What Does Your Avatar Mean!! - Auto Racing Memories

Olen McGuire · 01-19-2012, 03:29 PM

Most of us have Avatars by our name, which usually defines how we appear to others. To some of you that are not computerized, it's the little picture under your name or symbol, that appears when you post something.

Jerry Lee gave me the idea of starting this thread, as his is one of the strangest to appear on this site. As his Dad I'm not saying that HE is strange, just his Avatar.

I guess I should start off with what mine means:
It's pretty simple for me, being one of the oldest on ARM, I thought of something older than me, which is an antique car.

Feel free to let the rest of us know (What were you thinking?) when you picked yours.

bmeigs · 01-19-2012, 04:22 PM

I don't have the funding to play with real race cars, so I have to settle for tinkering around with my old '50 Ford and "living fast" in my mind. That's why I love visiting this site!

Thomas E · 01-19-2012, 04:57 PM

My avatar I picked was for the fun time I had on the dirt at CNS, I have always been a big Dan Gurney fan, so I thought that 121 would be good number for me, and the avatar is a great reminder of my old race car and Dan Gurney......

Old 121 she was,
It was once someone's business sedan
That found its way in to my hands

A 1957 Ford Custom 500
I bought her for little money
I knew she'd make a dirt track honey

I striped her down and gutted her out
The color was to be olive drab
I bought every spray can I could grab

The roll cage was second to none
And the 312 Ford sounded like it would run
Next were the small details and nuts and bolts

Last was to paint the number
In a color that was outstanding
White and I was painting it free handing

Well there she was in all her glory
The way she ran and fun we had
That's for another story

Did you notice the number
121
Is the same upside down

Jerry Lee · 01-19-2012, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Olen McGuire

As his Dad I'm not saying that HE is strange.....

Some would tend to disagree with you Dad, I think you're just used to it!

I always wondered about some avatars. Is it their car?? Is it their hero?? Is it someone in their family?? The one I wondered the most about was old #7's. That is just a fantastic shot! And I hope someday he'll tell us about it.

I guess mine is kind of odd because it's not a race car, but it is race car related. It's actually the unused album cover for one of the bands I was in called The Late Models. All of the songs we wrote had something to do with either girls or stock car racing, or both! The group dissolved just days before we were to release our debut CD in 2008. There was no sense in paying for 1000's of discs to sit on, so the master tapes were shelved. So, I felt that the cover art represented two very big influences in my life, auto racing & rock n' roll! We had sunk a lot of money into the project, so at least I got this out of it.

thpracing · 01-19-2012, 06:17 PM

My avatar pic is of THPracing's Dodge dart---1982 season, taken preseason in the Lakeside parking lot. It is a early 70's Richard Petty Ent. built "baby" Grand National, also called Grand National Sportsmans.We (Myself, Moose Harmon, and Ricky Parker---RIP 2011) had started running dodges in 1979 in the street stock division at Lakeside. Previously, we had run (GAG) Fords..with big blocks or 351's, as we ran at englewood once in a while. We bought Terry Stubblefield's 1979 championship car, a 67 corenet, with a built up 318/340. Our first smallblock anything. This car ran in 79/80---burning the back half off midseason in a carbeque. we built a 71 duster in 10 days, and ran the rest of 80, and 81 with this car.

Pat Petrie was 1 of our supporters, along with his store...midnite auto parts.We were finishing up another top 5 finish in what were now called super stocks. 3 yrs--3 top 5 finishes. We knew dodges. Nobody else ran them competitively at lakeside. Pat let us know that Darly Stingerie had brought a dodge race car to colo from back east and had sold it to the Padgetts. They had problems getting the motor to stay together ---too tight a fit between piston and valve---and were looking to sell---we were looking to buy.

About this time, our season was about done, and we had a sponsor in Lakewood dodge who sourced thru RPE and got me a 1200+ page build manual on our particular chassis. When we got it from the padgetts, the motor was out of the car and was sitting with the top end off, We had found thru the chassis # that this was a dirt car. (If you look close at the pix, u will see it has 2 loops behind the driver.) We took the W-2 top end, dist, exhaust, (16pc's!)and our 11 to 1 SS motor's bottom end and took it to the dirt track in Fort Morgan, for their last race meet. Smoked em on borrowed tire!

Got home, went thru the manual, and found the problem in the motor. Valmiked's machine shop built the bottom end to 12.8 to 1 and chevy shed did the heads. When we got the car, it was painted orange with silver panels on the sides, and a torn up front clip. We tore the car down to last nut and bolt, changed the susp. parts to pavement, (pass side torsion bar had schoolbus part #), put on a 71 Challenger front clip, painted it plum crazy purple, and took it to the 82 tristate auto show. No one knew we were bringing it out. Big hit with the CARC.

