Anecdote about the Eastern Bandits and Glen Wood

Posted by “Gluefingers” on a car modeling forum:

 

Glenn Wood won the "Tobacco Bowl" race at Bowman Gray Stadium with this car on 12/31/60. (The "Tobacco Bowl" was an annual race held at B-G on New Years weekend for a number of years in the '50's & '60's). Glenn set a track record qualifying at 17.47 seconds for the '60 race, and lapped the entire field during the race.An article in the Speed Sport News describes the car as being built primarily by Leonard Wood, and having a 1960 Ford engine developing 300 hp. The engine was set back 30" and as has already been noted had 3 carbs. The steering wheel was from a Ford Falcon.By the early 60's the "Tobacco Bowl" came to be dominated by New Englanders like Ed Flemke, Red Foote, Dennis Zimmerman and Rene Charland. Somewhere I read an interview with Charland in which he recalled Glenn Wood complaining about the Yankees coming down and eating his lunch at BG. "I can't understand it" Glenn was supposed to have said, "I know I have the best equipment out here, and along comes Flemke, along comes Foote, putt putt putt right by me!" to which Charland replied "Well Glenn, maybe you HAVEN'T got the best equipment out here." And by then, he probably didn't.

GF

http://www.frwspeedequipment.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5436&p=54661&hilit=flemke#p54661