crew members working together over the years, which was one of the reasons behind its success....Rob Dyson's victory total in IMSA Prototypes was unsurpassed." Quote and photo from IMSA 1990-1999: The Turbulent Years of American Sports Car Racing, by Mark Raffauf. (Rick Dole Photo)

#3820 - "As if his [Chevy/Harley] contraption wasn't crazy enough, E.J Potter would rev the bike up on the rear stand before rocking it off and rocketing up the asphalt in spectacular, smokey, crowd-pleasing fashion. For this he was typically paid $1 per mile per hour over 100 mph. He eventually got the 'Widowmaker' up to 160 mph." From HOT ROD MAVERICKS: The Builders, Racers, and Rebels Who Revolutionized Hot Rodding, by Tony Thacker. (Motor Trend Group/Petersen Automotive Museum Archive)

#3819 - Sammy Swindell had just scored $27,000 from the Syracuse SuperNationals and then it was $65,000 at North Texas Speedway from some noticeably pleasing attendants. He managed half a smile. From SAMMY: 50+ Years of Winning, as told to Bones Bourcier. (Paul Arch Photo)

#3818 - When core crewman Mike Hayslett read the draft of "Barefoot Bob" McCreadie’s book, he commented, "I like what Bob has to say in this chapter. I don't think Brett (Hearne's) gonna like it. But, hey, in a couple of years, Brett can have his own book and get even." From BAREFOOT: The Autobiography of Bob McCreadie, as told to Andy Fusco.

#3817 - It was May of 1973, and Bentley Warren was doing his best at Indy in his undernourished, five-year-old Eagle. He commented, "I'll tell you how outclassed we were in relation to the top cars. To adjust the boost on those Offy engines, you had to loosen a lock nut and turn a bolt on the waste gate. We were so afraid of blowing up our engine that we'd add boost a tiny bit at a time, maybe three-quarters of a turn on that bolt. Well, I watched Bobby Unser's team add boost in the qualifying line. Their engine man loosened the lock nut, put a speed wrench on that bolt, and just cranked away. My eyes must have been as big as watermelons. I could not believe what I was seeing. Big boost means big speed. Bobby broke the track record by nearly 18 miles per hour. Most of that was due to his sleek Eagle, but the engine didn't hurt." From WICKED FAST: Racing Through Life with Bentley Warren, as told to Bones Bourcier. (IMS Archive Photo)

#3816 - Bob Potter at Connecticut's New London Waterford Speedbowl: "I remember one time I was leading a race down the Speedbowl years ago. They had a wreck and they threw the red flag. You could get out of your car, so me and my buddy, we're both outside our cars shooting the breeze. I started laughing... 'It sounds like somebody's tire going down.' Come to find out it was my right rear... So my buddy, Jerry Glaude, he chews gum, so I says, 'Got any gum?...I took the gum, put it on that hole - you could see it, it was small. We backed the car up so we set right it on the gum. And it didn’t leak no more. I could finish the race and ended up winning!" Quote and Photo from MODIFIED STOCK CAR RACING of the ’60s and ’70s, by Steve Kennedy. (Steve Kennedy Photo)

#3815 - Martinsville November 2022. "Ross Chastain came up with what is now called 'Hail Melon' - a nod to his family’s watermelon farming business - by jamming his Chevrolet into the wall and simultaneously mashing the gas. That combo enabled the Chevy to turn a lap faster than the track's pole qualifying record. Chastain made up five spots to make the final four." Quote and Photo from NASCAR MAVERICKS, by H. A. Branham and Holly Cain. (Stacey Revere/Getty Images)

#3814 - "Having witnessed several veteran drivers be killed or badly injured in fiery racing accidents, Len [Sutton] decided to hang up his helmet in the middle of the 1965 season. He went on to work for several racing equipment companies and to be a radio announcer at the Indy 500 for several years. As in the case of many great racers, Len's failure to win the Indy 500 doomed this highly talented and accomplished man to undeserved obscurity." Quote and Photo from SECOND TO ONE: All but for INDY, by Joe Freeman and Gordon Kirby (RMA/Knox Photo)

