Past Masters
(Last Revision January 3, 2011)
By alphabet:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
Over the years, many photojournalists have contributed significantly to the discipline of auto racing photography. Their dedication and perseverance has produced a comprehensive record of American open cockpit racing history. Unfortunately, many who toiled for news services and other media have not received credit for their contributions and remain largely unknown. Included in this list are many master photojournalists who have distinguished themselves during lengthy careers along with a few who are presently active and whose work is being widely published. This is an open-source project - corrections and contributions from readers are welcome.
Richard Adams: The Chicago based Adams was a controller for a food vending business in Chicago . Originally active in the Midwest and with friends Army Krueger and Bob Sheldon, Adams shot AAA champ, sprint and midgets along with Indy beginning just after WWII. His archive also includes early sports cars, NASCAR and AAA stock cars. His 4x5, black & white negatives were produced with a Speed Graphic. Adams was most serious about his career in racing photography and realized a dream when he assumed the position of Chief Photographer for Don O'Reilly's Speed Age magazine in the early 50's. He relocated to Silver Springs, MD and also functioned as the magazine's controller. Adams ' work was often published in Speed Age and Illustrated Speedway News. Friend Bob Sheldon recalls that Adams, who also was an aficionado of jazz music, was always chasing women. “He looked just like Robert Taylor and knew every stripper in Chicago ” said Sheldon. Adams died young, in the early 1960's, of cancer. His missing negative archive, long sought by researchists, recently (2007) surfaced when his son stepped forward and sold his father’s negatives to Dick Wallen. Top of page
Mike Arthur: Arthur, who works for the US Post Office, has been active since the early 1970's. He continues to cover the open wheel action at most tracks near his southern California home. Arthur's black & white and color images are defined by their sharpness. They were produced with his Pentax, Mamiya and Nikon 35mm cameras. Arthur also shot 2 ¼ with a Pentax 6x7. He traveled on occasion to cover Midwest action and often shot in Arizona . Arthur's work was a mainstay of Open Wheel magazine and he shot its very first cover. Top of page
Doug Auld: Info to come. Top of page
Tim Aylwin: Info to come. Top of page
Harold Bergquist: Bergquist, who resided in Lafayette, IN, covered Midwest AAA sprint car and midget action with his 35mm camera. He was active in the early to mid-50's. Many of his photographs were published in Speed Age. Top of page
Al “Ace” Blixt: From Detroit, Blixt shot mostly Michigan and Ohio area midgets and big cars from about 1930 into the early 50's. Blixt, who used a Speed Graphic during his later years, was also a columnist for Illustrated Speedway News (ISN) which published much of his work. Stories indicate he died in the late 50's and that his negatives were discarded. Top of page
Marvin Borland: Borland was a professional and productive photographer whose early coverage of the Tacoma Motor Speedway board track in Lakewood, WA is excellent. His collection of nearly 100,000 images from glass plates and negatives from around 1912 to the late 1940's was left to the Tacoma Public Library. Top of page
Joe Braig: Operating out of the Philadelphia area, Joe Braig was a staff photographer for NSSN during the mid-1950s into the early 1980s. Working with 35mm Canon equipment, Braig covered champ cars, sprints, midgets, stock cars, modifieds and motorcycles at Langhorne, Trenton, Williams Grove, Reading, Pocono and occasionally Indy. Although much of his excellent work appeared in NSSN, most remains unpublished. Recently, however, Braig’s images formed the illustrative core of Langhorne: NoMan’s Land, the award winning 2008 book by L. Spencer Riggs. Riggs said of Braig: “(his) ability as a photographer is without peer.” Braig includes among his colleagues fellow lensmen Dave Knox, Walt Imlay, Walt Chernokal & Dick Stoner. Friend Chris Economaki was a source of inspiration. A retired judge with an entrepreneurial spirit, Braig is also a businessman. His negative archive, consisting of black & white images in concert with many transparencies, remains intact and in his possession. Top of page
Bob Brooks: Brooks, who was from Longmeadow, MA, extensively covered open cockpit midget and big car racing in New England, mostly Massachusetts and Connecticut. He was also a staff photographer for ISN. His work is black & white and includes both action and posed shots. Brooks was active during the 1940's, 50's and 60's. Ed Hitze referred to Brooks in his card file as a “wise ass”. His negatives now belong to Bob Miour. Top of page
