THE
NEW HAMPSHIRE BOYS
THE
NEW HAMPSHIRE BOYS
Northern New Hampshire Southern New Hampshire
The state of New Hampshire has produced many of the stars in Vermont racing. Although the Granite state has always had its own tracks, a certain number of New Hampshire drivers - all the way from Pappy Forsythe to Stub Fadden - have shown a preference to race west of the New Hampshire border in tracks such as Pico, Stateline, Fairmont, Northeastern, Thunder Road, Catamount, Devil's Bowl, and Bear Ridge.
SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE
[ Cecil Bosworth and Ted Brown still to come ]
Buddy Bardwell, of Keene, New Hampshire raced as much in Vermont as he did in New Hampshire. He drove his first car in 1951. He remembers running Pico Raceway, in Rutland, and Stateline Speedway in Bennington in those days. Bardwell was one of the most traveled race car drivers of any era. He still is - trailering his #13 all around the Northeast to race in vintage race car exhibition races.
Bardwell raced at Thunder Road on a fairly regular basis around the very beginning of the 1960's before appearing at Fairmont Speedway and Otter Creek Speedway a couple of years later. Bardwell won the first feature at C.J. Richards' Fairmont Speedway in 1963 with a number 13 Ford not yet sporting his trademark bullhorns.
CLICK HERE to go to Buddy's own page.
The first Bardwell car - which probably ran Pico and Stateline, to name a few. |
A pre-Hudson Bardwell car - most likely at Cheshire Fairgrounds in Keene. |
 Claremont Speedway Program Photo - An early pre-bullhorns Bardwell car. |
 176 Racing.Com Photo - Bardwell with the Brattleboro Speedway championship trophy in the 1950s. |
 Photo Courtesy of James Howard - A pre-Hudson Bardwell car - most likely at Cheshire Fairgrounds in Keene. |
 Bob Frazier Photo Courtesy of C.J. Richards Buddy Bardwell, as C.J. Richards' first feature winner at Fairmont Speedway. |
 Bob Frazier Photo Courtesy of C.J. Richards Buddy Bardwell, as C.J. Richards' first feature winner at Fairmont Speedway. |
 Bill Ladabouche Photo - The car that won the first race at Fairmont. This shot is at Otter Creek Speedway. |
 Bill Ladabouche Photo - The more familiar Hudson bullhorns car, arrivng at the Rutland fairgrounds in 1962. |
 Bob Frazier Photo - The Hudson bullhorns car, racing against Howard Stevens' overhead V8 at Fairmont in 1965. |
Sonny Rabideau
Sonny Rabideau, a Vermonter, actually raced more in New Hampshire than Vermont. He drove a car for Brattleboro car owner Frank "Stroker" Smith. The car was lower and more powerful than most of the rest of the field. He was awarded the first Vermont State Championship that C.J. Richards ever held, around 1964.
Rabideau and the Smith 311 were such a potent combination that, after Richards started allowing overhead valve V-8's, it was still the 311 that usually came out on top. When Smith got out of racing, Rabideau drove for a few owners, without much success.
 Courtesy of Neal Davis A young Sonny in his brother's none - too - competitive car in early days. |
 Bob Frazier Photo Courtesy of C.J. Richards Sonny wheels an early Frank Smith 311 at Safford Park Speedway, Keene, NH. |
 Terry Marks Photo - Rabideau with the owners and crew of the potent Cazchini DN3 at Keene. |
 R.A. Silvia Photo - The familiar Stoker Smith 311 around 1962. |
 Bill Ladabouche Photo - Winning the VT State Championship at Fairmont in 1962. |
 Courtesy of Neal Davis There later versions of the Smith 311 - usually at Claremont Speedway. |
 Courtesy of Neal Davis Rabideau bought the car of fellow Granite Stater Howard Stevens, just as the latter was in the lead for Fairmont points in 1965. |
 Courtesy of John Rabideau Sonny drove many cars for friend, Leo Vallancourt, of Rutland. This is at the Valley. |
 Courtesy of John Rabideau Sonny drove many cars for friend, Leo Vallancourt. This one's a pavement car. |
 Courtesy of John Rabideau Another Leo Vallancourt car. |
Art Cody
Keene, New Hampshire's Art Cody could more than hold his own against the likes of Bardwell, Brown, Rabideau and the others. He mostly drove a little yellow Ford coupe #33 for Londonderry, VT's Henry Merrow. He won multiple features at places like Claremont and Fairmont Speedways, but there us little evidence that he ran much at Keene. When he won a lottery, later in life, he had his #33 restored.
