Post# 8

SEPT.3 1965 CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVERS. CAR 24 KENNY FRY POINTS 444.
CAR 16 JIM BLOUNT 286.
CAR 9 CARL HOSTETLER 250
CAR 85 JIM EBERSTEIN 253
25 BILL HAVENS 224
68 ERNIE NASH 210
59 LANNY SCOTT 210
91 DICK BANDY 208
82 ERNIE KEIFER 167
2 STAN SUSKI 167
41 WAYNE KLINE 160
4 CARL JACK HALL 142
23 DUDE WEAVER 141
41 CARL SYMANSKI 114
3 WALT MAY 110
92 BOB MORGAN 108
50 HERB KIRTZ 107
15 DAYTON BRYANT 43
22 TERRY SINKE 42
9 NORM SALTER 41
1 JACK MARTSOLF 36
7 MIKE MINSER 25
49 DENNIE TRUERNIER 23.

HOPE YOU ENJOY LOOKING AT THIS NAMES OF DRIVERS FROM 1965.

POST #7.

JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL THAT CAME OUT TO THE TRACK ON THE 18TH OF OCT. FOR THE RACE TO SAVE THE SPEEDWAY. I MEANT ALOT TO ME TO SEE THE PITS FULL AND THE STANDS FULL. IT JUST SHOW THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT CARE ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE SOUTH BEND MOTOR SPEEDWAY.HOPEFULLY SOMEBODY WILL BUY AND KEEP IT OPEN FOR A VERY LONG TIME. THANK YOU AGAIN FROM SBMSFAN.

POST#6

JUST WANTED TO THANK THE 14 MEN WHO HAD A DREAM TO BUILD A RACETRACK. AND FOR THE LOYAL FANS WHO CAME OUT TO WATCH THE DRIVERS EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT. DRIVERS LIKE JOHN MANGUS, PAUL AKIN,STAN SUSKI, DUDE WEAVER, HERB KIRTS, BOB FITZ,WALT ANGELEMEYER, WEE WILLIE COX,BILL COLLINS,JACK MARTSOLF, FRED SPRINGER,PHIL SMITH, JIM SMITH,BOB CARNES,JOHN CROY, DENNY NYARI, CARL FITZ,BOBBY MORGAN, JOHN SHOOK, JIM BLOUNT, KENNY FRY, ERNIE NASH, LANNY SCOTT,DICK BANDY,CARL JACK HALL, WALT MAY,BUCK CRAVERS,AND MANY MANY MORE DRIVERS THAT USED TO RACE AT SOUTH BEND MOTOR SPEEDWAY. WE THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR HAVING THE LOVE OF THIS SPORT AND HOPEFULLY IT WILL KEEP GOING ON FOR A LONG TIME .

Insane Designs

These Are The Members & Officers Of The South Bend Motor Speedway

POST#5.

OFFICERS AND MEMBERS. JOSEPH E. KOVATCH PRESIDENT, TRACK MANAGER.WALTER BENNITT, VICE PRESIDENT, SEATING STEWARD, ZOTAN V. GYEMANT SECRETARY, PIT STEWARD, EDWARD J. OLIVET , TREASURE , CYRIL HERTHOGE, TIMER. CHARLES VANACKER, FLAGMAN. PAUL F. SISTI, PARKING SUPERVISOR. WALTER A. REDMER CLUBHOUSE MANAGER, BUSINESS MANAGER. JOSEPH T. PAWLOWSKI LEAGAL ADVISOR.FINANCE DIRECTOR.ANTHONY J. ZERNICK, CAR INSPECTOR. CHARLES SZEKENDY, FLAGMAN. THOMAS ROMANOWSKI, SCORER. WILLIAM HATALA, SCORER, ALTON R MILLIKEN, ENTRY OFFICER. THESE ARE THE MEN WHO STARTED THE SOUTH BEND MOTOR SPEEDWAY BACK IN 1946. THANKS TO THEM WE HAVE A TRACK AND HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE AROUND FOR A LONG TIME.

POST# 4

TONIGHT THE MEN OF THE SOUTH BEND MOTOR SPEEDWAY LOOK AT THE CAKE THAT DENOTES THEIR 20TH ANNIVERSARY AND REALIZE THAT TODAY THE TRACK HAS A HERITAGE. ROUND THE BANKS OF THIS OVAL RACING'S GREAT HAVE SQUEALED THEIR TIRES. WE SALUTE INDIANAPOLIS WINNER JOHNNY PARSONSOF THE 50'S AND SAM HANKS OF 57'S.THE INCOMPARABLE TONY BETTENHAUSEN HENRY BANKS, DUKE NALON RONNY HOUSEHOLDER. THIS SPEEDWAY STANDS ON WHAT WAS ONCE A FARM PASTURE IT COULD BE SO ONCE AGAIN WITHOUT THE LOYAL SUPPORT OF THE RACE FANS IN THE WORLD .HOPEFULLY SOME HOW THESE MEN DREAMS CAN SOME HOW KEPT ALIVE. WITH THE SUPPORT WE HAVE ON THE 18TH OF THIS MONTH. IT SHOWS HOW MUCH THE FANS AND DRIVERS WANT A LOCAL TRACK THAT THEY CAN CALL HOME AGAIN. HOPEFULLY SOMEBODY WILL BUY IT AND KEEP THE DREAM ALIVE.

