Forum: Oklahomatidbits.com General Forum (go)
Moderators:  /  David Smith Jr

As we know, State Fair Speedway (I believe should and always will be known as Fairgrounds Speedway) has a long-standing tradition of dirt track racing. I began going in 1969 and as often as my parents would take me until the 1977 season. But I remember the names and thanks to Warren Vincents "Racing from the Past," am able to remember the cars.

Baseball had it's movie "Field of Dreams" and while I am not a movie watcher, I really liked this movie. The past couple of days got me to thinking, if you could have your ultimate feature race, with former modified/super modified/champ dirt car drivers, what would be your starting twenty car feature field? Back in them days, there were alot more car owners than by todays standards. With that said, not only what drivers would you put in this twenty car field but what car owner, that they drove for, would you put them in? The following is my feature lineup, what would be yours?

Oh yes, this feature is non-winged and these drivers would have no problem racing non-winged.

Row 1: Bruce Jennings (Howeth #75) Donnie Crawford (Hillenburg #56)

Row 2: Troy Matchen (#86) Herb Copeland (Nance #1N)

Row 3: Bobby Walker (#64) Danny Daniels (Lambert #66)

Row 4: David Lambert (Degrafrenried #54D) Royce Harlan (#7)

Row 5: Stan Constant (#42 can't remmber car owners name) Benny Taylor (Suchy #76s)

Row 6: Emmett Hahn (John Zink #52) Danny Jennings (#61J)

Row 7: Ricky Jennings (Strawn #12$) Jackie Howerton (John Zink #152)

Row 8: Bob Ewell (Ry-Son sponsored #85) Jerry Stone (Ofixco #21)

Row 9: Aaron Madden (#1) Greg Wooley (#23)

Row 10: Harold Leep (Ray Cates #2) Shane Carson (Silver Bullett #12)

If there were two provisionals: Mike Peters (Ochs #1) Jon Johnson (King #88)

David Smith Jr.
www.oklahomatidbits.com

Oh yes, this race would be held on THE original half mile track.

David Smith Jr.
www.oklahomatidbits.com

Where is Wayne Cox two time titleist at OkC? I agree with most of your placements so much I can't do much better if at all. I'd put rivalries with rivalries. Carson next to Ewell. Leep with Cox. David Brotherton and Larry Holman. Wayne Johnson and D.E. Suggs would have a lot of fun. Dutch Ter Steege and Steve Smith in that Ford car of his. Send invitations to Frankie Lies , Shady McWhorter, Eugene Hair, AJ Little , James MacElreath and Jim Harkness.

I had forgotten about Wayne Cox (thought of him last night while at the races to add) but if I were to put him next to Harold, then there would have been contact coming out of turn three and a fight would probably break out.

David Smith Jr.
www.oklahomatidbits.com

Cool! Think of what you could charge at the gate! Benny in the 76s would be iffy. That car was the new 13 when he wrecked so bad that he couldn't finish the '75 season. But then that probably wouldn't stop him. Make sure the scales are working right and the tech people are sharp, there will be protests flying all over the place!

Only open trailers admitted in the pit area. Pit passes will be 2"x4" cards with the cotton string. Jack Claxton as the announcer.

I put Harold and Shane at the back as they both could come from the back of almost any feature race to the front.

Like I said, there are alot of names that I couldn't add due to the 20 car field. Think of how tough the "B" feature would be!

Also forgot to mention that this is a 40 lap feature race, no 20, 25 or 30 laps by todays standards.

David Smith Jr.
www.oklahomatidbits.com

The visual impact would be so strong that you might want to make it a two day show. The night in between would allow us to digest what we were seeing.

David you forgot to put Howie the jet Sewell into the race. You could put him next to Bob the Bullet.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands 
in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he 
stands at times of challenge and controversy." 
Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Erich Petersen 

Tony Armstrong?

Okay here goes. I can't remember some of the car numbers. Getting old....

Row 1: Bob Ewell (Ry-Son 85 or Nance 1n) Shane Carson (Suchy 76s)

Row 2: Harold Leep (Suchy 76s) Jerry Stone (OFIXCO 21)

Row 3: Emmett Hahn (Zink 52 or Coin Investment 33) Jackie Howerton (Zink 1300?)

Row 4: Ray Crawford (Hillenburg 55) Bobby Walker (Plunket Tile 64)

Row 5: Benny Taylor (Hardin KFC 13) Dale Reed (6 or 8?)

Row 6: Bob Cody (43) Fast Freddie Hembree (79)

Row 7: Greg Wooley (23) Tony Armstrong (OFIXCO 11)

Row 8: Andy Hillenburg (55) Mike Peters (McDonald 65)

Row 9: Grady Wade (?) Jim Harkness (13?)

Row 10: John Johnson (Ochs 1) Terry Uehling (88)

Provisionals: Wayne Cox (?) Frankie Lies (56)

That should have been Leep in the Suchy 76 circa 1977 not the 76s.

Ooh, I wanna add a third and fourth provisional:

Evard Humphrey and Bobby Reynolds

Harkness, Stienert 11

Harkness was cut short on what would have been an incredible career.

and how about a 60 lap feature with a fuel stop at 30

Dont get mad at me, im just the pushtruck guy.


www.myspace.com/pushtruckguy

other provisionals, bill lewis,davey ross,walt macwarter,bob coaty,jerry everhart,jerry walkingstick, i would like to see leep in the little brown hound #11.

Ted Sanderson

In kindergarden we were suppose to give ourselfs indian names for thanksgiving and I gave myself the name walkingstick. The teachers jsut could not understand why I did this so my parents had to expalin to them lol. They thought I was strange even at that time.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands 
in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he 
stands at times of challenge and controversy." 
Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Erich Petersen 

He almost made my provisional list. I loved that hood scoop on the car. How about Mario Fuentes? It was always a treat when he pulled up from the El Paso area. Johnny Stinnett, Eugene Hair, Bill Thrasher, the list goes on and on.

Earnest Jennings ?????????????????????????????? IMO NO PROVISIONAL NEEDED ......TY

Of course, you'd have to have the grand statesman there. Many of these guys if not all were in features that had rows of cars leaving turn 1, while the polesitter was taking the green. This was back in the wide body  days.