Fliptops
Hey Guys, man, l really like the way this site (thanx Bob) is alive, friends visiting, discussing, remembering and sharing their info. l keep remembering things l thought l had forgotten, like the time Don Cooper, car #45, l believe, flipped in front of the flag stand, scared poor Joe (the flagman) who jumped off the stand as the car flipped and got so close that it broke the wires to the lights for timing in the cars and letting the starter know when the last lap began, as there was no lap counting scoreboard. There are pictures of the flag stand, flag man, pole with attached wires and lights on DOK's Vallejo Speedway Hardtops Memories site.
l remember one Saturday night watching Lonnie Kaiser crash on the backstretch in the heat of battle for position and, although l can't recall exactly what transpired, Lonnie in a 3-window coupe, white I think, ended up flipping, up over the concrete wall, through the plywood fence and out of the track. l think he "stuck the landing", but he only got an 8.5 from the Russian judge, (a try at a little humor there), anyways, Lonnie was unhurt, but what a spectacular flip.
And then there was Earl Ellis. He was a driver/owner on a small budget, but a Texas sized love for racing hardtops and a comparable or larger desire to do so. l believe he won a few heat races, a final heat and even a semi or two. To me he was every guy's hero who owned, maintained, repaired, repainted, removed the dents and dirt and transported his car to the races each and every week. I don't remember him missing very many races, but again this is all subject to my memory trying to recall a time 40 to 45 years ago.
On one particular night Earl was more competitive than usual, or so it seemed to me, maybe just trying harder, anyway during the main event going down the back straight he and another driver were, shall we say, discussing who should go into the corner first and come out first. Well Earl got the worst of that deal and after being turned "slide-ways", started to flip, and flip and flip until the car, less body, sat facing the infield, at the pit entrance and the body several feet deeper into the corner. After a collective breath holding, flagman "Jumping" Joe Valente threw the red flag and the officials hurried to aid Earl. As they arrived, he had unbuckled himself and climbed out to a standing ovation and spread his arms as if to say "how about that?" Guess what, he was back the next week, after receiving a good sum of money from the roll-over fund and from the track and the crowd. Earl was popular in the pits that night and got a-lot more applause each week after that.
A GREAT NIGHT AT THE RACES AT "THE FASTEST 1/4 MILE IN THE WEST", Vallejo speedway.
Mike Haney
l remember one Saturday night watching Lonnie Kaiser crash on the backstretch in the heat of battle for position and, although l can't recall exactly what transpired, Lonnie in a 3-window coupe, white I think, ended up flipping, up over the concrete wall, through the plywood fence and out of the track. l think he "stuck the landing", but he only got an 8.5 from the Russian judge, (a try at a little humor there), anyways, Lonnie was unhurt, but what a spectacular flip.
And then there was Earl Ellis. He was a driver/owner on a small budget, but a Texas sized love for racing hardtops and a comparable or larger desire to do so. l believe he won a few heat races, a final heat and even a semi or two. To me he was every guy's hero who owned, maintained, repaired, repainted, removed the dents and dirt and transported his car to the races each and every week. I don't remember him missing very many races, but again this is all subject to my memory trying to recall a time 40 to 45 years ago.
On one particular night Earl was more competitive than usual, or so it seemed to me, maybe just trying harder, anyway during the main event going down the back straight he and another driver were, shall we say, discussing who should go into the corner first and come out first. Well Earl got the worst of that deal and after being turned "slide-ways", started to flip, and flip and flip until the car, less body, sat facing the infield, at the pit entrance and the body several feet deeper into the corner. After a collective breath holding, flagman "Jumping" Joe Valente threw the red flag and the officials hurried to aid Earl. As they arrived, he had unbuckled himself and climbed out to a standing ovation and spread his arms as if to say "how about that?" Guess what, he was back the next week, after receiving a good sum of money from the roll-over fund and from the track and the crowd. Earl was popular in the pits that night and got a-lot more applause each week after that.
A GREAT NIGHT AT THE RACES AT "THE FASTEST 1/4 MILE IN THE WEST", Vallejo speedway.
Mike Haney
