Yesterday’s Dirt

Photos: Dan DeMarco

Hall of Famer and Super Dirt Week champion Kenny Brightbill in the 19 on the grid at Syracuse beside the Mustang ll of another Hall of Famer and Super Dirt Week champion Dick “Toby” Tobias.

One of the top midget drivers of the era, Jimmy Kirk, behind the wheel of the number 1 at the Reading Fairgrounds.

A DIRT TRACK LEGEND:

THE FORD PINTO

In the Shooter At Large portion of this issue, we feature the work of Dan Demarco, a Pennsylvania-based photographer that has been shooting race cars since 1975. Demarco fell in love with racing watching the modifieds in the early 1970s in his home state as the division transitioned from coupe and coach style bodies into the popular models of the day like Mustangs, Corvairs, Camaros, Vegas or the most popular – the Gremlin. Another popular choice of the modifieds of the day was the Ford Pinto. The Pinto is a car that forever lives on in infamy as the butt of jokes but no one was laughing at these Pintos!

Freddy Adam running his famous number 8 at the Reading Fairgrounds. Two-time Eastern States 200 champion and current small block driver Frank Cozze 44 at the Reading Fairgrounds.

Former modified and sprint car champion Bobby Gerhart (father of multi-time ARCA Daytona Speedweek winner Bobby Gerhart Jr.) in the Weikert 29 at the Reading Fairgrounds.

Langhorne Race of Champions winner Bob Malzahn 99.