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An original 7x5" vintage photo (NOT a modern reprint) from the Marty Himes estate.
Provenance: This photograph comes directly from the Marty Himes Racing Museum Collection, assembled over decades by Marty Himes - racer, restorer, and lifelong archivist of American racing. Every piece he preserved tells part of the story of motorsport’s rise from dirt tracks to the spectacle of the Indy 500. We acquired the majority of his photo collection after his passing. Many of his photos are extremely rare or even one of a kind. Professionally packaged in a rigid mailer for safe delivery.
Photo Overview
A young dirt track midget race driver poses at the wheel of his number 34 racer, the "Gordon Racing Team" car, in this photograph from the estate of legendary Long Island racing historian Marty Himes. Wearing a leather jacket and seated in the cockpit, the driver looks toward the camera while gripping the steering wheel of the low-slung open wheel midget. The car sports a dark paint scheme with a bold white lightning bolt stripe along the tail, large hand-painted racing numbers "34" on the cowl, and Wards Riverside De Luxe tires on the front.
The photograph was taken by A. J. McCardle of Floral Park, New York, placing this squarely in the heart of the mid-century Long Island short track scene. McCardle was a well known local photographer who documented midget and stock car racing at Long Island area speedways during the late 1940s and 1950s. The style of the car, the leather jacket, and the photographic paper all point to the golden age of postwar midget auto racing in the New York metropolitan area.
This is a wonderful piece of grassroots motorsport history from one of the most respected private collections in the sport, ideal for collectors of vintage auto racing, midget racing, and Long Island regional history.
Condition
Please see scans of the image we have provided for the most accurate and complete state of the photo. Many of the photos in this collection are very old and have age related wear, chips, creases, curling, etc. Others are remarkably well maintained.
