With next weekend being Memorial Day I thought it only fitting to dig out a couple of shots of the Indy Spectacle when it was indeed an important event in the life of a car guy.  If you're like me it was being glued to the radio and listening to Sid Collins call the race and thinking one day you'd be behind the wheel of the winning car. With kit cars and rent-a-rides these days I wonder how many really great drivers will never get a chance to win the big one and fulfill their dream. Oh well!

Lets drift back to the 1951 race. It was still a big deal for L.A. based car dudes to pack up for a week or two and make the trip back to the brickyard for a look-see. If you knew someone it was also a lot easier to get "Inside" for a look-around. That brings us to the first shot for today (Wallard). My Grandfather was lucky enough to know quite a few of the right people as he had driven there some thirty years earlier and got to walk right up to the Murell Belanger car with driver Lee Wallard hamming it up before the race in Gasoline Alley. To bad he shot the picture using Ansco film as you can see it's got a delamination problem of the first order. The ride was built for Belanger by Frank Kurtis and was painted a dark blug with Gold lettering. It had a 241" 4-banger Offie in it and started the race in second place behind a mighty Novi driven by Duke Nalon. After a little less than four hours behind the wheel Wallard drove the car into Victory Lane to collect his pot of gold.

Being that we are supposed to be hot rod guys, I went through the drivers list for the race and discovered quite a few of the shoes got their start in the hot rod world. Guys like Jack McGrath, Andy Linden, Bobby Ball, Sam Hanks, Walt Faulkner, Fred Agabashian, Troy Ruttman and Roger Ward either drove on the dirt at Muroc or El Mirage, or raced track roadsters as a stepping stone to get to the race. And that's excluding dozens of other guys there that either built or wrenched on the cars or even sponsored or owned an entry. Pretty cool.

That leads us to the second shot for today that shows a 1934 Grand Prix Alfa-Romeo in the working pits in '46. Note that it says Don Lee Special on the side. Don Lee had the west coast concession on Cadillac's before he got into radio and then television. His son took over the business and was a certified car nut that went by the name of Tommy. He ran all kinds of exotic cars at the lakes before and after the war so it was only natural that when he went to indy he would choose guys that played on the dirt to work on his cars. This one had Mal Ord as crew chief. You've probable heard of  him as his heads and intakes for flatties are highly prized today. If you look real close at the gent on the right's back it says Wiedell's Garage Gopher's. Connie Weidell was a lakes racer and a member of the Gophers car club. He did a little moonlighting as a wrench for Mal on the car. The car qualified in fourth spot, not bad for a used up 12 year old car. Sadly it only lasted till the 16th lap before the fuel tank decided to start leaking. Being classified in 32nd was definatly a bummer.

For our next pix (IDC_027) lets segway to our favorite playground, El Mirage. Ian Dunn's shot shows Road Runneers member Bill McBurney dodging a bunch of pucker bushes right off the starting line in 1948. It's obstacles like like these and the high speeds attained at the lakes that made for good drivers at the brickyard. At the far end of the lakebed dunies are still there and the S.C.T.A. manicures the racetrack all the time to make sure none show up where we run. As for Bill's Deuce, it only ran twice in its lakes career. No speeds are known.

While were still at the lakes lets look at the next shot (DCC_047) from the Don Cox Collection. Seems all of Henry's cars weren't always painted black as this pix shows. Some sunglasses might be in order while checking out Gophers member Dave Glotch's T. It had a 268" Merc flattie under the hood and scooted across the alkali flats at a speed of 117.34 mph. Behind it in traditional colors is the Deuce of Lancers member Myron Mickelson. It had a '39 Merc under the hood and ran 123.45 mph. The brown '28 on Deuce rails was owned by Whistlers member Bob Joehnck. A 239" '41 Ford mill got him up to a slow 107.01 mph. Bob went on to make quite a name for himself in the rodding world.

If you're tired of dirt how about some salt. Joe Henning came up with the next shot (HMC_053) taken in '54. Center stage is the "Palm Tree", the Bell Auto Parts oasis for racers for many years. You could always find hard to get parts and liquids there thanks to Roy Richter and Roscoe Turner. On the left is the Culver City connection, Sam Yumori and Mort Smith who ran the former Leroy Titus car. It turned 164.23 mph with a Merc flattie under the hood. On the right is that funny little trailer seen these days outside the Wally Parks/NHRA Museum that was home for the Safety Safari boys at tracks across the U.S.A.

Next up is a shot from 1955 that shows Tommy Thompson's Golden Rod (HMC_078). Tom worked as an engineer for Adolf Coors in Golden, Colorado hence the name and yellow color on the car. It had an Olds V8 behind the driver and rumor has it some backdoor help from some gents in Lansing and Detroit. Tom McIntire ownes it today. Bill Summers told me they asked Tommy if they could name there in build streamline after his car. The answer was yes. Years later when Tommy ran the car he called it the Original Goldenrod to help the confusion. Behind it can be seen the tail of San Diegoian Jim Culbert's ride that looked like a stretched sprint car. The beauty ran 174.41 mph. Not to shabby.

This next shot, also from Henning, is definately a "Snapshot". The brand new Studie Regal Starliner Coupe was definately a sleeper. John McKusick from Pasadena bagged a '51 232" V8, punched it out to 259", dropped it in then ran 123.79 mph with it. Anyone for a grocery run?  Behind the Stude we see starter Mike Mitcheell in his red "Official" shirt. On the left is the tail of Bill Burke's old Bantam now in the hands of Mickey Thompson. The Mickster lengthened it and stuffed a flattie and a Chrysled in it for a whopping combined 600". A first in class at 164.53 mph was the reward. Not to be outdone, Jim Lindsley's Cal-Louie Deuce, the nose seen on the right, had two Chryslers in it for a mind boggling 662". It's best lap was a sloooooow 96.80 mph. They got first in class because nobody else ran the class. Bummed, they canned one engine and with 331" it turned 141.67 mph for fourth in another class.

Every time I visit the Wally-NHRA Museum Mr. Camera is with me to shoot something new. Last up today is the latest. A bench, back near the back party room is covered with old decals from yesteryear. They are slowly being beat up by seat users so saving an image of them before there gone was the mission. Here's one brought back to life courtesy of a lot of retouching dating from the NHRA Winternationals back in '63. When you look close old Stroker McGurk himself, Tom Medley, did the drawing of the wheel stander. I like the red snowflake too, indicateing a cold? California day. 

Later.