#3813 - Rick Standridge's most impressive fly-over at Illinois' Shepp's Speedway in 2008. His wife, Joyce, said, "Rick had a broken sternum and broken ribs. He (and I) spent the night at St. John's Hospital in Springfield (IL) but not for those injuries. The nurses couldn't get his asthma under control." Quote and Photo from FOUR AND MORE: The Standridge Brothers – Big Wins, Big Wrecks, Big Fun, by Joyce Standridge. (Jim Jones, Double J Photo)

#3812 - A very rare image of the horrendous inferno at the first National Open at Langhorne in 1951. "Wreckage from Don Black's car is strewn across the track, with Wally Campbell's machine (far right) in flames. Dick Linder's V2 is involved with several other cars partially obscured by smoke. Miraculously, only Black was seriously injured in the fiery accident." Caption and photo from LANGHORNE No Man’s Land, by Spencer Riggs. (Photo Theresa Campbell Collection)

#3811 - We were very sorry to lose our friend, the great Ed Pink this week. Coaxed on by his buddy Jim Busby, Ed entered the sports car world in 1986 reworking Porsche factory engines. Ed would later comment, "I don’t know if 'haul ass' translates directly into German. But that’s what we did." Quote and photo from ED PINK: The Old Master, by Ed Pink with Bones Bourcier. (Ed Pink Collection)

#3810 - The much-admired Jimmy Caruthers, 1975 USAC Midget Champion, pictured here posing with his championship-winning Pizza Hut Silver Crown car and his crew. From left to right, Skip Wiese, owner and sponsor George Middleton, Walt Krueger, Wayne Lee, Joe Johnson, and Chief Mechanic Larry Griffiths. Jimmy competed in the 1975 USAC Silver Crown season while suffering from cancer and managed a third place in the last race in September during the Hoosier 100. It earned him the championship. Sadly, he passed away six weeks later at the age of 30. (Photo and a caption by Don Figler)

#3808 - The Nutley (NJ) Veladrome was built for bicycle racing in 1933. It was something to behold – a 1/7-mile boarded oval saucer banked at an incredible 45 degrees, seating 12,000. When interest in the two-wheelers declined, into town came the AAA Midgets in 1938, offering up insanely dangerous, high-octane spectacles. Here Duane Carter and Paul Russo test destiny. After three fatalities in two years, county voters shut it all down. (Photo from HARD DRIVING MEN: Images of Speed 1895-1960, by Dick Wallen. (Dick Wallen Collection)

#3807 - Oh My! (Photo from Speedway Illustrated May 2025)

#3806 - "Since 1974, Goodyear's wet-weather tyres have enabled drivers to lap at very high speeds, even when tracks are soaking wet. At practice at Monaco, Emerson Fittipaldi put Goodyear "wets" through their paces." Quote and photo from Autocourse 1977, Mike Kettewell, editor. (Richard Poulter Photo)

#3804 - "January 11, 1937, and they were preparing and fueling George Eyston's Thunderbolt for another attempt at the land speed record. He eventually set the record at 357.5 in 1938." From HOT ROD MAVERICKS: The Builders, Racers, and Rebels who Revolutionized Hot Rodding, by Tony Thacker. (Keystone France Photo)

#3803 - Ray Spognardi, Richie Evans' friend and crewman: "I saw what Richie did at Daytona. He adapted to that place so fast it was scary. We’d get there, and before he'd go out for first warmups he’d be as nervous as anyone else. I mean, it’s Daytona. His temples would be twitching. He'd go out for a few laps, and when he got back in, he’d still be the same way, high-strung. But after he went out the second time, he’d be as relaxed as if we were running at some half mile. That used to amaze me." Quote and Photo from RICHIE: The Fast Life and Times of NASCAR’s Greatest Modified Driver, by Bones Bourcier. (Ray's Racing Photo, Lynn Evans Collection)

#3802 - Mario and Michael. From MARIO ANDRETTI, by Bernard Asset. (Bernard Asset Photos)

#3801 - Dario Franchitti: "The most telling endorsement of Dan Gurney comes from the funeral of his sparring partner Jim Clark in 1988. Jim’s father took him to one side and confided to him that he was the only driver his son feared on the track." Quote and Photo from ROMANCE OF RACING, by Dario Franchitti. (Bernard Cahier Photo)

All Previous Photos of the Day HERE