Forum: Racing From The Past (go)
Moderators: Racing From The Past

Didn't your dad's car get credited for the 1975 OkC title? 1974 was Benny Taylor, 1976-77 was Harold Leep.

We've been under the impression the Sampson #21 and the Suchy #24 took Holman to the 1975 title.

No it wasnt us. He drove for Everd Walton that season. Pops bought the 2 cars at th end of the season and we caught a couple of the last races at the end of the season. He then decided to only run one car so he kept the Parson car and sold the Walton car to Glen Owens.

Did your dad buy the Parson from Walton?

To All,

Brian your a year out of whack, Larry split with Walton in '75 and started driving The Old Mans Car which was the repainted Red & Silver #24 Jelly that Benny had won the OKC title in '74 as the #13. Larry started driving for Tommy in '76 in the single rail Parson 4-bar that Toby & Tommy just picked up from me at the Chili Bowl. Larry split with Tommy in '76 about mid year if I remember right and George started driving for Tommy. Leep drove the #13 Parson that Benny crashed at Tulsa and was reworked by Walker who put the torsion on the front then we reskined it at DP's in the winter of '75 and renumbered #76 with Leep driving. Sometimes it is kind of confusing there were 2 #13 Parson Single Rail Spring Front cars that we built at DP's in '74/'75 off season, 1 the Green & White #13 went to Jim Carpenter in Tulsa which is the Parson car that Tommy bought and was converted to the #21 that Larry started out the year in '76 with. The other #13 Parson car was the one we built for The Old Man and it is the car that Benny crashed and was made into the #76. The other car that Tommy had was owned by Walton and was a Taylor Space Frame Spring Front Car that Larry drove until he and Walton split up, we cut the front off of this car and started to convert it into a Torsion Front car but if I remember right we never finished that car, I don't think Tommy ever raced that car again but maybe Toby can shed some light on that, I just don't remember us finishing the front clip.

Thank you for the correction guys.

The Walton car was the Okie Sprinter bodied car right?

David which car did Alvin Bennett buy and make a modified out of it? I think he won the modified championship at Tulsa in it. Was Harold's first time in Pat's car at Muskogee in late August of 1975?

Ray

taking bids on this car?

No, from what I was told the car is no longer for sale. I need to change that.

Bkcr,

Alvin bought the Jelly single rail spring front car that Benny won the OKC Championship in '74, it is also the car that was renumbered after Benny was hurt to #24 and Holman finished out the '75 season winning the OKC title, then Leep drove it a few times at the end of '75, then Alvin bought it and I do believe your right he did win a modified championship, maybe 2 before he sold it.

David was the 21 space frame car that Larry drove the same car that Benny drove here in Tulsa in 72? Benny was also the first one to use Drag tires here in Tulsa,we used to call him Benny the doughnut, do you know of anybody else that ranthe drag tires before Bennny?

Ray

Bkcr,

The #21 that Holman won the OKC Championship with in '73 was the Taylor #13 from '72. However the #21/47 that Holman ran part of '75 in was a differant Taylor car, I don't know if Benny built it just for Walton or if it was a Taylor car that Walton bought from somebody. It was Copper colored #21 until Holman/Walton split then Evertt renumbered it #47. Does anybody remember Holman driving this car out of the track and loading it up on the trailer at Enid, Walton had showed up with some sheriff's and was going to claim the car, On a Red Flag during the B-Feature, Holman told Kenny Moore and Fred Hixon to have everything loaded up and he would drive out of the track and load it up outside which they did, Holman took the checkered flag turned right and drove it out into the parking lot and loaded it up and shagged ass. Somehow Walton got the car back and ran it himself a little then Tommy Sampson bought it. As a side note Taylor's chassis with the okie sprinter body were bitch'in fast and looked great, they were one of my favorite designs back in those days!!!

Those were very fast cars,in 73 Danny Thurman and Noel Crain had one for DE Suggs to drive it had a beautiful paint Job and was fast. One Friday night I remember Larry Holman and Dale Parsons pulling in together at Dewey, I thought that was funning that they were not at OKC racing. Was that the year of the feud with the drivers and the ORA? Larry was very innovative, he was the first person that I ever saw with 2 tires on the right rear wheel. it sure looked different. How did thy mount 2 tires on one wheel ?

