Help me ID!

[Old Sunshine Fan]

I only have one question - WHY

Why can't we go back to those good ole days....

It seemed it was WAY more fun.... (not to mention cheaper).

Hey MR. FENTON... do you have any of that FOUR around anywhere, we'll get Ray and his 12, Gill and his 24, Leroy and his 7, Jimmy and his 15, and a bunch of the other guys and go back into the old days and have some fun as in REAL FUN....

Hell, we might even get Ron and his stagecoach!

[ModelCarMan]

Yep, Bontrager was one of the best locals at the time. Ray always raced me hard and clean.

He's the one that took down the bounty on me in the mid-70's. I know I have that article in my stuff somewhere which I'll dig up and stick up on here when I have a minute.

Doesn't he have a son or nephew that races at Desoto?

Bontrager also won the bountry on Billy Gill at the Gate in the 70s also.

Looks like he was the real Bountry Hunter in those days!!!

[ronabneysr]

let me tell you about natz peters he could drive dirt too

i remember downtown tampa at old dirt track can't remember which one but it was long time ago we must have started 40 cars me him daniel keene my brother don started in back

we did not have much of a bumper left on car but we all went to front


that wreck natz had at daytona i was there that was a wreck i can't believe he came back across the track what a mess he is still alive ain't he

[ModelCarMan]

Mr Abney, the only dirt track that I remember that was downtown Tampa was Plant Field.

[Trash Inturn4]

Not only is the guy out there 3 high getting lapped, I can guarantee you so was Natz and the 45. I don't know of many guys who could pass Ray and Jim on the outside,... Definitely not Natz Peters.

[Old Sunshine Fan]

It took me a while, but I finally figured it out....................

That was one of those wierd races when they raced in reverse (not just the direction, but in REVERSE Gear)... and this particular picture shows MR. FENTON in the lead. See, in those days, you couldn't touch him forward or backward.

[Jim Fenton]

Hey MR. FENTON... do you have any of that FOUR around anywhere, we'll get Ray and his 12, Gill and his 24, Leroy and his 7, Jimmy and his 15, and a bunch of the other guys and go back into the old days and have some fun as in REAL FUN....

Sadly no. Wish I did but all have gone to that race car junk yard in the sky.

Building those cars as we did then, hand-made from the ground up in the shop out back, limited budget, yatey, yatey, all of the earlier cars (the Chevelles and early Cameros) were chopped up with a lot of the pieces migrating to the next one.

The later “store-bought” chassis were sold, usually to dirt guys with no drive line except the last one which was sold complete to a dirt guy up in GA.

Speaking of remnants from the FOUR, I have a related ‘coincidence’ story there.

About 10-years ago or so (probably more like 15 considering my advancing stages of CRS) I’m tooling down Turner Street in Clearwater going slow looking for an address when I spot what I first thought was a banner or a hand-painted sign hanging on the front wall of a house inside of the front porch. It had the orange background with the graphic “FOUR” slanted just like we had it on the race car and it was full scale size!

Of course, being the nosey person I am (inquiring minds want to know!) I whipped around, pulled into the place and knocked on the door.

As soon as I got to the front door of the porch I could see that it was an actual door off of the car and it was surrounded by other racing memorabilia (not just the FOUR but others too).

Turns out it was a fan of the FOUR that had been by the shop back in the day (which was located only a few miles away) and had asked to have some of the discarded sheet metal that was piling up on the side of the shop.

I recognized him as soon as I saw him (he was also an ex-employee of mine) and we ended up having a good conversation about the ‘old days’.

Turns out the door on his wall was the right side door off the car we won the 1979 Florida State Late Model Championship so it had some significance.

I only have one question - WHY
Why can't we go back to those good ole days....
It seemed it was WAY more fun.... (not to mention cheaper).

Due to my ignorance of not being cognizant of the Florida short track racing scene for several years, I’m seeing things that make me wonder. In fact more bluntly, I just don’t get it.

Now keep in mind the comments I’m getting ready to make is coming from someone that literally walked away from the sport in the early 80’s, and I mean never attended another event or even read an article pertaining to short-track racing, until a few years ago when my nephew decided to evolve from Motocross racing into stock car racing so I went to NSS to see for myself twice during speed-weeks in 08’.

Of course since then I’ve been to a few more races, CCMP one time (thanks FLVideo) and back to NSS recently for Jerry’s 2010 Mod Reunion which my son and I then stayed for the show.

To give this timing more clarity, just remember when I left the scene the popular TV shows were still; Remington Steele, The A-Team, Magnum P.I., Dukes of Hazard, Cheers, etc.

Here’s what I don’t ‘get’.

Why are there so much disparity / differences in the Late Model class?

Back in the day we could just about travel to any track in the south and only have to worry about tire rules. I don’t remember having to worry about much else except the standard stuff like engine set-backs, wheel base, etc. We raced hard and had fun doing it.

I go to NSS and I see three (3) different Late Model categories; Crates, Super Lates and Late Models. Why?

I see where the Anderson’s find it necessary to start even a new sanction I assume due to the disparity. Why?

Understand I’m not slandering the Andersons by any means. No one has any more respect for the dedication that family has for the sport than I do. I’m just trying to get my mind around the reason for the disparity in the class.

I see young drivers trying to compete in two or more Late Model Classes at the same time at the same race. How do they do that in today’s economic climate?

What was the matter with the old way? Was it broke?

Sorry, I’m just a firm believer in the ol’ adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.

What the heck was the matter with one class and let the best man (or woman) win??

I realize given the time window involved here there’s likely no short, simple answer, but I know there’s members here that could give the real analogy or methodology as to how it got to this so I’d love to hear it sometime over a beer with some of you.

Hell, we could even have a Beer Summit since it might take that long to convince me that the new deal is better…..

[flvideo]

Hey Jim , I don't even suggest I have any Idea how to fix the situation the late Models are in. In answer to one question, It ain't better in my eyes. I think money is the factor that pushed all classes not just late models into oblivion. The people with money have pushed on an on with the high dollar this and the high dollar that. Instead of building an engine in the shop out back and enjoying the fellowship with the whole crew its now accepted to go pay upwards of $40,000 for an engine that you are taking the builders word for was according to a set of rules. I guess the more money you have the more car you can have. That's what has made it necessary to field the blended classes. CCMP pioneered this I think and it worked good. Bobby draws 24 to 30 car fields consistently. I think it was late 80's the first I can remember the late Model sportsman at Desoto and maybe other tracks too. It was, I guess, a step down from full blown Late models. I haven't payed much attention to rules in a very long time but I have seen the cars in all classes dwindle to nothing in all classes.
I remember when the pits were so full at Desoto that teams were in the dirt in the back 40 each and every week. The late Models had so many you couldn't run them all, you had to have a B-main. When I traveled with Ken Kinney I saw that again. Kenny drew upwards of any where from 40 to 60 Late models at every show. I guess I need to quit rambling. The way the situation is now I think the best solution is to run the blended classes. It seems to work. The big money crews are going to continue to push for the moon. I guess its human nature, if I had money I'd spend it too. What ever happens I'll continue to take pictures of it and eeek out a meager living at it hopefully. Thats my TOOO cents. bOB.....