2 Cars, 2 Weeks

This senior moment involves two cars in two weeks of racing at Alcyon Speedway which was located in Pitman, N.J.

1st Photos:  "Don't Pinch Me, Crazy Otto!"  In the first picture we see the number one car with "Crazy Otto" lettered over the windshield putting a little "pinch" on the 77 car on the inside. One of Easton Pa.'s finest and anything but crazy, Otto Harwi keeps fellow "Eastoner" Jack Bergstresser, pinned down low, on the start of the 1st feature event on the August 22nd twin feature program. This Harold Cope car was red with white trim and lettering, a paint combination used several years before he switched to his "signature white" number ones. The 77's that Jack drove were always "sanitary" white with black pinstripes and numbers with yellow shadowing, I recall. In this first feature Carl Van Horn brought his Pontiac powered 71E home 1st! Otto was third and Jack Bergstresser finished fourth.

2nd Photo:  "In the Trees":  The second photo shows Otto's luck ran out in the second feature. A trip over the fence at Alcyon meant a trip down a steep drop-off and a resting place in the trees! Al Tasnady won that second feature, Jack Bergstresser was 7th and Otto obviously DNF.

3rd Photo:  "Rough Night for the #77":   In the third photo, exactly one  week later, Jack Bergstresser's luck ran out as his 77 did an end-over-end flip and was destroyed. I remember that flip even today. It was one that left a lasting impression because of the height the car flew in the air.

4th Photo:  "Back in Action":  Ironically, Otto was back in action that week and ended up winning the feature. The whole crew got into that feature winner photo. Left to right: Hugo Cotugno, Otto Harwi, Harold Cope, Fritz Bohe, Doc Harvey and Dick Haring.
(By the way "Crazy Otto" came from the "Crazy Otto Rag", a popular 45 rpm record of that time. They were the little discs with the large holes for those of you who are not near retirement age!)

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