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DRAG RACER | NOVEMBER 2017 VOLUME 21, NO.06

NOVEMBER 2017 $5.99 US

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VOLUME 21, NO.6 DISPLAY UNTIL: 11/7/17

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OVER CENTER

BY PETE WARD

The Great Banana Pudding Fiasco

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IFE ON THE ROAD WITH A RACING TEAM IS A MIXED BAG, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO FOOD.

During my tenure with ’Goo$e, I can’t begin to calculate how many fast food burgers I hammered down while driving from race to race. If it was close off the interstate exit ramp, I was all over it.

On the flip side, there were some gastronomical gems.

In Phoenix, Anna, who did our embroidery, and her husband owned Bob Johnson’s Big Apple BBQ, and they fed us very well every time we were in town. There was an amazing seafood place in Seattle where Robert Goodwin of Brooks Rods hosted us. Speaking of seafood, when racing at Epping, NH, we’d go to a place on the water by Portsmouth. It was open air with picnic tables, nothing fancy, but the lobster was killer. AHRA’s owner, Jim Tice, always had us to Jasper’s, an upscale Italian restaurant, when racing for him in Kansas City, MO. The top of this category had to be dining on Paul Candies’ houseboat in Louisiana. Every year around the Cajun Nats, he’d welcome us. It’s hard to top Paul’s private chef cooking up delicious dishes with the freshest local ingredients.

Thinking of Candies and Cajun food, brings to mind drag strip eats, which are usually pretty crappy. One glaring exception was State Capitol Raceway in Baton Rouge.

Moose Pearah used to bring in a guy for the Cajuns. He'd cook up mouthwatering jambalaya in a huge cast-iron kettle.

The best aspect of all those years was the local restaurants we enjoyed, like Jamel’s in Tulsa, OK, during the AHRA

race. Our very good friend, Bob Creitz, used to take us there.

It was where Larry Board fell through the front window— what a story that was. When we were in Dallas, Beadle and the Texas gang took us to some of their favorite hangouts.

Which leads us to the great banana pudding fiasco. One of our favorite spots was a little mom-and-pop buffet in Wyomissing, PA (Reading race). The food was excellent, the staff always remembered us and the price was right.

So, we’re back in town and they’ve made some changes to the salad/dessert table.

Much to ’Goo$e’s delight, they’d added banana pudding.

He loves that stuff, so he got himself a big heaping bowl full.

I was sitting across from him and I could see that all through dinner he was eyeing his pudding, mentally savoring that sweet, creamy treat.

The moment finally arrived.

He got a nice big spoonful and in the hatch it went, but wait.

You can tell by his expression that something’s gone horribly wrong. It’s one of those moments when you’re not sure which direction the stuff in your mouth should head. With a truly pained expression, down it went, followed by copious amounts of iced tea. A quick trip to the salad/dessert table revealed the horrible truth: The container of creamy yellow goodness held not banana pudding—it was bacon salad dressing!

Can you imagine having your taste buds all primed for banana deliciousness, but instead you get a mouthful of salad dressing? Urrrrgghhh!

A hard lesson was learned that day.

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NOVEMBER 2017

Volume 21 • Number 06

EDITORIAL

Pete Ward Michelle Salcedo

Editor in Chief Group Managing Editor

DESIGN

Eugene Pineda Eric Knagg

Art Director Design Director

CONTRIBUTORS

Doug Adams, Archie Bosman, Jeff Burk, Chris Graves, Bill Holland, Stephen Justice, Wayne Lederer, Will Lester, Ron Lewis, Brian Losness, Amanda Matusek, Rod Short, Dave Wallace, Jim White, Todd Veney

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DEPARTMENTS

8 Quarter-Mile Update 13 Strange Engineering Quiz 16 Bells &Whistles

contents

NOVEMBER 2017 VOL. 21 NO. 06

SPECIAL FEATURES

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DETHRONED!

