Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Carmen pretty much reworked this old super. It was owned by Tom Sipolt of Fox Lake, IL. Darnell and Timan built the car. This was Bay Darnell's Co. They built USAC and Raced USAC late models and were very successful having Bobby Unser driving a Schlitz sponsored Camaro. Bay's grandson is Eric who is driving for Roush.

Carmen, redid 90% ouf that beautiful car. All in all a very unique race car. I had the peasure to bring the car back from Iowa, and was going to put it back together but ran out of room and cash.  

Carmen was a true racer, he'd run the snot out of anything he jumped in. Some of my best racing memories were crewing for Carmen. Good guy, he sure loved the way the Noxville people welcomed him.

Paul Kuyawa

Runnin' the High Groove

I was fortunate enough to watch Carmen race that batmobile at Wilmot on many, many Saturday nights. For me that period of time was the best racing ever. Carmen would sling that car 90 degrees at about the flagstand, shoot clay to the top of the bleachers, and you'd swear he would never make the corner but he did. He was still running that car long after the sprinters were the way to go. My mom and dad, my son, and myself would talk to Carmen (and his faithful companion Buddy) every week after the races. Despite his intimidating appearance he was the friendliest guy to talk to in the pit area and really seemed to enjoy interacting with the fans.

Carmen also before that drove another unique supermodified. It had down tubes, before their popularity, running to both the front and rear of the car. I think it was designed on the theory of an upside down suspension bridge. Does anybody have pictures of that car?

Carmen turned the car into a slinky (coil over) car years before the rest, he also had an aluminum engine and an aluminum radiator, long before they became popular.

Carmens old Super was a very "Beefy" car, it took 4 people to load the frame onto a trailer.

Wilmont Speedway was a rough place to race. When the green flag dropped, the front chute looked like mating season with grasshopper, everybody was hooked into the sides of everybody. The cars needed to be strong. The place looked like a 90 MPH demolition derby.

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Laser Engraving 
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I have lot's of photo's of Carmen's car with the "downtubes". Carmen, myself and a couple friends towed that beauty to Florida in 1977. This was for an asphalt super race. New England Super Modified group sanctioned the deal . Bentley was there with another "very pretty" super. All aluminum with a couple duct tape stripes. Was that sucker fast!

People laughed at Carmen with his dirt caked super that was set to do battle against the offset supers, uprights and sprinters. Didn't do great but sure had fun. He surprised many that at first laughed. For a sixteen year old to get out of school to go racing was pretty neat.

As always that car was a big block coil over combination that sent fear into local competitiors. It was with that beauty he won the 1977 IRA championship in. They nick named that one the furnace.

Not sure if do to it's louvers and different appearance that announcer Jack, "At Trackside" Biddison named

the furnace or if it was the generous use of duct tape used to patch number four back together. Had a lot of fun with that

car and Carmen. He should could drive the wheels off what most would consider a real sh__box!

Let me know if your interested in any old Carmen pictures. I've got him in his first a 62 Chevy Impala bodied super. Is there any photo's of Bentley's number 77 he ran in Florida. I like to see some of those.

Paul Kuyawa

Runnin' the High Groove

OK Chas, what kind of medication are you on for your injury and can I have some?

Another Corvina hunt at Jerry's in Oct

Kenny

Half the lies they tell about me aren't true. 

the original cuban gangsta

But really, gangsta with flowers and fruit???

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