 Courtesy of Cavalacade of Auto Racing There are few photos of Cody before this car. He may have started later in life or have been younger than some of his NH contemporaries. |
 Bill Ladabouche Photo Crewmen including Herny Merrow work on the car after Fairmont races before stiff hitching back to Londonderry. |
 Bob Frazier Photo Winning a Fairmont feature in 1962, with flagger Danny Rumph. |
 Bill Ladabouche Photo Making a pit stop of sorts at Otter Creek Speedway, near Vergennes, VT in 1963. |
 Courtesy of Ed Fabian Art's car [far right] sits in the big tangle at the VT State Fair show of 1962. |
|
Art and the Henry Merrow 33
gang are very
|
Bill Ladabouche Photo - Art, after a Fairmont victory. |
 George Hill Photo - Art Cody, on the track at Claremont, with Bruce Wylie. |
 Courtesy of Neal Davis Art's helmet on the restored the Henry Merrow 33. |
 Courtesy of Neal Davis Art's restored car at one of the Swanzey, NY vintage meets. |
Roy "Pappy" Forsyth
Keene, New Hampshire's Roy "Pappy" Forsyth had a career with high points in two distinct regions. The beinning of his stellar career took place around his native Keene, NH area - particularly at the track at the Cheshire County Fairgrounds and at nearby tracks like Rhythm Inn, Miller's Falls, MA. The second part of career that made him an early shoo - in for the NEAR Hall of Fame took place in northern Vermont, at NOrtheastern Speedway and at Thunder Road. Forsyth drove his own car 80 in the early days then excelled for car owner George Barber of Bradford, VT.
CLICK HERE to go to a page on Forsyth
|
Roy with what is almost c certainly his first car, at home.
|
 Courtesy of Walt Perkins From the Ahler Scrapbook The
1st Forsyth car at |
 Aldo Merusi Photo Courtesy of Rutland Historical Society The 1st Forsyth coupe [now ttwo tone] at Pico Raceway in 1951. |
 Courtesy of Walter Perkins from the Ahlers Scrapbook The 2nd Forsyth coupe at Safford Park Speedway in 1957 at Keene, NH |
 Courtesy of Walter Perkins from the Ahlers Scrapbook Roy, with the 2nd coupe. The tee shirt suggests he had run at least once in LaPrairie, QU. |
|
Roy trophies future NASCAR sportsman star George Janoski of Connecticut in his role as president of the Monadnock Stock Car Racing Association.
|
George Barber Collection Not long into his stint with
Barber, they won a race at Stafford Springs, CT. |
Courtesy of Marty Harty Collection The Barber car has problems at Claremont, with either Roy or Stub Piper driving. |
Courtesy of Brad Charland Roy runs into future national champion Rene Charland at Rhythm Inn Speedway. |
 Jack Teehan Photo Roy in a 1951 lineup at the old Fairmont Park Motor Speedway in 1951. |
Courtesy of Cho Lee Roy and Barber at T Road with the newer car 46. |
 Courtesy of Mike Gilbert The Forsyth/Barber car at Dog River Speedway, Northfield, VT in 1963. |
Norman McIver Portrait Roy gets the Norm McIver portrait that almost all the T Road drivers had. |
Courtesy of Cho Lee Forsyth, Larry Granger [his team mate], and Pete Pierson. |
Courtesy of Cho Lee Another win at T Road with the newer car 46. |
Ted Brown
Another Keene, New Hampshire's star driver was Ted Brown. Like Art Cody, he doesn't appear in the very earliest racing, but he was in on the ground floor with Claremont Speedway, all the way back to the Claremont Jalopy Association days. Brown was a very good driver, while often not having the quality of equipment that many of his compeitiors had. His driving career spanned decades.
|
Ted with one of his earlier cars. It might have been late in the Keene, NH track days. |
Ted with an early Claremont |
Vermonters' first glimpse of Ted was in this fast sedan at Fairmont. He wrecked it a week later there. |
Most people in my neck of the woods remember this, the sedan's replacement - as Ted's Car.