Leroy Byers: From Denver, CO, Byers' began shooting in 1949 and continued into the 1970's. He owned and raced midgets during the 1950 – 1955 years. A postman by profession, Byers covered the Colorado area with some traveling to the Midwest, California and New Mexico . His black & white, open cockpit work is on negatives of 5x7, 4x5 and 2 ¼ square. His coverage of the Rocky Mountain midgets is thorough. Some of Byers' negatives (along with some memorabilia) were lost some years ago in a storm. Top of page
Carroll Photo Service: The Los Angeles operation became the “official” photographer for Beverly Hills and Culver City board tracks after the death of Bill Hughes in 1923. In 1935, Charlie Strite was listed as the proprietor of Carroll. Former driver, Roy Richter, who purchased and developed Bell Auto Parts, became the owner of the Carroll negatives. In Richter's catalog just after WWII, he states that “Bell Auto Parts has purchased the entire collection of negatives of Carroll Photo Service, official AAA Photographers for the Pacific Coast ”. Bell advertised “Historic Auto Racing photographs printed from original glass plate negatives” from an “Over 30 Year History Making Period 1912 to 1942”. The Carroll/Bell negatives became a part of the Ted Wilson collection, and, in turn, the Bruce Craig archive. Top of page
Walter Chernokal: Chernokal was a writer, promoter, official and announcer in addition to being an award winning news photographer for the Chester, PA Times. He was also a veteran AP stringer. He was active primarily in the east from “about 1950 to maybe the early 90's” according to his son, Jim. His career also took him to Indy on several occasions. His work includes AAA, USAC, URC, ARDC and jalopies. An early proponent of motor driven cameras (Robot then Nikon equipment), Chernokal was able to capture several of racing's iconic images, having two published by Life Magazine including his famous Charlie Musselman flip sequence at Langhorne in 1957. Life also published Roger McCluskey's flip at Reading in 1965. In terms of national exposure, Chernokal may be auto racing's greatest lensman. All of his work was 35mm and black & white. He was a championship bowler and won many awards with his ping pong skills during the war. Eighty year old Chernokal died in 2004. Presently his son owns his negatives. Top of page
Jim Chini: West coast based Chini began shooting in 1900 and has remained active (albeit less frequently). An historian, writer and editor, Chini has been a media force for over 40 years. Most recently, he did the editing and much of the writing for Buzz Rose's books. His work is among the very best and has been published widely. Equip used ..Bronica… Chini has acquired the negatives of Jack Fox, Ernie Lovingood, Ted Manning, Tommy Thompson and part of the work of Lafayette/St. Dennis and Herb McLaughlin. He humorously describes his “day job” as that of a “housewife/caretaker”. blah. blah… Top of page
Ed Coffey: From Chicago, Coffey shot from 1946 until about 1960. His work includes Midwest midgets, big cars and local stock cars. Coffey used a Speed Graphic and all of his negatives are 4x5. Coffey never married and made his living as a professional studio and commercial photographer, operating two studios. His negatives are now a part of the Bob Sheldon collection. Top of page
Ken Coles: Coles' period of activity is perhaps the longest of any photographer. He began shooting in 1956 and continues today (a span of 50 years and still counting in 2006). Coles has made his living with photography, primarily auto racing although he is a commercial and studio photographer by trade. His unique, hand-colored prints are considered art work and are in the collections of many drivers, car owners, sponsors and aficionados. His archive is most diverse, including all divisions of USAC, Indy, NASCAR, ARCA, ASA, Can-Am, Formula One and hydroplanes. Coles' F1 shooting includes work at several European venues. His excellent work has been widely published. Operating out of the Detroit area, his negatives are mostly 35mm black & white with some color. His preference is action and candid. Over the years, Nikon and Vivitar equipment have been his mainstays. Coles' archive is one of racing's great collections. Top of page
