Ralphy Ericson the Lead Footed Farmer No. 23 & 43 & 0

Above-- Ralph won the feature in May of 1967 at Columbus Junction. I remember this car. It was fast.  Thanks to Gale Reed for the photo. This is a clipping from the Hawkeye Racing News.  Below a couple screen shot from a MVSC movie from Mark Kleindolph

Ralphy was one of my favorite drivers.  I wish I could find a photo of Ralphy's 1950's car that he drove in the late 1960s.   He was always a contender. I remember the night at Columbus Junction when Ralphy and Mark Mosier were racing really tough and one of them pushed the other over the backstretch levy.  I think it was Mark who pushed Ralphy, and when Ralphy came back to line up for the restart he was mad!   The announcer Mr Caulkin's who worked at KWPC Radio in Muscatine used to say of Ralphy the Lead Footed Farmer that he had his car wired together with baling wire!  Ralph was from Lockridge, Iowa if I remember correctly.  Click on the photos to see them bigger.

Here is a photo shared on facebook by Deb Warth White

Deb wrote:  Old orange #23 lived at our house in Danville, Iowa. Ralphie Ericson, the Lead-footed Farmer, drove it at all the tracks in SE IA. Four kids and two parents and however many other kids we could pile in the backseat drove to the races every weekend somewhere. My dad, Emil Warth, mechanic-ed on the old '39 Buick as well as many of the other fellas cars. Bob Ensminger, Jim Taylor, Bob Coleman, George Fielty, the Strothman boys, John and Fred, and a multitude of other racing folks came to our house for parts and welding needs.

Here is couple more photos and info from Deb Warth White

Deb wrote: This is #23 headed to CJ or WL with my brother David Warth on the left, Dewane Warth, my Uncle Dude Johnson, brother Dan Warth tucked in the back and my dad, Emil Warth standing in his whites to go to the pits.

Deb wrote: This is probably in 65 or 66 by the size of my brothers in the middle. That would be David and Dewane Warth and my two cousins, Kenny and Keith Johnson on the ends.   Ralphie Ericson drove this car. It was a long drive for us to go from Danville to CJ and particularly to WL. Lots of boys in our neighborhood would try and cram in. We had a 62 Valiant that would haul 6 kids in the back seat. Way before seat belts.

Deb wrote: We were so excited when my dad painted this on the back of old #23. We thought he was next to Rembrandt with his skill. We would travel to the races in that old pickup with 4 kids and my mom crammed in. One time we were driving a we saw a wheel pass us and climb a tree over in the ditch and wondered whose tire that was--and then came the thump. It was ours! The rest of the family was traveling behind us and somehow we got it re-engineered and kept going. Couldn't miss a race!...... we went to the races every week in CJ or WL/ My dad was Emil Warth. Dad worked 42 years at the Burlington Northern and mechanic-ed on this car for many years.

Above...When I downloaded this photo, I think they said it was Ralphy and his car.

Below is another car that Ralph drove.  Paul Ford from MT. Pleasant, Iowa writes: "  This was the car Bobby Thomas usually drove.  The car was owned by Bobby Thomas and his brother Gary and Me (Paul Ford) and Jim Humphrey.   Ralph drove twice when Bobby Thomas could not make the race . Cliff Housten also drove for us one night with good results  and won the feature at Burlington .  Carrol Spence  helped and was part owner in later years.  That is Bobby Thomas standing in front of the car. The car pictured was a 39 Hudson , we later ran to a 32 Hudson coupe. We started with a Plymouth coupe. There were 5 of us that had money in these cars,and two more who helped in the pits. 

Ralphy behind the wheel above with Hallis Palmer leaning on the door.

Two photos of Ralphy in #23 look like they were taken at Columbus Junction.

Sadly Ralph passed way in 2011.  You gave us some great memories Ralphie!