Return of the Puckett Cup

The fifth running of the H-Modified Joe Puckett Cup will take place in September at the Put-in-Bay Sports Car Races. Five H-Mods are registered for the races, and there's still time for latecomers to sign up.

The Puckett Cup was first run in 2010, with ambitions to make it an annual event. Subsequent races were held in 2011, 2012, and 2013 -- followed by a brief (eight year) hiatus. Well...the executive committee of the H-Modified Racing Club has decided that it's time to reestablish the H-Mod Class' former glory by bringing back the Cup. Speakers and bands have been contacted and a podium is being constructed. This is an event that's not to be missed.

Former winners of the Puckett Cup include:

The Puckett Cup honors Joe Puckett. Joe was a giant in this class of little cars, having raced H-mods "in the day" from 1959 through 1962. He returned to racing in 1984, again with a focus on H-Mods. In 1989 Joe founded the H Mod Over The Hill Gang, creating a fellowship and resources that brought cars to the track and kept older cars from being scrapped. Joe was a racer, organizer, author, cartoonist, and champion for H-Mods.

Designed along the lines of the Kastner Cup (read: "ripped off from"), the Cup winner is decided based on "on-track performance, presentation, and attitude/interest in H-Mod racing."

Don't miss it!

Cleary Crosley Special at Monterey

 The 1956 Devin-bodied Cleary Crosley Special was one of the participants in the Del Monte Trophy Race Group at the 2021 Monterey Historics. (All the cars in the group raced in period at Pebble Beach.)

As always, the Crosley-powered H-Mod looked marvelous, and put on a good showing. The Crosley engine is mated to a four-speed Fiat Topolino gearbox and it sits on a Topolino chassis.

Shannon Crosley at Monterey

The Shannon Crosley was one of three H-Mods running in Group 4A (1947-1955 Sports Racers and GT) at the 2021 Monterey Historics. The Shannon Special was designed and built in 1955 by Floyd Shannon of Pasadena, CA. Leland Osborn acquired the car in 1997 in poor condition and spent over six years restoring it to its present condition. The car has been competing in historic races since 2003 including Sonoma Raceway, Monterey Historic, and Coronado Island.

Monterey Historics 2021 - Day 1

HMODs at Put-in-Bay

 

H-Mods will be out in force at the 2021 Put-in-Bay Sports Car Races. (Well...five cars are registered for the event.) 

A series of small-bore races were held on the island in the late 1950s and early 1960s -- the sweet spot for H-Modified racing activities. And, sure enough, cars fitting within H-Mod specifications were in attendance at all of the races. There were enough HM entries in 1956 to warrant an HM-only, 10-lap race. 

Make sure Put-in-Bay is on your 2021 racing calendar.

The Perils of Racing Little Cars

 

There's nothing more exciting than racing a car that's so close to the track that you can almost reach out and touch it. (But don't do it!) 

H-Modified was a racing class that existed from about 1953 to 1967 or 1968. In its early years (1953-1963) it was for cars with displacement of 500-750ccs. In 1963 or 1964 displacement was increased to include cars up to 850ccs. It was an exciting time for small-bore racing, and it wasn't unusual to see 15-20 cars racing wheel-to-wheel. And it was a starting point for many mechanics and drivers -- cheaper than the bigger racing cars.

In a resurgence of the class (in vintage racing) there are five cars registered to run in this September's Put-in-Bay Road Races. Don't miss it.

Cartoon by Joe Puckett.