I'm just a normal guy who collects race-worn driver suits, helmets, sheet metal, and other race-worn items. I will use this blog to help collectors, and race fans alike understand the various aspects of driver suits and helmets, and commentate on paint schemes.
Last year, when I started this project last year, I know I would have to end it at some point. Tragically, this post is that point. This will be the last regular installment of Vintage Item Spotlight. I’ve had fun with it, but it’s gotten overwhelming, writing this, The Driver Suit Blog, and producing Introduction to Sports Memorabilia. I’ve had fun, and I’ve saved my favorite item for last.
Mike Garman was a journeyman pitcher who was signed by the Boston Red Sox to their farm system in 1967 at age 17. He spent 1967, 1968, and the majority of 1969 with the Greenville Red Sox, and was a September call up in 1969, 1971, and 1972. He was a member of the full-time roster in 1973, but was traded to the Cardinals at the end of the season. He also pitched for the Cubs, Dodgers and Expos, until he failed to make the roster in 1979. After on season in the minors, he retired in 1980.
When he was a September call up in 1972, he was issued this road jersey. His first pitching appearance came on September 4 in the second game of a double-heard against the Milwaukee Brewers in Milwaukee. The appearance was for the bottom halves of the 7th and 8th innings, and he gave up one hit, one home run and an error. During that appearance, he wore this pullover jersey.
What fascinates me about this jersey is the fact that the BOSTON lettering across the front has been removed, and was replaced with RED SOX, and then was restored. The reason it was removed was because from Major League Baseball’s inception up until the 1980’s, many teams would remove their lettering and logos from the uniforms, and then send them down to their minor league affiliates. The minors would, in turn, add their own lettering as a way of saving money. It looks a little sloppy, but the lettering looks good, and it’s the correct size.The front of the collar has some repair work done to it. It was cut and repaired.The back numbers show some wear, and have been replaced at some point. and I love the red-on-blue setup the Red Sox use.The tagging is correct, and it just adds to the vintage feel of the uniform. Tim McAuliffe Inc was founded in 1896 in Boston, and supplied caps and uniforms for baseball up until the 1970’s, when the competition became too great, and they were run out of the market. While they were a supplier, they often had other companies make parts of the uniform and slapped their own tags on it.This is a truly unique jersey, and is my favorite items. This was also one of my favorite projects. I’m sad it has to end, but stay tuned, I might have something else in the near future.
Having grown up in Suburban Chicago, I grew up following the Bears. Admittidly, I’m not a football fan, I’m a racing fan, but I do support Chicago fans. I also like to go to autograph signings and get things signed.
Yes I know that these items are not “vintage” per se, but they does have an interesting history behind it. In 2004, I went to Woodfield Mall outside of Chicago with some friends, and I bought a Brian Urlacher jersey for $45. Back then, that was what new NFL jerseys cost. I know, I can’t believe it anymore either. I then noticed that in the center court there was a table with a line, and I realized that Jim Miller was signing autographs at a free signing. So I took my jersey and got it signed by Jim Miller. That was the start of a journey.
Later that year, The Great Indoors opened in Deerfield Illinois, and Brian Urlacher was going to do a free signing, and the first 500 people would get one autograph. After standing in a snowstorm for an hour, I got inside, got to meet the Maytag Repairman, had a free cup of coffee, and then was one of the first 500 and got my autograph!
I was doing more signings than I currently do now, so I got more signautres and shows and signings, but things really kicked into overdrive in 2005 when the Chicago Bears had the 20th Anniversary of their Super Bowl XX victory, and there were dozens, and I mean DOZENS of signings. In total, this jersey has 25 signatures, including Urlacher, Jim Miller, Jim McMahon, and William Perry,
If I had the chance, I would take other items to me with signings. This Bears helmet for example has a number of signautres including William Perry, and Dan Hampton. I like the look of the helmet with no facemask, it has a more vintage look.
By far, the most unususal item in my Bears collection is this XFL football. The XFL was a football league founded by Vince McMahon in 2001, and folded after one season. I took this full size regulation football with me to a number of signings, and every Bear who signed it said the exact same thing to me, word for word “This is the first XFL ball I’ve ever signed.” It’s a unique item, and one of my favorite items in my autograph collection.
Tobacco cards are what the American sports cards and memorabilia hobby are literally founded on. What exactly are tobacco cards? Well, we’ll discuss that on the second season premiere of Introduction to Tobacco Cards.
