History of San Jose Auto Racing 1903-2007
Click on the name above will take you to the books web site for ordering it.
Just about 100 years of Racing history from the San Jose area shown below
In the Picture from Lower left clock wise ,
Burt Foland in the #5 Jack London Kurtis offy USAC Midget, Howard Kaeding #3 in the Flyer Tabata SuperModified,
George Benson in his own Hardtop#38, #14 Sprint car was driven by Tim green, Head shot is of Ralph Depalma
#7 Johnny Key in a Roadster and Sebastion Bourdais in the Chip Ganassi Indy car
Dennis Mattish picture below with Joe Leonard who wrote the forward to the book
Dennis Mattish A Veteran fan from the early fifties of San Jose speedway and other area tracks. Evolved into a first class Photographer and writer. Spending the best part of the last 5 years intensley researching all leads and pictures He could get his hands on to bring You this Illustrated history of the San Jose area's auto racing
Pictured below are just some of the cars raced in the San Jose area
Pictures are from the book History of San Jose Auto racing
They are just a very small sample of pictures that grace the pages of the book.
Myself, Having been born and raised in the Santa Clara valley, I thought I had heard about all the auto racing that took place in that Valley?
Well Dennis Mattish has gone to extreme lengths to collect as much information along with some very good pictures as there is out there. More than any one man could hope to find on the Subject of Auto Racing in the city of San Jose and out its outlying areas of the Santa Clara Valley for sure!
I had heard several stories of tracks in San Jose and the surrounding area, But He has gone in depth to a few others I had never even heard about. He has included a two page inside cover map of those tracks locations written about in this book. This map includes no less than 14 venues used from 1903 to 2007.
Dennis a Veteran photographer and writer in fine standing in the Racing photographers and writing world has done a remarkable compilation of the Racing History that took place out there. If it had four or even two wheels Dennis dug out the information on them and has them coverd in this great book.
From Barney Oldfield trying to set records at Agricultural Park in San Jose circa 1903. (He didnt get the record he was after that year due to mechanicial malfunctions that day).He did however return to the San Jose area as a race official in later years.
Mattish goes on to include some of the most famouse drivers of their own era's. some included in the book are, Ralph Depalma, Bill Cummings, AJ Foyt, Parnelli Jones and in its last few years on the racing map, Kasey Kane, Sebastion Bourdais and many more.
However not to leave out those from the San Jose area itself, Some of whom were Earl Cooper, Babe Stapp, Joe Leonard, AJ Almindinger Willy T Ribbs and Scott Speed.
Those were just a few of the greats to race in the area mentioned in this book. There are way more mentioned in the book.
How about a dog race track turned into a midget racing facility. From its pictures it was a very nice facility for the fans. They even had gambling there at one time, With lots of police raids that finaly shuttered that place for good!it is mentioned in the book.
Yes there are pictures in there to go along with almost all the stories. Some in later years in glorious color.
Statistics? you want Statistics well if they arent listed as winners in there they probably didnt win any races in the area. Lots of race dates along with who won them arein there.
It covers almost every races winner over the years at the many tracks out there.
There are listings of the hundereds of just midget race winners from 1934 to 1997 at various tracks scattered through out the San Jose, Santa Clara valley region.
Race cars from Speed record cars to Indy Big Cars on down to the Mighty Midgets to the evoloution of the Jalopies that ended up Being the modern day Sprint cars in one vien and the ultra fast Offset Supermodifieds that run only run on pavement tracks.
The modern day indy cars even had a short reign on the streets of down town San Jose from 2005 to 2007, They are also covered.
If you enjoy auto racing and like to read its history of the San Jose area this is a must have book. There will probably never be another book as in depth on this subject as as this one is.
Hey now I have to get back to it, because it is going to take Me some time to get through it all!
aXe
Overhauling a 97 to 107cui OFFY engine
Did you ever wonder what it took to overhaul one of the most used “racing” engines in the last 75 years?
Well now thanks to one Harry Stryker you can get a Manual to satisfy those questions.
Harry has owned and or overhauled a close to 200 of those OFFY midget engines, and now has put together a Manual to tell you just how to go about doing that.
I wrote that above about 9 years ago just after Harry came out with His “Offy Overhaul Manual”
The book tells you how He was mentored by Jack London who was mentored By George Bignotti in this process.
Both of these Gentlemen did the offy overhauls as good or better than most, their records speak for themselves in this regard.
Harry Stryker Sr.
1931-2009
“Harry had a soft spot for midget racing. He started going to the races in the 40s as a young boy in Oakland, California. His hands were into race cars all of his life. His metal crafting skills were second to none. He would never have had anyone do the work on his cars. He did it all on his own and he was a perfectionist in his work. Harry enjoyed spending his time restoring or building race cars. I can’t count how many cars he built or repaired for himself, his sons or many of the vintage enthusiast. He got to do this until the day he died. He truly enjoyed helping other people. He wrote this book because he wanted the Offy legacy to go on forever.”
The Quote part above was written by his son, Mike Stryker
Harry this past July 5th passed on.
Now Mike has decided to release the book again.
The book is probably the only one ever produced to take you through the overhauling steps of this Mighty Midget engine, with complete disassembly and reassembly instructions of those Mighty midget engines.
