Cornhusker Raceway Park

[sstk100]

Originally Posted by SStockDart

I have some questions for us "Old timers".....does anyone remember Chuck Cervani (serve-an-e) from South Omaha. He had a garage....I believe it was called C&S Automotive....he raced a bubble top 61 Chevy.....348, I believe. Chuck helped me with some 4 speed problems prior to me being drafted.....I believe he died at a very young age....maybe in the late 60's... he wouldn't have raced at Cornhusker Raceway park, but he did race at Flight Land.
Another question is: does anyone have a picture of Charlie Jacob's, altered wheel base, 66 Chevelle??? (Black, with Charlies speed and machine on the doors)......
Also, does anyone remember the "Speed Shops" in Omaha....
Raceland....around 40th street, between Farnam and Douglas????? the other Speed Shop was Charlies speed and Machine.....as I recall, around 70th and Blondo......Seems like Charlie ran the machine shop, and his wife "Rose????" ran the counter...
Does anyone have any different memories?

As an "old timer" I do remember some old stuff.

Raceland was on about 46th, maybe 2 blocks south of Dodge.....ran by a guy named Blackman I think.....don't remember his first name. Gary ?

Charlie (of Charlies Speed & Mach) was actually the machinist at Raceland...before he opened his own shop. (was at his house near Northwest High) at first, then opened a shop at 83rd and Blondo (east of the Papio) about 1965?,

then a few years later moved to the west side of the Papio about 1967? I worked for Charlie and Rose when they first opened,....then.....later worked part time there after quitting racing, and went to college in the mid 70s'
I had a 56 Nomad then, and I knew their 4 boys when they were in grade school.

Remember the 59 blue El Camino...427 4 speed, with side pipes? It had the Charlies Speed logo painted on the doors. Rose and I drove it as a "parts truck"

Charlie had the blue flathead 32 roadster (same color as the 59 El Camino) in his garage but hardly ever drove it. Rose still has it. I think originally Charlie built it in the late 50's or early 60s, approx.

I had a white 56 Chevy 2 dr that was ran in Jr stock, with a friend of mine...we only raced maybe 3 years at Omaha Dragway. We didn't have much money, so we sold it...got married..later went to college. I have a couple of pix somewhere.

Charlie and Rose later (late 70s or early 80s?) moved to an acreage south of Blair, and opened the shop in Blair (still there) ...haven't been there in years.
I didn't know that Charlie had died a few years ago, and missed his funeral....felt bad about that.

There was a machinist called "Stoney" that worked at Charlies....and at some point (in the 70s?) he opened his own machine shop in Florence (north Omaha)....don't know what happened to him.

There was a speed shop at about 70th and Blondo that was run by a guy named Ken......he was a mechanic....he raced a dragster for a while I think. That would have been in the late 60s early 70s probably.
As I recall he worked at Charlies for a while installing parts Charlie sold...then opened his own shop

If I recall correctly......getting old you know...Chuck Cervani .... C - S was for Corvette Specialists...it was Corvette repair shop. I went there a few times, somewhere in South Omaha.

Story...
....there was a guy working at C-S that built a 57 Chevy injected 2 dr Jr stocker, and beat Fred Anderson a few times.......Anderson and friends protested the 57 thinking the C-S guy was cheating big time...but it turned out it was legal except was a couple of thousandths over bore from honing the cylinders for more piston clearance....he was disqualified.....never returned to drag racing ....he was so p.o.'ed.
Cervani knew how to make the injection scream...that was the secret of the car. (not many knew Chevy mechanical injection systems back then)
This was at the old Omaha Dragway (flightland airport)

[Belvedere II]

Originally Posted by sstk100

There was a machinist called "Stoney" that worked at Charlies....and at some point (in the 70s?) he opened his own machine shop in Florence (north Omaha)....don't know what happened to him.

I understand that's Bill's Machine & Supply. He installed higher compression pistons in a 440 for me several years ago.

[cad]

That would be Bill Vice. He and his sons are still in business with Bill's Machine. He still does my machine work.

[Charlie A]

[Belvedere II]

Originally Posted by cad

That would be Bill Vice. He and his sons are still in business with Bill's Machine. He still does my machine work.

Of course, he likes those Chevies!

Vice, that's the one. Couldn't find his business card here.

[cruiznlow]

OK race fans, here is another blast from the past, This former Cornhusker racecar has been found locally and the new owner is going to restore it to as close to when it raced

[cruiznlow]

here is a photo of the car at the lights at cornhusker. Anyone know the history on the car and what engine/tranny combo it ran, new owners need all the info they can get to help out with the restoration

[cruiznlow]

Ralph Davney shared some photos of his race cars to include the PURITY 57 chevy that he raced at Cornhusker

[SStockDart]

Originally Posted by cruiznlow

here is a photo of the car at the lights at cornhusker. Anyone know the history on the car and what engine/tranny combo it ran, new owners need all the info they can get to help out with the restoration

The lime green car was from South Omaha....Pollish (Poland ancestors) great guys and could really drink beer. I believe they called the car "Concoction" It has been long enough ago, we can probably tell stories,..lol. That car had an Olds rear end...with a "Pollosh Locker" (ya need a welder to make one) I also think they were the first ones around Omaha to use canted - angle plug heads...really helped them....also, the car was noted to shake or wobble the front wheels after the burn out.....lol. I've got lots of stories if ya want more...lol

[sstk100]

Originally Posted by cruiznlow

here is a photo of the car at the lights at cornhusker. Anyone know the history on the car and what engine/tranny combo it ran, new owners need all the info they can get to help out with the restoration

There was a Hann Bros. car as I recall. And Bob Hann rings a bell, but not certain.

There was also a small block (327) powered, black Anglia run at the old Omaha Dragway. Owned by Jay Wolf...driven by Gordon Smiley (the same guy killed at Indy 500 practice a few years later)

No idea if it's the same car. (any black paint under the paint layers on the car?)