Jimmy Martin grew up in Oregon’s burgeoning racing culture of the 1940s, made his way to the 1949 Indy 500 as a mechanic, became part of the SoCal performance parts shop and garage culture by the 1950s, traveled up and down the west coast as one of the many that helped to solidify the California […]
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From Moonshine to NASCAR: HOW THE PROHIBITION LEAD TO STOCK CAR RACING MOONSHINE & BOOTLEGGERS Made in the cover of night to prevent the detection of smoke rising from clandestine stills earned the alcohol its name: moonshine. The high-proof distilled spirit produced illicitly, moonshine exploded in popularity when the 18th Amendment of the US Constitution
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The Big Names of 1972 AMA Race at Salem 1/2 Mile Flat Track Have you ever wondered if you’re looking at the next big star? Before they make the big times? For a moment in 1972, some of the biggest names of all time in worldwide motorcycle racing were right here in the backyards of
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Gene Thiessen was a motorcycle racer from Eugene, OR who raced in the 1950s for the motorcycle company BSA, including the Daytona 200 and Nationals, along with multiple regional races, and stacked up land speed records. A binder was recently donated to the World of Speed Archive with a collection of photocopied articles, photos and
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Having successfully set a number of national and international records in his Assault I dragster at March AFB on May 14, 1960, Mickey Thompson returned on July 9 the following year with a fleet of cars. His intention: to break as many records as he could on the 8,000-foot runway in the day he had
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Radke’s Auto Parts has been at 6666 N. Columbia Way in St. Johns, Oregon since 1933. The business started as a single gas pump ran by husband and wife Julius and Letha Radke. Through the thick of the depression Julius fixed cars to the best of his ability and vulcanized tires while Letha pumped gas,
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From the American Indy racer Eddie Sachs to British Formula racer Stirling Moss, Jewish racers have made an impact in racing across the globe. Kenny Bernstein broke a 300 mph record; Mauri Rose fabricated cars for disabled drivers; and Steve Krisiloff went on to become vice president at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. While “Jewish” is often
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