The 2014 Sprint All Star race is behind us, and as usual, there were a myriad of different paint schemes. Some were good, others not so much, but I have to say there were a lot of great schemes in this year’s race. Let’s start with the Sprint Showdown. Unlike in previous years, The Showdown took place on Friday, and the All-Star Race was on Saturday. The Showdown was a great event, which saw Clint Bowyer winning, AJ Allmendinger finishing second, and in the upset of the year, Josh Wise winning the Sprint Fan vote, and advancing to the All Star Race. Let’s get to the grades:
#10 Cole Whitt #26 Speed Stick Gear Toyota Camry This is one of the few schemes that has both a classic and modern look at the same time, and paired with a great color scheme, it earns an A
#13 Austin Dillon #3 Dow Chevy SS While I like the color scheme and number and logo designs, the white stripe up the side kills the look. It takes an A scheme to a B+ scheme.
#14 Kyle Larson #42 Target Chevy SS The scheme looks decent, I like the red on the back, though I do not like the Target logos at the bottom. That takes a scheme that was an A grade to a B-
#16 Michael Annett #7 Pilot/Flying J Chevy SS Good color scheme, but the awful template is back for Tommy Baldwin. It is really sad, because this could be a great scheme, but the template takes it from an A to a C-
#19 JJ Yeley #44 Phoenix Warehouse Chevy SS My first thought when I saw this scheme was it looked like the color scheme from the 1994-1995 NBA All-Star Game jerseys which is a decent color scheme. But to say the car is overdesigned is an understatement. This scheme is awful. Not even a great color scheme can help this car pass. F
Now we move on to the All-Star Race, which saw Jamie McMurray pull an upset and take the win, thus guaranteeing him entry into the event for the next 10 years. Overall there were a lot of great schemes, though I wish more teams would run special schemes.
#5 David Ragan #34 Taco Bell Ford Fusion Overall design and color schemes are good, and the only complaint is that the Taco Bell logo should be in color as opposed to black and white. A+
#11 Jeff Gordon #24 Drive to End Hunger Chevy SS Great overall design, great color scheme, though the D on the hood reversed to miror the curves of the hood looks odd. Still it’s a good scheme and Ill give it an A
#12 Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 National Guard Chevy SS The new metallic numbers work, and the overall design is decent, since it incorporates the design used on the numbers. I’ll give it an B+
#13 Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry The front nose design and stripes are awful. The color schemes are great, as are the logos and numbers, but the stripes kill it. The best grade I can give is a C+
#15 Kasey Kahne #5 Time Warner Cable Chevy SS It is a good color scheme, but the design on the side needs a little tweaking. Get rid of the needless zig-zag pattern and it works a whole lot better. It is still a decent scheme, so I will give it a C
#17 Matt Kenseth #20 Home Depot/Huskey Toyota Camry I would give this scheme an A grade, but the yellow back bumper ruins it. The clash between the two just works awkward, and it takes an A scheme down to a C
#19 Ryan Newman #31 Cat/Quicken Loans Chevy SS What in the blue hell is going on here? I’ve liked Ryan’s schemes this year but this is an F scheme, even though I like the color scheme.
#22 Greg Biffle#16 3M Ford Fusion-The sides and roof have gotten worse from last year. I have to give it an F in that respect.
Also, check this video out concerning how different pit stops in open wheel racing were between 1950 and today:
The video shows how far we have come in pit stops, but we also have come a long way in driver uniforms.
By David G. Firestone
50 years ago this week, events over the course of 6 days in May of 1964 changed the culture, cars, and uniforms of auto racing forever. Three deaths in two races over those six days demonstrated that current safety methods were ineffective at best, and 3 talented drivers lost their lives. The 1964 World 600 and the 1964 Indianapolis 500 helped introduce reenforced fuel tanks and Nomex driver suits, among other things. 50 years later, those events are still being felt
The World 600 began in the early afternoon on May 24, 1964. For the first six laps, it was business as usual, but on lap 7, on the backstretch, Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett wrecked, and Glenn “Fireball” Roberts swerved to avoid them, and wrecked. He was trapped in the car by the pedals, and his car caught fire. Ned Jarrett ran and pulled Roberts from the car, and paramedics took him to the hospital. 39 days after the wreck, while still in the hospital from his injuries, he died from pneumonia.
NASCAR had rules concerning “fire retardant” uniforms but these were inadequate at best. These uniforms were cotton coveralls traditionally used by workmen that had been dipped in a number of fire retardant materials including Borax. These were not only ineffective, but were extremely uncomfortable to wear. They were known for inflaming the skin, and aggravating asthma. Fireball was not wearing these coveralls during that race, because he had a doctor’s note stating he should not wear them. There is some debate over what the doctor’s note was for, either for asthma or skin hives. It llustrates why these uniforms were not popular, they were so uncomfortable to wear that drivers did not want to wear them.
6 days later, on May 30, the 48th Indianapolis 500 was held. Dave MacDonald started 14th, and Eddie Sachs started 17th when the green flag dropped. MacDonald was racing a car built by racing innovator Mickey Thompson, which by all accounts was badly built and difficult to drive. The first lap led into the second, which saw Dave MacDonald lose control of his car and smash into the inside wall. The fuel tank instantly ignited and the car went across the track, and collected a number of other cars, including Eddie Sachs car, which also exploded on impact. Sachs was killed by the impact, but MacDonald was seriously burned, and his lungs were scorched, the lung damage proved to be fatal.