|
 Courtesy of Cho Lee Flagger Danny Rumph gives Ted a hand as Ted won another at Otter Creek Speedway, where he was particularly good. |
 Bob Frazier Photo via C.J. Richards Ted with a familiar coupe, stuffed with an overhead V8 for Devil's Bowl. |
 Bob Frazier Photo via C.J. Richards Ted would occasionally drive Curt Dragon's coupe, also stuffed with an overhead V8 for Fairmont. |
 Bob Frazier Photo via Tim Rogers Ted arrives at for Devil's Bowl with an Irv Taylor - built sportsman. |
 Bob Frazier Photo via C.J. Richards Brown is also well remembered for this car, nicknamed "The Coffin". |
 via Steve Brown This is Ted's last car. |
Others in the South
|
The Roger Canfield 8NH. An early version, with Don Lawlor as driver. |
Curt Dragon's 31 |
 Ladabouche Collection Taken at Cheshire fairgrounds. |
 Brown Family Photo Walt Brown, Jr. |
Photo by Bill Ladabouche He had various drivers including Dick Gerard. |
 Photo Courtesy of Phil Chastenay
|
Photo by Bill Ladabouche He had varioous drivers including |
Photo by Bill Ladabouche Showed up with this particular car |
NORTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE
|
The Boys Pose Together |
The brothers finish under a blanket at
Thunder Road. |
 Photo - Norman McIver Portrait Leland, the eldest |
 Photo - Courtesy of Cho Lee Russ, in the coupe days. |
 Photo from Rich Palmer Doug, with an early Flying Tiger
|
 Photo Courtesy of Cho Lee
Lee, in the the #47
|
 Photo from Rich Palmer
Russ with his most famous ride - the
Pelletier/Falzarano #51
|
 Photo Courtesy of Cho Lee The brothers share a laugh during the coupe era. |
 Courtesy of Rich Palmer Lee's last ride would be the Tom Tiller Dodge, seen here. Ingerson would drive the #7 briefly. |
 Photo - Bill Ladabouche
Russ's legendary Chevelle. |
Russell's last late model ride - the Blake & Loso Chevelle. |
 Photo Courtesy of Cho Lee
The fourth and least known brother, |
Stub Fadden
 Cavalcade of Racing Photo - Norman McIver Portrait The 6 above is not Stub's first car, but close to it. [A B Class car at T Road] |
A still pretty young Stub in Victory Lane |
 Earl Vierling Photo Courtesy of Rich Palmer A low point at Barre around 1968. |
 Courtesy of Rich Palmer The Fadden limited sportsman Mopar around 1970. The car later went to Steve Poulin.
|
 Ladabouche Photo Once the full late model sportsman era was ushered in, Stub seemed to go through a minimum of one car a year. This was either he first or 2nd. |
 Ladabouche Photo Milton kid Larry Wood checks out the other car that could have been his first LMS. |
 Courtesy of Andy Boright Arguably, Stub's most photogrpahed late model before the white car. |
 Mike Cain Photo Likely, Stub's most recognizable car - the Patten Gas 16 Buick. |
 Courtesy of Andy Boright Stub tried the ACT cars, but he ended up in BGNN after a while. |
 ebay Auction Photo The BGNN Effort |
 NEAR Photo Induction into the NEAR Hall of Fame. What he might be best remembered for was being " really nice man". |
 Ladabouche Photo Friends and well wishers surround Stub at a Thunder Road reunion picninc. Left - Tom Tiller, John Keefer, Mrs. Steve Poulin, Steve, June and Jane Dragon. |
Ronnie Marvin
The Bethlehem Bombshell
 Cavalcade of Racing Photo - Norman McIver Portrait Marvin the Mauler |
The man could fill a
little flathead coupe. |
 Photo Courtesy of Cho Lee
Grabbing some track food |
 Photo Courtesy of Andy Boright The Buick Skylark late model. |
 Photo Courtesy of Rich Palmer Dwarfing his Chevelle LMS.
|
 Photo Courtesy of Andy Boright The other Chevelle, in Canada. |
Others
|
Norman McIver Portrait Henry "The Frozen Logger" Montandon
|
Mutt Dexter,
Photo Courtesy of Cho Lee
|
 Photo by McIver Courtesy of Cho Lee
Freddy Mills,
Photo Courtesy of Cho Lee |
Return to the Main Page
Return to the Main News
Page
Return to the All Links Page
