STRAIGHT FROM FLY CREEK The Fran

STRAIGHT FROM FLY CREEK
The Frank Trinkhaus Racing Story

Frank Trinkhaus was a familia name - particularly at Fonda Speedway for many years up into the 1970's. It is hard to completely nail down the background of the man who fielded the familiar yellow and blue #62's over the years. Various articles, beginning in the 1930's have had him getting into scrapes during prohibition [likely helping Frank. Sr.], being an engineer [not of the train variety], owning a trucking company, and more; but, all we care about here was his race cars and Frank's Speed Shop of Fly Creek, NY.

Frank, more than likely, began his career driving his own equipment before setting down to be one of New York's stories car owners. He went through a number of hired drivers, beginning with locals like Joe Ciganenko. He saw almost too many drivers to ennumerate sit in the cab of the #62's, over the years, ending with Lee Millington. The last car, a high - powered fuel - injected lowered coupe, had some triumphs with Millington but also had two bad wrecks. After the second wreck, Frnak Trinkhaus had had enough and retired.

EARLY YEARS

Courtesy of Rick Parry A very early Trinkhaus 62 towed behind one of trucking company trucks.	Courtesy of Rick Parry Same early Trinkhaus 62 at the headquarters of the Frank's Express company.	Courtesy of Jim Putnam Frank, driving for himself at Richfield Springs.	Courtesy of Scott Belknap A very early Frank's Express coverall. This is pre - Frank's Speed Shop.
Courtesy of Rick Parry A very early Trinkhaus 62 lined up at the big Syracuse race in 1953. Could be Frank, George Gallup, or Bob Fiske.	Courtesy of Rick Parry A very early Trinkhaus 62 team photo. An unknown driver, the ever-present Willie Seaman, Frank and another unknown.	Courtesy of Rick Parry Bob Fiske, of Sydney - one of Frank's excellet local drivers.	Courtesy of Otto Graham Fiske with some young fans.
Courtesy of Rick Parry Lee Armstrong, in an eary Trinkhaus entry spreading some dust, likely at Richfield Springs.	Courtesy of Rick Parry Lee Armstrong, in an eary Trinkhaus winning, likely at Richfield Springs.	Courtesy of Rick Parry An eary Trinkhaus entry at home. One of Frank's trucks in the background.	Courtesy of Rick Parry Joe CIganenko, another of the local drivers for Frank. The first to drive the car when it had the familiar style of numerals. From left: Joe, Willie Seaman, Frans, and UNK.
Courtesy of Trinkhaus Collection via Rick Parry One of the earliest cars with the familiar number style, wrecked - at home. The ads have changed to Frank's Speed Shop.	Courtesy of Trinkhaus Collection via Rick Parry One of the earliest cars with the familiar number style, wrecked - at home.	Courtesy of Trinkhaus Collection via Rick Parry One of the earliest cars with the familiar number style, wrecked - at home.	Courtesy of Danish Collection via John Danish Frank [2nd from right] joins the Danish gang at the Daytona Beach Course in the 1950's.
Courtesy of Ed Duncan via Three Wide Vault Trenton, 1958. Apparently that is Bill Wimble [3rd row inside] driving the 62.

