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Turns out this frame was built in late '77 at Parsons by David Grace who was looked upon like a son by Suchy. After a little spat between the two over racing it was decided that they would run this frame in '78 after the first Parsons was sold. Even though it didn't win a championship it was a Suchy-Leep car and it ran for a relatively long time with these colors thus making it a car to be identified as it's own. In this state of mind that means the following: If you have the leftovers of this car, this is what it's supposed to look like.

Thank you to all of those who were gracious,

brian26

  i think you got it ..  hope to see it.

My final source was a good one. I talked to several people who lived out those days and realized they were too busy living to take notes. There was one however who watched and learned as things went along. Like many of us his passion for these cars was too strong to ignore yet the one person who didn't want him to get started was Suchy himself. Pat Suchy looked at David Grace like a son. He wanted him to go to school and look at racing from a distance if at all. David went to school yet he stayed as close as he could to the scene. He eventually went to work for Parsons and was there when the Suchy cars were built. In fact he was there when they were run too, all the time going to school. You know that last 76 car that was silver and red? David built that frame for his own personal use in the future(in Parsons shop). Suchy got mad(or protective) and stashed it in storage. Eventually they got over hurt feelings and decided to run that car in '78. They ran it two more years before they went to a Jack Rich car. David doesn't think highly of that frame. Possibly he is a little self critical. All these years later the Leeps, both Sr and Jr seem to think Davids car was every bit as good to handle as the first 76 car. In fact, I'm not even sure they noticed the difference. David Grace is the man to talk to when it comes to identifying the Suchy cars. Now.......why didn't I think of going to him first?

The difference between some of the greatest drivers of all time and the rest is the fact that they BELIEVE they can win. There were times when Harold would be going fast to the front and a red flag would come out. While the track workers would clean up Harold would announce to Pat that he needed a change on the car really quick. Pat would announce to him that he was already going to the front quite effectively but Harold would insist. So...... Pat would pull out a wrench and and go around out of view and rattle around and shake the car a little and look up and say "alright". Harold would then go to the front even faster! Dick Gaines and Karl Kinser had this relationship too. They had similar results.

Remember this line- We have a choice to pick the end of this story.

Parsons and his crew drug the tubing into the shop and built a car for Suchy. The times were high cotton as Suchy was coming off of a championship season at OkC with Benny. A rare collaboration occurred. They built a masterpiece that would win but not without a fight. She was built with attention to detail like few others. Parsons made sure the lines looked right over and over until she was perfect. S&S plating polished and dipped many parts and the result was a georgeous old girl covered in jewelry. Dale Parsons did a shakedown run to tidy up the loose ends(clutch problems). The car was then cleared for Benny I believe at Tulsa.

That night didn't go as planned. Benny wrecked hard because he drove with nads that require a five gallon bucket to carry and sometimes the price is heavy. Benny was out for the rest of the season in a bad way and the car would have been considered destroyed by normal folks. George Armstrong said he could bring her back and he did although most of the car was replaced. Meanwhile Suchy was getting a much needed distraction in helping Larry Holman towards his quest for the '75 OkC title during the second half of the season.

It looked like Benny was getting better at some point and the season was over when Suchy was talking with Leep about the 76 season. Pat took the car over to Walker for a front torsion conversion and somewhere along the line she was painted red and white and numbered 76 in honor of the Bi-centennial.

A rebuilt car with a comeback driver. Yet this was no ordinary combination. They went on a tear and got OkC and NCRA titles that year. Followed up in '77 with another OkC title.

The car was then sold to the Roberts family and then it went back and forth between Tulsa and OkC until it was sold out of Sapulpa, Ok. She then went to Ninnekah still looking good after an $800 sale. Bill Cundiff being the new owner loved the car and he loved racing(still does). He drove it like a racer is supposed to do, as if there is no tomorrow. Underfunded and overworked he did the best he could during those years '87-'92(?) until he got a newer car to run. Early on he put up the body for safekeeping and ran a sprint tail, wedge hood etc.

Like these cars do, it appealed to a young man close to him and a request was made to take it home and put it back together as a father-son project.

Now, the car had been run a lot and I mean a lot, so it was now looking a little wartorn. Unfortunately these two didn't know what they had and there was no movement to restore these old cars back in the early '90s. The dad was afraid his son would get hurt so he cut it up and dropped it off at a scrapyard south of Chichasha, Ok. I went there and became an unsung hero by stopping a burglary after it dawned on me that since 10-12 years had gone by, there was nothing left to identify any remains.

Remember the first line in this eulogy? Well....... the thing that made this car was the people and the spirit they invested in it. A few of the original pieces are still out there here and there and I'm sure there is a springer front parsons lying around somewhere(I think I know where one is and it's not cut up!). The tail section is still advertised in Speedway motors and the people who built it are still with us.

There is a common thread in these cars that I can't put into words. But it's the people who make it happen.

Just to clarify,

Bill Cundiff loved this car and he was very proud to have owned it. It was very hard for him to learn of its demise. We were hoping that there was a miscommunication and maybe it was thrown in a ditch somewhere or something like it. Times were hard in the area where it was cut up and no one had been looking for it, so the people who had it did what they did. It was not done out of spite, only not knowing any better. Many people pitted by this car for years and even heard the claim of what it was. It slipped by us all before we realized Bill was right.