Bruce Craig: New Jersey born, Craig was a photographer in his own right. Craig's notoriety, however, is based on his ownership of one of auto racing's largest negative archives. His collection, funded initially by noted Argentine historian and photographer Vincente Alvarez, includes all or part of the work of Frank Smith, Ted Wilson (from CA), Carl Hoffman, C. Moser, Bill Yardley, Jim & John Yano, John Kozub, CV Haschel, Ed Elliott, Ed Hitze and Carroll Photo. His collection roughly covers the time period between WWI through the 1980's. His collection has been estimated at 86,000 negatives including 337 glass negatives from the Mines Field races in Los Angeles . Craig, who was married to the daughter of many time AAA & USAC sprint car champion Tommy Hinnershitz, died at age 63 in 2001. His widow Jeanne sold the negatives to the Collier Museum in Naples, FL. Top of page
Gene Crucean: Crucean commenced shooting in 1965 and is presently active although he began tapering off in the late 1980's. Along with college pal John Mahoney, Crucean promoted several midget races in central Indiana in the 1970's and published Sprint Car Pictorial from 1968 through 1983. Crucean also owned a USAC midget which he campaigned during the 70's and 80's with Roy Caruthers driving. His work is exclusively open cockpit, action, posed and candid, and includes USAC, Indy, various Chicagoland midget groups and outlaw sprints. Most if his work is Midwest based although he traveled east and west occasionally. His work has been published by Speed Sport News, Open Wheel, Sprint Car & Midget magazine, various books and the Indy 500 Yearbook among others. Using Nikon, Leica and Mamiya equipment, his work includes 35mm and 2¼ black & white, color and chromes. Owner of an employee leasing business, his negative collection includes those of Harry Goode. Top of page
Tom Dick: Indy based Dick covered Midwest open cockpit racing, primarily USAC, during the 1970 – 1980 period. He shot in 35mm format and confined his coverage to action. Many of his flip sequences were published frequently He died while still active in 1900. Top of page
Dorothy Douglas: Douglas was the track photographer at Illiana in Schererville, IN in 1953. She shot AAA sprint and stock cars with a 4x5 camera. Described as a “biker gal”, she and her quiet husband traveled to the races on a motorcycle. She may have been the first woman racing photographer to be published nationally (Fawcett Publications). Top of page
Jack Fox: Fox, a journalist and historian, resided in Hollywood, CA. He covered mostly open cockpit racing in California. His emphasis was on midgets, URA, BCRA, AAA & USAC however he also covered sprints & roadsters with the CRA. Fox authored respected books on midget, sprint car racing and the Indy 500. He was a contributor to and co-editor of the Clymer & Hungness yearbooks. He also campaigned, as owner, a midget which ran as the Illustrated Speedway News Spl. (although he did not drive a passenger car). His work was published frequently in ISN and in his books. He also wrote a column for ISN called California News & Views. Fox' other passion was opera, and he co-founded the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of San Jose . His black & white (35mm) work covers the period of 1900 to about 1900 when he began to slow down. Fox passed on in 1987 and his negatives are owned by _____. Top of page
Harry Goode: Goode, who lived in Greenwood, IN, was active from 1960 through 1980. Using a 35mm Leica, a Mamiya 645, and a 2 ¼ Rolleiflex, Goode's work, which is all black and white, is excellent. His early 60's images of the Foyt, Jones, Hurtubise battles in sprint cars are remarkable and define those glorious years. A tool maker by trade, Goode covered USAC midgets, sprints, champ cars, stock cars and Indy in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Wisconsin . His work was published extensively in many track programs as well as various periodicals. Goode was influenced and mentored by Dave Knox. Goode died in 1999. His negatives now belong to Gene Crucean. Top of page
Jack & Katsue Gladback: From New Palestine, IN which is near Indy, Gladback and his wife began shooting in the early 1970's, covering mostly Midwestern events including all divisions of USAC, WoO, Indy, outlaws and local midgets. Gladback's work has been published in several magazines and has frequently illustrated many articles. His 35mm work is mostly black & white however, much color is also included. Gladback died in 1999. Katsue has continued to shoot sporadically and she maintains their negative archive. Top of page
Dave Gulick: Based in Illinois near St. Louis, Gulick was active from 1948 to 1956. He shot primarily AAA but also IMCA and independent midget groups. He regularly shot the champ car shows at nearby DuQuoin and Springfield. Gulick also contributed to the Clymer Indy 500 yearbooks. A photographer and art director by trade, his excellent black & white work was produced with a 2 ¼ x 3 ¼ “Baby” Speed Graphic and 35mm equipment. Top of page
Jim Haines: info to come. Top of page
