1969 Wolverine Trans-Am photos

[klvn8r]

Sure looks to me like the Camaro nose is 'drooped' like the Boss cars were done...  what do you think?? 

klvn8r

[Jon Mello]

Penske started drooping the nose on his second '67 Camaro, which first appeared at the Modesto Trans-Am.
I agree with you that the front end looks drooped on these two '69 Sunoco cars as well.

[Jon Mello]

A Titus pit stop at MIS.

Photo by Alex Walordy

A look inside his trunk at the fuel filler and the fuel cell. This fuel filler tunnel (for lack of a better name)
was modified as the season went on and actually held more gas, increasing the amount of laps that could
be run without modifying the fuel cell's capacity (itself) of 22 gallons. That was within the rules.

Photo by Alex Walordy

[Jon Mello]

We are very fortunate to have received a large selection of racing photographs from Jerry Melton. Jerry attended both Trans-Am races held at Green Valley, Texas and the 1969 Wolverine Trans-Am at Michigan International Speedway. Here's is a short bio about Jerry in his own words.

"I have been a strictly amateur racing photographer from my first days of college in 1962.  After hanging on the spectator fence at Green Valley Raceway in Texas taking photos without a telephoto for a couple of years, I became a corner worker until my move to Detroit Michigan (just in time to be welcomed by the riots that started the mass exodus from the city).  Upon joining the Detroit Region SCCA I was immediately pressed into service as their photographer, thus gaining passes to the races for a number of years until the birth of my son and a second job restricted my weekend commitments.   I continue to be a regular visitor to nearby Waterford Hills Raceway, where one needs no pass to be close to the action.

While in college, I was also a cartoonist for Sports Car Graphic Magazine until Jerry Titus became editor and eliminated ALL cartoons.  Until then the publication had been more of a club racing friendly mag, but Titus wanted to compete with Car & Driver and Road & Track.  So, where's SCG now?

I've been a Public School Art teacher for over 45 years and have long been teaching an added enrichment class in Sports Car Design to 10-14 year olds, where kids create shelf model concept cars from a 2x4 center with 1x3 fenders.  It keeps the job interesting."

Below are photos taken by Jerry at the 1969 Wolverine Trans-Am. This first selection of photos was taken during the Saturday practice session, most of which occured during a heavy downpour. The poor weather kept qualifying speeds way down from what they otherwise would have been. Thank you Jerry for sharing these!

The 1968 Camaro owned by Larry Drover and driven by Larry Bock.

Photo by Jerry Melton



Photo by Jerry Melton



Photo by Jerry Melton

Mo Carter's '68 Camaro

Photo by Jerry Melton

The Firebird of Robert Gagnon, driven by Dick Brown.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The Camaro owned by John McConnell, prepared by Todco Racing, and driven by Craig Fisher.

Photo by Jerry Melton

[Jon Mello]

Bob Grossman's Camaro, prepared by Randy Randazzo. #22 is the Porsche of Jim Netterstrom.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The Camaro of J.A. "Jerry" Lagod. (The entry list has a typo which shows the car driver as D.A. Lagod). #54 is Erhard Daum.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The Camaro of Dick Lang, a Chevy dealer out of Ohio. Dick was a successful Corvette racer.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The 1967 Z-28 of Levester Lewis. Levester bought this car from Dave Horchler and Dick Hoffman during the winter and got Horchler to co-drive with him at this race.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The T-G Racing Firebird of Milt Minter. Compare the number 37 on the door to what was seen on the car during Sunday's race.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The Penske Racing "Sunoco Camaro" of Mark Donohue.

Photo by Jerry Melton

These photos are taken where the infield course transitions back onto the banked oval and heads for the S/F line.

Photo by Jerry Melton

[Jon Mello]

Jerry Titus in his T-G Firebird.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Notice that the font of the number 27 is not the same style that was used in Sunday's race.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The '67 Camaro of Wayne Allen from Indianapolis, IN.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Don Yenko and Jerry Thompson drove this ex-Smokey Yunick Camaro.