I take some of the blame here too. I had some pictures to take to Bill when he had it and I got sidetracked and never took them until this year. Perhaps if I had hyped it all those years ago, it might be up and running in some form today.

I'm an Edmunds man, yet this square topped car got under my skin, like many others. I will remember it's form and will be driven to duplicate it in some way if the cards are in my favor and I get to keep going with this passion. The 13 (Jelly) and the second Parsons no. 76 ('77-'79 seasons) are unaccounted for. We have time and people with us to find and ID these cars .

Remember the 13 (Jelly) car won the '74 championship and came back out to help Larry Holman close the deal in '75. The Sampson owned Parsons is still around and don't ask me where. It layed the the foundation for that title hunt and gets credit for the title. Great cars that are not forgotten should not die with a whimper. These two cars matter if any of this passion means a damn thing at all. Keep your eyes peeled.

It has been interesting reading about the history and where abouts of these cars... I know a little history about some of these cars... Believe it or not I even helped build some of them... I was about 12-13 years old when most of these cars were built and I would come home from school and work in Dad's shop, cutting out gussetts, bumper and nerf bar bosses etc.. Yes, Dale Parson is my dad... It's kinda cool now to read all this suff about the Parson cars.... Just for the record, It's Parson not Parsons... thats alright though, most everyone puts the s on the end....

Anyway, I called dad and told him he should check this forum out and get on here and help with all the facts about all three Suchy cars... He remembers every detail as if it were yesterday... Hopefully he'll get on here and post a few facts.. If not, I'll get the info from him and post it myself.

I have been researching the whereabouts of a few of Dad's old cars too... The Sampson owned Parson car !!!!! I located it 5-6 years ago and was told that it definately would not be sold to anyone unless myself or my dad wanted it... Also, Do yall remember the four bar car that My dad built for himself in about 75. Orange and blue #67... Well I have located it about 7-8 years ago and am still trying desperatly to buy it from the current owner.

Dad and I would like to have those two cars to restore. But the one car he would really like to have is the spring front/ torsion rear car that he drove just prior to building his first four bar car. the car is pictured on this site . Dad had sold the car to Gene Jones and he painted it red and white and it was number 68... The picture on this site shows Dale Reed mud lapping it... Dad is pretty sure Jones sold it to someone in Tulsa... From there we dont know what happened to it... If anyone knows anything about that car and where it might be please let us know.

Kim Parson, Abilene Powder Coating. Abilene, Texas.

P.S. Randy Willingham's Parson car restoration is coming along very nicely. I just powder coated the chassis today and were delivering it to Amarillo tomorrow... It is really looking very good. I'm sure he'll have pictures to post real soon.

Thank you. I know you can fill in and correct any mistakes I posted here. I was younger than you when I became infected with these cars and the first car I ever wanted was a 6-cylinder mod. I come from the poor boy background and many times we were at the back, yet it's surprising how many legendary cars ended up in obscure backyards.

I can tell you that the #75 that Steve Overton was driving was bought by me in mid 80's. I have a picture of it sitting on a trailer ready for racing by me. The color was yellow with a blue wing and the number 96 on the wing. George Armstrong and Paul Haws helped me get started with this car in the modified division in 1985 at Tulsa. I got divorced in 87 and between that time span I can not remember what happened to the car. I have been going through picures and everything else I have trying to figure out were it ended up. Sorry, rough time of my life and my memory of this time is blurred.

The only reason I remember what little I do is because back then no one cared about an old race car, and it upset me a little. Any chance you can post pics of the 96(old 13) car so someone will might ID it. There is a claim that the car is in someones shop and part of the story is that it was the 13 car. I will relay the info and if it seems that it is the car maybe someone will restore it. Timelines and ownership stories are important.

I am not a hunter for profit nor can I afford restoring outside cars. I have my own family cars because by the time we got through with them they were too old for anyone. Now we have all these cool old modifieds! (4)

Kim, Haven't heard about you or your Dad in years. Hope everybody is doing well. Email or call me [email protected] or 1-405-789-8253 It would be great to hear from you guys.

does anyone out there know who did the strectched (stan Schoenberg) C.A.E. sprinter & Are there any photos of that car, before or after the changes to it ? & who had it after that? did D.E. Suggs have that car later?

Stans car was already stretched I believe it was Ronnie Brothertons #39 which may have been Hank Malones #99 before Ronnie had it. I don't know if Bob Brotherton is still alive but if he was he would know.

Here is two of the pictures I am trying to find more.

since the photos arent up on the site any longer, could one think that one might be trying to locate them.i hope so  goodluck let us all know.

Hope they show up this time.

Seems a Randy Richardson(?) had the other car(76) about this time. You had the 13 car Benny drove! Harold Leep drove it one time when it was no. 24. This car won the '74 championship at OkC, and closed the deal for '75 with Holman. The rear braces on the cage were added probably while it raced at Tulsa as a 6-cylinder modified. JOHN SABOLICH  had a frame very much like this one. Everyone was sticking sprintails on these in the late '80s. I wonder if he ended up with it.