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

Hi Barry,

My son isn't into racing at all. I stopped driving when he was only about a year old so he was never around it. He hated it when he was real young because when I watched it on TV that meant he couldn't watch Nickelodian or The Cartoon Network. I only go to about one race a year to say hi to the handfull of guys that I raced with that are still racing, Haud, Kinser, Kenny Jacobs etc. After not sitting in a car for 16 years when I do go it still makes me want to drive, never was much of a spectator I guess. The only guys I still talk to very often are Bobby Allen, and I talk to Shane Carson on a weekly basis.

I appreciate your interest and you take care too,

Rick Ungar

Don't mean to barge in on your post guys but "Awesome reading" guys, wish there were more posts like this on here. History straight from the horses mouth. Thanks

Hi Rick,

Thought You' d get a kick out of this pic. Here is your old office. I walked into this bank back,3-4 years ago,when we were going to Crossville TN,to use the atm there. Here was this sweet old piece sitting in the lobby.( It also sat at Knoxville Museum for some months as well as few years ago). Kind of a small world sometimes. Rick,Did you by chance know of Ray Flesher when you were driving for MA? I'm thinking Ray may have passed away by that time. I did see Billy Anderson just last summer at Eldora for the first time in many moons. He looked pretty much the same as last time I had seen him many moons ago. This is a pretty nice write up about Jack E and the M A Brown car. I remember going to W Memphis for the first time.Sammy won all three classes that night. He still had his B Modified and won, drove someone's stock car ,won that,and was driving M A's car that year and won the sprint feature. Ahhh ,,,,I remember it like it was yesterday. I bet you are glad your son doesn't want to get into racing. That will save a lot of your nerves.huh?

http://www.mckenziebanner.net/2004/2004_features/feature_McKRacingLegacy_Jun09_04.htm

Take Care,

Barry

Thought I would pass along many thanks to Rick, for having witnessed quite a few Bullring Battles as a child here in California. I can see the Klien truckstop #39, as well as Brock Robertson's Hanford tire #8
running the cushion from Baylands to Skagit, with quite a bit of success too... Thanks again...

Rick, I first recall seeing you at Lawton Speedway somewhere around 77 or 78. I was with my hero Johnny Suggs on the front straight for driver intros. You and Johnny were shootin' the breeze and, you made small talk with me. I was around 14yrs old at that time. Some thirty years later, It still means a great deal that you took the time to speak to some kid you were standing next to.

God Bless

Hey, Rick, how many folks can say that they watched your Dad, Steve, race at the old Greater Pittsburgh Speedway in Clinton, PA?

My uncle used to drive one of the push trucks there, and it was my introduction to super sprints. Oh, the memories - Lou Blaney, Jim Seese, Dave Lundy, Gus Linder and the rest.....

Chuck.....

Thanks for the link Barry. It's good to see M.A. is still around. He was pretty much retired when I drove the car in 1980. He supplied the equipment but the car pretty much had to pay it's own way. Ken Conrad kept the car at his place in West Memphis. It was the same arangement that he and Mr.Brown had in 1979 when Rick Hood drove it. I don't remember Ray Flesher. I am glad,though somewhat torn on the fact that my son isn't into racing. I couldn't begin to afford to race but it would be nice to have the bond that it would enable us to have possibly for many years to come. I suppose two generations of racers is enough though.

You take care too,

Rick Ungar

Thanks for remembering.

Rick

The fact that Johnny Suggs is still racing at his age makes him my hero too. I'm glad I was able to make a positive impression on you way back then and I'm honered that you still remember it. Thirty years later, I want to thank you.

Rick Ungar

Wow, what a memory. Those were awesome times. I can remember watching him drive the Crash Bros.#46 at Clinton, Pa. I only wish more records were kept from those days so that the guys you mention including my Dad could recieve the recognition they deserve. When my Dad first got sick I decided to see if I could possibly get him in the Hall of Fame but I couldn't come up with enough documentation showing his accomplishments. He didn't talk alot about his career and he wasn't a bragger but he casually mentioned that there were probably years when he would win near 100 races a year. Bear in mind that there were periods when he used to race six times every five days, with Sunday afternoon races then again Sunday night. He did this while raising 4 kids and working a real job as a body man. As an old car owner of mine, Jim Klein used to jokingly say, "those were the days when men were men and women were glad".

Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

Rick Ungar

Was B&L Electric '82 season the year John McDaniel was the wrench, if not I've some things mixed up. Anyway, I was thinkin' the B&L trailer for that season was painted in my dad's shop, the Easton 88 Sprinter shop. I feel like I'm lurking a little bit. I had asked some questions about you when the McDaniel boys & I went on vacation to the WoO World Finals last fall. I just did a search a few minutes ago for Rick Ungar B & L Sprintcar & here I am.

I asked Rick 1 time @ Limaland, Whats it like to drive a sprint car, His response was Wild Man Wild. He was the hippie type back then, Long hair, I thought he was cool, I was maybe 8 or 9, I'll be 46 in march, Nice 2 have U chattin with us Rick.

Rick Unger, I grew up in W.pa watching your dad and you race.My father owned a sprint # 20 driven by Bill Banick most of the years.This is my first recollection of you and I'm laughing lightheartedly as I'm remembering and slowly typing. It was at Tri-city speedway in Franklin Pa 1972 i think and you were driving a white #18 jr.(Mac Clingan car)? Jack West happened to be driving our car that night...in the heat, you started in back of us. Coming off of #2, you just flat out came up and really hit the car in the rear wrecking it while you continued on. Needless to say, we weren't too happy but we took our lumps. What is funny is your dad came down and apologized and wanted to lend a hand fixing the car. I think West stayed clear of you in the feature! At least you were always on the gas!!! LOL Great memories...I think not long after that, you drove a red #11 for Tom Felicity for awhile?? Nice to hear from you Rick..ron cubic

Oh my God! Man have our looks all changed. I 've always thought Ricky as well as his dad Hooker aged well, good gene pool I guess. Poor Kurt Moon standing at the rear of the car, Johnny Mac's brother in law, isn't so fortunate. He has changed quite a bit.

The Moon boys want to know Ungar remembers the name of the driver of the motorhome/racerig. They can't remember but still get a laugh about him while spinning the yarn. Johnny McDaniel and Scotty Mac are also in the picture above, faces cut off by the wing. That picture may have been taken the night Crockett passed away. He was standing atop the race trailer and had a heart attack, possibly caused by the frustration from the Firestone tires that wouldn't retain any heat. That is one of the last races that team ran if not the last.

partialperson,

just curiuos. when you say Johnny McDaniel, in the picture posted above,would that be John McDaniel's son,from Carbondale IL?. I was at John McDaniels shop when he was doing a heavy race schedule,many many moons ago.Thats the first I have heard of that name in many moons.

Take Care

I can't believe this thread is going again, awesome! Johnny Mac wrenched the car late in the '82 season. I drove it in every WoO race that year finishing 7th in points. I'm a little fuzzy on what happened after the Outlaw season ended and whether John had the car in '83 or if that's when Jeff Swindell drove the car. I know that Jeff was the driver when Crocket had a heart attack standing on the roof of the trailer.

Rick Ungar

Thanks, it's nice to be remembered, and I'll be 56 on March 3rd.

Rick

Well they could be talking about the fiasco on the way home from Calif. or the night we were heading back to Johnny Macs house in Carbondale and ended up in Ohio I think, but on both occaisions Robert Hubbard was guilty of being the driver. He was also driving it one of the many times the exhaust under the bed caught wood frame on fire. I know Curt will never forget that.

Rick Ungar