How Top Fuelers Lost the Title Kings of Speed to Funny Cars

CALIFORNIA HOT ROD REUNION The Ultimate Mix of Nostalgia and Nitro

44

SPIRIT OF LIONS EVENT Thanks for the Memories

56

68 PAPER TRAILS, PART 12 Two Weeklies, One Week of November 1964

Visit Drag Racer online: Dragracermag.com | Follow us on Facebook: Facebook/Drag Racer Magazine

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DRIVER PROFILES and FEATURED PERFORMERS

24 JOSH HART

The American Dream on Steroids

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STILL CLIMBING MOUNTAINS

HIGH COUNTRY HAULER

Sherman Adcock Keeps Adding to His Hall of Fame Career

Bud Preuss Doing it His Way

48 CAPPS FAMILY RACING

Just the Three of Us

ON THE COVER

Terry Chandler’s Make-aWish Funny Car Blasts Off Photo by Chris Graves

DRAG RACER (ISSN_1094-5547) Volume 21, Number 6 is a bimonthly publication published January, March, May, July, September and November by Engaged Media, Inc., 17890 Sky Park Circle #250, Irvine, CA 92614.

POSTMASTER Send address changes to: DRAG RACER c/o VSI, Inc., 905 Kent St., Liberty, MO, 64068. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Drag Racer c/o Pitney Bowes, Inc., PO Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B #855050365RT001. © 2017 by Engaged Media, Inc.. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any material from this issue in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.

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QUARTER-MILE UPDATE

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

PLAN YOUR PILGRIMAGE TO BARONA, CA

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NDER THE LEADERSHIP OF STEVE GIBBS, A NEW EVENT WILL SOON BE THE CENTER OF ATTENTION FOR WORLDWIDE DRAG RACE ENTHUSIASTS AND HOT RODDERS. It will be a trip back in time, as more than 50 legendary cars, drivers and teams have committed to attend.

The event isn’t a traditional race, it’s a race/car show in motion, with overwhelming sound.

The first event will be conducted at the Barona Drag Strip, on Saturday, Sept. 30, in conjunction with the popular Nitro Night in Escondido, California, the previous night.

The format will include all elements of traditional cackles, both static starts and push starts.

Approved entrants will be allowed modest photoop burnouts. No launches or runs will be permitted.

All established technical regulations will be enforced. Full information can be found at Nitrorevival.com.

Nitro Revival is primarily focused on cackles and drag racing and hot-rodding heritage. The newly established project will provide a venue for people to gather and share their experiences while paying homage to their favorite sport. Nitro Revival will be a reunion of racers and enthusiasts, with the goal of recapturing the spirit of past get-togethers while enjoying the incomparable power of nitromethane.

INAUGURAL FUNNY CAR CHAOS SET TO ROCK TEXAS THIS SEPTEMBER

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NTEREST IN THIS FLIP-TOP OUTLAW SHOWDOWN HAS BEEN MONUMENTAL. Set

to rock Denton, Texas, on Sept. 29-30, 2017 at North Star Dragway, this no-holds-barred event has caught the eye of more than 25 Funny Car teams who are planning to attend. The true “run what ya brung” contest will showcase Funny Cars of all types, engine combinations and body styles. Twenty-four cars will qualify for the main event. They will be split into A (Top 8 qualifiers) and B (9-24 qualifiers) fields and will be contested on a full elimination ladder to decide a champion for each class. If it’s a Funny Car, it’s legal. Red Line Shirt Club (Redlineshirtclub.com), maker of vintage drag racing tees, is the primary sponsor. For more info, visit Funnycarchaos.com.

PHOTO BY CHRIS GRAVES

TWO MORE EVENTS GUARANTEED TO RAISE YOUR PULSE RATE

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CT. 20-22, 2017: THE CALIFORNIA HOT ROD REUNION PRESENTED BY AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, HELD AT BAKERSFIELD CA’S FABLED FAMOSO RACEWAY. To

purchase tickets or for further info, go to Nhramuseum.org or call 909.622.2133.

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Famosoraceway.com, for more info.

Make your plans early for both events, hotels fill up fast.

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OV. 1-4, 2017: GOOD VIBRATIONS MOTORSPORTS MARCH MEET ALSO HELD AT FAMOSO RACEWAY. TICKETS AVAILABLE OCT. 1, 2017. Check out

NOVEMBER.2017

8/3/17 12:30 AM

DRAG FANS, THESE ARE

MUST-HAVES

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REG DRAVIS HAS LAUNCHED A LINE OF CUSTOM 3D METAL SIGNS. TWO EXAMPLES ARE DON “THE SNAKE” PRUDHOMME AND ROLAND LEONG’S “HAWAIIAN.” These

come with a letter of authenticity from the racers.

