our hero's

[flvideo]

Yeah Dave thats the only picture I ever saw of that car. I would have probably questioned it if you did have the caption on it. Bob...

[Jim Fenton]

Jim I am surprised you didn't say anything about the announcer in the next to last picture. Bob...

Yeah I saw him there but only had so much time when I saw the
post before having to switch from racin to makin a living.
(I hate it when work interferes with fun stuff!)

As Rick said, Gordon was one of the greats. Some people
didn’t care for Gordon (including my better half) but I
always liked the man.

Gordon had a storied past in racing as a promoter,
announcer and track owner in the Tampa Bay area.

He along with Frank Dery was responsible for initiating
and providing many facets of racing here in the area
some of which include; NASCAR, the 200-Lap Florida
State Late Model Championship, USAC, IMCA, Hurricane
Hell Drivers and much more.

Following are a few pics of Gordon and other items
that you may enjoy, most of which are from articles
in the old Tampa Tribune newspaper.

These first two are the program and qualifying line up
sheet for 4 IMCA races brought to the Florida State
Fairgrounds in Tampa in 1959 by Al Sweeney.

Gordon was tapped by Sweeney to announce this
Mid-Winter Championship event which drew drivers
from all over the US.






Gordon at Phillips Field in 1961 preparing to call
the race for Dery Sports Promotions. Note the Spire
at UT visible in the background.



Gordon (far left) pointing out last-minute instructions
to the contractor in 1962 as the construction of
Golden Gate Speedway nears completion.



A promo shot of Gordon standing next to the 6’ trophy
that he and Frank Dery have slated to give to the 1962
season point leader for Late Models.



I have a funny story about Gordon that I posted up
on the old Karnac board way back when I first found
this place a few years ago so those of you that already
saw it just switch now to another thread.

As most of you know Gordon was also heavily and successfully
involved in Pro-Wrestling in the area back in the day promoting
as well as calling the fights at such venues as the Fort Homer
Hesterly Armory in Tampa to the Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg.

When I begin having repeated success at the Gate Gordon
approached me with a promo idea to sort of bring the two
sports together.

At the time there was a Russian wrestler competing and
having great success winning in the Florida Pro-Wrestling Tour
called The Great Malenko. (I have no idea if the guy was really
from Russia or not. He might’ve been from Ybor City for all I know.
All I do know is that at the time, he walked the walk and talked the talk).

Gordon’s idea was to have us swap roles in each other’s
formats, of course the overall intent being to draw more
gate to both venues.

Specifically, we were to put a ride-along seat in the
passenger side of our racer and strap Malenko in for a
ride-along in a real race.

Then conversely, I was supposedly to go three rounds
with Malenko at the Armory prior to a Championship event.

The whole thing was a put-on of course with my part in
the 3-round deal supposedly choreographed so that yours
truly could race another day.

There were a few taped promo’s then scheduled in advance
whereby we were supposed to taunt each other as being a
chicken, panty-waist, etc. and supposedly not being able to
sustain the rigors of the other guy’s sport.

This is all sounded great to me until Gordon introduced me
to the guy at the Gate one night before we were to start
the taped promo’s.

I’ll have to paraphrase his comment because I can’t remember
his exact words but right after introductions while patting me
on the shoulder he said something like; “Jeem, my buddy”,
“You take me for ride, then I take you for ride huh?”
“Hahahahahah”.

Needless to say the event never came off; I was told it was
canceled due to an insurance issue.

Good thing cause the way I figure it, I probably would’ve
ended up drooling in a wheelchair unable to put whole
sentences together no matter how good the fight thing
was choreographed.

[flvideo]

Now thats funny, I remember the great Malenko. As I remember he was a real big guy. Jim you ain't no little fellow but Malenko was BBIG. Gordon was my fav wheather wrestleing or racing. Wasn't he inducted in the WWE hall of fame? Bob...