C.V. Haschel: Originally from Winamac, IN, the Indy based Haschel began shooting at a track in Logansport, IN in 1932. Eventually settling on Leica equipment (he did experiment early-on with a Photon camera with a windup motor), Haschel's mostly open cockpit, 35mm, black & white work covers almost all Midwest action during the 1950's and 60's. He and his pal Ray Mann, publisher of Racing Pictorial during the 1950's & 60's, did shoot the Daytona 500 each year. Haschel, who worked at Naval Avionics, was a staff photographer for many years for NSSN (beginning in 1956) and his work was frequently published therein. His career began to tail off in the 70's. According to Haschel, he sold his negatives to a Joel Finn. However, his negatives are believed to have become a part of the Bruce Craig collection. Haschel died at age 90 in 2005. Top of page
Dave Heithaus: Indianapolis based Heithaus has been active since about 1978. He shoots primarily open cockpit racing in the central Indiana area. Covering USAC, Indy and various outlaw events, his work has been published in NSSN, and Sprint Car & Midget magazine among others. Although his work includes many chromes, he works digitally almost exclusively. A field auditor for a bank by day, Heithaus uses Nikon equipment. Top of page
Ed Hitze: An official photographer for both AAA and CSRA, Hitze was active and prolific from 1937 (he began with a Kodak box camera then a 5x7 Graflex) until the early 70's. His varied career included stints as a driver, writer, car owner, promoter, studio manager and newspaper photographer. With Jimmy Davies driving, his midget won 3 USAC features in 1965. For a time (1949), the Lafayette, IN based Hitze and a partner owned the Joie Chitwood thrill show in the Midwest . Hitze's post war negatives are mostly 4x5, black & white and include both posed and action work. His many posed shots became something of a signature and his work has been widely published. Hitze sold many of his earliest negatives (late 30's through 1948) to eastern photographer Frank Smith. Those negatives, along with Smith's own, were eventually sold to Bruce Craig. Hitze's more recent negatives are in the possession of his don, Eddie, who has continued on as a photographer. Hitze died in 1979. Son Eddie's work covers the 1960's. Top of page
Allan & Kevin Horcher: Info to come. Top of page
William A. Hughes: The Los Angeles based studio photographer's excellent work covered the board track scene until 1923 when, on Thanksgiving Day, he was killed in a gruesome accident at Beverly Hills board track in Los Angeles . His negatives became a part of the Ted Wilson collection. Top of page
John Hyland: Hyland, from Anderson then Pendleton, IN, was active primarily in the Midwest from the late 1930's until he slowed down in the late 50's. His 4x5, black & white work covers AAA, USAC, CSRA and roadsters. Hyland was a founding member of the Hoosier Auto Racing Fan club and is in their Hall of Fame. His beautiful posed and action shots in the late 40's and early 50's are prized. Hyland's negatives were subsumed into those of friend Bob Scott. Hyland died in the 1980's. Top of page
Walt Imlay: Imlay's interest in photography developed during WWII. Operating out of Lincroft, NJ, Imlay and good friend Dave Knox regularly covered racing at the eastern tracks e.g. Langhorne, Williams Grove, Reading and Trenton . He also traveled to the Midwest frequently. His work commenced in 1947 and continued into the early 1980's when, after a close encounter with an errant race car, he retired. Over the years, the hard working Imlay compiled an archive of about 30,000 negatives. His excellent work, 35mm, black & white, has been widely published and now is maintained by his son Rich. Top of page
Joe Kadar: Kadar shot open cockpit racing at various tracks on the east coast from about 1936 until WWII and was the self-proclaimed official photographer at the Nutley Velodrome. Kadar allegedly protected his territory by “threatening bodily harm” according to the late historian Phil Harms, “if they didn't pack up and go home”. His 4x5, black & White negatives are a part of Harms' collection. Top of page
Lloyd King Sr.: Operating out of Hummelstown, PA, “King's Racing Photos” was a vendor for decals, jackets, jewelry, etc. in addition to photographs. King's sales trailers sold “Everything for The Racing Fan” and traveled the Eastern tracks selling and shooting for many years. His mainstays were Langhorne, Williams Grove, Port Royal, and Reading. King was active shooting “big cars” after WWII and covered AAA & USAC along with ARDC midgets, sportsman, jalopies, etc. King was most active from the 50's into the late 70's. He was also the president of the Checkered Flag Fan Club in 1957. Most of King's open cockpit negatives are now owned by Phil Harms (by way of the Briggs Cunningham Museum ). King's remaining negatives are believed to be among the Bruce Craig archive. A truck driver by day (he and his wife also operated a grocery/ice cream store), the 91 year old King died in 1999. Top of page