They’re available exclusively from Mighty Image Kustoms, 619.729.7464. Be sure to check out Greg’s website Mightyimagekustoms.com. Just a reminder: Christmas is fast approaching; you’d be a hero if one of these ended up under a hot-rodder’s Christmas tree.

vibrant, 3D signs of 20-gauge steel DR-1711-Auto Metermade 7/12/17 7:35 AM Page 1 measure

approximately 53.5x26.5 and weigh 16 pounds. Both

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DRAGRACERMAG.COM

8/3/17 12:30 AM

QUARTER-MILE UPDATE

BUY THIS BOOK! YOU’LL BE GLAD YOU DID … HONEST

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O RACING BOOK HAS EVER FOCUSED ON THIS SIGNIFICANT ELEMENT OF RACING EVENTS DURING THE GOLDEN ERA UNTIL NOW WITH DOUG BOYCE'S “MATCH RACE MAYHEM.”

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NCE UPON A TIME, IHRA PRODUCED SOME VERY SERIOUS NITRO COMPETITION, AND CLAY MILLICAN WAS THE UNDISPUTED KING OF T/F. He was the winningest driver in

PHOTO BY GARY NASTASE

the sanctioning body’s history with 51 event crowns, leading to six consecutive world championships. Alas, in NHRA competition, the tale was very different. In 19 years, 1,228 races and at least nine final round appearances, despite strong performances, Clay was thwarted. At NHRA’s recently contested Bristol national event, he finally broke the curse, beating Leah Pritchett to capture his first NHRA crown. Congrats to Clay, team and loyal sponsors.

THAT’S GOTTA HURT!

D

URING THE RECENTLY CONTESTED FINNISH Hot Rod Association’s Nitro Nationals held at the Alastaro Circuit, renowned US Nitro Harley rider Tommy Grimes riding Per Bengtsson’s Super Twin machine dubbed The Beast, experienced a “minor” mechanical issue.

Tommy’s fine and the bike’s being repaired.

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PHOTO BY ANDY WILLSHEER

A GUY NEVER FORGETS HIS FIRST

Match racing drew the biggest names, the most popular cars and the most intense rivalries. Excellent vintage photography balances the text to tell the story of what many consider to be the best days of drag racing.

Drag racing is a much regulated sport. In its history, the NHRA, AHRA, IHRA and other sanctioning bodies, have developed classes to ensure parity. Two cars face off that are very similar in weight, transmission and fuel type, estimated horsepower, and other measurables. The byproduct has been fair, but not necessarily exciting, racing.

During the golden age of drag racing, fans didn’t care as much about class racing as they did about seeing scores settled and rivalries

contested. There were the Detroit Big Three battles, Ford vs. Chevy vs. Mopar and numerous heated driver rivalries. Match races were also a great way to feature wildly popular outlaw cars, which didn’t fit in the sanctioning bodies' class systems. So popular and intense were these races that many track promoters didn’t bother to promote class racing at all. Instead, they used the match races as headliners, putting more fans in the stands—and the drivers loved it, too.

Veteran drag race author Doug Boyce tells the tale of match racing through the cars, drivers, events, classes and rivalries, capturing all of the excitement of match racing during the golden era. It’s all here, complemented by vintage photography provided by fans and professionals.

The book is 176 pages and features 297 color and black-and-white photos.

To order, call CarTech at 800.551.4754, or visit cartechbooks.com.

NOVEMBER.2017

8/2/17 4:27 AM

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Congratulations to NHRA legend, Dan Fletcher, who notched career win #100 with a Super Street win at the Route 66 Nationals! Dan has relied on ATI Converters, Transmissions and Super Dampers for over twenty years!

CONGRATS TO DAN AND THE REST OF ATI’S RECENT WINNERS! STOCK ELIMINATOR

SUPER STOCK

SUPER STOCK Aaron Stanfield won Super Stock at the Route 66 Nationals using at ATI Treemaster Converter!

Joe Santangelo took home $500 from ATI for his Division 1 Stock win at Lebanon Valley Dragway!