Inspired by these events, the Nomex firesuit was introduced in 1967 as a replacement for the cotton coveralls dipped in chemicals. It was a lot more comfortable and safer than chemical-dipped cotton, so drivers were more willing to wear them. Like most new safety equipment in sports, it took a while to catch on. Nomex was created in 1967, for NASA. Its main use at the time was for the Apollo Command Module parachutes. NASA needed a material that could stand up to the heat of reentering the earth’s atmosphere, and still remain fully functional.
Bill Simpson is credited with introducing Nomex to driver suits. The story goes that Simpson started making Nomex suits after learning about the material from astronaut Pete Conrad while Simpson was working as a consultant for NASA. One of the pivital moments in the history of the suit was when Simpson had heard that a competitor had been badmouthing his products, and so, in something he said later was “the dumbest thing I have ever done,” challenged the competitor to a “burn off.” Simpson put on his suit and lit himself on fire. He later recreated this for a Mazda commercial.
Why did it take so long to make critical changes to driver uniforms? The events that took place in 1964 were tragic, and it clearly illustrated why the old system didn’t work. The only change made immediately after the events was the rule that fire retardant suits were now mandatory, regardless of how it made the driver feel. In today’s sports safety culture, there would be focus groups, meetings within the sanctioning body, and changes within a few months after the event. But by 1964 standards, just rigidly enforcing the rule was the best course of action. Remember that in 1964 race car drivers were seen as somewhat expendable. Driver deaths in racing were stunningly common back then. As such, while there was a need for improvement, it was not a priority for sanctioning bodies. The sad fact is that back then, driver deaths were part of the allure of racing. People would go to these events and hope to see a fatal crash, as crass as that sounds. As for the suits themselves, the only other options besides chemical dipped cotton was aluminized cotton or aluminized kevlar, which was not more comfortable, as it was like wearing aluminum foil.
So what did these pre-Nomex driver suits look like? They looked like this. This is a driver suit made by Hinchman in Indianapolis. It is basically a polyester suit that is customizedto thedriver’spreference. It is not all that different than a jumpsuit that one would wear to work. It is a very flimsy material, has no cuffson the arms or legs, and, most amazingly, the tag states that the suit is “Untreated, will burn, must be dipped.” This suit was worn circa 1972, which is indicated by the “Archie Bunker for President” patch sewn into the chest. Like any new safety technology in sports, it takes time for it to become the standard, and for Nomex, this is no exception.
This race, along with the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 2001 Daytona 500 have their legacies written in death, but unlike other similar events, the lessons they had to teach were learned, and the racing world as a whole is better for them. The deaths in these events were not in vain, and others are alive because of them. 50 years later, those 6 days in May 1964 are still having an impact on racing.
Today, at 4PM Eastern Time, the 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame class of 5 drivers will be voted on and announced. The nominees are:
Red Byron-First NASCAR Race Winner, First NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion
Richard Childress-Owner with 197 race victories,12 championships, first to win a Championship in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Truck Seres,
Jerry Cook-One of the best all-time modified drivers in NASCAR history
Bill Elliot-1988 Sprint Cup Champion, two time Daytona 500 winner, Winner of the Winston Million in 1985, 16 time most popular driver
Ray Fox-One of the best early engine builders in NASCAR
Rick Hendrick-Owner with 15 Championships across all 3 of NASCAR’s top series, 269 race victories, and an unprecedented 11 Sprint Cup Championships
Bobby Isaac-1970 Sprint Cup Championship winner, 37 wins, Record holder for most poles in a season
Terry Labonte-Two time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, 1984, 1996.
Fred Lorenzen-Unstoppable between 1962 and 1967, 1965 Daytona 500 winner,
Raymond Parks-Red Byron’s 1949 car owner
Benny Parsons-1973 Sprint Cup Champion, 1975 Daytona 500 winner, longtime broadcaster and analyst.
Larry Phillips-won seven NASCAR Weekly Series regional championships and thirteen track championships
Wendell Scott-First African American to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Race
O. Bruton Smith-Bulder of Charlotte Motor Speedway, owner/CEO of NASCAR track owner Speedway Motorsports, Inc
Mike Stefanik-7 time Wheelin Modified Series Champion-1989,1991,1997, 1998, 2001,2002, 2006, Two time Busch North Series Champion, 1997, 1998, 1999 Camping World Truck Series rookie of the year,
Curtis Turner-Won first race at Rockingham, 1965 Southern 500 Winner, Led NASCAR convertible division in poles-23, Wins-38, Wins in a season-22, Poles in a season-16,
Joe Weatherly-2 time Sprint Cup Championships-1962, 1963, 25 Sprint Cup wins
Rex White-1960 Sprint Cup Champion, 25 race wins,
Robert Yates-Owner with 1999 Sprint Cup Championship,58 Race Victories
First something I find to be unusual. Rick Hendrick, Richard Childress, and Robert Yates are all represented, but for some unknown reason, Jack Roush ISN’T! How is that possible? He has 315 wins and 7 championships in the Big 3 series in NASCAR! Why does he get left off, but Robert Yates gets a place? I just don’t get that at all.