Ed Kirchner: Chicagoan Kirchner began shooting in 1928 but did not pursue a career in photography until 1938. Kirchner was the Official Photographer for, and traveled with, the CSRA in 1938 – 1941. He was also a staff photographer for ISN which published many of his images. Most of his excellent, 4x5 work is of Midwest open cockpit racing and was shot with a Speed Graphic. Kirchner, who stuttered badly, was also a staff photographer for Soldier Field in Chicago after the war and until he died in 1949. Kirchner was a bachelor who made his living with his camera. His negatives are now a part of the Bob Sheldon Collection. Top of page
Dave Knox: According to his business card, Knox was a “Purveyor of Pure Bred Hampshire Swine, Boars and Gilts.” From Parkesburg, PA, Knox covered mostly eastern sprint, big cars and midgets from the late 1940's to the early eighties. He did, however, travel frequently, covering Indy, Darlington, Detroit and other Midwest tracks. He also began shooting chromes in the early 50's. His images have been frequently published and several of his sprint car action shots have become iconic images. Knox used Leica equipment and his negatives are 35mm. Knox died on August 12, 1982. His negatives remain with his son. Top of page
John Kozub: Kozub, a motor sports writer and photographer, was among the first to contribute to the fledgling NSSN in the 1930's. He shot Northeastern big cars and midgets as well as Indy for many years. By trading negatives, he was able to add Legion Ascot images to his collection. His negatives are a part of the Bruce Craig collection. Kozub died in 1999. Top of page
Jack Kromer: Info to come. Top of page
Armin Krueger: Milwaukee based Krueger was active between 1937 and the early 90's. A banker by vocation, Krueger shot mostly in the Midwest including Wisconsin, Indiana, Chicagoland and St. Louis. He covered Indy, AAA, USAC, IMCA and Badger midgets. He shot every event at Milwaukee 's State Fair Park dirt/paved mile. As a pilot and plane owner, Krueger was able to travel occasionally. He received formal schooling in photography and his work is excellent…among the best ever. He experimented with slave flash units for fill on posed shots, was among the first to use telephoto lens with his Speed Graphic and was creative in selecting vantage points, shooting from grandstand roofs and outside tracks. In the 70's Krueger used a hydraulic lift in order to shoot overhead shots in Milwaukee 's first turn. Krueger continued to lug around his 4x5 into the 70's even though he was then using a motor driven Cannon for most of his shooting. NSSN's Chris Economaki called Krueger “the best lensman this newspaper ever had”. An icon in racing photography, Krueger died in 2000. His negatives belong to the Greenfield Gallery in Wisconsin. Top of page
Russ Lake : Milwaukee area photographer began shooting (at age 13) in 1948 and is still active. Friend Armin Krueger was his mentor. Lake shot first with an Ansco 127, then a Kodak 620 before moving on to a Speed Graphic. Later he used Pentax 6x7 and 645's before settling on Nikon 35mm equipment. In 2001, Lake made the transition to digital for both shooting and printing. Following a stint in the Army, Lake worked in sales then for Harley-Davidson and finally owned and operated a restaurant for 26 years. Most of his work was published by Midwest Racing News and the Milwaukee Sentinel. Lake traveled occasionally, shooting DuQuoin, Springfield, Terre Haute among others (although his work is almost exclusively from the Milwaukee mile). Most of Lake 's negatives cover stock cars. In 1971 Lake was one of the photographers who, along with Dr. Vincente Alvarez, was on the pit area press stand when it was struck by the Indy pace car. Lake incurred a badly broken hip…and eventually received a $35K settlement of which he was paid $15K. The impact tossed Alvarez to the ground where the falling stand came to rest on top of him. According to Lake, Alvarez incurred permanent brain damage. Top of page
Ace Lane Sr: From Perth Amboy, NJ, Lane shot from just before WWII to 1973 when he passed away. A carpenter by trade, his negatives cover eastern modifieds, AAA, USAC, and URC sprints. Lane's negatives are a part of the Bruce Craig Collection. Top of page
Rick Lane: Info to come. Top of page
Cy LaTour: LaTour, a commercial photographer from Philadelphia, was one of the best during the 1920's. According to Chris Economaki, LaTour was active from the late 20's to the late 30's. It is believed his negatives were discarded. Top of page
