Did you have a John Milner when your were growing up? Here's mine.

Carl Root In the red 63 Chevy II

This years paint Carl Root

Of course Carl used to set on me and torment me when I was real young but when he became an adult he moved next door and let me hang out in his garage while he worked on his Chevy II. Pretty cool stuff for a 16 year old. He is the best candy apple car painter I have ever known. Even though I moved away 25 years ago and I lost touch I found these pictures of the same car he had when he was 16 in the early 70s.

American Graffiti

Both of these car came in together to the Goodguys car show in Fort Worth, Texas I think in 2001. About 3 years later I saw the yellow coup for sale. I wish I could have made it mine.

Below is an artical about one of my heros' brother and nephew. Bud was my dad's best friend while was growing up. I heard a great deal of stories about him and his brother along with Bob Smith racing stock cars in the 50's. Bud was really into the racing seen until his wife kicked him out and said, "Racing or Me!" Of course he did the right thing and choose her. Love ya Elenore.

The artical's web address is link

57 Chevy With A Resume
Restored Johnny Beauchamp car is a tribute to the late driver
writer: Phil Roberts
photographer: Phil Roberts

Wally Satterfield slides open the door of a Quonset hut on his 80-acrefarm outside Elmwood, Illinois, and there it is, sitting in silenttribute to one of the finest drivers Iowa has ever produced: A 1957Chevrolet stock car once raced by Johnny Beauchamp of Atlantic, Iowa.Beauchamp etched his name in racing history books in the Midwest and asfar away as Daytona.

Beauchamp won twice in NASCAR's top division, then known as GrandNational, and is perhaps best known for his photo finish with Lee Pettyin the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959. It took three days for NASCAR todetermine that Petty won by a scant two feet.

Satterfield, owner of the '57 Chevy campaigned by Beauchamp in theMidwest, and his former crewman, Dick Archibald, are only too happy toshow off the car.

Other than a modern seat and a few other modifications, the Chevy, whichSatterfield has restored, is authentic, right down to the IMCA decal onthe glass windshield.

"We ran the IMCA circuit with it," Satterfield says. "In 1959, we wonthe Northstar 350 at St. Paul, Minnesota, with it. It's got differentsheet metal on it now, but it's basically the same carothe same chassisand everything."

Tire marks on the door are living proof that the car still runs.Satterfield and his son, Larry, a former IMCA Modified driver, raced itin an old timers' event at nearby Peoria Speedway.

Satterfield got into racing 55 years ago.

"It was the coming thing," he says. "Everybody was doing it. We decidedto try it. We got a '35 Ford and took it to the race track."

Before he and Beauchamp teamed up, Satterfield says his cars and drivershad to compete against the Iowa legend when Beauchamp "had a factoryride."

Satterfield says when the factory dropped its backing of Beauchamp, thedriver's car owner, Dale Swanson, no longer wanted to run the entirecircuit. Satterfield then hired Beauchamp, who raced for each car ownerpart time. "Eventually he drove full time for me," Satterfield says.

Archibald hauled the cars owned by Satterfield and driven by Beauchampfrom track to track in the early 1960s. He also pitted for the team.

The travel schedule was often rigorous. Archibald says he remembers howBeauchamp would compete in an afternoon race at someplace like CedarRapids, Iowa. Then the team would hotfoot it to Sterling, Illinois, orsome other distant track for a nighttime race.

"Actually, they couldn't start the race until we got there," Archibaldrecalls with a smile. That's because the bulk of the field the promoterneeded to make the nighttime event a success had competed in the daytimerace and was en route.

What was Beauchamp like? "He was quiet, but get him in a race car and itwas all over with," says Archibald. "He liked to race, and he'd give itall she had."

Beauchamp died in 1981.

Archibald's prized possession is Beauchamp's first helmet, whichArchibald later wore when he raced.

"(Beauchamp's wife) Donna told me never to give this away," Archibaldsays of the battered helmet with leather that covered a driver's ears."She said I should keep it forever."