NEWS

July 2 I added a few more photos to the Early Flying Tigers page, thanks to Andy Boright.

July 6 After meeting with a great bunch of guys for a vintage race persons' breakfast near Watervliet, New York, I thought I had better make good on a pledge to at least start a page for Lebanon Valley Speedway. So - along with everything else - here's a start, with promises to work on it in the future [just like Devils Bowl, Fonda, Catamount, Airborne, etc, etc...].
Also, I don't know if Bill MacRitchie is looking at the site yet; but, I wanted to thank him for his kindness at the Motor Vehicle office a week or so ago.

July 9 After the big breakfast in Watervliet on July 5, we have solved a couple of the unfamiliar faces on one of the Chris Companion Collection photos. Also, I met Win Slavin at Devils Bowl last night, and Win was one of the photos I could originally identify back in early June.

Courtesy of Chris Companion
Win Slavin

Courtesy of Chris Companion
July 29 Note :We now know the lineup: from left - Howie Westervelt, Lee Palmer, Ollie Palmer [center, with cigar], Lou Hacker [right of Ollie], Bob Cutlit, and Henry Bouchard. This - according to Lee Palmer and Ken Tremont, Sr. The shot is early Valley.

July 16 Updates have been a little sparse lately because I have been on the road so much. This weekend I attended the fortieth anniversary of Bear Ridge, which attracted several vintage cars and a number of stars from yesteryear. Even George Barber, the founder of the Ridge and arguably the dean of Vermont racing, was in attendance at 95 years old. On Sunday I was loaned some exciting photos from Norm Vadnais, whose father was an important figure in Rutland County auto racing from the late forties through the early seventies. Below is one example of the great stuff [a lot of it primary because Norm took them himself].

Cars line up at the 1962 stock car at the Vermont State Fair in Rutland. We can make out the following from that often-talked-about event: 49 [unknown]; 95 Jack Cutter, Essex Jct, Vt.; 30 [unknown - name might be Griffin]; 77 Johnny Spafford, Bomoseen; 10 Harry Hale, Weston; 30 [near the G ] Ed Foley, Leicester; and P61 Kenny Loomis.

I have received far more material than I can handle this summer. The Chris Companion photos, alone will take over a year to process and get on the site. I received a ton of stuff from Jay Caron, son of Larry Caron - so much that I will probably have a Caron Brothers page some day. There is more material from Cho Lee, as well, from ACT and from his own archives. I realize that the June 2007 news archives have been missing and feared lost. I think I can get them up tonight.
I have added stuff to the Pico Raceway page, as well. Many thanks to John Nelson for his invaluable help in researching about Pico.

July 17 Added 2 pix on the Link Pettit page from the same contributor, but off the Otto Graham website. All this before going to the dentist and getting killed this morning. Big whoopees !

July 18 I was gone most of the day to John Casey's party, held at the Turn Three pavilion at Thunder Road. When I got back, I did make corrections to the New Hampshire Drivers' page, thanks to info supplied by Michael Smith about his grandfather Frank "Stroker" Smith, owner of Sonny Rabideau's #311.

July 19 Prior to taking my to Maine [but not the Oxford 250], I will try to make some addition to things because it is doubtful I'll get much of a chance the rest of the week. I am sorry Racin' Paper put the same column in twice. I put together a small page on the short-lived track at East Corinth, Vt.

July 24 I did a lot of work while on vacation to Maine, but I couldn't put any of it online. So the results will be coming out - a few at a time - starting with these additions to the Bear Ridge page. I also added a page on a car I always found fascinating. Watch for the Checkmates page. Four pictures were added to the Otter Creek Speedway page. Watch for the link at the top directing you to the new ones.

July 28 I just stumbled across an interesting old John Rosati photo. It shows a very young Steve McKnight, a very young John Barrette [the current Swanton Ford dealer], and three guys I need a little help identifying. I have so many Norm Vadnais photos to deal with I may have to have a special page for them rather than trying to figure out where each fits best. I added pictures to the Hurricanes page.

The Rosati team [minus Fred Rosner]. That's John on the far left and Steve on the far right.

July 29 More has been added to the Pico Raceway page. I had received some printouts of microfilm from John Nelson, racing's most studious historian, and I added as much of it as I could to the page.

July 30 As I have mentioned, I have received a ton of material from Norm Vadnais. From time to time I will add photos to a Norm Vadnais Photos page, until I can better determine where these various shots belong. I also added a few items to the oldest section of the Fairmont Motor Park Speedway page. {Was it called Fairmont Raceway ?
Recent photos contributed have combined to show the metamorphosis of a quite attractive
July 31 I have another mystery car situation. I was able to recover three negatives by scanning them and then reversing the exposure. One is Frank Hodge, a Canadian at Fairmont in 1966; the second is the Dexter Dorr Super 29 that eventually became Vince Quenneville's first red 38; and the last is a mystery car. It's a very poor photo, apparently in the shadows, after the 1963 NASCAR sportsman show at Otter Creek Speedway. I have to believe it is a New York sportsman coupe and it looks like it could be #52. Anyone help wit id'ing it?

Ladabouche Photo
The mystery coupe, as it about to be trailered out past Hi Monroe's construction shed at Otter Creek.