Photo by Jerry Melton



Photo by Jerry Melton

[MO]

Any idea what that is coming off wing window and over the roof on the Wayne Allen car (40)?

[Jon Mello]

Fred, to me it looks like some duct tape that was originally running along the top of the windshield.


Still during Saturday's practice session, the Porsche 911 of Erwin Dollinger and Jim Osborne.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Ron Grable piloting one of the factory-backed Javelins.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Dean Gregson's red '68 Mustang.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Dean Gregson again.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Dean Gregson and Wilbur Pickett's Porsche.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Jim Harrell's Mustang ahead of Mo Carter's Camaro and others.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Horst Kwech in one of the Shelby team cars.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The Porsche 911 of Russ Norburn and Pete Feistmann. These guys raced a Shelby Mustang in Trans-Am previously.

Photo by Jerry Melton

A closer look.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The Porsche 911 of Peter Gregg.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Peter Revson in the other Shelby team car.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Almost an identical shot.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Bob Tullius in one of the factory Javelins.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The Porsche 911 of Herb Wetson and Tony Adamowicz.

Photo by Jerry Melton

William Lowell in an independent '69 Mustang.

Photo by Jerry Melton

[Jon Mello]

Horst Kwech cresting a hill at flag station #4 during Saturday practice.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Peter Gregg's 911 at the same spot.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Bob Bailey's Porsche.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Jim Harrell's Mustang.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Bob Bailey again.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Jim Harrell again.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Dick Lang's Camaro.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Porsche 911s headed to the Carousel turn.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Bob Tullius' skidding Javelin.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Don Yenko leads Peter Gregg and Milt Minter through the Carousel turn.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Jim Harrell's Mustang follows a pair of 911s through the turn.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Horst Kwech's Mustang.

Photo by Jerry Melton

[OCTARD]

Great additions to the site.  Thanks, Jerry, for allowing these photos to be posted to this forum!

Jon, thanks for all your efforts to further document these images.

-Chad

[Jon Mello]

You're welcome, Chad.

Here's Wayne Allen's car getting worked on in one of the track garages.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Ron Grable and team members push his car down pit road early Sunday, prior to the race.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Penske driver Ron Bucknum with crew member John "Woody" Woodard.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Penske crew chief Chuck Cantwell, team owner Roger Penske, and crew member John Woodard.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Rick McDaniel, driver of the #32 Hol-Arc Firebird.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Carroll Shelby is in attendance.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Carroll Shelby with a couple of track officials.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Ed Houlehan waves the green flag for the start of the race.

Photo by Jerry Melton

More cars taking the green for the start.

Photo by Jerry Melton

[wrongwayron]

Great pix

[Jon Mello]

Parnelli and Mark are neck and neck at the end of lap 1.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Here come Follmer and Revson.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Parnelli's got a definite lead now but Mark is right there.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Rain has come down and made for a slick racing surface. Here's Follmer's Mustang.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Ron Grable has steadily been moving his Javelin up from the back of the grid.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Here's Craig Fisher's Camaro.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Parnelli Jones.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Wilbur Pickett's Porsche.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Bob Tullius' Javelin.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The Porsche of Fred Baker and Dick Smothers.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Bob Grossman's Camaro. Randy's Rascals refers to car preparer Randy Randazzo and his guys. Notice the '67 vent window
on the passenger door. This car was built from two or three different cars from my understanding.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The combination of the slick racing surface and (literally) the leap from the outside of the track to the infield road course
has contributed to Horst Kwech's crash into a spectator's Javelin. There was one fatality and it could have been worse.

Photo by Jerry Melton

A second shot of the scene of the accident.

Photo by Jerry Melton

A third shot. There was not adequate protect for the spectators in the event of a car leaving the track surface.

Photo by Jerry Melton

[OCTARD]

Outstanding new additions for so many of us Trans-Am fans...  Though some of the accident images caused me to shrink back into my chair a bit.

Thanks again, Jerry and Jon.

[Bruce302]

Fantastic new shots, Thanks for posting them, and to Jerry for taking and allowing them to be shared.

Bruce.