ATITRANSMISSIONS.COM // 877-298-4728 © 2017 ATI Performance Products, Inc.

Bryan Worner won Super Stock at Lebanon Valley Dragway’s NHRA Division 1 event using an ATI Converter!

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Tommy Schiffilea 7.0 Pro Funny Car Photo by Draghead Photos

Marcellus & Borsch "Winged Express" AA/FA Driven by Mike Boyd Photo by Pam Conrad

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DRAGRACERMAG.COM

8/2/17 4:27 AM

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BELLS AND WHISTLES

Nitrous Supply’s Innovate Fang II Fogger Nozzle

BY BILL HOLLAND

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itrous oxide pioneer Mike Thermos has been coming up with ways to make more horsepower for over 40 years, and his latest development, the new Fang II foggertype nozzle, enables racers to benefit from an enhanced flow and superior atomization.

This latest product from Nitrous Supply is a 90-degree nozzle that has two internal fuel channels and specially shaped apertures so the nitrous plume is surrounded by fuel, unlike conventional nozzles where it is deflected. Accordingly, the Fang II delivers a better blended nitrous/fuel charge to the engine, promoting improved combustion efficiency and, subsequently, producing more power. The superior design of the Fang II nozzle is underscored by its ability to run larger jets than can be done with conventional 90° fogger-type nozzles.

Precision manufactured from stainless steel billet, the Fang II employs CNC technology to shape the channels (no glued-in tubes). It has a standard 1/16 pipe thread and is a direct screw-in replacement for all popular fogger-type nozzles. They are designed to accept standard NOS flare jets (.150 inch diameter) and are also available in other sizes by special order. For more information, visit Nitroussupply.com.

Brodix Introduces the BM 2000 and BM2006 Intakes

T

he latest additions to the successful BM series of manifolds are now available. The professionals at Brodix

have invested many hours on the flow bench and at the track developing these completely redesigned pieces. Both intake manifolds have a 4150 series top. The BM 2000 fits a 9.800 deck height, while the BM 2006 fits a 10.200 deck height. These new intake manifolds offer a +20-hp increase over virtually every other manifold in their class.

For more info, visit Brodix.com.

A

Aeromotive Releases a Regulator With 12 Ports

eromotive has an all-new belt-drive EFI regulator now with -12 ports. Its new regulator (P/N 13137) is designed for use with both a belt and a hex-drive fuel pump. It has two AN-12 ports and an AN-12

return port, along with dual springs that expand operating pressure range while maintaining a low profile and reduced weight. The standard spring (installed) supports a 30-75-psi base, while the high-pressure spring (included) supports a 75-120-psi base. The 13137 regulator supports a 1:1 vacuum and boost reference. For more info, visit Aeromotiveinc.com.

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NOVEMBER.2017

8/2/17 4:32 AM

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DECEMBER 7–9, 2017 • INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA USA Join racing suppliers and buyers from around the world at the 30th annual Performance Racing Industry Trade Show to discover the latest in motorsports products, technology and business opportunities.

NEW FOR 2017 • NEW EXHIBIT LOCATIONS • EXCLUSIVE AJ FOYT EXHIBIT • FEATURED PRODUCTS SHOWCASE

Learn more at www.pri2017.com

Dethroned! / HOW TOP FUELERS LOST THE TITLE KINGS OF SPEED TO FUNNY CARS Text by Jeff Burk Photos by Auto Imagery and Will Lester

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NOVEMBER.2017

8/2/17 4:39 AM

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ROM ITS VERY BEGINNING AS A COMPETITIVE MOTORSPORT, SPEED HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE MARQUEE ATTRACTION AND THE MEASURE OF GREATNESS FOR ITS COMPETITORS IN DRAG RACING, FOR BOTH THE PROFESSIONAL AND SPORTSMAN CLASSES. Speed was king and the champions were Top Fuel cars.

For the past 60 years, drag racers have expended most of their energy and money attempting to figure out how to develop more horsepower and make their cars faster than their competitors. Until the last 10 years or so, racers, especially professional racers, and fans regarded the most significant accomplishments in the history of the sport to speed.

