"ROHO"

By Kevin Fletcher Springfield, Missouri

When Mike Watson was a youngster he would hang out in the garage with his
dad and his friends reliving the stories of early days racing while they
would be wrenching on the racecars. As the years passed Mike himself would
become part of stories that would be told for the next several years around
Springfield, Missouri.

With Ernie Watson’s days of building racecars done.
Mike would still be Listening and learning all he could about those "Glory"
years. Mike set in the summer of 2000 to do something to make all of those
stories come back once again for those that was a big part of his dad’s
racing past. A deed he wanted to do for his dad and his friends after Ernie's
stroke in the summer of 1999.

After contacting Bob Aton about the $250.00 dollar hull of a 1957
Chevy Hardtop car that had been in his field for nearly a decade it was a constant
blur of how it all came together from then on. With no deadlines in sight at
first, it started as one of those after work relaxing project‘s. something
new, a way of enjoying building a racecar. No longer than he had started the
construction he was approached for having his car in The Ozarks Area Racing
Reunion ‘s Display on January 27, 2001.

Mike would promise his best efforts would be asserted but he knew it
would take a small miracle to pull it off. Doing most of the work himself
after hours till early in the morning. He would look at the old pictures from
his scrapbook and study exact detail over and over again. He wasn’t just
building a 1957 Chevy Stock Car he was building "ROHO" That same car that put
George Baxter’s name on countless Trophies in the Midwest in the mid 60’s at
several area race tracks.

"ROHO" was built originally by Ernie Watson and Buck Armstrong in 1967
one of the fiercest machines to hit the racing ovals. The original was a 283
with power packed heads, Weber Cam, Wiend intake and was fed thru a Holley
carburetor. It’s remake would feature a small block with 11-1 compression,
300 HP heads, a 650 Dual line Holley, Z-28 aluminum intake and the thump
would now come by means of a Millings cam, a motor much like the original.
As Time went by so did the summer, Mikes deadline was fast approaching as
fall was now setting into the air so was some of Mikes plans. Late night
hours put Mike back to thinking again, Why not make this car street legal? It
has a good clean title, few modifications and some more fabricating and
"ROHO" will be that much funner after it’s completion. Only one thing January
27 was getting closer day by day. All you can do is work a little harder
something Mike is used to as an auto dismantler at Nichols Street Auto
Salvage.

Mikes Dad and his associate Buck Armstrong was eagerly awaiting the
project also, as they would sometimes give pointers to Mike along the way in
the re-make of one of their best cars.

Note the word cars! The team of Watson and Armstrong had been a part of much of early days racing.
Building a total of 17 cars. Many of them were cars of the shoebox year’s 55’s 56’s and 57’s
oh there was other styles they liked to build also and some of them had
names too. There was the "Creepy Crawler 1,2,3,4 and 5 all of them had made a
name for themselves, And it wasn't from being slow. The Original "Crawler"
runnered up the first night out but was destroyed a few weeks later. It would
be massaged back together to have the same misfortunes again in it’s first
year as a racecar it was completely destroyed twice.
Four of the names that was associated with Watson and Armstrong's cars
have a permanent place at the Fairgrounds Speedway in Springfield, Missouri
on a huge monument honoring past Legends and Pioneers right along with
Ernie's for being a Pioneer also, And the rest of their other Drivers will
surely be nominated someday. On the monument is David Goldsberry’s 57 4 Door
(X Cab Car), USAC Racer Dean Roper’s 57, Verlin Simmons 56, and Tom "Bolivar"
Brown’s 62 Chevy just to name a few that was with Team Watson and Armstrong,

Another that shared victories as Driver was Lloyd Sawyer in his 51 Chevy
Business Coupe. While they also helped build cars for Daryl Holt, Roy Payne
and Harry Jean All of which was outstanding Drivers of their era at the local
Speedways. It was sometimes an all night shop in the early days. The sun would come
up many mornings but With good help, we kept racing for many years and in
those late hours you could also always find Ron Duffey, and Charles "Gears"
Currey doing what it took to keep them at the front. Ernie and Bucks
affiliation with many in the sport and having good drivers was alot of their
success including a phone call or two to legendary Race car builder Smokey
Yunich for Technical Tips when they sometimes faced a problem.

Racing Season was just winding down in the Ozarks and Mikes focus was now
on the Project more than his IMCA Modified was. As he continued to gather
parts and chase leads on others (Mike was finding out the scarceness of
vintage racing goodies real quick. And had feelers out everywhere for about
everything from a Tach to a Tank. But was getting stumped on going thru
everyone's past racing parts. He would have some luck in getting enough
gathered for another month or two’s work.

With the frame and cage assembled it was starting to take a little
shape finally. 3 months into the project, Disc brakes on 3/4 ton axles was
one of the few modifications from the original that would take some time in
getting lined out. The original also had solid wheels and The new one would
have to need the same so Mike made his own wheels and inserts carefully
aligning and Welding them to near perfect balance. A polished stainless gas
tank was made and put in it’s original location, and of course since it was
going to be street driven also it would need a pair of buckets. Mike wanted
to find just the right ones though, He luckily remembered about 10 years
earlier he had stuck back a set out of an import car that was probably
another 10 years old and when mounted they looked just like old school. His
belts were donated by another racing friend that was the military button type
that was also used alot in the early days. Old "ROHO" was looking more like
the pictures he was going by day by day.

Ernie had also been going thru some of his old boxes of racing
memorabilia and had dug out some patterns and even some original parts from
the relic. (The original Motor is even still around and was once considered a
candidate) As the thing was nearing paint its Grand appearance was now just 2
weeks off it would take a little more work to bring it all together. So Mike
and others would tell stories while they worked about what Mike had learned
as a kid from listening to his father tell of the past on occasion a old
timer or two that had caught wind of the remake would drop in to their
amazement to see it was not a racing rumor after all. On the day before the
first appearance Mike would again contact Bob Aton the same person he had
purchased it from out of the field, not to show it off but to have Bob do the
lettering of the old racer. Aton a noted painter and artist of the
Midwest put the finishing touches on the Ole Red Rooster including
duplicating a decal or two that couldn’t be obtained. Now almost ready for
the first Heat , Mike would still have tons of detail work and polishing
right up till 3 in the morning the last night wanting it to look not only
ready to race but ready to amaze the crowd.

At The Reunion it was clearly the center of attention as 3300 people milled
the Shrine Mosque looking at the old pictures and at the Uncaged Rooster . It
looked almost like it had been garaged since it’s very first race. And when
the night had ended Mike got to do something not many racers can do legally,
He fired the 57 and headed for the hen house as he crossed the overpass
downtown There was cackles alright and every hen in town knew old "ROHO" was
back and ready for some action.

So if you come to the metropolis of Springfield, Missouri and you happen
on to a Red light somewhere look around you never know when Mike or his Dad
will be on the streets. But I can promise you will know them, fact is you
can’t miss them. And don’t even think of asking if that is a real racecar or
not? Cause it is and they will show you "ROHO" isn’t any Chicken.

As a footnote Mike would like to do what every good racer should remember. He
wanted to thank all his Friends and Racing Buddies that helped contribute to
the making of a dream. There was a lot of donated Parts and Labor and
Volunteered time and he remembers all that was a part, and would like to
publicly express a very Grateful Thank You to each and everyone of them for
what they did!

This feature article was submitted to RACERSLOUNGE.com by Robert Walden.

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