Second, here are my picks for the 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame class: Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Wendell Scott, Benny Parsons, and Bill Elliott. Last year I stated who I thought would make it in, but I did not like how that turned out, so I won’t do that this year.
The season 11 finale will feature a Mike Skinner race-worn and autographed driver suit from his 1997 rookie of the year campaign. Next week, we will have the Season 2 Premier of Introduction to Tobacco Cards.
I was ready to present a behind the scenes video this week, but I’m gonna put that on the back burner until next week. Last Saturday was the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis, an IndyCar race on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race as a whole was fun, but it did have some issues. There was a huge wreck on the standing start, fortunately all were Ok. The same cannot be said for James Hinchcliffe.
The 2011 Rookie of The Year suffered a concussion when he was hit by a piece of flying debris. Watching it live, it looked like after he had gotten hit, he pulled off the track and he was stunned by what had happened. The report was, at the time, that he had hurt his hand. The race went on, no caution flag flew because the safety crew was able to get the car out of harms way quickly. It looked like everything was normal, then suddenly the camera shows Hinchcliffe on a stretcher being led away seemingly in distress. He was loaded onto an ambulance, and was taken to the hospital. He was diagnosed with a concussion and his future status for the season is yet to be determined.
This incident reminded me of something Tony Schumacher said last year. I was in his hospitality tent listening to him make a speech, and he took a number of questions. One of them concerned the canopy he has over his cockpit. He stated that it took some time to convince the NHRA to allow a cockpit canopy. He stated that he is really scared of hitting a bird with his helmet, stating that “I’ve taken a few out with my tail, and if you catch one of those with your helmet, you’re getting coloring books for Christmas for the rest of your life.”
I’m wondering if in the near future canopies will come to IndyCar. With the current safety culture in racing, I’m kind of shocked it hasn’t yet. Racing fans will complain that it breaks tradition, but at the same time, nobody wants another Dan Wheldon. Fans do not want to watch a driver to die. I think that canopies will come to IndyCar, I want them to come to IndyCar, and I think that safety should take precedence over tradition.
The other factor that needs to be discussed is that there is a parallel to the recent concussion lawsuit filed with the NFL. The information that was gained from that suit was that no helmet can definitely prevent all head injuries. As such, a canopy could very well prevent a fatality in that respect. Give the driver an extra layer of protection so that he could walk away. These canopies are not plexiglass, they are the same exact material used to make F-16 bulletproof canopies. It is a very durable material that could have prevented what happened to Hinchcliffe.
Shifting gears now, I want to discuss something else. Starting in a couple of weeks, I will be restarting Wheel Reviews. I started with Rush, an amazing F1 movie by Ron Howard about James Hunt and Niki Lauda in the 1976 F1 season. So what I am going to do is to alternate the paint scheme reviews and Wheel Reviews. I’ve got 13 movies in total to review so far, and I hope to find some more. With that, we move on to…
Ryan Newman #31 Cat/Quicken Loans Chevy SS What in the blue hell is going on here? I’ve liked Ryan’s schemes this year but this is an F scheme, even though I like the color scheme.
Landon Cassill #40 Cars For Sale Chevy SS I like the design, but to be honest, I don’t know where I stand on the color scheme. The red is good, but the when it comes to yellow/green I’m not sure if I like it or hate it. I’ll give it a C
Aric Almirola #43 US Air Force Ford Fusion I’ve been tough on military schemes this year, but this is the best one! The dark blue sky theme, with two small fighters with light clouds works perfectly, and earns an A+. See, military schemes CAN be done well without camo.
By David G. Firestone
The front of the collar has some repair work done to it. It was cut and repaired.
The back numbers show some wear, and have been replaced at some point. and I love the red-on-blue setup the Red Sox use.
The tagging is correct, and it just adds to the vintage feel of the uniform. Tim McAuliffe Inc was founded in 1896 in Boston, and supplied caps and uniforms for baseball up until the 1970’s, when the competition became too great, and they were run out of the market. While they were a supplier, they often had other companies make parts of the uniform and slapped their own tags on it.
This is a truly unique jersey, and is my favorite items. This was also one of my favorite projects. I’m sad it has to end, but stay tuned, I might have something else in the near future.
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