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A 1940’s custom built sprint-car. When I asked about the car and its origins, driver/owner Par Norton from Michigan mentioned four or five different brands. I only remember the 6-cylinder Chevrolet engine, but transmission, front axle, differential, and other parts were all from different US car manufacturers. The black lever on the outside is the brake. THE brake, as it is the only way to apply the brakes. The driver sits on top of the drive-shaft tunnel with the gas pedal on the right, clutch on the left, and gear shift lever in the middle.

This MG TF special sports a V8 engine. It was raced by the son of Dick Knudson, the founder of the NEMGTR. It is now owned by Lou Natenshon from Highland Park, IL. On Friday, Burt Levy, the author of the Last Open Road series of racing novels drove the car. On Saturday, the engine didn’t ran right and was diagnosed with a defective spark plug by its chief-mechanic and I picked up a set of new plugs from the local NAPA store on my motorcycle. The NAPA store was in Beloit which is just across the State-line in Wisconsin.

The races stop for lunch so the safety crews and corner workers get a break. In that time race cars and visitors can do Touring Laps. Jeff took me out in the TC. I wanted to make a movie, but it is impossible to hold a phone steady with the windshield down and it is impossible to read the phone screen in the bright light and with sunglasses on. Instead of the movie, this black and white still photo came out. I wish that I could claim that it was intentionally.

Ever since I saw photos of Penske’s Sunoco racing Corvettes and Camaros from the 60’s, I like the Sunoco brand. At the track they sell three grades, just as normal gas stations, except that the octane levels are 93.5, 100, and 110. (I forgot the price but it wasn’t cheap of course). I rode my Harley 1992 Early 1200 Speedster to the track and this just looked like a nice photo-op for my Sunoco collection.

~~ Reinout Vogt