1972 Stats

1972 Rundown

Dad’s Membership Card

1972

<div class=”maint”> Dad was my main man for as long as he could come out. He always wanted to race when he was younger but never had the chance. He took our family to Oakwood Stadium, Pinecrest and the CNE to watch. He liked the Super Modifieds, in the late 50’s, Ted Hogan, Jimmy Howard and the rest of the boys. I would love to go back to those days and watch a race with the Jalopy’s of late 50’s who became the Hobby’s and the Modifieds who became Super Modifieds. The Late Models showed up at the CNE and Pinecrest in the 64′.

My First Hobby Car May 1972

Model A Purchase

<div class=”maint”> In mid May of 1972 Ed Hennesey and I picked up my 1930 Model A from Jack Shields(pictured with Ed). I paid $1000 for both the car and trailer. Ed towed it home with his 1965 Plymouth Fury. This would be the start of 4 decades of racing.

In The Body Shop Waiting Transformation to #36

Coupe in paint shop

<div class=”maint”> The first place we took our car was to Sherwood Auto Body on Kipling Avenue in Etobicoke for repainting.

223 cu. in. Ford Inline Six

223 Ford Six

<div class=”maint”> I ran the 223 cubic inch for one year and replaced it in 1973 with a 240 cu inch.

David 6 Mths Old With Bob Komarowski & Ed

David and Bob

<div class=”maint”> Bob and I were friends. He helped me when he could. He held David in this picture in my garage. I tried using the underground parking as my garage but they chased me out to the parking lot. This picture is looking north west from 787 Jane Street in Toronto. Ed was always such a great help to me and dedicated much of his time in my early years with the Hobbys.

My First Feature Ends in Disaster

First wreck

<div class=”maint”> After finishing 3rd in my heat, I started 3rd in the feature. Before the end of the first lap I tangled with another car #66 Steve Barr and slammed into the fence. Steve rolled over at the same time. No garage, no parts and just like my friend Ray Hughes, no money. My dad and Ed Hennesey looked on. I was heart broken. It also looks like I needed a hair cut. It would be 3 weeks before we would get back out.

Repairing The Front End

Dad gets it fixed

<div class=”maint”> My dad used the welder from this man’s home in Toronto to get my Coupe race worthy once again. Since we didn’t have a place to put the car at night, needless to say we didn’t have a place to work on it. Where ever I could go, I went with much appreciation.

David Peaks Out Window

Baby David

<div class=”maint”> David peaks out the window of the Coupe. He’s 6 months old.

Pinecrest Pits

Tuesday Pinecrest

<div class=”maint”> We use to get to Pincrest Speedway early. We had to park our tow vehicles out in the parking lot because there was no room in the pits. The pits were in the middle of the track. You entered on the front straight and came off on the back straight.

Pinecrest Heat Line Up…Roll Over Story

Ready to go

<div class=”maint”> We use to line up in turn one at Pinecrest. The spots were numbered. That’s Rich Harris behind me, the 2004 Hall of Fame inductee. You can see his Flat Head V8. My roof is damaged from rolling over at Speedway Park under caution on a Friday night earlier in the season. Okay, how do you roll over under the caution? Fred Poets the Hobby Hall of Famer, and mega feature winner was dicing with Wayne Keeling while we were under caution. I was minding my own business, the track crew were cleaning debris off turn 4 when all of a sudden the two of them tried to go in front of me, one from the left and one from the right. Somehow I drove over one of their wheels, got air borne and did one complete roll over ending up back on my wheels. Fred came over to tell me it wasn’t his fault. I got out to look at my car and the tow truck came over. I waved him off, got in the car and drove into the pits to have it checked over, but on this particular night there was no crew, so I ran around the car twice, yelled a bit (probably still in shock) and went back out on the track. The race hadn’t restarted. On the last lap of the feature the wishbone came off and I ended up in the infield.

Unloading at Pinecrest

Pit crew Bob

<div class=”maint”> Bob carries some of our equipment, wait, I think that was all of our equipment, to our pit stall. Some of the other boys were unloading their cars. Orange was a popular color then. We ran every Tuesday night at Pinecrest, rain or shine, for about 7 weeks. We also ran Friday’s at Speedway Park. Flamboro was closed. Rocco Di Carlo closed it down for 72′ after the first 2 months of racing. The Casale’s would open it again in 1973. Harry Bow would end up buying the #46 in 1973.

Feature Race at Pinecrest

Hobby’s battle

<div class=”maint”> John Jarvis leads us out of turn 2 going down the back chute. Randy Thistle is #1 and the nose of Merle Godfrey’s #63 can be seen on the bottom.

The crew

Ed, Bob and Gary

<div class=”maint”> This picture was taken right after a fetaure race at Flamboro, early in the year. Ed is on the left, Bob in the middle. We were excited because we were in one piece after a night of racing.

Tom Shingler at Speedway Park

Speedway Park

<div class=”maint”> Tom Shingler #12 ran very good at times and helped me whenever he could. I was in trouble so many times that a little help from a lot of people was enough to keep me going.

Practicing at Pinecrest

Warm ups

<div class=”maint”> It was exciting just to get out on the track. Pinecrest was so much fun. A very tight short track like Barrie Speedway(the old Barrie Speedway). I struggled so much my first year. We use to count a victory by just getting to the track. Then if nothing fell off in the warm ups we would be high fiving each other. Surviving a heat was worthy of celebration and finishing a feature was a miracle. My dad use to say when I came in after a heat…”the only thing behind you was the next race”….He loved me just the same.

Planning something

Pit crew Ed

<div class=”maint”> Ed and I try to figure how to set up the car. The truth is Ed had some idea and I had none. I just wanted to race and hope we could finish. The young fellow beside the car is Greg Fitzpatrick. He was lead singer of a band I played in called Lords of London. Greg is still playing and I’m still racing. I wonder how many guitars he’s wrecked over the years? Probably none. Greg had a number one song in Toronto in 1967 called Corn Flakes and Ice Cream….Eds son, David pits for my son David on his Late Model. David also put David’s web site together. The Hennesey family were very good to us.

Pit Crew

Ed, Bob and me.