Kaiser Frazer Owners Club Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Aeroman on May 15, 2013, 09:10:46 PM
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Found this on the Hudson Club's Facebook page. Is the Kaiser actually lapping the Hudson? Is the Willys actually running the stock 4-banger? Does anyone know anything about this car or track?
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As an old racer, looks like those cars are not touching, dont know track but there is a Manhattan in Kansas but other states too.
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Think that's the Lockley Surfboard Special back in the early days
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If the Kaiser is lapping the Hudson with its stock 226, that would be a BIG surprise. We all like our cars, but let's be realistic...
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That photo is from Carrell Speedway, in Gardena CA, probably from 1949.
The photo is also from this web site:
http://www.legendsofnascar.com/Lou_Figaro.htm
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This was taken during the running of the 1948 Centennial Stock Car Race at Wisconsin's State Fair Park in West Allis. 1948 was the state's centennial. The Kaiser won the race; it was sponsored by the K-F dealer in West Allis and the car was driven by a man who would become a Hudson dealer in the 1950's. Yes, according to written reports the Kaiser laps the Cadillac.
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If the Kaiser is lapping the Hudson with its stock 226, that would be a BIG surprise. We all like our cars, but let's be realistic...
A few years ago I was driving home from a car rally that was breaking up due to a rain storm. As I was cruising along in a '51 Kaiser, I saw the fellow behind me, in a souped up '68 Plymouth Satelite go spinning around and then into the ditch. I turned around and went back to assist. He was OK and several other people had stopped as we were helping him. One asked me what had happened and I explained that I was looking in my rearview mirror when I saw the Mopar go into a spin and land in the ditch. The fellow asked me "Was he speeding or what?" and I replied "He had a Kaiser in front of him, he could not have been speeding!" I thought my friend was going to lose it he was laughing so hard. No damage to the Mopar.
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There is more to racing than engine power. Herb Thomas and Richard Teague had their best year on the track with Hudsons in 1954 even though the field included a number of Oldsmobile Rocket 88's, Chrysler Hemi's and Ford Y-Block engines. It was a combination of power, weight distribution (and center of gravity), suspension and steering plus the driver's ability to handle and control the vehicle. Also worth considering were the tire size, condition and surface. The sand-to-asphalt turn (with its uphill aspect) at the original Daytona Beach track in the early 1950's gave drivers from outside the area fits (the local boys had more time to practice) and flipped more than one stock car (one of those being the 1952 HJ Vagabond Joie Ray drove to roll-over in the 1952 Daytona Grand Nationals).
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Well, that's part of my point with the Hudson: powerful engine plus low center of gravity and good handling (and of course good driving) made it the one to beat.