Charles Lytle: From Sharon, PA, Lytle was an historian and AAA official. He was a regular at Indy and Pennsylvania tracks during the period between the 1930's and into the late 50's. His 35mm work also included coverage of the Vanderbilt Cup races at Roosevelt Field in New York in 1936 & 37. Top of page
Mac MacCleod: MacCleod was a photographer during the war and took up racing photography in the mid-1940's. He continued into the mid-50's. He operated a photo concession under the stands at Thompson Speedway and was also an ISN reporter. His medium format negatives are all black & white and cover mostly midget racing in the eastern states. He was a fireman by trade. MacCleod's work was very good. He died in 1900. Top of page
Ron McQueeney: info to come. Top of page
Walt Mahony: Los Angeles based, Mahony was the official photographer for the CRA and was instrumental in developing the L.A. Speedway in Los Angeles in 1957. A year later, the track became known as Ascot. Mahony covered sprints, midgets on the coast for many years, beginning at Carrell Speedway in 1951 and continuing at Ascot until it closed in 1990. He then moved to Missouri where he shot at local tracks until slowing in the mid 90's. Mahony used Nikon equipment and never used a motor drive. He was also a news photographer for a local paper and worked in the still photo department at Paramount and Universal Studios. In the 1970's he became interested in motorcycle racing and began building Trackmaster bike chassis which were very successful (Mahony was inducted into the Motorcycle Dirt Track Hall of Fame). Many, if not most, of his negatives were given to Jim Chini and Dick Wallen. He died September 1, 2002. Top of page
John Mahoney: Operating from Indianapolis, Mahoney commenced shooting in 1965. Along with partner Gene Crucean, with whom he also published Sprint Car Pictorial from 1968 to 1983, Mahoney began shooting as Competition Photography. In 2006, Mahoney remains active, a span of 41 years. His excellent work has been published extensively and has won several awards. In 2005 he was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. Using Nikon and Cannon for his 35mm work, Mahoney's early work was all black & white but he began phasing into color in the 1970's and now shoots color exclusively. A hard working photographer, he has also extensively shot posed and candids in medium format. His shooting is mostly Midwestern, however, as Official Photographer for USAC (and briefly, an official), he has traveled frequently and his archive is geographically diverse. His work includes all divisions of USAC, Indy, IRL, NASCAR, WoO, and local independents. With a Masters in psychology, Mahoney's “day job” is that of a Training Coordinator for the Indiana Dept. of Workforce Development. His archive, which also includes some of Earl Garretson's early work, is a significant record of racing history during this era. Top of page
Lloyd Masing: Masing's work covers the approximate period of 1958 to 1980. His “day job” was that of an appliance repairman, servicing refrigerators. Masing was among the first to experiment with motor drives and, in the beginning, used a Mooly wind-up motor on his Leica. Masing's work is all 35mm, black & white and covers the Midwest including Indy and most USAC sprint & midget tracks. Masing, from Muncie, IN, shot exclusively at f-8, adjusting his shutter speed to suit this f-stop. He used a goofy, wooden, homemade enlarger. He was always seen high atop his perch on a tall ladder on which he had constructed a swiveling seat, designed to make it easy for him to shoot his crashing prey. Masing rarely shot anything but accidents. Asked what he shot after an event in which there were no accidents, Masing said “Well, I shot a couple of test frames”. His accident sequences were widely published. Following his death in 1900, his son from California became the owner of Masing's archive. Top of page
R.N. Masser: Info to come. Top of page
Ron McQueeney: Info to come. Top of page
Lester Nehamkin: Originally from the Midwest, Nehamkin shot midgets and sprints prior to and just after WWII in the Ohio/Indiana area. He then moved west and, operating out of Hollywood, CA, broadened his interest to include the developing California sports car racing scene. His medium format, black & white work has been frequently published and is considered excellent. Candids were a specialty. Nehamkin shot Indy in 1946 and was active as late as 1966. His negatives eventually became the property of Gordon Schroeder where they began to disappear and are now most probably scattered among private collections. Top of page
