The starting grid for the modified race.  George Constantine on the pole in the booming Aston Martin, Alan Connell in the 250 Maserati #12 in the middle and Bob Holberts Porsche RSK on the outside.
 Coming over the hill to the start finish line Constantine leads with Holbert in second. That’s the way they would finish in the Labor Day Monday feature.
 George pulls the Aston in to collect the checkered flag.
 A happy fathering as Rex Woodgate congratulates Constantine on the victory in the Aston Martin DBR2.
 The grid for Sunday’s modified event had Walt Hansgen’s Costin-Lister Jag on the pole with Phil Forno’s Porsche 550RS #23 next.  Constantine is behind Hansgen.
 Walt Hansgen in the Lister and Constantine in the Aston Martin battled all year swapping wins.  The championship went all the way to the final race at Daytona.  Thompson was the perfect example;  Hansgen wins on Sunday and Constantine on Monday.
 Britt Ragsdale gets ready to flag Hansgen’s Lister-Jag in first place.
 Alfred Momo looks on as Ragsdale leans in to get the checkered flag back from Hansgen.  For some reason Momo taped the numbers on Cunningham’s cars.  We saw this for years.  The numbers were not painted on but done with beautiful precision in black
 A stunning photo of the huge Costin bodied Lister-Jag and the calm, business demeanor of the master Walt Hansgen.
 Sir Alfred Momo at the pit wall with Mrs. Momo just before the GM, HM, GP race is to begin.  Phil Forno won HM in a Cunningham OSCA.
 Holbert passes the opening for pit out on his way to second overall and first in F Modified.
 Bob and Mrs. Holbert celebrate after another FM victory.
 Gaston Andrey moved up from his older Monza to this 500TRC Ferrari for 1959 and did very well.  At Thompson he was EM and was 7th overall.
 Andrey on the start line nex to Gordon MacKenzie’s venerable C type Jag.  MacKenzie raced that C Type for years.  He most often came to the races in his Scottish kilts.  No, he did not wear them to race in.
 Alan Connell in his 250 Maserati.  Some magazines did not recognize the car and called it a Ferrari.  Connell won DM and placed 5th overall on Monday.
 Bob Columbosian of Colombo yogurt fame, was an avid racer and most often drove his Lister-Bristol.
 Bob Grossman in a Ferrari California had to race in DM as the car, although street legal and driven to the race, was not homologated and could not race in production.
 An unusual red Porsche 550 was campaigned by Joe Trotter.  By 1959 the 550 was outdated being replaced by the RSK introduced in 1958.  The 550’s were still great cars and Trotter enjoyed many a weekend with the car.
 Joe Trotter brings his Porsche 550RS into the paddock after Sunday’s race.  Joe was 9th.
 Phil Forno gets cheers from the starter along with the checkered flag for winning HMand overall on Sunday.
 Alfred Momo looks like a proud papa to his protege’ Phil Forno who has won HM in the Cunningham OSCA.  Phil not only wrenched the cars but raced them very successfully.
 The DP lineup.  Pierre Mion in #59, Harry Carter center #80 and David Zabludoff on the far right.
 Harry Carter sometimes drove with his arm on the door locking himself in place. Here is a great example of that style while winning DP. He leads Bob Petit’s #114 AC Bristol.
 In his very stylish New England plaid shorts and knee socks,  starter Britt Ragsdale welcomes home Harry Carter’s DP winning AC Bristol.
 Zabludoff’s blue AC down the start/finish straight.
 Frank Wagenhofer had a good weekend in his Porsche Carerra with two seconds.  Wagenhofer was from Montgomery, NY and always helped with the big National races at the local airport.
 Frank Wagenhofer drives his Carerra through a dusty paddock.
 High atop the Momo Corp car carrier, BARCBOYS Joe Tierno and John Kelley  (both at rear) enjoy an unrestricted view of he track.
 The grandstand just opposite the pits in the race car paddock.  Thompson had an unusual setup.  The pits were on the opposite side of the track from the paddock.  Any emergency in the pits necessitated stopping the race.
 The usual hard fought Thompson battle.  Bob Grossman’s Ferrari California leads Bob Colombosian’s Lister Bristol with Gus Andrey’s Ferrari TR550 behind.  Grossman would stay ahead of Andrey finishing 6th.  The Lister was a dnf.
prev / next