The first 200-mph-plus quarter-mile laps in Funny Car, Top Fuel and Pro Stock are mega-historical in the minds of racers and fans. Chris Karamesines, Don Garlits, Gene Snow, Bill Kuhlmann and Warren Johnson are all hugely important, ground-breaking figures in drag racing because each broke major speed barriers at a time where being the fastest car in a pro class was often as important as a national event win.

For six decades, a nitroburning Top Fuel car has generally held the title of fastest car in drag racing.

Occasionally, at some national events, nitro Funny Cars would record Top Speed of the meet, besting dragsters for the title, but overall, it was the dragsters that went fastest.

This year, there was a historic shift in the drag racing scene that would have gone largely unnoticed had it not been for drag racing historian and announcer Bret Kepner.

When DSR Funny Car driver Matt Hagan ran a record speed of 338.85 mph in May of this year, Kepner noted that not only was it the fastest FC speed in drag racing history, but also, it was faster than the 337.58 Top Fuel mark Tony Schumacher recorded in 2005 on the quarter-mile at Brainerd, Minnesota.

Kepner noted that Hagan’s speed mark wiped away the last NHRA quarter-mile speed record that was faster than the current 1,000-foot speed records; his point being that quartermile records were no longer relevant to modern (post 2007) drag racing.

The fact is throughout the history of NHRA drag racing, beginning in 1965 when nitro Funny Cars came to be, that at almost any point through 2016 Top Fuel cars captured all of the major speed milestones before their

Funny Car counterparts.

During the ’60s and ’70s, Top Fuel speed records were generally 15-20 mph faster than nitro Funny Cars. In those decades, Top Fuel dragster technology was far ahead of that of Funny Cars. Joe Amato developed a rear-wing combination and location that provided the dragsters much more downforce than their Funny Car compatriots. Generally, Top Fuel cars had the advantage of streamlining and more downforce, plus it didn’t hurt that at that time NHRA was still attempting

� ABOVE. Kenny Bernstein and crew chief Dale Armstrong shocked the sport by breaking the 300-mph barrier (301.70 mph) at the Gators in 1992. � RIGHT. The summer of 1993 at Heartland Park (Topeka, KS) saw Jim Epler record the first 300-mph run in a Funny Car. � BELOW. Kenny Bernstein and Dale Armstrong enlisted Bonneville

aerodynamicists, the Arivett Brothers, to help create the Batmobile, which debuted in 1987. It forever altered the dynamics of Funny Car body design.

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to keep their Funny Cars at least resembling real cars and resisted almost any aero packages for them.

In the mid-’80s, nitro Funny Cars began catching up with Top Fuel cars in the speed category. For example, in September 1987, Joe Amato set the Top Fuel speed record at 280.98 mph.

A month later, Mike Dunn reset the Funny Car speed record at 280.72.

This was a meaningful period in the sport for developing horsepower and taking advantage of the science of aerodynamics.

DRAGRACERMAG.COM

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Kenny Bernstein and his crew chief, Dale Armstrong, hired Bonneville racers, the Arivette brothers, to build a Buick FC body. What they created was unrecognizable as a Buick, pushing the aerodynamic rules of the day to the extreme. The press dubbed the car The Batmobile. The Top Fuel teams of the era made attempts to incorporate aero into their dragster designs with Gary Ormsby, Don Garlits and Gene Snow leading the program. Ormsby and Garlits had some success with streamliner

bodies, but eventually, the bodies were deemed too heavy and lost favor. The only vestige of aero left in today’s Top Fuel cars is in the canopy cars of DSR. The late-’80s and early’90s represent a golden era of nitro performance, especially when it comes to big speed with the help of bigger fuel pumps, bigger and better superchargers, 44amp magnetos and better tires. Bernstein and Don Prudhomme left FC and went Top Fuel racing. Top Fuelers were the kings of the sport.

It took Top Fuelers just

� Funny Car rear spoiler dynamics have changed drastically throughout the last several years. New, much more minimal designs create far less drag than the pickup-bed-style rear wings of the past.

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� Laid-back headers implemented by Funny Car racers in 2015 have upped their speed game.

five years to raise the speed record from 280 mph in 1987 to Bernstein’s dramatic 301.70 effort in 1992 at Gainesville. It took nitro coupes almost six years to break the 300-mph barrier.

