Old Time Nascar and Chevrolet racing History

[Joseph T.]

From left to right...

Tiny Lund... famed NASCAR pioneer

Dale Swanson... famed car and engine builder..worked with Smokey Yunick and Vince Piggins on the new Rochester fuel injection.

Johnny Beauchamp..drove one of the Corvettes on the beach at Daytona 1957

[Mike M.]

Re: Old Time Nascar and Chevrolet racing History

40 Ford Coupes? mike

[Joseph T.]

From '40 Ford Coupes to Corvette Legends

Dale Swanson..part of the untold story of 1956/1957 Chevrolet / Corvette racing!

Dick Thompson quote 3/2/06 .." The 1957 Corvette was my favorite "

[Frank C.]

Re: Old Time Nascar and Chevrolet racing History

Hi All....one thing I'll always remember about Smokey, was the banner he had hanging in his shop that said "There is only one substitute for cubic inchs AND that is MORE cubic inches"

[Wayne W.]

Re: Old Time Nascar and Chevrolet racing History

Yall sure that aint a `39? Hood looks like a 39 Deluxe to me.

[James W.]

Re: Old Time Nascar and Chevrolet racing History

I new both Tiny Lund and Dale Swanson, Dale very well. I grew up in Harlan, Iowa where they were from. Tiny's cousin Tom Lund built flat head engines for my dad's old Fords before he got into Corvettes. Tiny's father was in the grandstands at the Shelby County Speedway in Harlan one night and watched Tiny role his Oldsmobile (family car) end-over-end down the front straight away during a run-what-a-brung challenge race! Tiny was a wild man and could drive the wheels off of anything he got in. Back in the mid sixties to mid seveties, Dale Swanson built and owned some of the winniest dirt short track cars in the Midwest. He was a wizard with fuel injection and small block engines. He tuned all of my dad's fuelie Corvettes and man did they run!!! He gave me advise and helped me build a small block 406 cubic inch engine for a 1968 Camaro that I used to owe/street race. He helped tune it to the razors edge, THAT CAR WOULD FLY!!! At the 1995 NCRS National Meet, I asked Zora Duntov if he remembered Dale Swanson, he smiled and said "Swanny, he really knew fuel injection." I mentioned that I was from his home town and knew him quite well. Duntov replied said to please tell him hello from Zora.

Dale's sons Kim and Butch still operate the family business, Swanson Automotive in Harlan. His grandson Ken used to be the engine tuner for Jack Rousch on Mark Martins NASCAR stock car. From there he went to work for Bill Davis Racing and built the winning Datona 500 engine that was in Ward Burton's car a few years back. I remember back in about 1991 before Ken went to work in NASCAR, he along with his dad and grandfather Dale got back into dirt track racing. They built a spec IMCA modified car and the "claimer" engine they built for it was built and assembled with left-overs parts that they found around the shop and referred to them as "junk" components. The car went unbeaten for the majority of the season.

Dale passed away about 4 years ago from liver cancer, he was in his eighties.

Regards,

James West

[Joseph T.]

Re: Old Time Nascar and Chevrolet racing History

James..thanks for sharing the memories.

Joe T

[Dick W.]

Re: Old Time Nascar and Chevrolet racing History

Joe, keep the pictures coming. Enjoy the trips down memory lane.