Don Weaver's South Bay 

Auto Body sprint car

On display as part of Race Car Day at the Automobile Driving Museum in El Segundo California was the restored South Bay Auto Body sprint car once owned by Don Weaver. 

Don Weaver like many young men in Southern California caught the racing bug attending midget races at the legendary Gilmore Stadium, working with such famed drivers as Ray Crawford and Bill Vukovich. After he served his hitch in the Army in Korea, Don and his brother Bob bought a midget race car which Don drove for awhile. 

Later in his career, Don worked as a racing mechanic, including a stint with Vel Miletich's very successful team at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Don became a well-known California Racing Association (CRA) car owner, and the quality of Don's equipment attracted top-name drivers like  Bobby Unser, and the driver of this sprint car, Keith "Porky" Rachwitz.

In the early 2000's Don Weaver became an event promoter as he staged the annual Legends of Ascot banquet for eight years.      

Yes, this was how a top-flight sprint car team went racing in the glory days of the 1960's - with their 301 cubic inch fuel-injected Chevrolet powered sprint car loaded on open single axle trailer. 

The beautiful restoration was a fitting tribute to the Southern California racing legend Don Weaver. 

Photos by the author