15 replies to this topic

[Jueletha]

Hi

I'm looking for articles and pictures on Bob Veith, a driver from the 1960's. I found one entry on this site:
Apart from his new job at Schmidt's team, Meskowski also laid the foundation of his company, "Competition Engineering", and built a second car much like the first one for Fred Sclavi, also of West Virginia - apart from Fred Bailes, Leech Cracraft, Billy Cassella and Steve Enslow pretty much the sum total of that state's contribution to top level open-wheel racing! So far, Sclavi had only run a roadster at Indy, Monza and Milwaukee, but now he was going for it with a full team of cars after attracting a young "comer" with Bob Veith, who had had experience of Wally's wizardry when running Ruiz's Sprint Car for a couple of years.

but I'm hoping for a bit more. He is part of my family tree and I want to include a bit of information on him and a picture, hopefully.

Can anyone help me out?

Thanks!

[fines]

Welcome Jueletha!

For starters, you can find several pictures of him on the net, e.g. using Google picture search http://images.google...q...mp;aq=f&oq=, or at the Indy 500 website http://www.indy500.c...eith_Dies_At_81. He raced various Sprint, Champ and Indy Cars from 1950 to '70, and probably Track Roadsters (or "Jalopies") before that. He had several second and third place finishes, and a couple of Midget wins in top flight competition, so he was very successful, even if not what one would call a "household name" in racing. His nickname was "Traction", a tease by his fellow drivers since he had a bit of a "weight issue"!

[Jueletha]

Welcome Jueletha!

For starters, you can find several pictures of him on the net, e.g. using Google picture search http://images.google...q...mp;aq=f&oq=, or at the Indy 500 website http://www.indy500.c...eith_Dies_At_81. He raced various Sprint, Champ and Indy Cars from 1950 to '70, and probably Track Roadsters (or "Jalopies") before that. He had several second and third place finishes, and a couple of Midget wins in top flight competition, so he was very successful, even if not what one would call a "household name" in racing. His nickname was "Traction", a tease by his fellow drivers since he had a bit of a "weight issue"!

Thank you very much!

Jueletha

[B Squared]

photo: copyright and used by permission of John E. Isom

I believe this is a portrait of Bob Veith. Taken at Phoenix in 1957 or '58. My sincere apologies if I'm mistaken in the identity.

Brian

[fines]

It is "Traction", alright, and a superb shot! He always appears to smile in photographs, a classy guy!

[Flat Black 84]

I love how those drivers always had grease and grime on their mugs. Unlike today's drivers, who, after running 500 miles at Indy look like they just stepped out of a Beverly Hills salon.

[Jim Thurman]

I love how those drivers always had grease and grime on their mugs. Unlike today's drivers, who, after running 500 miles at Indy look like they just stepped out of a Beverly Hills salon.

Quite easy to be grimy with open face helmets.

Brian, thanks for posting another great photo

Edited by Jim Thurman, 08 July 2009 - 20:36.

[Flat Black 84]

Yep. And particuarly so when the cars were actually greasy beasts rather than antiseptic drones.

[Jueletha]

photo: copyright and used by permission of John E. Isom

I believe this is a portrait of Bob Veith. Taken at Phoenix in 1957 or '58. My sincere apologies if I'm mistaken in the identity.

Brian

Hey Brian,

Thank you so much, that is a GREAT shot. Very relaxed and natural and without a helmet on!! The only one I have so far, hehehe.

Thanks again,

Jueletha

[B Squared]

Thank you so much, that is a GREAT shot. Very relaxed and natural and without a helmet on!! The only one I have so far, hehehe.

Thanks again,

Jueletha

It is my sincere pleasure to post Mr. Isom's great photo. I know he will be happy that his photos, from so long ago, can be seen for the first time and appreciated.

Brian

[Jueletha]

It is my sincere pleasure to post Mr. Isom's great photo. I know he will be happy that his photos, from so long ago, can be seen for the first time and appreciated.

Brian

I have used it as the main photo for Bob Veith in our family tree. Very nice!
Thanks again, so much!

