Flat Head Coupe Era Action

           There were enough indiviual photos of flat head era stars available where I did not want to take up space for them with action shots. Even though a quarter mile does not seem like a large track to many, the flat head drivers thought they were on
the Daytona Beach superspeedway after having tried to maneuver on the tinier fifth mile Northeastern Speedway oval. Therefore, speeds increased and so did the confidence to make moves that hadn't been contemplated before at the smaller track. It made for some great action and some wonderful photographs by Bob Doyle, Norman McIver, Bob Mackey, and others.

Bob Doyle Photo Courtesy of Cho Lee
This is one of the most iconic photos in the history of Thunder Road. I used "Marvin Blasts Off" as my photo
title for it. It shows the track's hulking, intimidating Ron "The Bethelehem Bombshell" Marvin headed off
the track with apparent help from Chet Wood, whom Marvin was rumored to pummel occasionally for this kind of thing.
The George Barber racing tema cars of Leland Ingerson and Pappy Forsyth are getting by the mess .

Courtesy of Cho Lee
Another of the most iconic photos in the history of Thunder Road shows three of the four racing
Ingerson brothers from New Hampshire finishing under a blanket: Russell, Ed Pelletier 51; Doug
George Hay 58; and Leland George Barber 47.

 
Bob Doyle Photos Courtesy of Cho Lee
Tubby Hatch [?] is about to get clipped by that capsizing coupe. Marty Harty's odd - shaped #28 9/10 spins
but stays upright. Car 71 [don't know who] will get by, but Dwayne Remick [R1] will not. Below -
The aftermath. It appears that hatch also rolled. The 93 of Tony Colliccio sits on its roof while
Remick's R1 was spared damage.

PRE_ 1965   Courtesy of Cho Lee Bruce Pierson's P1 leads a heat field.	Courtesy of Cho Lee Northeastern champ Glen Andrews [16] and the 62 lead a feature field to the green.	Courtesy of Cho Leer The Messier 50 leads Chaloux [12] and the Libero Buzzi 93.	Courtesy of Edw. B. Brown III Harold Hanaford manages to wall Ronnie Marvin. I wonder if he got out and ran after.	Courtesy of Tony Miller Archie Blackadar starts the race by jumping BETWEEN the two rows of onrushing car. What the hell !  There is a rare glimpse of Mike Osborne's car 1240. named after sponsoring radio station.	Courtesy of Mike Gilbert A wreck that includes Bud Messier's 50, which oould have been driven by any one of several drivers.
Courtesy of Andy Boright RexShattuck gets the checkers in the pre - cement Widow Maker days.	Courtesy of Mark Austin Larry Granger leads Satch Hunt and Bobby Waugh.	Courtesy of Mark Austin Lee Carpenter leads Russ Ingeson, Harold hanaford, and Bob Karvonen [before he came with an overhead V-8 in 1965]	Courtesy of Mark Austin The Bud Messier 50 [with driver du jour] leads Larry Granger and Leon Hayford.	Courtesy of Mark Austin Hana, Carpenter, Marvin, Mike Osborne, and Russ Ingerson.	Courtesy of Mark Austin Freddy Mills [26] and another car lead Ingeson brothers Lee [47] and Doug.
Courtesy of Mark Austin Pappy Forsyth leads the R2 sedan of Bobby Waugh.	Courtesy of Mark Austin Chester T. Wood stays to the bottom in close action.	Courtesy of Mark Austin Larry Granger runs side by side with Dick Gammell.	Courtesy of Mark Austin Righting car 21 after a roll.	Courtesy of Mark Austin George Whitney and Dick Gammell chase car 48.	Courtesy of Mark Austin Cars 4 and 64 hit the wall as everyone else steers clear.
Courtesy of Mark Austin John Gammell and Wade Morse's 62 tangle.	Norman McIver Photo Courtesy of Mark Austin A pileup along the frontstretch involving those like Denny Dearborn [atop]  Nick Tigenson [52], and Russ Ingerson [E6].	Courtesy of Mark Austin Henry Montandon [33] takes a full field down to the green around 1964.	Courtesy of Mark Austin An impressive field includes Mike Osborne [28 9/10], Dwayne Remick [R1], and more .	Courtesy of Mark Austin  Bobby Waugh takes the R12 sedan out of turn four.	Courtesy of Mark Austin Mills and Collicchio are both headed off the track.
		Bob Mackey Photo Courtesy of Mike Watts, Sr. A lot of familiar cars in this race start.

Bob Doyle Photos Courtesy of Mark Austin
1965 saw a strange mixture of cars as NASCAR took over T Road. The flat heads were grandfathered for one year while the
typical NASCAR overhead V-8 sportsman cars came in. This frontstretch mixup sees traditional flat head cojupes like Ron Marvin [door open]
and Russ Ingerson's 64. Marvin wouild take the flat head to an 8th place finish in the NASCAR National Sportsman championship.Rene Charland
used a flat head onwed by George Hay at T Road to win another championship. Dick Nephew's 6A and Jean Paul Cbana's
white 5A are seen as sportsman entries.

1965 Bob Mackey Photo Courtesy of John Rock Lining up a feature with the flat heads in the front and the overhead sportsman cars in the rear.

Courtesy of Cho Lee A feature with  the overhead sportsman cars of Dubrul, Karvonen, Bruno, and Trombley. Flat heads include a Hay car and Russ Ingerson.

Bob Mackey Photo Courtesy of John Rock Flagging off a feature with the flat heads in the front and the overhead sportsman cars in the rear.

Bob Mackey Photo Courtesy of John Rock Lining up a feature with the mixed field. Recognizable is the Norm Cyr 9 with driver Bucky Dragon. Also, the 66A is Ernie Reid.

Bob Doyle Photo Courtesy of Cho Lee Well driller Harold Ormsby is drilled, himself, by an unidentified flathead car.

Bob Doyle Photo Courtesy of Cho Lee Another mixed race.

Bob Mackey Photo Courtesy of John Rock Starting out with flat heads in the front and the overhead sportsman cars in the rear.

b

Bob Mackey Photo Courtesy of Cho Lee
In 1965, Thunder Road saw the newly - arrive NASCAR soverhead V-8 sportsman cars perform. Bob Bruno is seen
here racing with Ronnie Marvin with the Vic Wolfe 66 sedan. The sedan was arely seen anywhere but Airborne.
Bruno would accomplish a huge upset win at Fonda Speedway with that car. Marvin would end up in the top
ten in NASCAR National Sportsman points that year with that flat head car. Amazing and unprecedented.

b 
Bob Mackey Photo Courtesy of Andy Boright
1965 : Maybe Doug Ingerson in the George Hay 58 leads Ron Marvin [13] and Bob Bruno.

Return to the Main Page
Return to the Main News Page
Return to the First Thunder Road Page
Return to the All Links Page