Larry Sutton, buddy, pal.... (1 Viewer)

Cliff

Nitro Member
Hiya Larry. Have a question for you. Over in the "Outlaw AA/FA Schedule" thread, there is a photo of Gary Hazen Panic AA/FA, at OCIR. Behind the starting line are 2 poles with lights on them. Can you please tell us what they are? I don't remember seeing them, but know they were there for a few years.
Asking for a friend. :)
 
Cliff, they were gone before Larry got to OCIR as a starter but those are very early reaction timers. If the very bottom light came on it was a 001 light and up the pole top the top which was a 10 light. If the top light was on and the light 3rd from the bottom was on that was a .013 light, top 2 was a 019 which was the worst you could have on that system. Wasnt the most accurate system and got tossed after many complaints of how could I run right on with a 10 light and lose to a guy who was one over and a 11 light.. Plus the timing system was battery operated and if one of the batteries was low on power it would affect the whole system.. Hope this helps
 
Hiya Larry. Have a question for you. Over in the "Outlaw AA/FA Schedule" thread, there is a photo of Gary Hazen Panic AA/FA, at OCIR. Behind the starting line are 2 poles with lights on them. Can you please tell us what they are? I don't remember seeing them, but know they were there for a few years.
Asking for a friend. :)
Cliff,
You guess is as good as mine. they were there before I was the starter at OCIR. what ever the were used for they didn't last long, Maybe a underwear drying rack for AA/FA drivers after a run. Sorry I could not help.
Larry Sutton---Lions, OCIR, Irwindale, ETC. ETC. starter🤠
 
Thank you Mike. I think the first time I went to OCIR was late 1968, after I got out of the Air Force. OCIR was so different compared to Lions & San Fernando. Wow... that first time I went was for a Top Gas Dragster race and they interviewed the drivers on the starting line. Had never seen that before. I think OCIR was the first "super track". The year OCIR closed, I was already living in Arizona. Went to OCIR for the last Div 7 race they had. Wanted time to wander around the track. Mark Niver won T/AD at that race. He was a Phoenix racer and I thought it was cool he won, since I was now an Arizonian.

Larry, thanks for your reply. I kinda followed your career as a starter from Lions, to Irwindale to OCIR. Also remember seeing you at (then) Firebird in Phoenix. I have been going to Firebird, now Wild Horse, since it opened. Now I will go to the last race next year. Sigh Have seen that enough over the years.
 
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Thank you Mike. I think the first time I went to OCIR was late 1968, after I got out of the Air Force. OCIR was so different compared to Lions & San Fernando. Wow... that first time I went was for a Top Gas Dragster race and they interviewed the drivers on the starting line. Had never seen that before. I think OCIR was the first "super track".

Larry, thanks for your reply. I kinda followed your career as a starter from Lions, to Irwindale to OCIR. Also remember seeing you at (then) Firebird in Phoenix. I have been going to Firebird, now Wild Horse, since it opened.
Cliff,
I can not remember all of the tracks I have started at across the nation but starting in New Zealand in 2017 is right at the top of my list.
Larry Sutton---very old starter🤠
 
Larry, how did you get to New Zealand? That sounds like a great story.
Cliff,
My very good friend kirt Stockman who I met years ago in Bakersfield called one day and said his car club wanted me to come to New Zealand to start a big race they were having at Mer Mer raceway. I jumped at the chance to go there. I had a 9 hour lay over in Hawaii went to pearl harbor🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸, I was the grand marshal at a 1200 street rod beach hop car show, also started dirt drags for 30s type cars. they took me over 3000 miles to see all areas of New Zealand. I will remember that for ever. The people in New Zealand are unbelievable.
The only thing that didn't go well was between flying to Florida for my HOF induction 3 days later flying to NZ I got blood clots and I was told that I was 1 to 3 days from room temperature.
Larry Sutton---🤠
 
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Drove under those lights quite a few times.

By the way, Mike English, who was the starter in this picture. I know it's not Jerry. I was only about 19 years old when this was taken so my excuse now is "long term memory loss".


7234.jpeg
 
Thank you Mike. I think the first time I went to OCIR was late 1968, after I got out of the Air Force. OCIR was so different compared to Lions & San Fernando. Wow... that first time I went was for a Top Gas Dragster race and they interviewed the drivers on the starting line. Had never seen that before. I think OCIR was the first "super track". The year OCIR closed, I was already living in Arizona. Went to OCIR for the last Div 7 race they had. Wanted time to wander around the track. Mark Niver won T/AD at that race. He was a Phoenix racer and I thought it was cool he won, since I was now an Arizonian.

Larry, thanks for your reply. I kinda followed your career as a starter from Lions, to Irwindale to OCIR. Also remember seeing you at (then) Firebird in Phoenix. I have been going to Firebird, now Wild Horse, since it opened. Now I will go to the last race next year. Sigh Have seen that enough over the years.
RIP, Mark Niver. Great guy.
 
Randy, is that you in the Vette? I think there was a nitro F/C with the same name; maybe Dale Pulde drove it??? What year was this photo taken?

BTW, Dragster Insider, 2008, has a 3 part series on the history of OCIR. really good read by Phil Burgess.

Also "Good Guy With the Black Hat" story about Larry Sutton 2008.
 
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Cliff, that car belonged to my neighbor, Larry Martin. It was originally Bob Pickett's blown hemi powered "Mr. Pickett" who went on to drive for Mickey Thompson. The original Vicious Vette was already retired, and Larry Martin like the name so he stole it. I didn't like the idea but I was just a neighbor kid and that's what he wanted. He ran it a little bit and decided he needed to spend more time with his family so he asked me if I wanted to drive it, and said I could run it out of his garage since I was still living at home with my mom and dad just down the street. I think this was about 1974? Paul Weichmann might remember since that's him in the other lane. Larry passed away last year.

Speaking of Larry's. Larry Sutton and I are good buddies. Even so, he never let me get away with anything on the starting line! Dennis Taylor and I need to talk him into moving further north.
 
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Randy, the picture looks like something I would take but I believe its either Stan Swicky or Larry and I cant remember his last name
 
Bracket 1 at Lions & OCIR were the fan favorites, cuz they were fast, like 10 seconds & once in awhile a 9.90. I ran bracket 6 at San Fernando, which I think was 15.00 and up. Once I had the nerve to run Lions with a 1966 Falcon, 6 banger, 3 on the tree and went 20.20 at around 66 MPH. Very possible I was the slowest car there. heh
 
No one has commented, Randy you were late if this is Pro Gas. And NO Paul didn't red light.🤣 And don't tell me this was bracket #1 TELL THE TRUTH Randy.😁
Larry Sutton---🤠

Actually it was bracket 1, and Paul had a slower dial-in. This is about 4 years before "Pro Gas" started. I ordered the altered because econdragsters came out of nowhere in the later '70's and bracket one became "The Quick 32".
 
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Actually it was bracket 1, a d Paul had a slower dial-in. This is about 4 years before "Pro Gas" started. I ordered the altered because econdragsters came out of nowhere in the later '70's and bracket one became "The Quick 32".
ya,ya,ya,--- I didn't think you would remember something that long ago. LOL
Merry Christmas ol buddy
Larry Sutton🤠
 
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