Somehow I got on the net a history of rear engined supers.  unfortunately I lost the address and never got back to whoever wrote it.  He completely missed Bill Port and myself when doing the thing.  Norm Smith drove my homebuilt's and we were the first to win at Lorain County Speedway.   Sold the car to Port and he ran it with Bobby Hayduk at Heidelburg and promptly ordered a Bill Hite four wheel drive re car.  Bill imported Armand Holley and the two of them terrorized the North Central Ohio until Bill gave it up because of threats.  Later he and I teamed on a non-suspension car with Gene Lee Gibson but the third time out it was pushed into the fence at LCS and he never ran it again.  Have lots more on this type of stuff.

  
Never knew Wood.  I raced at Sandusky, Lorain and Midvale with Eddie Wiesman, Bob Hayduk and Norm Smith driving my front engined cars.  Norm and I collaborated on a rear engine car in 1964 using a 289 Ford I got out of Bill Ports drag car. Norm was the first rear engine car to win a race at Lorain County.  Norm and I split (friendly) and he took the engine and I the chassis. This time with a Chevy!  Bobby Hayduk drove for me and we even made it work on dirt!  Later Dick Seymour drove it and crashed and burned at New Bremen (before fire suits and fuel cells). Somebody blew an engine in front of us and Dick spun and George Friend hit him in the fuel tank. Baldy Baker said the car ran faster through the corners than he did down the straightaway. Todd Gibson was so impressed he built a RE car as did Joe Martincic. I rebuilt the car and sold it to Bill Port, who ran it at Heidelburg Pa with Bobby Hayduk.  Saw Bill Hites 4wd with Rat Lane driving and bought one.  He tried a few guys and on Hites recommendation imported Armond "Briar" Holley. Car kept breaking,  Bill being the taskmaster he was made a drastic change in 1970.  I was Production Manager and head of R&D at Lakewood Industries, Armond was my tool and die-maker.  So we re welded every bit of the car and made it dependable. Bill built all the engines (He was partners in Midwest Auto Specialties as well as an old drag racing buddy of mine and Joe Martinicic "Tinker Joe")  We all drag raced in the fifties. Armond and Bill ran so good around here they could win the Australian Pursuit in one lap. 

Unfortunately they always had trouble when they went on the road from Florida to California.  He got phone calls from drivers wives and some others that were anonymous about how he was ruining racing, so he sold out.  Later he had Hite put a non-suspension car and Gene Lee Gibson drove it.  Blew two engines and was put into the fence at Lorain County.  Bill was so discouraged, he never ran it (or any other as an owner) again. I turned the frame into a winning Mini-Outlaw 750 cc motorcycle powered car.  Bill now still does engine work in his back yard garage and wins.  At one time his engine held the track record at Winchester in sprints with Bob Frey driving. 

I built that offset super that Albritain ran (after his B4U car). Crutch type frame with 2 1/2 inch upper rail and 1 1/2 lower rail.  We couldn't afford a truck type rear that Donnie put in it .  I heard he was rather successful with it.  Norm Smith drove it to win the opening day at Lorain County's first pavement race.  We also won the last race on the dirt with Gary Myles first super.  I ran the RE super at Canton once with Hayduk driving.  We broke a half shaft on our second qualifying lap and the wheel sailed out into the parking lot and hit a parked car.  Port also had a lay down driver and laid over engine RE car that Warren Coniam drove. It was in the Oswego calendar.

Don Yovis was our photo guy and he might have some pictures that he might let go of,  Our crash at New Bremen made NSSN with sequential photo's. They called us Funny Cars then!  Lucky for Dick Seymore that Lou Palker stopped and pulled him from the wreck before he was burned more seriously than he was.  He spent some 9 months recovering after having been air lifted to Cleveland Clinic.  He would have died in the St. Marys' hospital.

 

Story submitted By .... Duane Depuy