EARLIER SPORTSMAN YEARS

Courtesy of Doug Fetterly via Rick Parry The 1959 Salt City 100 was the venue for several 8 MM frame captures of the Trinkhaus sportsman car of that time. Frank fires up the car on the trailer.	Courtesy of Doug Fetterly via Rick Parry The 1959 Salt City 100. Frank is in the car,still on the trailer.	Courtesy of Doug Fetterly via Rick Parry The 1959 Salt City 100 . Frank prepares to back off the trailer.	Courtesy of Doug Fetterly via Rick Parry The 1959 Salt City 100 . Frank backs off the trailer.
Courtesy of Doug Fetterly via Rick Parry The 1959 Salt City 100 . Car heads off for practice or time trial. Not sure of who the driver was.	Russ Bergh Photo Courtesy of Joe Grossetti George Welch, who was killed in 1959, so if he drove for Frank it had to be late 1950's.	Russ Bergh Photo via Otto Graham Joe CIganenko, in obviously the same car as Welch, may have taken over after George was killed while flagging at Empire Raceway.	Maynard Johnson Photo Courtesy of Otto Graham The "Cinderella Boy" reference on the car is said to be George Gallup. This is at a major race, like Langhorne or Syracuse.
Courtesy of Rick Parry This photo pretty much proves the theory of who Cinderella Boy was. This is George Gallup.	Somebody [without a driver's suit] hot footing it down the front stretch at Fonda.	Russ Bergh Photo Courtesy of Clay Herbert Legendary Steve Danish happened to be the driver in 1958 when Miss America visited the track. After a number of top runners knocked each other out of the running trying to be in Vic Lane with Marilyn Van Durbur, it was the straight - laced Danish and his wife who made it there, with Frank's car.	Russ Bergh Photo Popular Jeep Herbert was a driver of the earlier upright Trinkhaus sportsman cars.
Russ Bergh Photo Courtesy of Bob Gamache One of the many photos of Jeep picking up wins in the 62.	Russ Bergh Photo Courtesy of Scott Belknap One of the many photos of Jeep picking up wins in the 62. This one is a little later, as the fenders have been pruned a bit.	Russ Bergh Photo One of the many photos of Jeep picking up wins in the 62. This is likely 1963, when Frank had it primer for a while.	Russ Bergh Photo Ladabouche Collection Out of the thousands of photos I have access to - this is one of my top ten favorites.
Russ Bergh Photo Jeep won this one at Victoria when NASCAR was not allowing its members to race outlaw tracks. Note the car is changed to "X" and he would have been racing as Flex Hose, Pete Moss or Bob Alou.	Russ Bergh Photo Jeep heads out over one of the walls after contact with an unknown C15 and with Paul Marshall's 7-11 Jr.	Russ Bergh Photo The 62 on the wall after that mixup.	Russ Bergh Photo Courtesy of Mike Gray [Could also be a Frank Simek shot] A third shot of the Jeep / Paul Marshall wreck.
Courtesy of Tom Herbert The Trinkhaus car is at right behind Marshall's 7-11, with the focus of this shot being the C15.	Russ Bergh Photo Courtesy of Herbert Family Good 'ol Flex Hose.	Russ Bergh Photo Around this time, NASCAR had a brain fart. If you ran a late model body, you could run a larger motor. Obviously, Frank tried this out. For the most part, the drivers hated these cars because they were ill- handling beasts - and heavy as hell.	Russ Bergh Photo A later photo shows that Trinkhaus had tried lightening thw thing up by drilling numerous body holes [the old Bob Whitbeck trick].
John Grady Photo Jeep hangs the ornery beast on the outside to try and hold off Shoemaker in a traditional Drellos coupe. Shoe's former owner, Herny Cauto did try a Plymouth version of Jeep's car. [I almost think Jeep drove it].	Russ Bergh Photo Courtesy of Rick Parry Jeep and Frank tried this setup longer and harder than any other Fonda team. Ironically, the idea worked at the non - NASCAR Lebanon Valley track because the older coupes had to run flatheads.	Courtesy of Rick Parry Kurzon "Moose" Cary, a local driver for Trinkhaus plies the heavy Chevy against the Joe Romano car, here driven by Robbie Kotary.	8MM Film Capture Dan Ody Collection Old Speedways DVD's Jeep giving rides at Victoria.
Courtesy of JimPerry The Trinkhaus car in one of its better moments at Victoria with Chet Hames.	Courtesy of JimPerry The Trinkhaus beast in not one of its better experiences. Jeep is lucky he didn't have a Corey - like accident with that rail and all.	Russ Bergh Photo Courtesy of Bob Novak The heavy Chevy ended up with part-time driver and part-time photographer Doc Nellis, who had tried another Chevy late model with no success before this one.	8MM Film Capture McCredy Collection Courtesy of Rick Parry The Trinkhaus car at an early '60's Syracuse race. These 8MM captures don't look good much larger and simply will not print out decently.
8MM Film Capture McCredy Collection Courtesy of Rick Parry The Trinkhaus car at an early '60's Syracuse race. These 8MM captures don't look good much larger and simply will not print out decently.	8MM Film Capture McCredy Collection Courtesy of Rick Parry The Trinkhaus car at an early '60's Syracuse race. These 8MM captures don't look good much larger and simply will not print out decently. The car is waiting for a restart.	8MM Film Capture McCredy Collection Courtesy of Rick Parry The Trinkhaus car at an early '60's Syracuse race. These 8MM captures don't look good much larger and simply will not print out decently. At speed.	Courtesy of Tom Herbert The Trinkhaus car at a severe disadvantage here. You can see a rarely - seen ad on the trunk. Driver unknown.
Russ Bergh Photo Courtesy of Otto Graham One of the many photos of Jeep picking up wins in the 62. This and several other shots seem to be from the same season.	Frank Simek Photo Jeep, with the car showing a Danish - like ad on the side.	Ray Masser Photo via Cavalcade and Chas Hertica This Langhorne photo in Cavalcade of Auto Racing shows IrvTaylor racing Ernie Marshall. It really put Frank in the national eye.	Courtesy of George Hunt The disguised Trinkhaus car is involved with another car as Jack Harris [105] looks for room. The driver would have been Flex Hose, Bob Alou, or Pete Moss.
Russ Bergh Photo Courtesy of Otto Graham The circa 1963 primered version of the Herbert - driven 62 is obscured here by Danish's 61.	Ladabouche Photo In failing light - at Otter Creek Speedway in 1963, I shot this photo of that same primered car leaving the track after a special NASCAR sportsman race that was won by Ken Meahl.	Russ Bergh Photo In this era, Ken Shoemaker had his turn at the wheel and was highly effective.	Russ Bergh Photo Courtesy of Rick Parry The great Irv Taylor was one of the many drivers for Frank in this era. He had more than one stint with the team.
Courtesy of Jim Kelly Pete Corey took a turn at the wheel during this time period.	Herbert Family Collection Jeep Herbert and Frank formed a formidable combination in part of the 1960's.	Russ Bergh Photo v ia Rick Parry Irv Taylor had some wins for Frank, as well.	Russ Bergh Photo v ia Rick Parry Irv Taylor poses with the car.