Had a good yr with it at Lakeside---top 3---and also ran it in Neb, Kansas, Michigan, every track in our area (pavement ) plus practiced at CDR on the road course. 3 races to go and the car in front of Moose missed a shift on the start and the wreck was on!

We had a crowd jumping up and down on the trunk so we could fuel it. If you look close, you can see the filled in gas filler from the car's Nascar roots. We reskinned it with a 70's Barracuda body

and finished the season.

This car went on to run a fiberglass body in 83

and we stripped it of running gear and sold the chassis to a buyer out of state.

here's other pics from 82..

This was by far, my favorite car of the 17 that we built for ourselves in our 13 yrs at Lakeside. I still have parts from this car in my garage..So that's the story behind the avatar foto...kt

Bobbyjr · 01-20-2012, 09:56 AM

Mine of course is a shot of one of the cars my dad drove... Unfortunately it didn't last long as he wrapped it around a telephone pole in Nebraska. You know what they said about him he was NOT afraid to push anything to the limit.

Miss him TONS, still!

ALVIS · 01-20-2012, 10:47 AM

my avatar is my figure 8 car for the 2011 season, even though the figure 8 cars of today are of no comparison to the old fords and chevys back in the old englewood speedway days----still in love with those old eighters love this site!!! always good to go back and look at all of my idols!!!! the true American Idols!!!....i think CNS ought to make a Vintage figure 8 class what do you guys think???? big Al

webby · 01-20-2012, 11:07 AM

Mine is my pop standing next to his stock car.

Terry Von Tilius · 01-20-2012, 12:31 PM

Mine is pretty boring... a picture of... ME.
In my Kart racing equipment.

indybigjohn · 01-20-2012, 02:57 PM

Mine is one of my favorite racing photos from when I was with ARCA. That's me flagging the only race ARCA ever held at Louisville Downs, a half-mile trotting track with a surface of crushed limestone. That's Iggy Katona on a qualifying run, already setting up for the first turn.

01-19-2012, 03:29 PM	#1
Olen McGuire Old Senior Genius Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Alabama Age: 87 Posts: 518	What Does Your Avatar Mean!! Most of us have Avatars by our name, which usually defines how we appear to others. To some of you that are not computerized, it's the little picture under your name or symbol, that appears when you post something. Jerry Lee gave me the idea of starting this thread, as his is one of the strangest to appear on this site. As his Dad I'm not saying that HE is strange, just his Avatar. I guess I should start off with what mine means: It's pretty simple for me, being one of the oldest on ARM, I thought of something older than me, which is an antique car. Feel free to let the rest of us know (What were you thinking?) when you picked yours.

01-19-2012, 04:22 PM	#2
bmeigs Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: San Diego CA Posts: 50	Re: What Does Your Avatar Mean!! I don't have the funding to play with real race cars, so I have to settle for tinkering around with my old '50 Ford and "living fast" in my mind. That's why I love visiting this site!

01-19-2012, 04:57 PM	#3
Thomas E Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Houston Posts: 413	Re: What Does Your Avatar Mean!! My avatar I picked was for the fun time I had on the dirt at CNS, I have always been a big Dan Gurney fan, so I thought that 121 would be good number for me, and the avatar is a great reminder of my old race car and Dan Gurney...... Old 121 she was, It was once someone's business sedan That found its way in to my hands A 1957 Ford Custom 500 I bought her for little money I knew she'd make a dirt track honey I striped her down and gutted her out The color was to be olive drab I bought every spray can I could grab The roll cage was second to none And the 312 Ford sounded like it would run Next were the small details and nuts and bolts Last was to paint the number In a color that was outstanding White and I was painting it free handing Well there she was in all her glory The way she ran and fun we had That's for another story Did you notice the number 121 Is the same upside down "Stay tuned for the greatest spectacle in racing" ~ Sid Collins LAKESIDE - Late at night by the old Lakeside Speedway, you can hear the ghosts - The barking, crackling "Flathead Fords", the zinging "Chevy Stove Bolt's", The rumbling of the "KK-Offy's", and the snarling "Ford V8-60's". Listen and faintly hear the announcer say, "Ladies and gentlemen, the line up for the trophy dash," and the place would erupt with the mix echoes of cheers and boo's...Remember...

