Unity Raceway - circa mid-50's

Carchives 

Animation by Sam Kratchmer - age 12 (1996)
 Page 1

Charlie Gassett - courtesy Norma Gassett



Exeter Raceway


Rusty Shaw photo
#5 Chevy on the inside with "Bun" Emery (?), could that be the "Silver 88" and Ronnie Porter beside him (?), and Blackie Hilliard's Ford bringing up the rear (but not for long)
Exeter Raceway - July 8, 1956


 
Could that be another view of  the "Silver 88", resting beside the white #66,
can anyone confirm if the #Silver 88 was Ronnie Porter's car / or if Bernie Thayer was in the #66 at this time?



Any chance that is Ronny Emery in the RW25?  Is that a Hudson?
Alvin Thayer (106 sedan) & "Junior" Thayer (107) inside up front?





The #5 Chevy/GMC of "Bun" Emery (rear), 
& the #2 Chevy/Chevy of Sonny Ellis just two cars ahead


"Bun" Emery running the 302 GMC - you could hear that "HONK" a'coming


 
Clarence Ketch

There were several Fords from Hermon, with numbers ranging from #102 to #109 at one point.

# 106 was an upper class car driven by Alvin Thayer (left), & owned by Al Walker (hooking up).
Alvin's favorite car was his sedan, pictured on the tail of that Unity line-up on Page #1

The front stretch on the original 1/2 mile - the horse stables in the background look good.
This changed following the shortening to 1/3 mile.  Cars leaving the track between three & four often found themselves resting INSIDE the stables !!!




That look's a lot like Alvin Thayer sitting in the driver's seat &
the lettering is almost identical to his #106 - was this Alvin's "bomber" ?)



Alvin Thayer and daughter at Exeter - family racing at its best!


Ron Clark's 1941 Ford (#106 B) was driven by "Junior" Thayer at one point.


#107 was a "bomber" driven & owned by "Junior" (Nelson) Thayer.



The original #108 was a 'twin' to #107, driven & owned by Gordan Lawrence.

This second #108 appeared later after Gordan finished racing, this car owned by Billy Hartley.
That's Bernie Thayer, driver of #109 and #108 (only one at a time, though) and owner of Harold's #66 Mopar

Exeter's covered Grandstand & Bernie at the Start/Finish line !


Bill Hartley's 1947 Ford (the 1st) - driven by Colin Shields, Bill, Kenny Runkle, Bernie Thayer

You can just see the track coming out of turn three (1/3 mile) !



Bill Hartley's '47 Ford coupe followed the sedan.  The coupe did well, but the sedan took more features.
BOTH #109 CARS STILL LIVE !! 
This coupe raced back onto the dirt (as #A-1) in June 2006,
with the sedan's first driver, Colin Shields, at the wheel !

All of the white & red #106 - #109 Fords were quite successful, and won many races at Exeter.



Ron Clark's first race car ('35 Ford) ran both Exeter & Unity
That crush zone over the driver's door came from a mishap on turn #1 at Unity - 1962
This car lives today !


This Harold Wilcox driven '37 Plymouth was later totaled and rebuilt on a '38 Dodge -
literally OVERNIGHT !
Surprising what 8 people and two cases of "soda" can accomplish on a double race weekend.

This is a good photo of Exeter's covered Grandstand !

* Harold Wilcox, of course, one of Maine's more successful drivers,
 was the first from Maine to run the "Grand National Circuit" (Winston Cup).
A quiet guy in the pit, who spoke loudly on a race track.
Harold's success is recognized by his induction into
the Maine Motorsports Hall of Fame, along with his lovely wife Pat. 
Pat brought her own blend of friendliness and professionalism wherever she went. 




This photo shows some of the grandstand roof in the background thru the judges stand,
the two story tower just outside turn one, and the barn to the rear. 
All is gone except for the two story tower, which is now an apartment !



Checking out Johnny Potter's old Mopar
(this car survived until just a few years ago)





One Kid, One Hero, One Car, One Story
 
Once upon a time in 1949, one particular 5 year old kid was first introduced to a sport called "stock car racing" by his parents.  It is undecided whether this was good judgement or poor judgement on their part, but regardless, the kid became hooked for life.  It all began Friday nights at a 1/2 mile dusty dirt track called Brewer Raceway, where this kid found a hero in Ray Fanning with his little # 1/2 & 1/2 Ford coupe.  The kid never got to meet Ray, but he still has his hopes.


