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[biercemountain]

This past weekend I visited the Himes Museum in Bayshore, Long Island. Marty Himes runs the place and he's a long time fixture on the Long Island racing scene. Appearing more like a scrap yard than your typical museum, it nonetheless houses a great deal of historically significant stuff. One of the most interesting is the "Frankie Cal" number 52 sprint car powered by an Offy originally built to power Briggs Cunningham's 1955 LeMan's entry. As it turned out the car ran poorly on the mandated gasoline.

Marty also owns the sprint car used in the Mickey Rooney film "The Big Wheel" as well as a number of other Sprint Cars, Midget racers, and Offyette Quarter Midgets. Autographed posters and photos from the likes of Smokey Yunick, Frank Kurtis and even Ronald Regan are scattered here and there and let me tell you, everything has a story behind it. Marty is a real character and a veritable encyclopedia of the racing history of Long Island which has had 40 dirt tracks over the years.

If you're ever in the area, I'd encourage you to give the place a visit.

Edited by biercemountain, 13 March 2012 - 17:02.