Carroll Resweber (12), Joe Leonard (1), and Everett Brashear (25)line up for the Columbus,Ohio Half-Mile National in 1957. Resweber won,it was his first National victory,Everett second and Joe came in third. Carroll Resweber went on to be National Champion an incredible four times in a row '58-61. Joe Leonard won the National Championship three times,'54,'56'and '57 and then went on to become one of America's finest Indy Car Racers. Everett Brashear won 15 Nationals and dozens of regional races. Everett was a professional motorcycle racer and chased the big purses not the Championships. He was really known as the guy who had art of Flat Tracking down and was the man to beat.
Our Flat Track Heros lined up again,(Everett, Carroll and Joe) this time fifty three years later as the Guests of Honor at the 2010 Calistoga Half-Mile National.I would estimate the mean age of the crowd at the AMA Flat Track races has to be about 50 years old, so most of the crowd had followed the exploits of these three Icons in their youth. These three guys are really Flat Track Royalty and were treated as such with long lines of fans waiting to meet them and shake their hands. The Great Dick Mann was also included in this group at Calistoga and I featured Dick in an earlier blurb. It was a real treat to see these Gentlemen all together and enjoying the event and being honored.
Carroll Resweber (12), Joe Leonard (1), and Everett Brashear (25)line up for the Columbus,Ohio Half-Mile National in 1957. Resweber won,it was his first National victory,Everett second and Joe came in third. Carroll Resweber went on to be National Champion an incredible four times in a row '58-61. Joe Leonard won the National Championship three times,'54,'56'and '57 and then went on to become one of America's finest Indy Car Racers. Everett Brashear won 15 Nationals and dozens of regional races. Everett was a professional motorcycle racer and chased the big purses not the Championships. He was really known as the guy who had art of Flat Tracking down and was the man to beat.
Our Flat Track Heros lined up again,(Everett, Carroll and Joe) this time fifty three years later as the Guests of Honor at the 2010 Calistoga Half-Mile National.I would estimate the mean age of the crowd at the AMA Flat Track races has to be about 50 years old, so most of the crowd had followed the exploits of these three Icons in their youth. These three guys are really Flat Track Royalty and were treated as such with long lines of fans waiting to meet them and shake their hands. The Great Dick Mann was also included in this group at Calistoga and I featured Dick in an earlier blurb. It was a real treat to see these Gentlemen all together and enjoying the event and being honored.