THE LATER YEARS

Shany Lorenzet Photo Courtesy of Andy Fusco Irv at Stafford in 1964 with the car that had the oddball exposed roll cage.	Shany Lorenzet Photo Courtesy of Andy Fusco A better look at the car that had the oddball exposed roll cage.	Courtesy of Conde & Parry Site When Chris Drellos liquidated his team, Frank bought the iconic [and very old] 111 that Shoemaker had driven with so much success. Here, Corey has won with that car.	Courtesy of Linda Johnson Staroba via John Gallant Don Wayman with a later Trinkhaus car.
Courtesy of Ron Hasty Lou SMith with the 1965 version. He would die in this car. It was one of the final straws that fianlly made Trinkhaus retire.	Russ Bergh Photo Courtesy of Scott Belknap Another [rather blurry] shot of Lou Smith.	Russ Bergh Photo Courtesy of Conde&Parry Site Same shot better quality.	Courtesy of Mike Cranston A fuller view of the first Smith photo. Frank is in the background.
Russ Bergh Photo Courtesy of Scott Belknap Smith spins it in front of Wimble and the also - spinning Corey.	Frank Simek Photo The car after the fatal crash in May of 1965.	Frank Simek Photo The car after the fatal crash in May of 1965. Workers work frantically to save Lou.	Russ Bergh Photo via John Hermans Ken Shoemaker with a later car 62.
Courtesy of Arnie Ainsworth The car after the Smith year. Lee Millington has taken over for Frank. This is at least two cars before the fuel injected rocket ship MIllington would drive later. This is a poor photo and will print badly.	Duke McSpirit Collection via Scott Belknap Lee with what is apparently the last Trinkhaus car before the injected Rosner - built car [Frank's last].	UPI Photo The wreck at Langhorne in 1970 that killed a spectator in the infield was the second final straw for Trinkhaus.	Courtesy of Mike Gray Possibly Millington in a slightly lowered car typical of Frank's later cars.
Courtesy of Scott Belknap Don Wayman winning his first Fonda feature in what looks like it could be the 2nd to last Trinkhaus car.	Joe Cryan via 3 Wide's Vault The Trinkhaus car, with Don Wayman at one of the big races somewhere.	Conde & Parry Website Wayman with the injected 62.	Courtesy of Scott Belknap Don Wayman's car on the trailer.
Courtesy of Russ Earl Lee Millington replaced Wayman and got to drive this Fred Rosner - built rocket ship for Frank. Pavement - oriented cars always seemed to do well at Fonda. [This is Malta here]	Courtesy of Scott Belknap Millington won a big race at Fonda with this setup, although the local paper couldn't get Frank's name spelled right.	Courtesy of Scott Belknap Millington won a big race at Fonda with this setup, although this local paper, in this case could get Frank's name spelled right.	John Grady Photo Millington poses for John Grady here.
Courtesy of Rick Parry Millington and Trinkhaus. A nice tribute after Frank's passing in 1997. Sometime after this, Millington and this car were involved in a crash that ended the career of Pee wee Griffin. That was the third and final straw. Frank folded the tents after that.	Courtesy of Rick Parry Millington and Trinkhaus in Victory Lane after that final big win at Fonda.	Courtesy of Rick Parry Frank Trinkhaus [l] and Jeep Herbert talk with Mrs. Jerry Townley at a NESCOT reunion event.	Courtesy of Rick Parry Comapni and GageTrinkhaus.

Return to the Main Page
Return to the Main News Page
Return to the All Links Page