Throwback Thursday

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Hershel McGriff. My hometown hero. Enjoyed watching him race and win and rooted for his son, Doug, too.
He's my wife's relative. Had many great conversations with him. He's a great guy
 
Bill's 818 digger.jpg


Since we are doing diggers this is Bill Keonig's (seated under the DA Speed Sport flag) 818 A/D circa 1964. The twin 409's
were pulled when Bill became a track car owner / builder. One mill went into the #37 Chevelle shoed by Johnny Kapovich & multiple feature wins. The other went into the #1 Chevelle shoed by Ted Janecyk = 1965 track championship IIRC.
Later Bill won a number of championships with shoe Bud Koehler.
Bill was inducted into the Illinois Stock Car Hall of Fame. RIP my friend.
 
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Since we are doing diggers this is Bill Keonig's (seated under the DA Speed Sport flag) 818 A/D circa 1964. The twin 409's
were pulled when Bill became a track car owner / builder. One mill went into the #37 Chevelle shoed by Johnny Kapovich & multiple feature wins. The other went into the #1 Chevelle shoed by Ted Janecyk = 1965 track championship IIRC.
Later Bill won a number of championships with shoe Bud Koehler.
Bill was inducted into the Illinois Stock Car Hall of Fame. RIP my friend.

Do you know where this picture was taken?
 
Do you know where this picture was taken?

Chicago amphitheater, about 4100 S Halsted St just east of the stock yards it was the exposition center before McCormick Place & other venues were built. I babysat that thing a few times when they went for chow.
Reminds me: I darn near got got squashed by Budweiser Clydesdales @ a sports show there. The wagon & ponies were next to a wall, I'm next to the wall checking out the ponies (I ride). Drivers are in the seat & the damn Dalmatian starts barking like crazy. The horses start jumping getting ready to run I was lucky to get out of there. Have disliked Dalmatians ever since.
One winter they held indoor drag races @ that place, nobody could hook up on finished concrete.
 
Chicago amphitheater, about 4100 S Halsted St just east of the stock yards it was the exposition center before McCormick Place & other venues were built. I babysat that thing a few times when they went for chow.
Reminds me: I darn near got got squashed by Budweiser Clydesdales @ a sports show there. The wagon & ponies were next to a wall, I'm next to the wall checking out the ponies (I ride). Drivers are in the seat & the damn Dalmatian starts barking like crazy. The horses start jumping getting ready to run I was lucky to get out of there. Have disliked Dalmatians ever since.
One winter they held indoor drag races @ that place, nobody could hook up on finished concrete.

OK, it bares a striking resemblance to the basement level of the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne.
 
I discovered NASCAR and their ‘Grand National’ races in the mid-60’s. My friend’s dad worked for Petersen Publishing and he gave me a copy of the ‘Auto Racing Yearbook - 1968’ and I wore that thing out.

It had recaps for everything from Grand Prix (F1) and Indy to rally cars in Africa. But the chapter I remember most was ‘Demolition Derby at Darlington’.

It was the first time I’d heard of the track and I’d look to catch a race on TV (usually Wide World Of Sports) hoping I might catch one from Darlington.

I saw this recap of the ‘68 Southern 500 when I was a kid and finally saw it again after decades.

They talk pre-race about all the advances since the early days. Things have also changed a bit since then. Good race too.

 
Speaking of "Tricky Dick" as he was called by those of us that ran with him or for the most part behind him, here is a pic of a model of one of his rides. Background rides are also models.

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I saw this recap of the ‘68 Southern 500 when I was a kid and finally saw it again after decades.

They talk pre-race about all the advances since the early days. Things have also changed a bit since then. Good race too.


That was a good watch. :cool:
 
My first local short track hero. I could and can still hear them practicing at Greenville Pickens from my house.
Butch was so smooth and clean, and had I believe he had Cup deal set up with Kenny Bernstein before we lost him.

So much respect.....
He was an ace. His boy Mardy was pretty good in the Pro Cup series and is now a CC in ARCA for Sam Mayer.
 
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