This photo of Bob Lawrence was taken in the pits at “81” Speedway in May of 1970.  It was the first Saturday night after Bob’s cousin, Marvin Lawrence had put fresh 1956 Chevrolet sheet metal on the same 1955 Chevy chassis that Bob had driven in 1969.  Not having access to a welder or cutting torch, Marvin cut the new sheet metal to fit with a hack saw which accounts for the squared edges on the front fenders.  He bolted this body onto the chassis and the light spot visible on the door just below the number six is a shinny washer and head of one of those bolts.

 

 

 

This photo was taken a few weeks after the photo above it.  The cars were lined up on the front straightaway at “81” Speedway for driver introductions.  Car #188 at left was a Ford owned and driven by Dennis Narron of Hutchinson, Kansas.

Bob had a better than average night driving his #76 Chevy on June 13, 1970 at “81” Speedway finishing 6th in his 8-lap heat race before coming back and winning both the 8-lap semi-final and the 15-lap B feature on the 3/8 mile racetrack.  For his performance, he collected a total of $101 from the night’s purse.  The B feature was also broadcast over KFDI-AM 1070 radio that night.  The following week, the photo at the top of this web page appeared on the front cover of “81” Speedway’s racing program.

 

 

To listen to a wav file of then racetrack announcer, the late Harry Nickell as he called the B feature over both the “81” Speedway’s public address system and on the radio on Saturday night, June 13, 1970.

Note:  This file contains 6.64 MB so, if you are using a smart phone, iPod, or other such device, the file could take several minutes to load.

 

 

 

The photographs on this web page were taken by “81” Speedway track photographer Mike Cornelison and are from the Bob Lawrence collection.

 

 

 

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