From the ’90s on, a combination of technological advances—including track prep, five-disc clutches and almost infinitely tuneable fuel systems—saw Top Fuel cars and tuners dominate the sport in terms of speed. By 1998, the NHRA quarter-mile Top Fuel speed record had increased by more than 25 mph to over 326, and by 2005, the NHRA speed record was 336.15, both set by Tony Schumacher, who also ran the fastest quartermile speed in history at 337.58. Funny Cars continued to trail dragsters as far as setting speed records. Funny Cars gained just 23 mph through 1998 and 33 mph through 2007.

Beginning in 2008, the landscape in NHRA’s Top Fuel and Funny Car classes saw massive changes. The tragic death of Scott Kalitta directly caused the NHRA to shorten the track length for nitro cars from 1,320 feet to 1,000 feet. Additionally, the NHRA mandated safety rules changes that added considerable weight to both classes (currently the minimum weight for Funny Cars is 2,565 pounds, and 2,320 pounds for dragsters). Nonetheless, fuel dragsters remained quicker and marginally faster than fuel coupes through 2015. At the end of the 2015 season, the NHRA Funny Car speed record of 331.45 was just 1-mph slower than the Top Fuel mark of 332.75.

Beginning in 2016, Funny Car teams improved the performance of their fuel coupes, while Top Fuel cars and teams basically maintained the status quo. Funny Cars set Top Speed for nitro cars at 17 of 24 NHRA national events. Despite the trend, Top Fuelers could still claim the fastest speed recorded at an NHRA national event until the middle of 2017 when Matt Hagan ran 338.85 at Topeka, Kansas. That speed eclipsed the all-time speed record for NHRA nitro cars of 337.58, a speed recorded 12 years prior in 2005 by Tony Schumacher driving a dragster

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� Thoughts on T/F aerodynamics were reexamined when Joe Amato introduced his unorthodox rear-wing design in 1984.

on the quarter-mile at Brainerd, Minnesota.

Hagan’s record-breaking pass was even more impressive for several reasons: He only had a 1,000-foot track; he drove a nitro Funny Car; and the Funny Car minimum weight is at least 200 pounds heavier than a dragster.

In 2017, the trend of nitro Funnies being the fastest cars in automobile racing (excluding land speed competition) has continued. So far this season, Funny Cars have had Top Speed at every race.

So the question is: how did the Top Fuelers, the former kings of speed, get dethroned?

It would appear that a combination of favorable rules for and technical advances by the nitro coupe tuners and crew chiefs have contributed to their speed advantage. The single most important factor may be that rev limiters are set to allow Funny Cars to rev their engines 200 more rpm than dragsters.

Given that there is an NHRA-mandated gear ratio number for both Top Fuel and Funny Cars, any way you do the math the Funny Cars should be faster.

It also appears that Funny Cars have an inherent aero advantage over dragsters.

Today’s Funny Car bodies are the result of hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of wind tunnel testing time at Ford, GM and Mopar.

Current Funny Car bodies resemble GTP cars running at LeMans or Daytona. If it weren’t for the logos, most fans wouldn’t know a Mustang FC from a Chevy, Dodge or a Toyota. Today’s Funny Car bodies have the outline of a wedge.

The current bodies are aerodynamically slicker and make more downforce than at any time in the history of the class. Also, Funny Cars were especially helped by a new tire that Goodyear introduced approximately two years ago, and many teams say they are much less likely to lose traction than with Goodyear’s previous offering.

If you look at two- or three-year-old photos of Funny Car rear spoilers, you will notice the old dump-truck-bed-style spoilers on the back of the cars. The rear spoiler plate was as tall as the side spoilers that supported it. It was very efficient in creating a lot of downforce and even more aero drag that

strained engines and parts.

Now, thanks apparently in part to tires that hook better, Funny Cars don’t require as much downforce as they once did. For the last couple of years, crew chiefs have been making the rear spoiler plate shorter and narrower. In recent years, alcohol Funny Car and Pro Stock teams have all but eliminated rear deck spoilers because the cars go faster without them, as do nitro Funny Cars.

To add insult to injury, the NHRA allowed Funny Car teams to build the famous laid-back headers. Those headers did a couple of things for Funny Cars: They provided thrust that improved 60foot times, and they added horsepower. Unfortunately for the Top Fuel dragsters, laid-back headers evidently aren’t an option, and as far as I can determine, none of the premier Top Fuel teams use them.

