Rare Photo find of ’64 INDY Nationals-GuessWho

[dinoKeymaster]

So I’m doing a search for early 1961 Dragsters to do the Vintage look T-shirt,as it might have been done back then-wasn’t all they had were embroidered Track Crew shirts. Figure I’ll work off the Original Hemi rail on the old sign And search John Fetty…the first paid ‘star’ that appeared opening day. Hemi out of maryland .Find this guys photo albums …like 149 pages worth.Find Fetty’s car for ’64… BUT IN HIS COLLECTION I STUMBLE OVER THIS ! ….Return road at 1964 Indy Nationals….Guess Who…Are old buddy “Baby Torque”.Still Running and restored by Pat . So Pat….give us some history here.How’d it do?

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[babycakesParticipant]

Wait’ll Pat see’s this 😮 Dave Daly’s “Baby Torque”at the Nat’s!!! Pat,let’s hear it ❗ ❗ ❗

[patinaParticipant]

All I can say is “WOW” and thats a young Ray Kobel in the drivers seat. They didn’t win but where in good company in 1964 at Indy. As the story goes the motor broke a few weeks before Indy the cam got bent or damaged. It was sent back to Racer Brown and repaired or reground they put it all back together and may have run it at Dover before leaving for the Nats, Dover gave Dave and Willie some money to go. They got to Indy and made some time trials but the car never ran the low elevens it was running before the motor broke. Story goes the Isky rep was there selling or giving cams to certain customers and he had cams in his car 🙄 Well when they ran back at Dover with the new Isky 555 Super LeGerra cam they ran right around the national record. The Racer Brown cam was never right and wond up in the garbage.

Pat

PS I have to send Dino the et slips I have

[dinoKeymaster]

As Promised…PAT kept all the great Relics!

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[dinoKeymaster]

Even has the Program….Kool

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[babycakesParticipant]

Great history lesson Pat of your ‘Baby Torque’ M.G. Amazing you were able to save all the memorbilia from that event…WOW !!! 😮 😮 😮 😮 Thank you for sharing the story and the artifacts ❗

[john-sachs-srParticipant]

quote dinotheweirdo:

As Promised…PAT kept all the great Relics!

Look at # 383.
John

[dinoKeymaster]

Check #446…. also see Eddie Sanzo in there. Hey PAT…Do you have the other pages?…Scan ’em & send …We’ll see who else was at the party!

[patinaParticipant]

Oh you will really enjoy seeing who was there. I have the entire program Dino, I will get the pages scanned and post them. If you notice #405 and the MG pictures were taken at Dover.

Pat

[tomblakeParticipant]

Pat….Pretty neat you kept the old stuff and thanks for posting it, those were some real good times.

[dinoKeymaster]

405…Thats a Moroso car …soon to be lettered “Performance Automotive”…there were two of them . Rick still has the red one.

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[babycakesParticipant]

Eddie Sanzo almost caused an upset that year,running against ‘Ohio’ George Montgomery in the A/GS class. He had a slight lead on George half way down the strip,when he started ‘drifting’ towards the center line,and had to back off the ‘go’ pedal.If you ever seen Eddie run his Willys P/U, he had his hand full between wheel stands,and control,going down the 1/4 mile! Pat will tell ya…eventually he trashed it,and thankfully didn’t get hurt! Eddie was,and still is,a ‘gasser-legend’ !

[vindicatorParticipant]

😀 😀 😀 Hey Babycakes…ain’t “almost”…in horsehoes???!!!*** 😆 😆 😆 …taking nothing away from Eddie Sanzo…one very good long-time racer for sure…there’s only one…”Ohio” George Montgomery…and he didn’t get beat much…ever… anywhere…in a very long “storied” career…from the Cadillac powered Willys…to SOHC…Willys…Mustangs…to the last turbo B-429 Mustang..’eh 😀 😀 😀 “believe”…remember Eddie goin’/bein’…on his lid one night…in the Willys pick-up…@ NY National…maybe that was the ending (?)…Jack Merkel was there as I recall that night as well… 😀 😀 😀 Drake…think it was “nice” that George had Ford factory money with the Mustangs…but he was “legendary” way before…with his all home-built Willys…one very smart dude!!!

[babycakesParticipant]

‘Ohio’ George has been a personal friend of mine since 1960,and we still keep in contact with one another.He was like a ‘mentor’ to me. In 1960 and 1961,I was a pit crew member,for my good friend Bill Novotny,who had a 34 ford 3 window coupe,with a blown and injected 459 cu. in. Olds.We ran against George,at the Nationals those 2 years,and yes,got beat by George’s 33 Willys,with the 432 cu. in blown Caddy engine.Both times,just shy of a car length.I have an extensive collection of George’s memorbilia ,his ’64’ racing coveralls,he won the Nationals in,tee shirts,white railroad caps,signed photos,every year he ran the Willys,ect.ect.I always admired him cause he was the ‘underdog’,taking on the big guns,at the Nationals.A gifted ‘craftsman’,who did meticulous work! I’m glad he got his Willys back,and restored it.Now on loan and displayed in the Henry Ford Museum,Detroit,Mich. The combo of the Willys,with the Ford ‘Cammer’….untouchable at that era! George only lost once at the Nationals, ‘1965’ (Chevy-powered) by Jack Merkel’s 33 Willys.After that “CAMMER TIME!!! 😮

[vindicatorParticipant]

😀 😀 😀 Hey Babycakes…for sure George is a very special…his son Greg is a very smart “dude” as well…continuing Georges Automotive in Dayton,Ohio in the same tradition as his dad…if you have George’s friendship…all the more “special” 😀 😀 😀 …the A/GS “WARS” were a pre-lude to the Funny Car madness…so many awesome guys/cars…Stone-Woods-Cook…KS Pitman…Chuck Finders…Big John Maz…Jack Merkel…so many others…the last “effort”…the pseudo A/GS…CARS ON FUEL…Hill Brothers…Prock & Howell…Shores & Hess…all “bad joses”…and a great “show”…those were memorable times…so…U…bein’ a Willys guy…no better “time”…than right now…times a wastin’…:lol: 😆 😆 before…that final moment takes place ala’…what happens to all us “mere mortals” (all too reguarly recently)…there just gotta’ be one mo’ Willys…in the “wings”…for the “ride” on “Stairway to Heaven”…or is it “Highway to Hell” ‘eh 😆 😆 😆 Drake…p.s.the term “friend” is pretty deep to me…I have truly been blessed over the years…got around…wuz/is pals with oh…so many guys (around motorsports)…many so called “names”…and “no names” over the years 😀 😀 😀 …shared great/sometimes a “bit” wild times/gals too (not too many “suited” for family publications re-call…or “viewing”)…all over this country… and Europe as well… 😆 😆 😆 but…a big but…real friends (maybe the most over-used word in Webster’s!!!)…who would be there for me/vice-versa too)…if…in fact I committed a “heinious” crime…I can still count on one hand…my Dad…the late”Nazy Crate” Cohen…Tom Caldara… the late Willie Hormorete…my Euro Top Fuel Hall of Fame sidekick Rune Fjeld…immediately come to mind…I take the word “friendship” pretty seriously…pals (we keep in semi-regular “touch”)…got a million of ’em…friends… just a few ‘eh 😆 😆 😆 8 million “stories” in the Naked City…been part…of at least…a few 😆 😆 😆

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