Inside you will find 20 color pictures like those above of the process and the specifications are on more than one page.
There is also a page devoted to the Hilborn injectors. Even a page with all the tools you need for the overhaul.
Right down to the address for buying the Gasgacinch part #444-A. sealer. Nothing was left out!
The most important “minor?” parts are embolded so they wouldn’t be missed. You miss on any of these and say good bye to that overhaul.
One of the most intriguing parts of an Offy overhaul that always astounded me was the Crankshaft seating in the case.
I was always told if you run an offy for to many laps on less than 4 cyls odds are you will have a cracked Crankshaft! That said now in the assembly of the Crank to the Case, the case is heated to around 425 degrees, then the crank is inserted into it and bolted in, You then have to pick up the case and drop it on the cranks flange to seat the crank? And I thought that was a testy step if those cranks were prone to cracking? Shows you how much I knew.
If you are mechanically inclined and need more engine reding materials or just might have a wish to actually over haul one of these mighty midget engines, I highly recommend this book.
To get your copy
Cost
$85.00 Shipping included to the mainland 48 US states.
contact
Mike Stryker,
15574 Space Murals Lane
Las Cruces, NM 88011.
e-mail
mstryker58@gmail.com
Phone
575 571-1390
Smoke Sand & Rubber!
A Story of Life with a lot of Racing thrown in.
By Mel Anthony
I read a lot in winter and I found out about this book through a friend last winter.
Mel Anthony is the author and also The one who had it printed up. Him and I are both members of a Racing History site. So I ordered one from Him.
Last Wednesday evening My Book came,
“Smoke Sand and Rubber” by Mel Anthony.
I opened it up and thought I’d just scan through it, Well let Me tell you next the morning it was finished. I started it and just couldn’t put it down. Great stories and pictures to go with most.
If you ever wanted to know how tough things were for racers back in the mid thirties and on up through the mid fifties you will find out about it in this book. Mel pulls no punches tells it like it was. His accounts of before He even had a drivers license were terrific. Even the part where He knocked over their out house!
He goes on telling about the first time He got upside down in a midget.
He also covers some of the greats from the Pacific North West with their Statistics and Racing adventures, Like Shorty Templeman, Allen Heath & Len Sutton to name just three of the many he covers in the book. You will enjoy the part about Shorty’s Hay Fever acting up on a trip back from the races with Mel driving Him home with the air conditioning at work full blast, This was a 4-55 air conditioner, 4 windows open at 55mph. It took a whole box of Kleenex to get Shorty dried up after following a hay truck for lot of miles.
This racing history of Mel’s starts out in the State of Washington where He was Born in 1923.
It goes through the Family history of converting a Chicken House into a metal products Co. where they were making products for Sears and Roebuck, Let Me stop here. Oh yea You have to read it to find out where that title, “Smoke Sand and Rubber” came from
There is just more interesting stuff in this book than was in the last three books I read, That was why I read it almost the whole night right after I opened it up for the first time. Some stories were, hilarious some very sad and some about some great racing.
This book would make a wonderful Christmas present for any Racer, Vintage, Modern or for anyone who just likes to read.
There aren’t many books left I was told so if you want to read some great Racing history from The Midgets beginnings up in the North West And the Ones who started it all up there along with Mel’s autobiography you had better get an order in to Mel before He runs out of them.
You can contact Mel here to order one,
He will surely get a copy to you if He doesn’t run out of them first?
aXe If you are older than 50 that name needs no explanation. For those of us younger than that, Well it is from one of the Greatest Families that put out race car drivers this country ever had the pleasure of watching drive race cars.. “Vukie” one of the Very best or possible "THE" Very best to run at the Indianapolis 500. He came oh so close to winning it 4 straight times. From 1952 until 1955 He raced there and didnt have much competition. If You wanted to know the inside out story of this great racing family you have to have this Book, By Bob Gates, “Vukovich”. It takes you to their very beginnings and doesn’t leave out much of the early problems beset this family. But Hard work and dedication paid off for them only to have it taken away to soon by Vukies death in the 500. Then the resurrection of the family in the racing world by his Son Billy Jr. and Grandson Billy III. This is a very hard book to put down once you start reading it. From the heat baked fields of Central California to the small Midget bull rings also out west to the Greatest Spectacle in racing The Indianapolis 500, It is covered in the book. Bill Jr now has a few copies left. If You would like one give “Vukie” a call at 317 409 7141. I am sure He will personally autograph a copy for You. They would also make the perfect gift for the racing enthusiast in your family . aXe
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“Vukovich”
The Book
Only to be stopped for his first win by a faulty steering problem. Also his winning of His last race there stopped only by the losing of his life there while leading! This after lapping all but 6 cars in the first 57 laps!
Midget Racing History Books, Coming soon
Stay tuned for a book about a Midget Driver and Constructor. George Benson Who ranks right up there with the best Midget builders and was no slouch when it came to racing those firey little cars.
Out west this guy built some where in the neighborhood of 30 midgets from the mid sixties to the late seventie's. George a Member of the BCRA Hall of Fame and a USAC Ascot Turkey Night Grand Prix Winner also gathering up a USAC West Coast Midget championship around 1967. He has been working on His Racing History book for some time now. I understand it may be in the final stages before printing?
Stay tuned here for a Report on it when it finaly comes out.
aXe