[ancrdave]

The Great Malenko was actually Lawrence Boris Simon and was born and raised in New Jersey... He was about as "Russian" as Fenton is... He was also not really that big.. 5'10" and around 220 pounds, but he made up for that with great skills both as a wrestler and an "actor"... He was always one of Gordon's favorites... After he retired, he ran a gym in Tampa for many years and trained many well-known wrestlers including his own son Dean who had quite a career himself and is now involved with the WWE as a scout and trainer...
Gordon Solie was a really great guy... We would talk every Saturday before the races and I learned a lot from him, especially the fact that racing at Golden Gate was "entertainment." The last time I saw him was at the Gate back in '78... We chatted for a bit and when I told him I had just a few months left in the USAF, he told me to call him up in Atlanta since he was getting involved in Ted Turner's new wrestling promotion that was going to bring Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas promotions together under one roof with weekly TV shows syndicated on that new thing called "cable".... My mistake... I never called him... I mighta become a wrasslin' announcer!!!

[flvideo]

I guess he looked big to me because I was a skinny snot nosed kid when I remember him. I think he came to the armory in Sarasota several times. I may remember him fro st Pete or Tampa, my dad and I went up from time to time. I guess I watched him on chanell 38 back then. thats the only station we could get then. I think Cable came to Sarasota about '69 or '70. I worked for Motorola installing movie boxies in probably '73. Where wer you in the early '70's Dave? Bob..

PS: I got your DVD in the mail this afternoon...

[ancrdave]

Graduated High School in 1970... Actually lived in Atlanta going to trade school in '70-71 but got caught up in the draft mess and joined the USAF...
In from 1971 to 1979... The last five years down at Homestead...

[flvideo]

Durn I guess I am getting old. I graduated in Sarasota in 1969 and went into the airforce in 1961. I was stationed for 3 years in New Jersey. Now that was an experience for a Florida boy. I was stationed outside of Trenton and not far from several tracks in PA and NJ. I rode a Motorcycle then so I spent a lot of time at Motorcycle races. I wish I had been able to spend more time at the old dirt tracks up there. I flew on a C-130 for 21/2 of those years so I wasn't there a lot. Even wasn't too far from NY tracks. I guess I thought They would be there for ever. I got home from service and went to work for FPL and stayed there till I retired in 1997. I started my racing at Saramana Speedway between Sarasota and Bradenton in 1953. An old racer that still builds his grandsons and greatgrandsons race cars, Harold Hall, lived down the street from us and took a bunch of us neighborhood kids to the track and it has been a life long passion for me. I raced cars for a couple years but I have video taped them since 1983 and I have enjoyed that more than racing. I still am pretty busy with the video business. Bob...

[Trash Inturn4]

I can still hear Gordon Solie calling Figure 8 races at 'The Gate', "Waaaaaatch that intersection"

[Jim Fenton]

Talk about heroes.

I forgot I had taken this shot at the Blast II until
I was downloading some job pics from the same
memory card today.

From left to right; Dumont Smith, Bobby Brack, Buddy Pearce.



I wish I had a dollar for the combined wins of these three drivers.

Heck I’d take tomorrow off!

[Jim Fenton]

And the last one isn't that Kenny. Bob...

Yep, that’s my Brother-in-Law in Racer Al’s
famous #6 1957 Plymouth Fury.

Here are a few more shots of Kenny in Racer Al’s
rides including the Dodge Dart in later years.





Here’s the Famous Fury parked at Al’s shop,
Precision Automotive in Pinellas Park.



Here’s a short bio of Kenny out of the
1971 Sunshine Speedway yearbook.



Racer Al had a great sense of humor and sometimes
came off the wall with some funny quips.

One in particular sticks in my mind. Some of you may have
heard this already in my interview with Kenny at the Blast I
last year up a NFS where I made him recite this story.

One night at Sunshine Speedway after a particular brutal
Late Model Feature, Kenny pulled Al’s racer (that had arrived
earlier that night looking like brand new with a fresh paint
job & lettering) which now looked like it had just come from
a junk yard (Kenny typically didn’t take any prisoners) up to
the back of his trailer and parked it.

When he climbed out of the car Racer Al handed him
a Ball-Peen Hammer.

Kenny asked: “What’s that for?”

Al replied: “You might as well go up there and hammer
a bunch of dents in the tool box so it matches the car.”

[gene davis]

Nancy. Butch's ph # is, cell 850-209-8373, hm 850-569-2915.

[N.Rowe]

Butch Hirst

Thank you! Fenton's story about the ball peen hammer was to funny!