Does anyone have any technical info on the Smith-Jiggler conversion ? Maybe old prints,

or know who might have something ?

There was a person in W. Virginia, a couple years ago, that had several head sets, but I don’t have any contact info. Thank you for any help

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Below I would like to show an edited reprint commentary from myself that was in the Racing History files on July 23,2002. It is edited because part of the statement as viewed in 2024 is no longer valid. This is about the photo collection of Leonard "Pops" Van Berg and Karl Beckstrom. It's enough to make me cry.?

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This is a ultra-sensitive subject but the time has
come to vent and get feedback.
From 1952 to the mid-1970's there was a 2-man team who
were track photographers at all the oval tracks around
Southern California, including Ascot Park, Gardena
Stadium, Culver City, Orange Show Stadium and more.
The track photographers were Leonard "Pops" Van Berg
and Karl Beckstrom. They have now both passed away but
Beckstrom had said in phone conversations a few years
ago the collection was intact and sitting in a storage
shed in his backyard. I begged and groveled for access
but was turned down.

The risk is this whole collection could now wind up in
a landfill. I'm talking probably 95% of every
photograph ever taken at Ascot Park and the other
tracks during the 1950s and 1960s could cease to
exist.
What would take to reason with a person who has the
ultimate photograph collection and will never allow
anyone else to see it?

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Thomas Luce
Manhattan Beach CA USA

Bob,

Thanks for clearing up the Don Paul/Don Noel situation. I wondered because I've run across some interesting misspellings in newspaper race results.

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Tom,

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I can relate as nearly everything I've had in storage suffered water or bug damage, as well as some things I kept in the house suffering water damage from a nearly imperceptible leak.

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Jim Thurman
Palmdale CA USA

Jalopy Races from Hollywood were filmed in late 1953 and early 1954. 2 seasons. 26 episodes. Only about 1/3 of all the episodes survived to 2024, and the whereabouts of the collection that had been at the UCLA Television and Radio Museum is unknown.?

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Thomas Luce
Manhattan Beach CA USA

Jim Taggart

Brookings SD USA

I remember as a very young race fan in southern California, in the early 1960s, there was a weekly 30 minute filmed auto racing TV show called (IIRC) "Racing Wheels". and the host was (again IIRC) Stan Richards. This show was very cool because it presented a wide variety of motor sports. On the occasions? of showing NASCAR races. the names of Paul Goldsmith and Darel Dieringer were the names I remember as being very good stock car drivers. I don't believe I ever got to see them race in person, as I don't think they ever raced at Ontario Motor Speedway. But, they are both remembered by me thru the wonders of television.

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Thomas Luce
Manhattan Beach CA USA

Thank you to all. I do appreciate?all your efforts.

Randall Cook

Indianapolis IN USA

Richárd Salamon?

Bajna Hungary,EU

Esztergom Hungary EU

https://www.facebook.com/AAAdirtcars/

Fellow RHers,Gene Ingram

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Here are two items, each of which is OT.

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For the first, I recommend that anyone who has a FLO Subscription watch the replays of both the Friday night and Saturday night USAC sprint car races at Lawrenceburg. ??Apart from the racing, the clever hype and sometimes poetic commentary that announcers can come up with never cease to amaze me.? ?As the cars come around for the feature, you will hear “get ready to rack, stack and shuffle” and “this is what you saved your lunch money for.”? You will also hear (and see) Briggs Danner do a “bunny hop” in Turn 1.? If you do not have access to FLO, you can watch highlights of the Friday night feature at and the Saturday night feature at ?

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For the second, many of you will have seen this.? It is a treasure:? a 51 minute clip from Racing Through Time on the history of Alfa Romeo’s Grand Prix efforts up through 1951, then the ?Mille Miglia, at .? This has original footage of Alfa’s great cars and drivers.

Enjoy.

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Watch "Jalopy Races from Hollywood 1952. Dirt track racing action from Culver City Stadium, California." on YouTube

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Tom Tlusty
Plymouth MI USA

Jalopy history update: When the NASCAR XFINITY race took place at Talladega recently and was televised on the "CW Network", local Los Angeles TV station KTLA-5 is a CW station,? and it was the first time in 59 years that KTLA broadcast a auto race, the last time was Figure-8 racing at Ascot Park Gardena in 1965.

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Thomas Luce
Manhattan Beach CA USA

I really feel bumbed out. A number of years ago I could answer all questions regarding the CJA because the information was just feet away and I? had 95+% success in my research efforts. The last few years have been challenging and all the saved research materials have suffered while in storage. I could have used 50 large waterproof plastic tubs but that was just a dream. Waterproof does not mean moisture proof. Someday in the future I hope to be able to quickly grab a document and help researchers who have followed my footsteps? for preserving racing in Southern California.?

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Thomas Luce
Manhattan Beach CA USA

Tom,

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I wondered if "Don Paul" was a newspaper error for Don Noel instead of an alias. One week "Don Paul" was in the dash and "Don Noel" won the main. There were only one or two other appearances of "Don Paul" in newspaper results, but a lot for Don Noel.

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Jim Thurman
Palmdale CA USA