Ray

Ray,

I remember the Craine/Thurman #1 that DE drove it was pretty fast. Ireally never saw one of those Taylor cars that was slow!! '74 was the year of the strike at OKC, That Friday your talking about Dewey I was there, we had followed Holman & DP up with my Brother in laws car, it was an old Nance single rail springer, Hwy 75 was just 2 lanes wide if that much, about 1/2 way between Tulsa and Bartlesville we were in heavy 4:oo traffic and could not pass anybody. Larry was in his P/U and would pass a few cars then yell on the CB go and slam his brakes on, then we would pull out and pass a bunch of cars, one time he yelled go and I pulled out and there was a SEMI head-on to me, with no other choice I turned right and ran this guy in a big old chrysler in the ditch, I can still look in the mirror and see that car bouncing through the air, if you remember right before heats there was a couple of sheriff's showed up and were walking through the pits, finally one of them came over to our car and wanted to talk to us, I was pretty sure I was going to jail but Holman started talking to them and pretty soon he had them convinced that the guy had almost ran us in the ditch trying to pass us!!! That Holman was a SMOOTH TALKER!!!!!!

David,

I love your stories, you have so much to share with us. Keep it up. Here is one for you. Remember after Harold Leep got hurt in Oklahoma City in 1970 when his throttle stuck going into turn three and plowed in to the rear end of Larry Holman's car which was stalled up against the guardrail? After Larry Holman got his car back together he had a sign on the back of his car that said "Damn You Harold Leep". Holman did have a sense of humor.

Mike

David Hwy 75 was just a race track from Dewey to Tulsa, opening night in 76 after the races I was tired and had my date drive while I took a nap, Jay Woodside was leading pulling the Jelly 24 car he was by himself that night and Norman and I helped with that car plus Norman's 2 cars so I was beat, Norman was behind Jay and Carol and I were following, well Carol had never been around any racers and she was terrified and quit following Norman when he got up to 80-85 MPH, we finally caught up with them at a restaurant in Owasso and they gave her a hard time about driving slow and she gave Jay Woodside a hard time about getting gravy all over his beard. Carol and I will be married 35 years this July.

That night in 75 when you came to Dewey what did Larry and Dale think about Mike running with the supers? I don't remember the results that night but Mike usually finished in the top 3 with his modified against the supers and he won several features there. I sure enjoy your stories and hope that you will post some more of them

Ray

In the 70's on US 75, I can't imagine going 50mph let alone 80/85. From Dewey to the Kansas line it may have been a two lane road if you ran with the right side on the shoulder? It may have been better once you got south of Dewey? I never ran it farther south than Dewey in the 70's.

Warren Vincent
Cans 4 Kansas Heroes

I had heared that the road from Dewey to Caney was real bad,From Tulsa to Dewey was 2- lane but you could go pretty good if there was not much trafic. My future wife did not like the was we all drove to the races and home but she got use to it. In 1975 when Norman had 3 cars on 2 trailers, he and Mike would leave for Dewey about noon and I would leave for Dewey about 3:00 PM and we would meet at at nice cafe, one night a brake line hose poped on the tow truck just south of Caney and Norman had to use the trailer brakes on the dash until he got to the race track and we spent the evening working on the tow truck and not the race cars, I guess they ran ok but I do not remember. Norman had a real nice Ford Rancheo and one day outside of Topeka he got a ticket towing a ditch witch doing 90MPH. One other night on the Muskogee turnpike a rope that we tied some of the tires down to the trailer with came loose and we went hunting tires in the fields. I don't know if we found all of them but I can imagine the surprise of a farmer who foung a 15" drag tire and wheel in his fields, man Norman was mad , he tied the rope that came loose.

Warren how are midnights treating you?

Ray

Look at what I found from 1975

Warren how are midnights treating you?

I'm working the 4pm to 12 shift now.

Warren Vincent
Cans 4 Kansas Heroes

I hated the 4- 12 shift hopefully you will do better on it than I did. I would stay up and watch the tv until 3 or 4 AM then not get up until about noonn. I could not get anything done. On the 12- 8 shift it seemed like I had more time to do something, but I was always tired.

Ray