Al Blixt Auto Racing History

Racing History Lives at Winchester Speedway

 

 

  Winchester Speedway Old Timers Weekend is an annual event that brings together great vintage race cars and people who love them. This post is devoted to showcasing some of the cars and stories from the 2010 event. Shown here are the famous Spider Webb #2 sprint car built by Hall of Fame owner Johnny Vance, Sr. and the 1934 #1 McDowell Spl. owned by Bob and Judy Moore. For more photos and information about these and other classic race cars, read on.

V8-60: The Little Engine That Could

The Ford V8-60 engine holds a special place in the history midget auto racing. Known as the "poor man's offy', the V8-60 offered a reliable power plant for cash-strapped young men with a passion to race. Ironically, the small size that made it ideal for midgets doomed the V8-60 as a passenger car engine and it was discontinued after only a few years.  Still, V8-60s were in competition from 1937 until the 1950's. Read on to learn more about this "little engine that could".

Starter Bill Mitchell - Racing Giant

Bill Mitchell was known as the "Two Ton Starter" for nearly 30 years in the Midwest.  At Detroit's Motor City Speedway and a host of other tracks, he was the man in charge. He always made sure that the "show" ran on time and that drivers obeyed his instructions. He was big and tough. Nobody fooled with him.  Yet, there was another side to Big Bill that those who knew him loved. As far back as I could remember, he was my "Uncle Bill".   After the races and on weekends, members of the racing fraternity partied together.  Many nights when I was three or four, I recall going to "Uncle Bill and Aunt Betty's" house with my parents.  It was somewhere in the city of Detroit. All the coats were piled on the bed in the front bedroom near the street. I was snuggled among them as the party went on into the night, while the music of Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller and the other artists of the day provided my lullaby.  This man was always very kind to me. He died when I was eight and I always wished I knew more about him . Read on to find out more about this very interesting man.  (Photo by Al Blixt, Sr. probably at Toledo, Ohio ca. 1940)

Duke Nalon - Racing Legend

Most race fans remember Duke Nalon from his many Indianapolis races.  They remember how he tamed the powerful and legendary Novi's. They remember the track records he set, the 500-mile races he nearly won and the fiery crash that he miraculously survived.  But to race fans in 1940, the Duke was already a legend.  While he raced midgets and big cars coast to coast, Duke spent a lot of time at Detroit's Motor City Speedway.  He was a friend to my father and to many who were part of the racing scene before and after WWII.  For more about the Duke's early years, read on.

Vern "Flip" Fritch: One of Kind

The date was October 9, 1949. The place was Owosso, Michigan.  In this photo, driver Vern Fritch was about two minutes away from being paralyzed for life when his sprint car flipped over.  For most drivers, this would have been the end of the story.  For "Flip" Fritch it was the beginning of a new chapter in a racing career that transformed him from an average driver to a unique figure in the history of racing.  To hear the rest of the story, read on.

Remembering A Champion: Wally Zale

Wally Zale was a great driver who set records for wins all over the Mid-west in the 1930's and early 40's.  He was part of the "Chicago Gang" that included Tony Bettenhausen, Paul Russo, Jimmy Snyder, Cowboy O'Rourke and Emil Andres.  Pictured here are Wally and Harry Hart at Detroit's Motor City Speedway in 1937. To learn about his short but brilliant career, read on.

The Time of the Hot Rods

They called them Hot Rods and from 1947 to 1951, they thrilled fans by the thousands in Detroit and across the nation.  What made these race cars so different and what caused them to disappear as quickly as they had come? Read on to find out. (Car #00 here is driven by "Speedy" Brooks.)

Merry Christmas - Past & Present

This site has been up exactly six months on Christmas Day and I want to thank everyone who has written to say that they liked it.  Many of you have added wonderful information about the people featured here.  Others have been searching for information about your fathers or grandfathers who raced.  I have treasured getting to know all of you and look forward to continuing our relationship in 2007.  This is my dad's Christmas card from about 1938.  To see other period cards from the racing fraternity, read on.

On Death and Bert Karnatz

This photo was taken during the last few moments of Bert Karnatz's life on July 15, 1934. 

The scene is the VFW Speedway, later to become Motor City Speedway in Detroit, Michigan. Bert, in the #1 car, is flipping over after his left rear tire was bumped by the car #6 of Windy Jennings.  If you look carefully, you will see his tire is already flat. Bert rolled over the embankment and died soon after of a broken neck.

Bert Karnatz is all but forgotten now; but he was described as a "legend" in his home state of Michigan at the time.  In fact, he raced at Indianapolis and won races as far away as the board tracks of New Jersey.  In this post I will tell you a little about Bert Karnatz and reflect on how close all of these drivers were to death in the 1930's and why we should remember them as people rather than statistics or historical curiosities.

Fearless Jimmy Brock

Jimmy Brock was a crowd favorite at midget races in the Detroit area in the 1930's and early 1940's.  He was said at the time that he was "absolutely without fear and drives with reckless abandon as fast as the little car will go."  Although he did not often win, Jimmy was a real competitor.  Read on for more from the time about this fascinating guy.