ENGLEWOOD SPEEDWAY – ‘50’s Jalopy Action

[Jerry Lee]

Originally Posted by parrot

By the way Jerry Lee, since you have some programs from Englewood, wondered if you have a 1957 edition? Looking for a listing of Ed Jackson who might have been at Englewood then.

Bill: Unfortunately, I don't have a full 1957 Englewood program, just some copies of some of the picture pages of 1957 programs that a guy had in a scrap book. I did check my '56, '58 & '59 listings though and didn't find Ed Jackson listed.

Professor: Of course, I wasn't around to witness the dirt days of Englewood, but I do have a 20 minute video of some films someone took of the races from '53 out there. It doesn't look like there's too much dust flying around in it. Maybe they kept it watered down pretty good, but then, I think the track might have been clay at that time. I guess I'm of no help here. Too bad your Pop couldn't have taken you out there then. It's a good bet you could have as much info on those cars as you do on the Lakeside coupes!

Thomas: I have some copies of a few '52 programs somewhere. I'll keep an eye out for any Junior or Garland Boyes info.

Meanwhile, here's a few more images I ran across while sifting through the monster mess of Englewood stuff I have.....



(J.L. McGuire collection) The Englewood back stretch looks to be quite a mess after
this big pile up sometime in the '50's.



(J.L. McGuire collection) A very early '50's pic of some Jalopy action at Englewood, possibly
'50 or '51. Note there isn't any guardrail in this section of the track at the time. I'm guessing
that the houses in the background are along West Oxford Ave. there.



(J.L. McGuire collection) Woody Woodard was famous for driving the #? car in the mid to
late '50's at Englewood.



(J.L. McGuire collection) Ray Rogers didn't fare too well this night.


These next two photos might actually be from 1960 when the Jalopies were known as
"Stockers" and the track had been freshly paved.

(J.L. McGuire collection) This is what's left of Jim Opperman's car after a bad night at Englewood.



(J.L. McGuire collection) Another shot of Opperman's car after being towed to the pits.

[parrot]

Re; Was Englewood a dusty track during the days it wasn't paved? Professor, the only time I got out there during those days was in 1956 when a group of us came to Denver to first catch the hot laps at Lakeside, then down to Englewood Speedway to catch some of their hot laps. Lots of nice cars, but don't remember it being dusty at that time. I do remember fighting the dust in my home town of Sidney, NE though, hard to watch racing when it's that bad. Certainly one of the main reasons that I appreciated Lakeside's pavement racing. Been a pavement fan ever since.

Thomas, that's great info on the early CARC programs publishing. I've seen Mr. Rosenberg's name in some of the programs, but had no idea there was that connection. Now that I know that the Malloys were featured in one of the old programs at least I have something to look for. Old programs pop up from time to time, mostly in some's stash from those days past, family members of racers, etc. No doubt, as you said, a lot of that stuff disappeared with time. Still working on the rumor of an older gentleman living somewhere near Lakeside Park who reportedly has a collection of old photos. Remember talking to Lakeside photog Scotty Duncan not long after the Flood of '65 and him telling me that he lost all his negatives in that flood. What a shame. I keep hoping that someone might have salvaged some of his stuff.

Jerry Lee, the reason for my curiosty about Ed Jackson at Englewood is that when showing that photo around that you posted a while back with no names or date someone believed that it might have been Ed Jackson in the #71 who was disenchanted at Englewood so came up to Lakeside. The #71 does have an Englewood Ford Dealership as a sponsor (Harry Groussman Ford) so maybe?

[webby]

And they looked like this...

Modified Stock Cars at Englewood on dirt - YouTube

Modified Stock Cars at Englewood on dirt - YouTube

[Thomas E]

Originally Posted by parrot

Re...Englewood...

My dad and I had attended several midget races at Englewood, it seems to me that it didn't get dusty until about halfway through the main event. The 100 lap championship midget races were held at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds that Charlie Codner would secure for these events.

Thomas, that's great info on the early CARC programs publishing. I've seen Mr. Rosenberg's name in some of the programs, but had no idea there was that connection...

Joe Rosenberg, Ivan Rosenberg's oldest son, ran a sportsman #57 at CNS and maybe at Englewood, he might have some information if you can track him down. I believe that Joe also restored Charlie Codner's old Roaring Roadster the yellow #99, I've seen pictures of it here on ARM.

[Jerry Lee]

(J.L. McGuire collection) This 1956 Englewood ad promises 12 "Smash" Events!




(J.L. McGuire collection) Roger Miller #60 in 1953 action.




(J.L. McGuire collection) The #26 takes a tumble through the turn.




(J.L. McGuire collection) Betty Ruth Codner was trophy girl for this 1953 winner.




(J.L. McGuire collection) The driver of #110 must have been a motorcycle racer
at heart as he flies through the turn on two wheels!




(Roger Avants collection) I'm not sure who the big winner is here in this Walter Avants owned
Jalopy, but according to his helmet he probably drove the #63 as well. Those Hottle House
Hamburgers sound pretty good at 10 for a dollar. Gimme two bucks worth!

[Jerry Lee]

(Ken Tadolini collection) Did someone call a taxi?? Check out the old Zone Cab running
in this race. Looks like the driver on the high side is checking it out as well.




(J.L. McGuire collection) Rolling through the Englewood turn in 1951.




(J.L. McGuire collection) Sammy Gallo was the 1951 Englewood track champion in this
clean machine.




