| Photo ID # | 03.04.03_081_UNK_LAN_0060_1 |
| Car #: | #81 |
| Driver (s) : | Denzil Dillman (Thanks Jim) |
| Location: | Langhorne, PA? |
| Date: | 1960's |
| Photographer: | A Stan Fan |
| Photo provided by: | A Stan Fan |
| Comments: | I'm sure some of the visitors can fill in the details... |
| Visitor's Comments | To add your comments about THIS PHOTO - Click Here | |
| Date: | Visitor's Name: | Comment: |
| 03/04/03 | Jim Brewer | This car was driven by Denzil Dillman at Langhorne and Trenton about 1963-64. Denzil was a runner at Dorsey, MD on Friday nights. He occasionally ventured up to Lincoln and Susquehanna in PA. The car was built specifically for the big shows and to run against the modifieds. Dillman drove bugs in the MD and PA area so this wasn't his regular ride - - that car wouldn't have been legal at Old Bridge. |
| 03/05/03 | 3-Wide | Jim, Help me out here - I'm not sure what you mean about him driving bugs especially back in the 60's.... I know some tracks had those little squared off coupes and stuff, but I'm not sure if they were called bugs or not. Thanks- |
| 03/05/03 | Jim Brewer | Sorry for the confusion - - I attended races at
Williams Grove and Reading throughout the 60s and 70s and the cars they ran at the Grove
were cut down coupes and sedans that were called 30X90s or bugs (they eventually became
supermodifieds or super sprints). The major rule for the bugs required a frame that was 30
inches wide with a 90 inch wheelbase. These cars essentially didn't have a weight rule,
they could run any American production auto engine using any induction system, and were
allowed to use gas or alky. Some guys even ran a touch of nitro on occasion. Famous
drivers of the bugs include Toby Tobias, Bobby Gerhart, Leroy Felty, Bud Folkenroth, Bobby
Abel, and Bobby Hersh just to name a few. Since Central PA had both the bugs and modifieds or heavies (dubbed that because they usually had to run a minimum weight), I have always assumed that everyone speaks both supermodified and modified. I guess that is a big mistake on my part - - I'll try to be clearer in the future. While I still enjoy a good short track race once in a while, my major contact with our favorite sport was during the 60s and 70s. As for the Dillman #81 - - I've thought about it a little more and I think that the car was rolled/flipped/crashed coming out of Puke Hollow at Langhorne during the consi in 1964. That means that the photo was taken sometime before Oct 1964 since the car isn't even dented in the photo.
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| 03/06/03 | Flemfan | I know the "Bugs" were allowed to run the Race Of Champions at Langhorne in '63 and '64. Being from the Flemington area and having never seen a race in Central Pennsylvania, the only time that I ever saw the Bugs run was on the dirt at Langhorne. They were totally dominant. They had such an advantage! I don't know if it was their weight/horsepower ratio or what. The only problem was that they could not sustain the speed and pounding that the speedway handed out and they DNF. |
| 03/06/03 | Steven Strickler | Wow, is that a 1953 Studebaker body? |
| 03/06/03 | 3-Wide | Hey Steve...It's confession time. One of the sins of the past was helping a neighbor cut up a 56 Studebaker Hawk after we pulled the 289 out of it with I think a Paxston supercharger on it. We needed it to put into his 63 Avanti. (Ouch!) |
| 03/08/03 | Jim Brewer | Just a minor correction - - the "Bugs" were allowed to run
Langhorne in 1961 and 1962. Lorenz Alwine sat on the pole in '61 with his Pontiac powered
"Baby Bonnie" #2 - - and the race was won by Bobby Malzahn in Harold Cope's #1
Ford which as a regular steel roof Modified. Toby Tobias finished second, Bobby Abel
third, and Roger Sowers 8th - - all in "Bugs" - - the rest of the Top 10 were
regular Modifieds. Alwine finished 34th. In '62, Johnny Mackison was on the pole in the Emrich #1080 which was a cut '32 Ford powered by a Chevy - - that race as won by Frankie Schneider in his #2 sedan. Bobby Abel finished third and Alwine finished 5th in "Bugs" with the rest of the Top 10 going to regular Modifieds. Flemfan is exactly right that the "Bugs" dominated qualifying and that they did not finish - - which was part of the deciding factor in barring their return in 1963. They filled the starting line up and dropped out like flies. I think that '61 and '62 set records for fewest cars finishing the race. |
| 05/10/03 | Jim Murrow | The "Bugs" were mostly '32 - '34 ford bodies. These were not legal to race in the state of NJ but were legal in Pa.The State of NJ had a law that all stock cars had to have a "Factory" ALL steel roof. The earlier fords and chevies had canvas covered "Sun Roof" type openings in the roof, and were not legal in NJ. hence the popular '37 Ford, and '36, and '37 Chevies. Thanks; Jim Murrow |
| 11/11/03 | Ed Ningard Jr | Denzil Dillman drove to many feature wins in the late 60`s at Dorsey Speedway in the late model division.He was a childhood hero of mine along with Vic Lewis 116 and Pete Kontorsky 23.Denzil later competed in the CAMSRA Central Atlantic Mini Stock Racing Assoc.which I competed.I won my first feature with Denzil finishing second in his mazda at Winchester Speedway 1978.Man such memories thanks for the great site. |