Don O'Reilly: O'Reilly is best known as a nationally syndicated columnist, NBC broadcaster and publisher. His Speed Age magazine, first published in 1947, was the first general circulation newsstand magazine devoted to motor sports. His photographs, covering the approximate years of 1938 to the mid 50's, were eclectic and included AAA, Indy, early NASCAR, speed trials on the sands at Daytona, sports cars and boats. His negatives are believed to be, in part, in the NASCAR archive although historian Phil Harms has many. Top of page
Russ Reed: From Oakland, CA, Reed was an award winning photographer for the Oakland Tribune. He received a national award, the Look Magazine “Sports Photograph of the Year”, on Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town television show. It was for a shot of Rudy Tarditti getting upside down at the Contra Costa Speedway in 1953. Reed used his favorite camera, a Fairchild K-20 which was a wartime, aerial camera which allowed him to squeeze off sequence action. According to Jim Chini, the camera used a roll of 4” wide film and was powered by a battery the size of a Buick. He also used an ancient Graphlex, the venerable Speed Graphic, and 2 ¼ and 35mm equipment. Reed served as a photographer's helper in the Navy during WWII. He began shooting in 1938 in Portland, OR and continued actively until 1957 when he began to slow down. He did shoot sporadically into the late 1980's. Reed was creative in selecting unusual vantage points for shooting. He covered mostly west coast events including Oakland Stadium, BCRA midgets, jalopies and AAA races. He also shot Indy on several occasions. He was a featured photographer for Speed Age magazine. His negatives are all black & white. Reed died in the mid-1990's. Top of page
Phil Rider: Info to come. Top of page
Eli Roth: Roth, from New York, began shooting in the mid-1940's. He operated a camera store in the Bronx and also shot weddings. He covered midget and big car racing in New England . Almost all of his photos are posed images. He used a 4x5 camera; and ceased shooting in the mid-1950's. All of his negatives were donated to the ACOT. Top of page
Jimmy Sams: Sams was a professional photographer from Kansas City, MO who covered the area's midget racing activity from the late 1930's to 1952. Most of his photography occurred at Olympic Stadium in KC, MO although he traveled to Chicagoland on several occasions. He was active in the racing community, operating a photo concession at the Stadium and later serving as president of the Kansas City Midget Auto Racing Assn. In the late 1940's, Sams used a bulky Graflex. In the late 50's a flood ruined his darkroom and his negatives. Sams was born 3-10-1913 and died on 7-11-2003. Top of page
Pia “Red” Scarich: The South Bend, IN news photographer shot many 4x5, black & white photos of AAA and local midgets at South Bend Speedway during the late 1940's. He took both posed and action shots. His negatives are now owned by Tom Reel. Top of page
Bob Scott: Scott's excellent work covered the period of 1948 to about 1980, when he slowed down. From Anderson, later Lapel, IN, Scott who was an avid golfer, used his Speed Graphic to cover AAA and USAC racing including Indy where he was a longtime staff and official photographer for the Speedway (since 1953). His work is almost exclusively Midwest oriented and blends posed and action coverage. Scott began shooting after WWII after a brief attempt at driving. His 4x5, black & white, prints are very good. His negative archive includes those of friend and fellow Hoosier John Hyland who began his shooting career in 1946. Scott died about 1995…and his negatives were donated to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Top of page
Bob Sheldon: Based in Chicago, Sheldon was active from 1947 until 1985 (although he slowed during the latter years). He began shooting with a 2 ¼ x 3 ¼ Busch Pressman then a Speed Graphic. His archive is all black & white and is 95% 4x5. Sheldon's mostly Midwest coverage includes AAA, Indy, Chicagoland midgets and Andy Granatelli's Hurricane Stock Car Assn. A tradesman by profession (pipefitter), Sheldon is an active member of the Society of World War I Aero historians. He was influenced by Ed Coffey and racing columnist and photographer Wayne Adams. Sheldon has acquired the negatives of contemporaries Ed Coffey, Ed Kirchner and Ted Wilson (from Chicago). Top of page
Speed Photos: “Pa” Morris operated on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles during the 1930's. His open cockpit work featured “good action and head photos” according to one of his advertisements. Many of Speed's images were featured in Coast Auto Racing, a west coast paper published by Della Rice. Top of page
