Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Hail to the Chief


We like this photo, taken on a Friday night in the 1960s at Pine Brook, for two reasons:

First, the car. Jim Gosford’s #61 was always a favorite. We just liked the way it looked. Bronze with gold-leaf numbers. Clean, classic lines. Plenty of chrome. It didn’t hurt that it was a competitive machine as well. Gosford’s nickname was "the Chief."

Second, the driver, Bobby Courtwright. Courtwright was a URC Sprint champion before taking to the TQs almost exclusively in the 1960s and 70s. He was a smooth driver who was always near the front. Courtwright was only one of a number of top drivers who drove for Gosford.

Courtwright could be curmudgeonly – he grumbled when roll cages came in, for example – but Gosford could be set in his ways, too. They were both great competitors.

This is one of the countless Dave Innes photos now in the collection of Gary Mondschein. Keep ‘em coming, Gary!