Re: Langhorne Sportsman Race circa 1951
Back in those days (in Minnesota at least) what they called "stock cars" were stripped down old cars such as these. They were usually privately owned, with occasional partial sponsorship from a gas station, repair garage or a bar. They weren't terribly expensive, and those boys ran 'em hard. Occasionally, the track would feature "Late Models", which were current models only a year or two old. These were few and far between, because they were much more expensive to purchase, set up, and run. This required a sponsor (usually a dealership) who a lot of times wanted to protect their investment and they usually raced "less aggressively" than the regular "stock cars". We were always kind of disappointed when they announced that the "Late Models" were scheduled at Twin City Speedway because they were much less exciting than the "stock cars".
I don't remember any Mercury's racing then, but I'm sure there were. The "Big Dogs" ran Oldsmobiles and Hudson's, with some Fords, Plymouths, and an occasional Nash thrown in. I personally think that anybody with a Merc would pull the engine, change the heads and intake, and drop it into a Ford. This was the early fifties, so Chevrolets were few and far between. The oiling system just wasn't up to being run hard.
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