Spot Enterprises: Aka “Spot Photos” was a do-all track concession business owned by Ed “Coke Bottles” Elliott (for his thick lens glasses). Spot operated a traveling photo both that also sold decals, belt buckles, jacket patches as well as mail order photos. Ed and his occasional partner Don Mohr started around 1947, shooting west coast URA, AAA – action and posed, in 4x5 format. Elliott and Bob Russo founded National Pit Pass Weekly in 1954 with Russo writing and Elliott peddling. The paper was sold to Floyd Clymer around 1958. Elliott stayed on as editor. Russo left in 1957. For a time, Elliott was the west coast business rep. for Speed Age. Elliott seemed to cease shooting around 1954. His surviving negatives eventually found their way into the Bruce Craig Collection. Top of page
Frank J. Smith: Smith and his wife Betty, from Midland Park then Vienna, NJ, operated a traveling photography concession at many eastern and New England tracks. Smith, who also sold mail order photos, developed a large collection of negatives, many from other photographers (e.g. Ed Hitze). In a 1950 NSSN ad, Smith, then living at 17 Watson St. in Paterson, NJ, described himself as “ America 's Foremost Auto Race Photographer”. Smith's work, which was very good, is distinctive in that he often scribed the driver's name, etc. on his negatives. Smith was active for many years, from about 1935 until about 1900. His collection was eventually subsumed into the Bruce Craig Collection. Top of page
Larry Sullivan: An historian and columnist, Sullivan was from Thomson, IL . He was active from 1927 into the late 1960's. Using an assortment of odd format cameras, Sullivan's black & white negatives include IMCA, AAA, USAC and outlaw racing. Upon his death in 2000 at age 94, his friend Jack Biddison placed a camera in his coffin. Sullivan's negatives are in the possession of Jeff Adams. Top of page
Dennis Torres: From Norwalk, CA, Torres was active between 1968, when he came to the Midwest to pursue a career in photography. He was very active, shooting for NSSN along with many sponsors, advertisers, etc. His negative trove is both black & white and color, all 35mm, and is geographically diverse. Torres made his living from photography and traveled frequently. He died in his prime, in 1990. His negatives were purchased by Dick Wallen in 1995. Top of page
Bob Tronolone: A resident of Burbank, CA, Tronolone was active beginning in the mid-1950's and continuing into the 90's (although he shot only sporadically then). His work product is eclectic, including early west coast club sports car racing, USAC champ cars, Can-Am and, on several trips east, Indy. His action and candid work is all 35mm and is both black & white and color. Tronolone's work has been published widely. A long time employee of the L.A. fire department, Tronolone did not do any darkroom work, preferring to outsource this task to others. He maintains his negative archive. Top of page
Loren Tuttle: The Chicago based Tuttle was a professional photographer who did camerawork for the lakefront Shedd Aquarium. He was active in the Chicago area from about 1920 until WWII. His black & white, 5x7 negatives were purchased by Milwaukee area historian Allen Krause. Top of page
Bud Williams: Working from Union City, IN, a town bisected by the Ohio/Indiana line, Williams was active from 1946 until 1955. He began shooting at the nearby Greenville, OH dirt oval. His excellent, 4x5, black & white, work covers Indy, AAA, and CSRA sprints and champ cars in the Midwest. He shot many posed, candid and action images. An electrician who ran a washer/dryer repair business, Williams was an Official Photographer for AAA. He was born in 1920 and he died about 1997. His negatives are now owned by a group which includes historian and writer L. Spencer Riggs (who reported that some of Williams' negatives were damaged by humidity during storage). Top of page
Ted Wilson: The Los Angeles based photographer was a skilled camerman who covered all types of motor competition including motorcycles from about 1915 through the mid-1930's. In 1935, he was living at 384 Fuller Ave, San Jose, CA. and advertised 12 glossy 4x5 prints of “all leading drivers of the west – send $1”. Wilson also had the interest and foresight to collect and preserve the negative archives of at least 26 other photographers including Bentley & Beckwith, Stagg, Carroll Photo Service, Art Strieg and William Hughes. The “Ted Wilson Collection” includes about 100,000 images and covers the period between 1915 to 1942. His negatives eventually became a part of the Bruce Craig Collection. Top of page
Ted Wilson: Chicago based Wilson shot only briefly, from 1937 until 1942. His work is all Midwest based open cockpit, including midgets and big cars, all in 4x5 format. His negatives are now a part of the Bob Sheldon Collection. Top of page
By alphabet:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
All website content is ©2010, crucean.com | Contents may not be disseminated without express permission. | All rights reserved.