EARLY ATTEMPTS AT LATE MODEL SPORTSMAN CARS

Courtesy of Jack Anderson
Even in Northern Vermont, drivers were trying the NASCAR idea. This is
Jack Anderson's car, which ran at Malletts Bay, Airborne, and Otter Creek.

In the latter part of the 1950's and into the 1960's, there was a belief that it would be advantageous to try the later model bodies on sportsman cars in NASCAR. Apparently, you could run a larger engine if you tried out this idea by the brass in Daytona. Judging from the few cars that I saw run over the years, I don't think they thought much of it. I have found a number of these cars, which I would call "Pre Corey Falcon Era". Of course, Lebanon Valley had a period where they had late model bodies, as well.

John Grady Photo
Roger Gauthier,
in Donald Gallo's 12A,
out of Schenectady.

From Ody 8mm DVD
The Richard Welch
Chevy coupe, at
Victoria. Driver unk.

From Ody 8mm DVD
The Frank Trinkhaus
Chevy coupe, after it
was bobtailed, giving
kiddie rides at Victoria.
Driver unk.

Herbert Family Photo
Jeep Herbert

From Jo Towns, via
Otto Graham site
George Baumgardner,
with Red Cromer's
1950 Chevy @ Fonda.

Russ Bergh Photo via
Bob Novak
Doc Nellis, with the former
Trinkhaus 62. Below -
His original car was
also one of the late models.

A. Ainsworth Photo Stretch van Steenberg, Saugerties, NY	From Ody 8mm DVD Link Pettit, in Victory Lane at Lebanon Valley.	A. Ainsworth Photo Outer Child SIte Butch Jelley, with, the Martin Riiska X out of Winstead, CT	A. Ainsworth Photo Barry Tripp, with a car from the Fred Searing stable .	From Lebanon Valley Classics Bo Green had this Ford in the '50's.
Black Jack Racing HAMB Site Ken Goodemotte, with Ken Tremont's Crown Vickie	From JDan Ody's 8MM Old Speedways DVD Ernie Martin, White's Beach star who moved to the Valley.	From Arnie Ainsworth Pete Corey's '55 Chevy beauty was one of the last of this type at the Valley.	Cavalcade of Auto Racing Fred Searing, Oak Hills, NY	Cavalcade of Auto Racing John Rohan
Courtesy of Norm Vadnais Rip Riley	Courtesy of Uncle Art Stuarts Book via Mike Visconti Duncan D. "Rebel" Harris Joey Lawrence's Ford\|	Cavalcade of Auto Racing Tom Dressel	Courtesy of Ken Gypson Howie Westervelt, Ravena, NY	Ladabouche Photo John Ryan
Lebanon Valley Classics Schooch Schoonmaker	Lebanon Valley Classics Henry Bouchard	Courtesy of Chris Companion Dee Goodermotte, along with Sweeney and the Tanners	Lebanon Valley Classics Sayles Casey	Lebanon Valley Classics Haywire Harry Hughes
	Cavalcade of Auto Racing Jim Hassan	Courtesy of Jamie Grignon Nels Grignon	Courtesy of Joe McCarty Link Pettit

Courtesy of Visconti Family
Art Visconti bucked the trend with this '53 Ford - bodied sportsman
at Fairmont Speedway around 1965.

Fifield Photo Prior to 1964, Pete was driving coupes for VIllano and Drellos. much like anyone else's. Ladabouche Photo	Russ Bergh Photo Ladabouche Collection In 1964 he came out with the Falcon. he either tried different body configurations on that one car or he had two cars. Ladabouche Photo	Russ Bergh Photo Ladabouche Collection After the hugely - impactful Falcon, he tried this Studebaker, which was fine until the weather got hot and dry and the track became hard. AFTER THE FALCON, THE FLOOD GATES OPENED ON NEW BODIES.	Ladabouche Collection It took most of Pete's body shop espertise to fit a mid thrities Chevy body on that Studebaker frame.	Ladabouche Collection Pete would basically finish off his career with his"last late mode masterpiece, this Mustang. It started on dirt, but ended up mostly on pavement. Arnie Ainsworth Collection
Courtesy of Norm Vadnais ISonny Rabideau in Leo Vallaincourt's 333.	Outer Child Collection Butch Jelley in Martin Riiska's Falcon.	Arnie Ainsworth Collection Joe Messina in Ken Tremont's version of the Falcon.	Jayski Site Maynard Troyer's pavement Falcon could rival Corey's as most memorable.	John Grady Photo Ladabouche Collection Jean - Paul Cabana, at Malta.
Russ Bergh Photo Ladabouche Collection Dave Lape had a Rosner - built Chevy II soon after Corey's Falcon.	Ladabouche Collection Young Geoff Bodine started a mini trend with this Valiant.	Lynch Photo Dutch Hoag's Valiant became Andy Romano's Galiant Valiant. Jim Ladabouche Collection	Russ Bergh Photo Ladabouche Collection Having owned a 1962 Buick Skylark, I kinda liked "Charlie Peters' car, which had become Dick Diamond's 8 Ball.	Laduc Family Collection In 1967 Charlie Laduc debuted the Henry J at Devil's Bowl.
Norm Vadnais Photo Ladabouche Collection Despite their relative rarity, the Corvair became a popular body for a while. This One is Karl Hauessel, one the prettiest cars.	Paul Michaud Photo Canadians Kenny King and Andre Manny, when the" Corvair was hot north of the border. Ladabouche Collection	From Someone's Collection on the Jalopy Journal The ultimate development of the Corvair - bodied mod came with the radical Rutledge Rocket, usually driven by John Clapham.	Arnie Ainssworth Photo Ladabouche Collection Soon almost everyone had either a late model body or a very ultra - lowered, chopped coupe. This is Butch Jelley in Austin Dickerman's Vega.	Otto Graham Collection The Gremlin, like Butch Jelley's dirt version and Bob Brunell's pavement version, were arguably the most popular body before the Mud Busses and Show cars put them all out of fashion.

Jessey Mueller.Com
Today's fabricated, manufactured modifieds have put an end to the old race cars of the past.

Ladabouche Photo Fairmont Speedway started the Hobby Class, which morphed into a good late model class similar to the Valley's. Graham Trudo [below] stretched those rules in 1966. Courtesy of Mike Watts, Sr.	Ladabouche Collection Albany - Saratoga's semi late model class, featured mostly mid '50's cars. A few earlier models did sneak in under the rules. John Grady Photo Ladabouche Collection	Courtesy of Steve Judd Fonda Speedway's late models told almost the same story as Malta's...and shared many of the same teams. John Grady Photo	Courtesy of Cho Lee Northeastern Speedway had started a B Class around the same time as Fairmont began the hobbies.	Courtesy of Andy Boright Thunder Road inherited the B class from Northeastern Speedway.
Bob Mackey Photo Courtesy of John Rock Airborne Park Speedway had developed a support class with late models since around 1963.	Courtesy of Andy Boright The Flying Tiger division of Catamount and Thunder Road was a meld of the old B class and the Airborne support class.	Cavalcade of Auto Racing Maine tracks like Springfield Speedway used only late model cars.	Cavalcade of Auto Racing Maine tracks like Oxford Plains Speedway had used the late model body both as support classes and in the headline class.	Courtesy of Rich Palmer Racing veteran Skip Wilcox with a typical Devil's Bowl late model in the 1960's.