by Gunny1951 » Mon Jul 09, 2018 12:59 am
Kearney Bowl/ Fresno Recreation Park- came across this site accidentally and so glad I did. I lived only a few minutes from Fresno Recreation Park which became Kearney Bowl near the corner of California and Valentine Streets and spent many a wonderful evening during race season on those fabulous(at the time)wooden bleachers watching what I considered racing legends throw clouds of dust and spewing marvelous smelling fumes for lap after lap. The whole experience is to this day completely unforgettable. Named like Pombo, Gegiean, Prickette, Vukovich, Boyajian.
I had serious hero worship going on and had no choice but to get involved. My dad raced jalopy before it became known ad Kearney Bowl, probably while it was still Italian Fun Park. I know he kept receipts from a couple of steak dinners he won for being the first car to roll over into the infield. And one photo-Black and white- of the new paint job he won for being first driver to hit the wall, a feat he swore he accomplished on the first turn on purpose. I don’t recall him racing there after the name changed to Kearney Bowl but we spent some absolutely wonderful time there even so. Attended elementary school nearby at Addison Rlemrntary where the talk Monday morning and lunch always wound up being about the weekend races at the Bowl.
One year -‘65or6 - Evel Knievel brought his daredevil show to the bowl. The show was really close to my birthday at the end of January and dad took me and him to see it for my b’day present. He was pretty impressed and we traveled to Barstow soon after that and I watched Evel get smashed in the heeel box by a speeding bike’s headlight as he attempted to jump straight in the air as it passed (NOT) under him. I believe his pelvis was fractured and I’m pretty sure he sang soprano for at least a day or two afterwards. I had the privilege of visiting The Vukovuch Bros garage quite a few times while young and recall seeing one of Al Unser’s Indy cars there as well as Billy Vukvich’s Indy cars- also a beautiful DeLaHaye sitting all the way in the back, uncovered except for the old tires, wheels and various discarded race car parts lying about on it.
Fresno back in those days was ALL about some custom cars and some race cars. We used to get the best chrome in the country done by Valley Chrome and California Chrome. And places like Hartounians’s and Martini’s would help you build up some fantastic engines. And going outta town toward Hanford you could stop at Don McCutcheon’s Welding and Machine shop in Easton and get some tubing whipped into a frame or nerf bars. Later on in years going a little south to Caruthers you could find awesome guys like Ray Elder and north a ways Blackie Gegiean in Fowler. Been gone from the area since ‘68 but my car memories from Fresno are the greatest.
Wish I had a time machine and could bring back Neil Averil, Soggie Sawgus, and Ken Coventry. I guess those days are long past. All of those old time Fresno natives truly led the way for racers and builders and designers of today. And people like Jerry Magnuson who still call Fresno home.
Kearney Bowl/ Fresno Recreation Park- came across this site accidentally and so glad I did. I lived only a few minutes from Fresno Recreation Park which became Kearney Bowl near the corner of California and Valentine Streets and spent many a wonderful evening during race season on those fabulous(at the time)wooden bleachers watching what I considered racing legends throw clouds of dust and spewing marvelous smelling fumes for lap after lap. The whole experience is to this day completely unforgettable. Named like Pombo, Gegiean, Prickette, Vukovich, Boyajian.
I had serious hero worship going on and had no choice but to get involved. My dad raced jalopy before it became known ad Kearney Bowl, probably while it was still Italian Fun Park. I know he kept receipts from a couple of steak dinners he won for being the first car to roll over into the infield. And one photo-Black and white- of the new paint job he won for being first driver to hit the wall, a feat he swore he accomplished on the first turn on purpose. I don’t recall him racing there after the name changed to Kearney Bowl but we spent some absolutely wonderful time there even so. Attended elementary school nearby at Addison Rlemrntary where the talk Monday morning and lunch always wound up being about the weekend races at the Bowl.
One year -‘65or6 - Evel Knievel brought his daredevil show to the bowl. The show was really close to my birthday at the end of January and dad took me and him to see it for my b’day present. He was pretty impressed and we traveled to Barstow soon after that and I watched Evel get smashed in the heeel box by a speeding bike’s headlight as he attempted to jump straight in the air as it passed (NOT) under him. I believe his pelvis was fractured and I’m pretty sure he sang soprano for at least a day or two afterwards. I had the privilege of visiting The Vukovuch Bros garage quite a few times while young and recall seeing one of Al Unser’s Indy cars there as well as Billy Vukvich’s Indy cars- also a beautiful DeLaHaye sitting all the way in the back, uncovered except for the old tires, wheels and various discarded race car parts lying about on it.
Fresno back in those days was ALL about some custom cars and some race cars. We used to get the best chrome in the country done by Valley Chrome and California Chrome. And places like Hartounians’s and Martini’s would help you build up some fantastic engines. And going outta town toward Hanford you could stop at Don McCutcheon’s Welding and Machine shop in Easton and get some tubing whipped into a frame or nerf bars. Later on in years going a little south to Caruthers you could find awesome guys like Ray Elder and north a ways Blackie Gegiean in Fowler. Been gone from the area since ‘68 but my car memories from Fresno are the greatest.
Wish I had a time machine and could bring back Neil Averil, Soggie Sawgus, and Ken Coventry. I guess those days are long past. All of those old time Fresno natives truly led the way for racers and builders and designers of today. And people like Jerry Magnuson who still call Fresno home.