shared by Fred Hunt and Brazil in the Modified ranks with Brazil producing the best time
of the season at 14.98 on August 5th.The first and as it seems, not the last lesson of the
heat-wind-cold-and fog of Altamont was learned the past season as B.B.A. quickly sold it's
interest at the half mile track, with new owners reopening it on July 22nd. A story
appears on that date that said "No cars were missing at 99 this week due to an
advance ruling by NASCAR forbidding it's driven to run there. (Can you imagine the law
suits that statement would create in today's era.)
Allen Beebe shows in the race reports for the first time on July 28th., with a heat third finish in Modified competition, and a future star by the name of Jim Reich shows up with a heat second on July 15th.
Fred Hunt closes the year with a total of seven fast times, and nine dash wins but Tony Queirolo makes the biggest statement with eleven feature wins, twenty-four main top five's (a division all-time best) and twenty-four total wins, to take the season title in the Modified ranks, Bill King of Modesto, and Joe Rushton of Hughson are other top runners of the season.
Ferrell Jones runs off seven fast times in the Limited action, and collects nine dash wins, in a stat war with Rod Poor of Mariposa. Poor scored eleven feature victories, including a division all time best of nine in a row, and ran off thirteen main top five's and twenty-one total wins only to lose the season title to a steady effort in points by Paul Dorritty Sr. Ted Fritz of Modesto, and Don Bloom of Los Beaus are also among the top runners of the 66 season.
(1967)
With the Modifieds and Limited Sportsmen running full tilt, the speedway takes another major step this season by adding a full time third division to it's weekly racing action. Once again, the addition is too allow for cheaper cars that in turn pave the way for an increase in car-driver-and fan counts The division brings back the stock 55 through 57 Ford's and Chevy's of the figure eight and claimer years and comes on board on July fourteenth as the Early Model Stock division, with a whopping seven cars on hand the first night as Carl Hill of Merced took the first ever feature win.
The major stories of the year once again centered around speed as all three division's continued to get faster. Ferrell Jones had the Limited division all to himself setting four records this year with his best being a 15.23 on July twenty-first. Fred Hunt and Tony Quierolo each set a record in the Modified action with Quierolo 14.80 on May twenty-six being the best of the season. As would be expected of a new division, the Early Model boys set a ton of records with the first being a 20.17 by Jerry Steely of Merced on July fourteenth. Additional records were set by Modesto drivers Dean Claxton, Bob "Pappy" Ney, and Dale Mackie. The best of the year came on September eighth as Lenard 'Pappy' Collins of Tracy clocked in with a hot 18.95
Fred Hunt scored a four-way sweep on May nineteenth, and repeated the feat again on September eighth of this year. Hunt also, picked up the win in what would turn