JThur01
06-23-2010, 09:50 AM
Say, since you've got some great knowledge, tell me, how did Clem
Proctor in his red-white-and-blue '63 T-Bird (NOT a Chevy!) win at
Riverside and, I believe, Ontario, too.? I never saw him at a short-
track event, but boy, when the NASCAR circus came to town, he
WAS the Sportsman Div. competition.
Clem Proctor was such a veteran, that by that time, he wasn't running the short tracks much, just concentrating on the big tracks. And, yes, he won at Ontario in '72.
He built the T-Bird himself, did everything except the paint. His cars usually sported the red, white and blue paint scheme, sponsored by the Starlite Lounge in Paramount - a bar that Clem owned. In addition to the T-Bird, I remember a '58 Ford and a '53 Dodge convertible. His PCLM cars - a Pontiac and then '64 Ford, also were painted the same.
Proctor had raced somewhat regularly at Orange Show in '68 (and I believe had a win that season), but mainly was known for racing at Ascot in the early to mid-60's where he had a '53 Dodge convertible that held the lap record for quite a while.
He started out in jalopies around 1950, racing at places like Carrell and Culver City. He won a good number of mains at Ascot and Western Speedway and also ran most of the big open races around So Cal. He also raced some in NASCAR's Western series in the early to mid-60's.
And, some great trivia, when professional Sports Car racing began, many of the regular drivers stayed amateurs. So, car owners hired Indy, sprint, midget and stock car racers. Clem Proctor got to drive a sports car in some races and was something like 9th fastest qualifier against international and F1 stars at Riverside for the 1958 Times Grand Prix. He ran the Times GP through 1960. Served him well when the Permatex races came along.
After the 1972 Ontario race, Clem moved to Arkansas.
Proctor in his red-white-and-blue '63 T-Bird (NOT a Chevy!) win at
Riverside and, I believe, Ontario, too.? I never saw him at a short-
track event, but boy, when the NASCAR circus came to town, he
WAS the Sportsman Div. competition.
Clem Proctor was such a veteran, that by that time, he wasn't running the short tracks much, just concentrating on the big tracks. And, yes, he won at Ontario in '72.
He built the T-Bird himself, did everything except the paint. His cars usually sported the red, white and blue paint scheme, sponsored by the Starlite Lounge in Paramount - a bar that Clem owned. In addition to the T-Bird, I remember a '58 Ford and a '53 Dodge convertible. His PCLM cars - a Pontiac and then '64 Ford, also were painted the same.
Proctor had raced somewhat regularly at Orange Show in '68 (and I believe had a win that season), but mainly was known for racing at Ascot in the early to mid-60's where he had a '53 Dodge convertible that held the lap record for quite a while.
He started out in jalopies around 1950, racing at places like Carrell and Culver City. He won a good number of mains at Ascot and Western Speedway and also ran most of the big open races around So Cal. He also raced some in NASCAR's Western series in the early to mid-60's.
And, some great trivia, when professional Sports Car racing began, many of the regular drivers stayed amateurs. So, car owners hired Indy, sprint, midget and stock car racers. Clem Proctor got to drive a sports car in some races and was something like 9th fastest qualifier against international and F1 stars at Riverside for the 1958 Times Grand Prix. He ran the Times GP through 1960. Served him well when the Permatex races came along.
After the 1972 Ontario race, Clem moved to Arkansas.