The Frontstretch: Driven to the Past: Potts' Short Stories by John Potts -- Thursday February 19, 2009

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Driven to the Past: Potts' Short Stories

John Potts · Thursday February 19, 2009

 

On one of our “test runs” last week for the live blog we did during the Daytona 500, somebody asked how much the Hendrick people would like it if one of
their engines in another team’s car beat them.

That reminded me of something that happened in the 70s, at the old
Fairgrounds Motor Speedway in Louisville.

John Anderson was a terrific racer who made it all the way to NASCAR and
most might recall had a terrifying end-over-end flip down the infield of the
Daytona backstretch. He lost his life in a highway accident, and he’s one of
those guys I still miss.

In an ASA 100-lap season opener at the Fairgrounds, John’s good friend Jerry
(The Bear) Makara won driving his familiar Thrush Mufflers Camaro (we called it
the Woodpecker), and John ran second in the Draime Engineering sponsored car.

I believe John also worked for the Draimes, whose engine business was
probably the biggest sports-related business in Massillon, Ohio aside from the
local high school football team.

John Anderson wins at Toledo.

John chased Jerry for the better part of the race finally losing by a car
length.

I usually did the on-track interviews after the races, and when John stopped
to congratulate Jerry, I asked him to get out of the car for an interview.

When asked about the competition and the fact that he wanted to congratulate
Jerry, he said, “Listen, I built that engine (pointing to Makara’s car), and I
built this one (his own). If I was going to get beat in this race, I’m glad it
was by that engine and not one somebody else built.”

- – - – - – - –

Speaking of flips at Daytona, I ran across some photos of Jack Shanklin, an
old ARCA driver from the Indianapolis area, which brought back some memories.

Jack didn’t have a lot of luck down at the big D.

He flipped pretty badly a couple of years in a row coming out of the fourth
turn in the ARCA race. It may even have been three years.

A couple of years later, I was sitting on the pit wall a couple of hours
before ARCA race and Jack came walking past.

We said our usual hellos, and then I asked if he was just watching or did he
have a ride.

“Why,” he asked, “do you know somebody that’s looking for a driver?”

I answered, “Naw, I was just wondering. If you’ve got a ride, I’m going
back to the car and get my camera and go down inside of Turn Four.”

I don’t think Jack’s answer was printable.

- – - – - – - –

One of my prized possessions is a framed photograph of Troy Ruttman taken
after he won the Indianapolis 500 in 1952, personally autographed, “Best of luck
to John.”

Interesting story. I’ve mentioned how Joe Ruttman and I got to be friends
when he was running with ASA.

One day at Milwaukee, one of our photographers, Don Thies, was showing me
some photos he’d gotten from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway gift shop’s
closeout bin. One of them was that photo.

Walking through the pits, I came upon Joe’s car, and there was his big
brother to watch him race.

“Don’t move,” I said to Troy, and then to Joe, “Don’t let him leave.”

I went back and got the photo, and Troy, who remembered me from the days I
was selling newspapers in the infield at Salem and Winchester as a teenager,
graciously autographed it.

It now sits in a place of honor behind my diecast model of that 1952
Agajanian Special 500 winning car.

- – - – - – - –

I’ve written before about meeting Lee Petty and having breakfast with him in
that little cafeteria they had at Daytona in the 60s. One day I had the
pleasure of seeing him crack up at one of my answers.

Just before we left the garage the evening before, Harry Hyde told me to
check the spark plugs before I went back to the motel.

Now, as I’ve also said before, I’m no mechanic. It was even worse in 1966.

I didn’t see Harry that night, and when he came into the cafeteria the next
morning, he asked if I had checked the plugs.

I assured him that I had.

He said, “Well?”

I said,:”There was eight of ‘em.”

After he finished laughing, Mr. Petty told me how to check plugs and what to
watch for.

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Douglas
02/20/2009 08:26 AM
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Love the nostalgia!

And if I may offer a bit of my own, this past week I had an “Uncle”, (thru my first marriage) pass away in South/West Indiana. Of course I had to go down and attend the services. This “Uncle”, when I was just a young pup, maybe 17 years old, on a visit to Indiana one time, sitting outside his Fire Station one day just talking (he was a fireman by trade) I mentioned I liked racing!

Well, he says, come down for the Indy 500 I will see you get in. As I found out then, he was a photographer at the track, for UPI I believe, and for some 25 years.

Well, not only did he make sure I got into the track all-right, at times I helped “run” his film back to the developer at the speedway.

I did this off and on for maybe 15 years or so! The late 50’s, all thru the 60’s and some beyond that!

I was always able to get a “photographers” pass allowing me almost unlimited access to the facilities, and what an experience that was!

I have seen the best!

Thank you Uncle Lou!