Hot Rods and Jalopies take over the Carpinteria Thunderbowl in 1949 Part seven

The Carpinteria Thunderbowl

Part seven – late 1949 

Hot Rods and Jalopies take over! 

Author’s note – This 12-part article highlights the brief 12-year history of one of Southern California’s least-documented midget auto racing venues – the Carpinteria Thunderbowl.

With the cancellation of motorcycle racing and suspension of his midget racing franchise by the United Racing Association board of directors, Charlie Cake turned to a form of racing that had proven a failure in the track’s inaugural season – “hot rod” roadsters.

Jim Rigsby, a commercial fisherman from Lennox California was dominant in the first roadster race at the Carpinteria Thunderbowl held on Monday night August 22 which featured “one of the largest crowds at the speedway this year,” according to the Ventura County Star-Free Press. 

Although it is unclear whether this August 22nd race was a California Roadster Association (CRA) sanctioned event, Rigby arrived in Carpinteria on a hot streak, as in recent weeks he won the two previous CRA events held at Carell Speedway in Gardena.

Rigsby lost the trophy dash to Bob Scott, who like Rigsby, would later find fame in American Automobile Association (AAA) ‘big cars.’ Rigby rebounded and won his heat race, as did Bob Chaplain, Don Nicholson, and George Seeger. Seeger’s car broke an axle on final corner of the last lap of the heat race, but he had enough momentum and coasted across the finish line. George installed a new axle borrowed from a competitor in time to start the main event.

Future CRA president Walt James finished in the show position in the 15-lap semi-main, behind easy winner Rigsby and Ken Stansberry. Rigsby led the feature race at will, at times with a quarter-lap advantage over Stansberry and Scott, who tangled after their cars crossed the finish line, but neither driver received injuries.  Charlie Cake announced that future Carpinteria roadster races would start at 1 PM on Sunday afternoons.

Rigsby repeated his winning ways in the first Sunday afternoon CRA-sanctioned show on August 28, although the star of the show was Negro driver LeRoy Nooks. Leroy, the day’s fastest qualifier, won the trophy dash and his heat race. During time trials, Tom Francis’ car lost a wheel, hit the wall and Tom suffered a broken hand.

Ken Stansberry won the semi-main event ahead of Don Nicholson and North Dakota native C L “Puffy” Puffer. Rigsby finished the 30-lap feature in a respectable time of seven minutes and 40 seconds ahead of Stansberry and Nicholson. The CRA roadster regulars made their final 1949 Carpinteria appearance and headed east for a five-race series held in conjunction with the Utah State Fair in Salt Lake City.

To fill the void left by the roadsters, Charlie Cake introduced jalopy racing to the Thunderbowl on Thursday evening September 1. Advertisements promised that it was “the greatest show of its kind in the world,” and promised “Wrecks! Speed! Dangerous Action!”

The field of cars “which reportedly are not supposed to be worth more than $100,” was led by former midget pilot Mickey McCormick of Riverside, Paul Norman of El Monte, the current California Jalopy Association (CJA) points leader, and Bob Stanclift, the 1948 CJA champion.

Mark Clagg won the first Carpinteria jalopy program which the Ventura County Star- Free Press described as “one of the best and most interesting presented at the track in recent weeks.”  In addition to the Thunderbowl, the CJA also raced at the 1/5-mile Huntington Beach Stadium, the 1/3-mile Lakeland Stadium and the quarter-mile Culver City Stadium.

Prior to the following week’s races, CJA officials provided the Ventura County paper with additional information on the racers - “standard stock cars of the 1930-35 vintage with no gadgets added to boost their speed.” Track officials added that the only modification to the vintage cars allowed by the CJA was the use of a single downdraft carburetor on the Ford Model ‘A’ entries. 

In their second program at the track, on September 5, the jalopies entertained a “newly-acquired abundance of fans,” and produced four new track records. Paul Norman set the new one-lap standard at 18.98 seconds in qualifying, while Jackie Tate set a record for three laps as he won the four-car trophy dash.

Leo Breithaupt set a new 6-lap record of one minutes and 15 seconds in the fourth heat race, while the semi-main race, plagued by accidents, did not set a new record. Bo Jack Johnson won the 30-lap feature in nine minutes and 52 seconds, as he finished ahead of Norman and “Tiger” Nick Valenta.

Paul Norman lowered the one-lap qualifying record to 18.54 seconds and won the 30-lap feature on Monday September 12, 1949 as he started in last place after he broke an axle in the trophy dash. Paul took the lead on the 16^th lap “before a good-sized crowd.” Norman repeated his win on September 20 in a photo-finish over Bob Stanclift.  

 As the Carpinteria racing season progressed, it became clear that the jalopies were a hit with both fans and racers, as the Ventura paper reported average crowds nearing 2,000 with nearly 30 cars entered for the weekly program.  The large fields led promoter Cake to increase the feature starting field to 16 cars and lengthen the feature to 35 laps.

In early November, the Joe Chitwood World Champion Auto Daredevils touring show visited Carpinteria. A stop on the 1949 “Hell on Wheels” tour, it featured “27 thrilling stunts performed by 30 supermen.” Fans watched as “$100,000 worth of 1949 Fords performed stunts, raced and jumped,” highlighted by a brand-new stock 1949 Ford sedan that jumped from ramp-to-ramp as another brand new 1949 Ford raced underneath.      

Jalopy racing continued weekly until December 12, and Stanclift became a two-time winner while Norman scored two more victories to increase his 1949 Carpinteria win total to four, while 24-year old future two-time Indianapolis 500-mile race starter Joe James scored a memorable win.

We will continue to trace the Thunderbowl’s history as jalopy racing takes hold in 1950.