The racing soon expanded to the Fairgrounds in Exeter on Sunday afternoons, and sure enough this kid found himself another hero in a man called Larry Morse, and the most beautifully shaped race car that this kid had ever seen.  Larry's white 1934 Ford sedan with the #66 had stolen one kid's heart for all time.  And boy that car would go ! 


And the kid yelled, and screamed, and feared each time that Ford disappeared in a cloud of dust; and cheered as he discovered his hero racing his way up through the other cars.


But by 1954, the car had disappeared along with its driver, and the kid found other heros to cheer for over time, but no one quite filled that void of his first Exeter hero.  The kid went on to do some of his own racing at Exeter, Unity, and Speedway 95, but he never quite forgot that '34 Ford and the man who made it go.  In early 2004, the "kid" had even heard rumors that Larry Morse's Ford still existed in a local gravel pit, but the car could not be found.  Just a definite spot where it was supposed to have been.

Then came one morning in November of 2004, when Larry Morse joined with several other of Maine's more famous race car drivers at Dysart's Restaurant to offer best wishes to Blackie Hilliard as he wound his way toward Guilford where his "new" Terraplane coupe awaited him.  But the "kid" wasn't there that morning to meet his long ago hero, for he had gone to cut brush so Blackie's car could be extricated from its resting place.  But his brother was there, and had a story to tell later in the day.  So close but so far.


But fate may have been merely waiting quietly around the corner, for in late July of 2005, two gentlemen drove into a little race shop on the Odlin road in a silver 1934 Ford sedan (!), where the kid was working on an old race car, and one of those men introduced himself as Larry Morse !  Who would have guessed THIS, after 55 years of knowing it would never happen ?

As stories were shared and appreciation expressed to a childhood hero, it came to light that the '34 Ford stock car did, in fact, still exist.  True to his word, as genuine heros always seem to be, a few days later Larry Morse guided the "kid" and his brothers, to his friend Billy's home where the race car now resided.


And then there it was !  At least part of it, for Billy had replaced the body with another '34, and repowered the car with a Ford small block.  But there it was, the chassis that ran like the wind.  Billy explained that the original body had been really rough, and Larry admitted that the car had been upside down on more than one occasion.  Disappointing in a way, but really neat just the same.

 
Then Bill advised the "kid" and his gang to go look at the old body if they wanted, for it had not been destroyed, and was just sitting up back in the woods.  And sure enough, sitting in the tall weeds was the well beaten 1934 Ford 2 door sedan body sporting a faded #66 on its side.  And now the "kid" had seen it all.  Does it get any better than that ?  Imagine meeting your hero, and seeing and touching the race car you loved the best.  55 years later !


Thoughts of that old body sitting there unwaxed would not leave that "kid's" mind that day, so he did the bravest thing he had done in a long time.  He took his childhood hero aside and asked if Larry would be offended if  the "kid" approached Billy to see if the old body could be purchased.  And he once again began to breathe as his hero assured him that it would be just fine with him !

So the "kid" uneasily approached Billy with the idea, but received no clear response to his proposal.  It seemed obvious, however, that buying the old body was simply not going to happen.  And the "kid" understood fully.  So then it was time for photographs to record the special day that the "kid" got to be with his hero, and to see that old '34 Ford one more time.  

Time traveled fast this day, and too soon it was time to leave.  The day ended with sincere handshakes and expressions of appreciation for an opportunity dreamed of but never expected.  It had been a most wonderful day for that "kid" of 61 years.  It could not have been better.

As the "kid" and his gang walked back toward their car, and raised their hands in one last wave to two really neat guys, Billy called out to the "kid" - "Hey, come on back with your trailer".   WHAT !!!  " Ya, I think that 4 of us can easily lift that body onto your trailer.


And it was done!  The original #66 '34 Ford body now rests behind the race shop awaiting the facelift that will bring her beauty forth once again, a gift from two very special people. 


Meet Billy Boyle


Meet Larry Morse

And because of their generosity, this little lady will once again have an opportunity to do what she was destined to do - look pretty, go fast, and leave the dust behind for others.  Perhaps one day, when we are again watching this car run especially strong, we might just be lucky enough to catch a quick glimpse of Larry Morse sitting behind the wheel one more time.   


 I thank you guys from my heart,   Ron


 Click for  Carchives Page 2   Vintage Racing photos.






Maine Vintage Race Car Assn. has wonderful photos of old race tracks ALL OVER the State of Maine !  Don't miss their "Memories" pages for Maine tracks you have probably never heard of !
http://www.mainevintageracecars.com/