Racing as it used to be back in the late '50's

[NC TRACKRAT]

The above thread about the Reventlow Cobra caused me to remember crewing for a race at the Louisville Fairgrounds where Augie Pabst was driving one of the Scarabs, The Meister Brauser Special. For you folks old enough to remember him, the Chief Starter was Jesse Coleman. I found this on the internet:
https://www.courier-journal.com/picture-gallery/news/history/river-city-retro/2014/08/07/gallery-l-whirlaway-cup-sports-car-races/13714825/

[deathsled]

That is quite the starting lineup. Gotta like how the checkered flag guy is out in the middle of the track...

[NC TRACKRAT]

That's Jesse Coleman.  He was Chief Steward for most of the races in the South East for SCCA. Quite a character, known and revered by all who knew him.  Left us way too soon. Jesse lived in Nashville, TN as did I. We chartered the Tennessee Region in Nashville back in '57 or '58.

[honker]

Thanks for the link, great images from a bygone era !

[98SVT - was 06GT]

I raced at Pomona Fairgrounds back in the 50s - OK it was in my 1/4 midget on their little dirt oval but to me as an 8 year old it was big time racing. I did get to drive on most of what had been the SCCA track in the 80s when I was a reserve for the sheriffs department. They still use it for the Emergency Vehicle Operations Course EVOC.

[NC TRACKRAT]

Back in those days, dedicated race tracks, other than ovals, were rare.  Louisville Fairgrounds was nothing more than a skillet-shaped drive with haybales in random places.  Crowd control was minimal at best.  In addition to Augie Pabst, another young, up-and-coming racer was there in a Porsche...some guy named Roger Penske.

[shelbydoug]

I have a local harness horse racing track here called Yonkers Raceway. I saw pictures of it around 1900 and it was being used for "horseless carnage" races.

Barney Oldfield raced there. He had a "passenger" who would hang off the side of the car to give it more traction in the turns.

It was just a dirt track then. 1-1/2 mile track but I've seen pictures of Indy where it was wooden planks.