Post # 3

THE SOUTH BEND MOTOR SPEEDWAY INC. WAS INCORPORATED JULY 26 1944. ITS OBJECTIVE WAS TO GIVE THE RACE FANS OF THIS AREA THE BEST PROGRAMS POSSIBLE ON A QUARTER MILE TRACK. .TEDDY DUNCAN IN HIS OSWALD ELTO MIDGET POWERED WITH AN OUTBOARD MOTOR SET THE TRACK RECORD AT 14:85. AT THIS WRITING KEN FRY OF MISHAWAKA HAS A 13:11 RECORD FOR HIS STOCK CAR AND JIM KNIGHT OF CHICAGO,ILL HOLDS THE MIDGET RECORD AS HE ZIPPED HIS USAC OFFENHAUSER AROUND THESE BANKS IN 12:79.

Post #2

SOME OF THE ORIGINAL SPEEDWAY DRIVERS TURNED THEIR CAREERS TOWARD BIGGER SITES. NAMELY THE INDIANAPOLIS 500. CHARLES VANACKER A SOUTH BEND NATIVE OWNED AND DROVE A 274 CU. INCH OFFY MIDGET DURING THE LATE 40'S. VANACKER RACED IN THE INDY 500 UNTIL 1949. IN 1950 HE ENTERED HIS CAR WITH ANOTHER DRIVER. MIKE SALAY FRROM SOUTH BEND WAS FAMOUS FOR DIRT TRACK DRIVING WITH THE BELMONT SPECIAL. ART CROSS FROM LAPORTE RACED IN THE 500 DURING THE 50'S HE FINISHED FIFTH IN 1952 SECOND IN 1953 11TH IN 1954 AND 17TH IN 1955. RED MARLEY SR. LIFELONG RESIDENT OF SOUTH BEND STARTED HIS CAREER IN THE 1920'S ON DIRT TRACK..CHARLES SZEKENDY BEGAN HIS RACING CAREER IN 1931 ON DIRT TRACKS IN THE MIDWEST AS DRIVER AND MECHANIC. IN 1947 HE HEADED TO THE BRICKYARD AS CHIEF MACHANIC FOR CHARLIE VANACKER .DDRIVERS LOYAL OT THE SOUTH BEND MOTOR SPEEDWAY WERE JACK BATES, TONY BETTENHAUSEN, FREDDIE FUHR ,DUANE CARTER, AL BANNELL, PAUL RUSSO, ALTON MILLIKEN, JOHNNY ROBERTS, RAY BALSLEY, PIP HENSEN, ED HADDAD, ROY NEWMAN, PETE ROMCEVICH, BUD HUSEMAN, RONNY HOUSEHOLDER, DOC SHANEBROOK, ERNIE GESSELL, DANNY KLADIS, BOB MCLEAN, RUSSELL MOONEY, MEL HANSEN, TEDDY DUNCAN, MIKE O' HALLORAN,CHARLIE SZENKENDY, GUS KLINGBIEL, MIKE SALAY, JOHNNY PARSONS, AARON WOODARD, SAM HANKS, GEORGE YOUNG, JOHNNY MCDOWELL, FRAN THURMAN, BOB MULKE, JIMMY LUDINGTON, AND LEROY WARRINER.. AFTER 50 YEARS OF RACING AT THE SOUTH BEND MOTOR SPPEDWAY THERE ARE ONLY FOUR LEFT JOE KOVATCH, CHARLIE VANACKER, TOM ROMANOWSKI, ALTON MILLIKEN. SINCE THIS HAS BEEN WROTE THEY ARE NO ORIGINAL MEMBERS LEFT.

South Bend Motor Speedway Racetrack

this is a picture of the south bend motor speedway.

Post # 1

the south bend motor speedway was home to midgets and big name drivers long before stock cars took over the pits.south bend enterend the world of auto racing in 1946. when 14 dedicated men put money and musle into building a dream.after a couple of years of hard work and planning our dream finally came true. said joe kovatch.we had a full field of the finest midgets and drivers in the midwest along with bill vanderwater the indianapolis flagman and starter. on aug 23 1946 the south bend motor speedway opened to an almost sell-out crowd.ted duncan from chicago set the first fast time of 14.29 of a second in the oswalt elton marine engine and won the feature.the group pursuing the project were walter redmer, joe kovatch,alton milliken ,charles szekendy, william hatala, walter bennitt, thomas romanowski, edward olivet,z.v. gyemant,tony zernick, charles vanacker, paul sisti, cyri herthoge. and joseph pawlowski. this was rated as the fastest and finest one-quarter track.the track ran midgets for about 15 years before entering into demolition derbys and stock car races.