I05.31.12_031_PUT_DAY_0055S

Photo ID #	I05.31.12_031_PUT_DAY_0055S_2
Car #:	#31
Driver (s) :	Woodrow R. Smith (Ralph Smith)
Location:	Daytona Beach
Date:	1955
Photographer:	George Heffner
Photo provided by:	Larry Jendras Jr.
Comments:	Senior Moment From Larry Jendras: Headed for Florida... In the 50's, Daytona Beach and NASCAR provided the perfect winter getaway for the local Sportsmen-Modified racer and owner. Mid February was the annual Daytona Speedweeks. There were separate races for the Sportsman and the Modified along with a Convertible GN race ending with the big Grand National late model race. Some drivers ran multiple events and it provided the blending of drivers from all over the country. Like Langhorne, champions from all sanctions headed to Florida to race with NASCAR on the beach. Some of these races had huge numbers of cars starting. So the story that goes along with these photos makes it even more interesting how a Maryland team headed South. Enter George Heffner and his Putty Hill Speed Shop car and crew. By 1954, Mid Atlantic fans were getting familiar with the fast white and red #88 coupe with drivers Ralph Smith behind the wheel. Wrenched by the master engine builder, Bob Wallace, the Putty Hill car was at the tops of the Free State Stock Car Club at tracks like Dorsey, Mason-Dixon, Ritchie, Hagerstown and into Delaware, Pa. and New Jersey. Ralph Smith had a great year in #88 in 1954 and took the Free State title. So as the story goes, the boys decided to take their hot #88 to Daytona in Feb. 1955. Contact was made with NASCAR to file the entry and they were told, Don't bother bringing that car down to Florida if it has the FREE STATE STOCK CAR ASSOCIATION logo on it. Well no one was going to tell George Heffner what to do, so he changed the #88 to #31, changed the name on the door from Ralph to Woodrow and the logo was changed to the initials F.S.S.C.A. As you can see, they made it to Florida. I have never found any mention of Woodrow or Ralph in the final rundowns. Most of the parties in the photos are gone now. Hopefully the final piece of the puzzle will be solved.

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Date:	Visitor's Name:	Comment:
06.02.12	Charlie Lindmar	Greg Fielden's beach racing book shows a #31a,1939 Ford with Eddie Adams as the driver in the 1955 mod/spts race. Larry, wasn't he a Maryland racer?
06.04.12	George Gwynn, Jr. Frederick, MD	If memory serves me correctly, Eddie Adams was out of Rising Sun, MD. He built the blue and white '37 Ford coupe that my Dad campaigned in 1951 and 1952 at Georgetown and Wilmington Speedways. Then in 1953, Eddie built my Dad's '37 Ford sedan, that is pictured elsewhere here on 3 Wide at Pitman. I knew that Eddie had driven but I was only a couple of years old at the time and don't remember watching him race. Sounds like he had a very productive driving career to go along with the very nice racecars he built back in the day.
06.05.12	Russ Dodge	I remember Eddie Adams driving the brown and tan number 39 sportsman at Alcyon Speedway. The only shot I have when Eddie drove is the "Flip" shot from the 4th of July show in 1958. Jimmy Smith, from Ridley Park, I believe, drove the car later in the summer. You can see the body work in progress from the flip earlier in the season. Jimmy changed the colors to maroon and white later.