9 replies to this topic

[unassembled]

I'm looking for ANY information about two sprint cars.

1. Mack Terry Sprinter. Mack Terry driver/owner. I was told he raced in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma (I.M.C.A.???) during the late 50s and early 60s. He then moved to Southern California in 1962, where he died of cancer in later that year. He won at least one 100 Lap race somewhere in Kansas, and held the 8 Lap Heat Race record at the Kansas Sate Fair in Hutchinson.

2. Lester Robertson Sprinter. Lester raced this car in I.M.C.A. Originally, it was powered by a Cadillac, and later by a Chevrolet.

Any information or pictures would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Unassembled

[Jim Thurman]

I'm looking for ANY information about two sprint cars.

2. Lester Robertson Sprinter. Lester raced this car in I.M.C.A. Originally, it was powered by a Cadillac, and later by a Chevrolet.

All that I can add is that a #27 Lester Robertson Chevy won two CRA sprint car features at Ascot in 1962. The wins came on August 11, 1962 and October 27, 1962, with Les Crawford of San Diego driving.

The Lester Robertson Chevy, now listed as #25, won a CRA feature at Irwindale, CA on December 11, 1966, driven by Dick Fries, also of San Diego.

[Michael Ferner]

With the Caddy, the Robertson also won at Ascot on April 29 in 1959, A. J. Shepherd driving. Jack Brunner also drove it as a Chevy in CRA, and Carl Williams (1965) and Dick Fries (in 1966 as #17) in USAC events at Ascot. Williams was 7th (Nov 13) and Fries 5th (Nov 12). Was replaced by a Leader Card/A. J. Watson sprinter in the early seventies.

Mack Terry I have winning an IMCA feature at the Oklahoma State Fair in 1960 (Sep 25), his car was apparently #3 then. Had an accident at Belleville (KS) three weeks earlier, and again Sep 20 at the 1961 Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson, and in the consy at the Iowa State Fair in 1965 (Aug 22). Apparently held the one-lap record at Western Speedway in Gardena (CA) in early 1964.

[TerryBowen]

I'm looking for ANY information about two sprint cars.

1. Mack Terry Sprinter. Mack Terry driver/owner. I was told he raced in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma (I.M.C.A.???) during the late 50s and early 60s. He then moved to Southern California in 1962, where he died of cancer in later that year. He won at least one 100 Lap race somewhere in Kansas, and held the 8 Lap Heat Race record at the Kansas Sate Fair in Hutchinson.

2. Lester Robertson Sprinter. Lester raced this car in I.M.C.A. Originally, it was powered by a Cadillac, and later by a Chevrolet.

Any information or pictures would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Unassembled

Gee, where do I begin? I raced with Lester in 1979 and part of 1980 before his car was destroyed by Jack Hawley Jr at Ascot Park. When I first was introduced to Lester he was retired and living in a trailer park in Gardena, Ca. His daily routine was to wake in the morning and go a block or two down the street to a card club (the name escapes me)and have breakfast. Then he would head over to the garage where he kept the car and shared with Gary McKeon in Torrance, Ca. He usualy worked till noon then went home and took a nap, then went back to the card club for diner and back to work on the race car around 6 in the evening. and then we would work till about 10 or so. The first time I went to Ascot with him Bobby Brutto ( I believe it was) came and asked Lester to drive the car. Bobby was still messed up from a wreck the previous week where he barrel rolled a car, the whites od his eyes still being all red. This was something I had never seen. I had said to Lester, man you're not going to let him drive are you and what the hell is wrong with his eyes? Although years and years fo going to sprint car racing in Reading, Pa and various tracks around california, I had never seen the effect a barrel roll has on the human body. Well Lester let hinm drive that night and I really do not remember much about that night after that.

The following week I believe it was (31 years ago, long time to get it all straight) Sally Sweeney, wife of Max Sweeney and mother of Mike Sweeney came to Lester and asked him to let her "kid" drive. I remember her telling Lester that Mike had set fastest time and won the trophy dash first time he ever got in a sprint car ( or something real close to that, again 31 years ago) Lester looked at me and said "SO?" Well he actually did let him run the car that night and Mike started driving the car pretty regularly after that. Between Mikes driving and Lester letting me take the heads from the 350 chevy to friend of mine (Dave Sowins of Pfaff and Sowins Racing engines) and him promising me he could give us 100 more horsepower with a day alone with the heads, we actually did pretty well. Dave apologized and said he could only give up about 65 percent of what he promised because someone had already been in there and didn't do things the right way.

Typically Ascot was handicap racing(inverted starts) for the heats and consys but the main event just inverted the first 6. Because of that we usually started on the front row. I don't hink we ever won a race but we were always in the hunt. Then one night, I do not remember the date, Jack Hawley Jr flipped the car on the back stretch at ascot destroying the car. To my knowledge Lester never had a car to race again and those were the last days I ever saw him.

There is a book called "Stand on the Gas" that has a couple of paragraphs about that race in the 60's when Fries drove the Lester Robertson Sprinter at a USAC event in california. His sprinter was the only CRA car to make it into the USAC main event. It's quite comical and so very typical Lester Robertson.

If there is any more I can do for you, I'll tax my brain further, lol. Hope this helps some.

Terry Bowen

[unassembled]

With the Caddy, the Robertson also won at Ascot on April 29 in 1959, A. J. Shepherd driving. Jack Brunner also drove it as a Chevy in CRA, and Carl Williams (1965) and Dick Fries (in 1966 as #17) in USAC events at Ascot. Williams was 7th (Nov 13) and Fries 5th (Nov 12). Was replaced by a Leader Card/A. J. Watson sprinter in the early seventies.

