We spotted these photos recently on the H.A.M.B., having gotten there by way of SCRAfan.com, the site that caters to Sprint car fans in California. Definitely off the wall, but somebody here has revived a storied West Coast car for street use.
This is the Alex Foods/Pinata car raced out west by a real stud, Ron Shuman, who won the 1979 Knoxville Nationals and is now involved in Sprint officiating and promotion. It was known as the Tamale Wagon and was a hugely feared race car under the ownership of Alex Morales, especially with Shuman in the hot seat. Alex Morales died in 1988, but his son, Andy, retained Shuman, who wheeled the Tamale Wagon to two titles with the SCRA’s predecessor group, the California Racing Association.
We don’t have any particulars here on power or chassis, but the tubes atop that small-block indeed categories it as a full-up Sprint engine. The car was snapped recently negotiating the 210 Freeway near Los Angeles. For anybody who thinks this is odd, we point out that CRA originally raced hot rods on circle tracks before the cars devolved all the way into full Sprinters. So this is a legit piece of California’s gilt-edged hot rod history. We ought to add that both Shuman and Alex Morales are enshrined in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Iowa.