Ashley Wright's No. 57 Offy midget roadster shown at Saugus in 1950. Artwork by Jim Henning, 2006. 11x17-inch glossy photo print, signed and described by the artist in pen and ink.

"Offy" = Offenhauser Racing Engine. Kurtis roadsters of the early 1950s had longer, more aerodynamic front ends than the Kurtis midgets of the late 1940s. In the model shown here, the driver is seated off-center, another change from earlier Kurtis midgets.

According to Tim Kennedy writing for AutoRacingMemories.com, Wright's No. 57 roadster was the second roadster built by the legendary Southern California race car builder Frank Kurtis at his shop in Glendale, Calif., but it was actually the first of 10 Kurtis roadsters to be raced (by Shorty Templeman and others).

According to Road & Track magazine (December 1953), "Frank Kurtis ... deserves full credit for being the first man in America to attempt to produce an American production sports car" — which he began doing in the 1930s.

Henning's notation implies this Wright-designed Kurtis roadster made its debut at Saugus in December 1950.

Henning was a prominent graphic illustrator and author who contributed to many auto racing magazines in the 1950s and served as art director of Rod & Custom magazine in the 1960s.

Jeffrey A. Jones writes: "Throughout the '60s, Henning's artwork graced the pages of Rod & Custom magazine and served as inspiration to a lot of budding custom car builders. Joe has always had a passion for action renderings of 1920s and 1930s dirt track and Indy cars but is also as famous for his futuristic car designs." (Jones: "Ed Roth's Mysterion," McFarland & Co. 2016).

While living in Bakersfield, Henning worked at a radio station and ran the dirt short track at the Bakersfield Raceway.