b08.17.05_121_GRB_FLM_0070_1.jpg (73812 bytes)

Photo ID # b08.17.05_121_GRB_FLM_0070_1
Car #: #121
Driver (s) : Mike Grbac?  (We know that Mike drove this car, but are we're having a hard time recognizing this particular helmet.)
Location: Flemington
Date: mid 70's
Photographer: Ace Lane Jr.
Photo provided by: Ace Lane Jr.
Comments: Here's another example of the creativity that was demonstrated back in the 70's when you never knew what body style would be used...  We're pretty sure that this is Mike in a Plymouth Arrow in one of the mid 70's #121 Scarmadella (sp?) efforts.
Visitor's Comments To add your comments about THIS PHOTO - Click Here
Date: Visitor's  Name:

Comment:

08/17/05 Scott Pacich Ah, me and my arrow...I always thought this car was a Scwhinning chassis, like the "Vega" 121. This doesn't appear to be a Schwinning though. Anyone know what kind of chassis it was? Home built?
08/17/05 Walter Onora Yes, this is Mike. Another car based out of Staten Island. It is one out of the Scarmadella stable. At that point in time this "121" is of the Acella sponsored modifieds. The earlier modifieds were from the King Chevrolet stables.
08/17/05 Paul Madsen I think that is Jay Aten.  I  don't know who bought it but I know that Jay drove it a couple times.  If you notice it is a smallblock. The #121's were always big blocks.
08/17/05 3-Wide I think you are right on this one Paul.  I really don't think it's Mike... I remember Mike having a white full face helmet with a pretty big face shield.   Plus Mike always seemed to sit a little lower in the seat.
08/17/05 Rick Shive I don't think it's Mike, either,mainly because that's Bob Barone on the outside, and he started racing about the time Mike died. (not Modified though).   This is the car that was raffled off as a benefit after Mike's death.  Gary Phillips' (#11ex) sister won it, but that may be Aten in this shot.
08/18/05 Jeff McClung This is just the body of the former Scarmadella mod, The Swinning chassis that this body originally was mounted on has a very uniqe design and this car in the picture is not one of them.
08/18/05 Scott Pacich Jeff, that's what I thought. The Schwinning cages were very narrow in the front and angled in towards the center of the car.
08/18/05 John Larsen This is the car that Paul Rochelle was building for Don Morris #111.   Joe Scamardella bought it so that it would be easier to run all the races we were going to at that time without wearing one car out and burning poor Tom Cimpko out working on it.

I believe that this picture was taken after Gary Phillip's sister won it in the raffle. The small block was in the Schwinning (Alberti) car (which had the Vega body).

Mike was able to collect the small block/carburetor bonus' often with the Vega. This is the Rochelle Arrow. Looks like the car has a different hood and nose piece than what I remember. It is NOT Mike Grbac driving this car. It also looks like there is a bar added to the left side drivers area.  I do not believe that this bar was there before the car was raffled off. The years Mike drove this car was 1977 and 1978. I believe this shot might be from 1980.
08/18/05 Walter Onora Yes, come to think of it, this car was raffled off, for the benefit of Mike's Family. I do have a picture of this particular car, with the "Big Block", fuel injection. In my collection, I still have that raffle ticket.
08/18/05 John Mc I believe Rick to be right. Gary Phillips & his sister Gail were tight w/Jay Aten, and I think this is the same car. Scamardella had a sister car that was a Schwinning, but this car wasn't.

I don't know where it came from, possibly it was a converted Tobias. Never really ran worth a damn anyway, Mike was a better driver than this car showed.
08/22/05 Brian C. Loutrel After reviewing all of the comments submitted for this picture and being unsure if this was Mike or not, I happened to be reviewing one of the Snyder videotapes ('70s Memories with Ace Lane Jr., Sammy Beavers and Earl Krause narrating) and saw this car racing at Reading in late 1977.

The car definitely had this chassis and not the Schwinning chassis and it appears to be Mike in the car, although it's hard to tell because of the fast action and the slightly blurry quality of the video. Ace, Sammy and Earl
definitively stated that it was Mike in the car.
08/27/05 3-Wide I'll weigh in at this point and say that it's a sportsman... it doesn't look like Mike as I only rember Mike with a white helmet.  I also know that Mike used to sit with his head back and his chin up (I know some of you probably think I'm nuts for typing that, but I'm also sure others out there know exactly what I mean).

This is a stretch, but I think Jay Aten did have a black uniform, so I'll go with Paul and Rick above and say that it's Jay...

(Jeez... I should have used this one for a trivia question.....!)

     
     

Back