01-19-2012, 06:17 PM	#5
thpracing thpracing Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: aurora colorado Age: 66 Posts: 127	Re: What Does Your Avatar Mean!! My avatar pic is of THPracing's Dodge dart---1982 season, taken preseason in the Lakeside parking lot. It is a early 70's Richard Petty Ent. built "baby" Grand National, also called Grand National Sportsmans.We (Myself, Moose Harmon, and Ricky Parker---RIP 2011) had started running dodges in 1979 in the street stock division at Lakeside. Previously, we had run (GAG) Fords..with big blocks or 351's, as we ran at englewood once in a while. We bought Terry Stubblefield's 1979 championship car, a 67 corenet, with a built up 318/340. Our first smallblock anything. This car ran in 79/80---burning the back half off midseason in a carbeque. we built a 71 duster in 10 days, and ran the rest of 80, and 81 with this car. Pat Petrie was 1 of our supporters, along with his store...midnite auto parts.We were finishing up another top 5 finish in what were now called super stocks. 3 yrs--3 top 5 finishes. We knew dodges. Nobody else ran them competitively at lakeside. Pat let us know that Darly Stingerie had brought a dodge race car to colo from back east and had sold it to the Padgetts. They had problems getting the motor to stay together ---too tight a fit between piston and valve---and were looking to sell---we were looking to buy. About this time, our season was about done, and we had a sponsor in Lakewood dodge who sourced thru RPE and got me a 1200+ page build manual on our particular chassis. When we got it from the padgetts, the motor was out of the car and was sitting with the top end off, We had found thru the chassis # that this was a dirt car. (If you look close at the pix, u will see it has 2 loops behind the driver.) We took the W-2 top end, dist, exhaust, (16pc's!)and our 11 to 1 SS motor's bottom end and took it to the dirt track in Fort Morgan, for their last race meet. Smoked em on borrowed tire! Got home, went thru the manual, and found the problem in the motor. Valmiked's machine shop built the bottom end to 12.8 to 1 and chevy shed did the heads. When we got the car, it was painted orange with silver panels on the sides, and a torn up front clip. We tore the car down to last nut and bolt, changed the susp. parts to pavement, (pass side torsion bar had schoolbus part #), put on a 71 Challenger front clip, painted it plum crazy purple, and took it to the 82 tristate auto show. No one knew we were bringing it out. Big hit with the CARC. Had a good yr with it at Lakeside---top 3---and also ran it in Neb, Kansas, Michigan, every track in our area (pavement ) plus practiced at CDR on the road course. 3 races to go and the car in front of Moose missed a shift on the start and the wreck was on! We had a crowd jumping up and down on the trunk so we could fuel it. If you look close, you can see the filled in gas filler from the car's Nascar roots. We reskinned it with a 70's Barracuda body and finished the season. This car went on to run a fiberglass body in 83 and we stripped it of running gear and sold the chassis to a buyer out of state. here's other pics from 82.. This was by far, my favorite car of the 17 that we built for ourselves in our 13 yrs at Lakeside. I still have parts from this car in my garage..So that's the story behind the avatar foto...kt Last edited by thpracing; 01-19-2012 at 06:22 PM.

01-20-2012, 09:56 AM	#6
Bobbyjr Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Lakewood, Colorado Age: 53 Posts: 67	Re: What Does Your Avatar Mean!! Mine of course is a shot of one of the cars my dad drove... Unfortunately it didn't last long as he wrapped it around a telephone pole in Nebraska. You know what they said about him he was NOT afraid to push anything to the limit. Miss him TONS, still! Bobby Jackson, Jr

01-20-2012, 10:47 AM	#7
ALVIS Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 42	Re: What Does Your Avatar Mean!! my avatar is my figure 8 car for the 2011 season, even though the figure 8 cars of today are of no comparison to the old fords and chevys back in the old englewood speedway days----still in love with those old eighters love this site!!! always good to go back and look at all of my idols!!!! the true American Idols!!!....i think CNS ought to make a Vintage figure 8 class what do you guys think???? big Al

01-20-2012, 11:07 AM	#8
webby Administrator Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Lakewood, Colorado Age: 55 Posts: 1,063	Re: What Does Your Avatar Mean!! Mine is my pop standing next to his stock car. Follow ARM on Twitter \| Like ARM on Facebook Rat Rods, Old school Muscle cars. Advertising on Auto Racing Memories

01-20-2012, 12:31 PM	#9
Terry Von Tilius Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Littleton Age: 60 Posts: 55	Re: What Does Your Avatar Mean!! Mine is pretty boring... a picture of... ME. In my Kart racing equipment.

01-20-2012, 02:57 PM	#10
indybigjohn Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Age: 82 Posts: 156	Re: What Does Your Avatar Mean!! Mine is one of my favorite racing photos from when I was with ARCA. That's me flagging the only race ARCA ever held at Louisville Downs, a half-mile trotting track with a surface of crushed limestone. That's Iggy Katona on a qualifying run, already setting up for the first turn.