Seen here in the early 1950’s seated behind the controls of an entry owned by Don Baldwin at either West Haven or Candlelight Stadium is the late Johnny “King” Cambino. He earned his nickname as one of the premier drivers at rough & tumble Connecticut ovals like the late West Haven Speedway, Plainville Stadium, Cherry Park, and Candlelight. In later years, he followed United to Riverside continuing his reign as one of the club’s top-competitors. Only part of the story, the “King” came out of retirement while in his 60’s to become a winning driver in the Waterford Speedbowl’s Street Stock class of the 1990’s. (Ormsby Collection).    

The late Bert Brooks was one of the countries premier Midget drivers during the busy post-war era. He started racing motorcycles then switched to midgets in the 1940’s. His first race was at Danbury CT. in 1945. In the early years, he drove a Ford-powered car and often won the non-Offenhauser championship. He joined the United Racing Club (URC) sprint car circuit in 1954 and won the championship four times, including three consecutive years - 1956, 1957 and 1958. He switched back to the ARDC midgets in 1959. In 1961 Brooks attempted to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. He passed the rookie test but was too slow to make the field in the Hall-Mar Curtis-Offy. He also tried to qualify at Milwaukee the week after Indy, but again was too slow, this time in the Eelco Custom Shaft Kuzma-Offy. Later that year he suffered a mangled arm in a wreck at Flemington. Sadly, Brooks, a New England Auto Racing Hall of Famer, perished in a multi-car crash during an ARDC Labor Day event at Hershey (PA), Stadium in 1968. (Ormsby Collection).      

Like many of the open-wheel specialists of his era, Bert Brooks also spent a limited amount of time wheeling stock cars, a division whose popularity was on the rise when this early shot was captured. Due to a variety of reasons (mostly cost factors – the Midgets were never a cheap race car), the Coupes would become the main weekly fare all across New England with the “Mighty Midgets” becoming primarily a traveling circuit. (Ormsby Collection).  

Captured here on the old fifth-miler at the late Riverside Park in Massachusetts is Luke Scanlan. Another shot courtesy of our Webmaster Tom Ormsby, he states that “Scanlan was a multi-time champion in Riverside's figure eight division. He also ran well at West Haven, winning several races there. I’m not sure how he did in the Modifieds at Riverside.” Scanlan’s car is typical of the early Modifieds found at the Park’ in the fact that it’s super-sanitary. It seems as-though they always had some of the best-looking rides in all of New England esp. during the Tattersall/UNITED-santioned “Coupe Era.” (Shany Photo, Ormsby Collection).    

John Ferrell remains one of racing’s true “Nice Guys.” Nowadays, he campaigns a Midget on the Northeastern Midget Association (NEMA) tour with his daughter Kelly handling the driving chores. When Steve Kennedy snapped this shot on Saturday evening August 22, 1981, John (far-left) was the wheelman behind the controls of this Plymouth Duster-bodied Modified at Connecticut’s Waterford Speedbowl. (Kennedy Photo).                 

Unfortunately, later that evening during the feature things kinda’ went-sour for Mr. Ferrell during a typical Bowl’ skirmish. Never one to get discouraged, its s sure-bet that he had his ride ready to roll again the next week!  By the way, if the car looks familiar, it had been campaigned in previous seasons by top Waterford shoe Jerry Glaude as the #29. (Kennedy Photo).                 

That's it for this week. Email me at: foreveryounginct@gmail.com