(J.L. McGuire collection) Looks as though the driver of the flipped car is doing his best
to stay sitting upright.




(Ken Tadolini collection) This is an unusual event that Charlie Codner tried out at Englewood
just for fun. It was described to me as "Pie Races", where the cars would go around the track for
3 or 4 laps and stop. The drivers would get out of their cars and wolf down a big hunk of pie and
a bottle of soda pop. They then would get back in their cars and drive in the other direction for
a few more laps before repeating the pie and pop process. I'm not sure how many times they did
this to declare a winner, but that explains why some of those old '50's drivers were so "big".
Here we see a couple guys chugging down the soda pops while another car enters the frame
from the other direction. Note that the crowd is on it's feet for this event. Must have been
exciting!

[parrot]

Jerry Lee I don't know where you get all those cool old photos, but I'm enjoying the heck outa them!

Hottle House Burgers? Don't remember them, but Rockybuilt had a similar promotion with their "Tak-Homa-Sac" slogan. Group of us sampled those one Sunday evening in '56 when rain cancelled races at both Lakeside and Englewood. Nothing to do but satisfy our hunger pangs and head back to Nebraska, disappointed, but no longer hungry.

Those photos from 1950-51 were the CARC before moving up to Lakeside speedway. When then did the RMSCRA begin at Englewood? Was it right away in 1953? When you think about it, pretty amazing that two Denver area tracks pulling in good fields of cars! When coming to Denver back then to catch the races, we'd sometimes first go to the afternoon Bears game in the old Bears Stadium (which actually wasn't that old then) and from the stands saw a few stock cars heading south on the Valley Highway. Guess they were going to Englewood since I didn't seem them at Lakeside later that evening. Great memories, like to jump in a 'way back machine' and do it all over again.

[Kevin Boyes]

I can get whatever information you want on Garland - Jr. Boise (proper spelling is Boyes) He is my Uncle, I have told him about this site and will get some pictures from him and upload as I can..
He is doing pretty well , he is 78 years old now and lived in Denver, CO
Thanks
Kevin

[Thomas E]

Originally Posted by Thomas E

And...

Junior Boyes or it is Garland Boyes, I think his number if it is listed would be 180 or 180x. Junior was a friend of my brother's and that was when I got the stock car and midget bug, of course my dad was instrumental in my interest in cars and auto racing.

Kevin...

Hello, and the world does get smaller everyday. I'm not sure Junior would remember my brother, Fred Ellis (1935-1987). We were attend a church in Westwood where Fred met Junior's sister Ernestine (Ernie to most of us), they dated for a while and then got engaged, they were good for each other but Fred just wouldn't commit to marriage, at least not at that time. Junior had come to our house a couple of times, I think Junior and Fred had guitar playing in common. Fred then told me that Junior raced a stock car at Englewood, must have been in 1957, so I was full of questions, and the next time I saw Junior he gave me a photo of his 1835-36 Ford stocker #180x. I then put together a small plastic model for Junior, it was a black and silver #180x.

I'm glad Junior is doing well, I think the last time we saw Ernestine was before moved to Ohio in 2003. I also remember Junior and Ernestien's sister and her husband, and their mom and her husband Bill, I think Bill was working at the Sires or Stites gas station on West Alameda and South Clay. Like I said Ernie and her mom along with her sister and her brother-in-law attended the same church we did in Westwood.

Looking forward to the photos and info about Junior.

[Jerry Lee]

Originally Posted by parrot

Those photos from 1950-51 were the CARC before moving up to Lakeside speedway. When then did the RMSCRA begin at Englewood? Was it right away in 1953? When you think about it, pretty amazing that two Denver area tracks pulling in good fields of cars!

Bill, here's where the story gets a bit sketchy. But here's what I've dug up so far....

In 1952 Charlie Codner revamped the Englewood Speedway facility to a flat dirt oval. The C.A.R.C. had been running there since 1947. Something happened between Codner and the C.A.R.C. to where the club moved to Ben Krasner's Lakeside Speedway sometime in early '52. Lakeside ads from May of 1952 advertise new "Stock Car Races" to be run at the track. I assumed that the Rocky Mtn. Stock Car Racing Association then took over the races at the "new" Englewood oval. BUT, the confusing part is that 1952 Englewood programs show that the races are sactioned by the C.A.R.C. and the Greely Racing Association. (These programs could have been printed up before the rift between Codner and the C.A.R.C.). Also, both C.A.R.C. and the R.M.S.C.R.A. list different champions for the '52 season. To add a bit more mystery I've seen an R.M.S.C.R.A. decal with "51" on it, leading one to believe that maybe the R.M.S.C.R.A. was formed in that year.
I haven't quite figured out what happened between Codner and the C.A.R.C., why the club "supposedly" ran at both tracks for the '52 season, or when exactly the R.M.S.C.R.A. was formed. Maybe someone else could shed some light on this. It does seem that 1952 is when an Englewood/Lakeside rivalry began though, lasting many, many years.

Below is a May 1952 Englewood ad that ran in the newspapers....


(Eddie Biondi collection) Charlie Codner's ad campaign for the "new" Englewood Speedway in 1952.


A few more Englewood memories from the '50's.....


(Eke Chapin collection) Mary Ann Chapin picks up this win in about 1954.




(Paul Andersen collection) A 1958 Paul Andersen win at Englewood.




(Scott & Cindy Wilson collection) I've always enjoyed this pic of Fritz Wilson winning a
pineapple for his efforts in this 1951 Englewood win.