Jueletha

[Jim Thurman]

Bob Veith did in fact race Track Roadsters in Northern California, racing out of and living in Oakland.

He was a large man (for our group here, think Troy Ruttman).

Veith won a AAA Midget feature at Cincinnati on June 8, 1955 and a USAC Midget race at Sacramento (Capital Speedway, 1/4 mile dirt) on August 1, 1959. Must have been quite a sight to see Big Bob (or Ruttman for that matter) in a Midget.

Bob Veith finished 4th in USAC Midwest Sprint Car points in 1956 and followed up with a 9th in points in 1957.

And, he either raced in - or attempted to qualify for - the Indianapolis 500 from 1956 through 1968.

Edited by Jim Thurman, 09 July 2009 - 03:56.

[JB Miltonian]

I found this photo sequence (credit to Charles Jackson) in Speed Age magazine, November 1956. This happened at Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta. The story:

"Passing the pits on his 98th lap, Veith looked over for a signal. Suddenly his car was in a spin, banging the fence and flipping violently. As the car rolled, Bob was thrown half out of the cockpit, leaning far out the right side as he was pulled clear out of his boots. Dazed for a moment, he hung on with brute strength that placed a kink in the steering wheel as he pulled himself back into the cockpit. The car came to rest wheels up with Bob sitting in the cockpit, dazed but not seriously hurt....Veith was taken to the hospital for slight bruises and later released." He had finished sixth in the race.

[fines]

Oh yes, clean forgot about that one! This was in his first full season of Champ Car racing, and he was actually leading the big race on the second to last lap when the accident happened!!! Looks *quite* uncomfortable, the way he ragdolls around in the cockpit... ouch! The story of his race that day is quite interesting: he had just lost his regular ride four days before the event, crashing big time at Darlington in South Carolina. The car was thoroughly wrecked, but he himself unhurt, so he travelled to Georgia to see if he could find another car to drive, or else to stay around just in case someone else dropped out. Then the Atlanta race was rained out, and postponed for a week, which left fellow driver Don Freeland with a problem: he had scheduled his wedding for that day, believing it to be a free weekend! So, Bob Veith got his chance, and grasped it with both hands: he qualified on pole position! He lost the lead at the start, but in a race of attrition he found himself leading comfortably at two-thirds distance, ready for his first win in the "big time", when he got caught out by the notorious first turn at Lakewood Speedway. Incredibly, the last two laps saw another hopeful for that elusive first win falter (Al Keller), and it was Eddie Sachs who eventually took the chequered flag - it was also his first!

[Jueletha]

Oh yes, clean forgot about that one! This was in his first full season of Champ Car racing, and he was actually leading the big race on the second to last lap when the accident happened!!! Looks *quite* uncomfortable, the way he ragdolls around in the cockpit... ouch! The story of his race that day is quite interesting: he had just lost his regular ride four days before the event, crashing big time at Darlington in South Carolina. The car was thoroughly wrecked, but he himself unhurt, so he travelled to Georgia to see if he could find another car to drive, or else to stay around just in case someone else dropped out. Then the Atlanta race was rained out, and postponed for a week, which left fellow driver Don Freeland with a problem: he had scheduled his wedding for that day, believing it to be a free weekend! So, Bob Veith got his chance, and grasped it with both hands: he qualified on pole position! He lost the lead at the start, but in a race of attrition he found himself leading comfortably at two-thirds distance, ready for his first win in the "big time", when he got caught out by the notorious first turn at Lakewood Speedway. Incredibly, the last two laps saw another hopeful for that elusive first win falter (Al Keller), and it was Eddie Sachs who eventually took the chequered flag - it was also his first!

More great stuff for his profile on our family tree.

Thanks, guys!

Jueletha

[William Dale Jr]

Then the Atlanta race was rained out, and postponed for a week, which left fellow driver Don Freeland with a problem: he had scheduled his wedding for that day, believing it to be a free weekend!

Donald Davidson told this story on his Talk of Gasoline Alley radio show this past May. Apparently, Freeland and his new bride were walking down the street the morning after the race when they purchased a copy of the local paper. What should be on the front page but those pictures of Veith crashing the car Freeland was supposed to drive!