07.03.03_GRP_ACC_ALC_0058_1.jpg (84298 bytes)

Photo ID # 07.03.03_GRP_ACC_ALC_0058_1
Car #: #88, #57, #46, #2, #1
Driver (s) : (See comment below)
Location: Alcyon Speedway - Pitman, NJ
Date: July 4th, 1958
Photographer: Bob Sweeten
Photo provided by: Russ Dodge
Comments: Comment from Russ Dodge:  Since it is the Fourth of July, I thought I would send an Alcyon photo shot by Bob Sweeten, on July 4, 1958. Cars in this back stretch scramble are: 88 Ed Lindsay, 57 Vince Conrad, 46 PeeWee Pobletts, 2 Al Tasnady (who went on to win the feature) 1 Jackie Hart. Holidays were always very special at Alcyon! Thanks, Russ Dodge
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Comment:

07/04/03 Russ Dodge For fans that remember Alcyon, on the right side of the photo, the back of Jack Hart's # 1 can be see. Facing you next to that is another view of Jack Hart's # 1. I had to study a color photo, which I call "seeing double", of the two cars to pick out a difference. One coupe had the side cowling off the firewall painted red, the other black. Thanks to the wonderful work of Bill Skinner, I was able to do some research and found out that Bill "PopCorn" Lewis was driving the second car that day. Thanks, Russ Dodge
07/04/03 Jim Brewer Great photo.  What is really interesting about this shot is that EVERYBODY ran Fords back in 1958 yet Al Tasnady won the feature in Lucky Jordan's #2 Chevy.  Neat!!  Russ, you did it again!!!
07/06/03 Jim Murrow Jim Brewer comments that everybody ran Fords in 1958, but a Chevy won. The reason why there were so many Fords, and so few Chevys is that Chevy didn't have a V8 until 1955. Prior to that all Chevys were in line sixes. Alcyon, and Flemington were both NASCAR sanctioned tracks, and under NASCAR rules the engine had to be of the same manufacturer as the body. Ford had been building flathead V8s since 1932, and went to an overhead V8 in 1954. Naturally most racers wanted a V8 engine, and had been running Fords for years before Chevy came out with theirs.

In 1958, the Chevy V8 choices were a 283 cu. in. , or a 348 cu. in. , and the 283 was faster. Lucky Jordan's "duece" that won this race had a 283 in it. Ford had a 312, and so most racers stuck with the car they knew how to set up, (the 37 Ford), and the powerful Ford 312 Engine. In 1962, when Chevy came out with the great 327, that changed everything, and Chevy became the way to go. Then, Ford made a 406, and Chevy made a 409, and later, Ford and Chevy went head to head with 427s. Ahhhhh... Those were the days, my friend - we thought they'd never end... Boy, were we ever wrong!!!   Thanks,

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