LENNIE "Tiger" STOCKWELL   

         Before I moved to Milton and astarted going to Catamount Stadium regularly, Devil's Bowl was my home track. While I did not witness it personally, my track cronies told of this late season visit from some cars from Catamount to the Bowl, trying their luck with pavement cars on dirt. The name that my friend [and Hudson fanatic] Steve Ladd recalled was that of Lennie Stockwell [or Tigah Stockwell as he said with a thick Chelsea, VT accent].

      What Ladd described was this long - haired, somewhat scruffy - looking character wearing a tiger striped shirt and driving car that looked like it been through the wringer. Well, it had been through the wringer, as the Flying Tiger division at Catamount was teeming with cars and drivers who were going to stop a nothing to get ahead. I would stories of some of the dustups that occurred in the Catamount pits that made whatever went on at the relatively laid - back Devil's Bowl look pale in comparison.So it was that Stockwell and Tom Tiller had made the trip.

      Lennie must have done something pretty good that day because old 8MM movie footage show him sharing the spotlight with Chuck Ely and also with C.J. Richards after that race in which George Rogers won the Vermont State Late Model Championship [and raced his last race]. When I got to Catamount late in the 1968 season, the Tigers were as ratty as I had expected, having gone through a full season there and at Thunder Road. Stockwell's pale blue 00 was in attendance and was given the star treatment by announcer and fan alike.

      Lennie would use that 1956 Chevy through 1971 [and the limited sportsman car era]. he would build a Chevelle to enter into the late model sportsman class, and would be badly injured in a crash at Catamount, essentially ending his driving career. He worled on race cars, served as a Northern NASCAR official, and raced a bit at the Monadnock Speedway after that fateful crash. Son, Kip, went on to an excellent career, as well and it looks like a grandson or two are being groomed for racing. I didn't get no know Lennie very well, so this is my best attempt at his bio.

Norman McIver Portrait

Courtesy of Cho Lee The familiar 56 Chevy and pale blue, but #200. This may have actually been a B CLass car - prior to the Flying Tigers.	Courtesy of Gilbert Family The familiar 56 Chevy and the famous 00 - 1968, before the Devil's Bowl trip	Free Press Photo  Courtesy of Wayne Bettis The Stockwell Chevy close to Thunder Road's Widowmaker wall, as shown by an in-car camera shot.	Free Press Photo  Courtesy of Wayne Bettis Russ Ingerson and Stockwell look at their little fracas on Thunder Road's frontstretch.	Free Press Photo  Courtesy of Wayne Bettis Another view of the Ingerson wreck. They must have told Lennie to stay in the car at the time.	Courtesy of Steve McKnight Lennie has a post race beer surrounded by fans and friends at Catamount.
From Dan Ody's 8MM  Old Speedways DVD's The Stockwell Chevy at the VT State Late Model Championship at Devil's Bowl in 1967.	From Dan Ody's 8MM  Old Speedways DVD's Lennie [2nd from left] with Lebanon Valley star Chuck Ely [right] after the D Bowl race.	From Dan Ody's 8MM  Old Speedways DVD's C.J. Richards is presenting  Stockwell with some sort of trophy after the race. I don't know what it is for.	Courtesy of Cho Lee The Stockwell charisma is in evidence at the pit fence at Catamount around 1967.	Courtesy of Cho Lee The unique Stockwell hauler, the Munstermobile.	Ladabouche Collection Victory Lane, with Bob Quinn.
Courtesy of Stockwell Family Obviously, an end-of-the-year photo.Pretty beat up.	Courtesy of Stockwell Family A 68 shot.	Courtesy of Rich Palmer Lennie and Eldon Fleury spins as Ormond Bushey flips at Catamount.	Ladabouche Photo The Tiger with a tiger.	Courtesy of Rich Palmer Lennie with a typical pre - season photo in the earlier days.	Courtesy of Rich Palmer The limited sportsman Chevy at Catamount.
Courtesy of Chris Companion Joe Couture, Beaver Dragon, and Tom Tiller all miss a spinning Lennie.	Courtesy of Wayne Bettis Lennie directs cleanup and he and Ron Bettis had a pileup.	Courtesy of Alan Ward Lennie with another tiger.	Courtesy of Andy Boright Lennie chases Bobby Giroux in 1970.	Courtesy of Andy Boright The limited sportsman in another mixup with Russ Ingerson at T Road.	Courtesy of Steve Jangraw The limited sportsman in mint condition.
Courtesy of Wayne Bettis The late model sportsman Chevelle on which he pinned high hopes.	Courtesy of Marty Kelly, Jr.  It is hard to find photos of the Chevelle. Here it is captured in the background of this Rosati shot.	Free Press Photo  Courtesy of Wayne Bettis The first view of the serious Chevelle crash at Catamount.	Free Press Photo  Courtesy of Stockwell Family Another view of the crash after the car has come to rest, but no safety personnel hve reached the scene.	Bob Doyle Photo  Courtesy of  Andy Boright Red Fisk, a Stockwell friend, made repairs to the Chevelle and made it look pretty much like it had the year before.	Ladabouche Photo Another view of the Fisk Chevelle.
	Courtesy of Cho Lee Lennie [right] as an offical with Tom Curley and Archie Blackadar.	Phil Prior Photo Courtesy of Al Ward In addition to the racing at Monandnock, he also had a mini modified. Here, he is Thompson.	Courtesy of Cho Lee Elaine Stockwell		Rutland Herald Photo Lennie on wrecker call during mud season in Vermont.

Return to the Main Page
Return to the Main News Page
Return to the All Links Page