Mack Terry I have winning an IMCA feature at the Oklahoma State Fair in 1960 (Sep 25), his car was apparently #3 then. Had an accident at Belleville (KS) three weeks earlier, and again Sep 20 at the 1961 Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson, and in the consy at the Iowa State Fair in 1965 (Aug 22). Apparently held the one-lap record at Western Speedway in Gardena (CA) in early 1964.

Thanks Michael... Can you please furnish the sources for the information about Mack Terry car. I have learned much about his personal life, but little about his racing career. Seems the relatives that are still alive had very little knowledge of his career.

Thanks again!

[arttidesco]

Gee, where do I begin?
Terry Bowen

The stories on this site never cease to amaze me, thanks for sharing yours Terry :-)

[unassembled]

Gee, where do I begin? I raced with Lester in 1979 and part of 1980 before his car was destroyed by Jack Hawley Jr at Ascot Park. When I first was introduced to Lester he was retired and living in a trailer park in Gardena, Ca. His daily routine was to wake in the morning and go a block or two down the street to a card club (the name escapes me)and have breakfast. Then he would head over to the garage where he kept the car and shared with Gary McKeon in Torrance, Ca. He usualy worked till noon then went home and took a nap, then went back to the card club for diner and back to work on the race car around 6 in the evening. and then we would work till about 10 or so. The first time I went to Ascot with him Bobby Brutto ( I believe it was) came and asked Lester to drive the car. Bobby was still messed up from a wreck the previous week where he barrel rolled a car, the whites od his eyes still being all red. This was something I had never seen. I had said to Lester, man you're not going to let him drive are you and what the hell is wrong with his eyes? Although years and years fo going to sprint car racing in Reading, Pa and various tracks around california, I had never seen the effect a barrel roll has on the human body. Well Lester let hinm drive that night and I really do not remember much about that night after that.

The following week I believe it was (31 years ago, long time to get it all straight) Sally Sweeney, wife of Max Sweeney and mother of Mike Sweeney came to Lester and asked him to let her "kid" drive. I remember her telling Lester that Mike had set fastest time and won the trophy dash first time he ever got in a sprint car ( or something real close to that, again 31 years ago) Lester looked at me and said "SO?" Well he actually did let him run the car that night and Mike started driving the car pretty regularly after that. Between Mikes driving and Lester letting me take the heads from the 350 chevy to friend of mine (Dave Sowins of Pfaff and Sowins Racing engines) and him promising me he could give us 100 more horsepower with a day alone with the heads, we actually did pretty well. Dave apologized and said he could only give up about 65 percent of what he promised because someone had already been in there and didn't do things the right way.

Typically Ascot was handicap racing(inverted starts) for the heats and consys but the main event just inverted the first 6. Because of that we usually started on the front row. I don't hink we ever won a race but we were always in the hunt. Then one night, I do not remember the date, Jack Hawley Jr flipped the car on the back stretch at ascot destroying the car. To my knowledge Lester never had a car to race again and those were the last days I ever saw him.

There is a book called "Stand on the Gas" that has a couple of paragraphs about that race in the 60's when Fries drove the Lester Robertson Sprinter at a USAC event in california. His sprinter was the only CRA car to make it into the USAC main event. It's quite comical and so very typical Lester Robertson.

If there is any more I can do for you, I'll tax my brain further, lol. Hope this helps some.

Terry Bowen

Thanks Terry! This is what I know about the car I own. I am told it was a Kuzma built in 1952, and a sister car to the Howard Gardner car. As I mentioned, it was Caddy powered but later switched to Chevy. The car is orange, with the number 21. Buzz Rose told me he drove it with the Caddy in 1960, in the Midwest in the I.M.C.A.

I cannot find any records that indicate the car ever carried the #21, but it's the one I have.

You can see the pile of rubble at http://memwest.com/1-2-1/1-2-1.htm

Thanks again!

[arttidesco]

Thanks Terry!
You can see the pile of rubble at http://memwest.com/1-2-1/1-2-1.htm

Thanks again!

Wow ! Those are seriously heavy weight restoration jobs !

BTW I don't recall seeing a sprint car in the flesh how big are the tyres on those cars they look enormous 20" plus or is that a photo illusion ?

[unassembled]

Wow ! Those are seriously heavy weight restoration jobs !

BTW I don't recall seeing a sprint car in the flesh how big are the tyres on those cars they look enormous 20" plus or is that a photo illusion ?

The rears are actually 8:20 x 15" (mounted on the car) and 9:20 x 16" leaning up against the fence. Both have an outside diameter of between 31 and 33 inches. This is how I found them. Everything has been cleaned up and and categorized since these photos were taken.

[TerryBowen]

I could not tell you if the car Lester was racing in the late 70's was the same car or not. The number 21 does sound familiar but I'm not absolutely sure abut that. One thing I am pretty sure of though, that car( the one from the 70's) was totally destroyed. If you could see the program the following week of the car flying through the air( was a 4 shot sequence) the frame already had been twisted into a "Z" shape. I never saw that car run again. Again, it may have been repaired but I'm sure it would have been easier and cheaper just to get another chassis. Lester was living off his retirement and I know he couldn't buy another chassis. I never saw him run again at Ascot at least up till the time they shut the track down. I pretty much stopped going to the sprint races after that. Didn't travel up to Santa Maria or down to Chula Vista or up to Bakersfield.