The last real innovation in Top Fuel aero tech was the streamliners built by Gary Ormsby and Don Garlits. They drove those cars to records and race wins, but they were eventually replaced with lighter conventional dragsters.

The NHRA even made sure that when Don Schumacher Racing put enclosed canopies on its dragsters, they didn't gain any advantage through their use.

Unless NHRA does something to allow dragsters to attain greater speeds—and there doesn’t appear to be a

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good reason to do so since the policy is setting a speed record in the nitro classes means nothing other than bragging rights for the team— dragsters’ performances will not improve significantly. It’s reasonable to make a case that nitro Funny Cars have benefited much more from technical advances that they can actually use than have Top Fuel Dragster teams. No one should be surprised that Funny Cars are consistently faster than dragsters, and this fact isn’t likely to change in the foreseeable future.

Update: On July 28, Robert HIght/Jimmy Prock ran the fastest speed in NHRA history—339.87!

� Since the ’50s, dragster designers have attempted a plethora of aero designs. The modern age of drag racing witnessed Don Garlits’ and Gary Ormsby’s streamliners.

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Josh Hart / THE AMERICAN DREAM ON STEROIDS

J

OSH HART WENT FROM PILOTING A 13-SECOND FORD PICKUP TO A FIVESECOND A/FUEL DRAGSTER IN SIX SHORT YEARS, ALL WHILE CREATING BURNYZZ SPEED SHOP, A BURGEONING DO-IT-ALL AUTOMOTIVE EMPIRE.

Prior to 2009, Josh owned a successful asphalt paving company in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Growing tired of the vagaries of Midwestern weather, he and wife Brittanie did a thorough search for a more hospitable climate. Location selected, the business was sold, and off they went to Ocala, Florida.

Once in Ocala, Josh began participating in extracurricular racing activities, as he had in Indiana. New friend Gene Selby convinced him to go legit and take his considerable driving skills and Ford Lightning to NHRA’s fabled Gainesville, Florida, facility. What followed throughout the next five years was a succession of faster and faster race cars.

In 2013, Remo DiGenova relinquished the seat in his S/C dragster to Josh, who, at the jump, bettered Remo’s performance.

Soon he was the S/C’s owner, eventually converting it to a big-block-powered sevensecond Top Dragster.

Lusting for still more, in 2015 Josh began his preparations for A/Fuel. A year later, he was wheeling a new 295-inch Dan-Pagebuilt dragster powered by an injected-nitroburning BAE Hemi. A shrewd judge of talent, Josh recruited Gene Gallant as crew chief.

Text by Pete Ward Photos by Ron Lewis

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Gene, brother of renowned NHRA champion Art Gallant, had labored in his brother’s shadow for years, and he proved to be up to the tasks required of his new role. In his first season, Josh missed finishing in second place by one point in the ultra-competitive NHRA Division Two TAD competition. Josh and Gene are assisted by Gene’s brother, Donny, John Kohlweiss, Robert Mullins, Mike Marko, and most especially, Josh’s wife of 15 years, Brittanie. Flying the Advanced Auto Parts colors this season, Josh and team are making serious noise. As of this article, they’re three for three in capturing the #1 qualifying position, including NHRA’s Norwalk, Ohio, national event.

What helped to make all of this possible?

Josh and Brittanie’s Burnyzz’s Speed Shop.

What started as a modest 2,000-sq-ft operation, envisioned as a low key, low stress automotive business, has morphed into a 25,000-sq-ft complex with 10 full-time employees. Burnyzz’s staff will handle the simplest task, say, changing your oil, up to restoring a classic muscle car, or as their moto states: “If you dream it, we’ll build it,” constructing, from the ground up, your hot rod vision. Additionally, they scour the country RIGHT. Brad Anderson Enterprises provided the building blocks for Hart’s estimated 4,000-hp nitro-burner.

BELOW. Check out BAE’s interpretation of a 426-style Chrysler Hemi head.

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for classic American muscle and offer it up for sale in their showroom capable of holding more than 50 cars.

To fully understand the scope of their operation, you need to visit Burnyzz.com.

A final note: Josh swears, even though he’s a hardcore car drag racer, that he didn’t realize Ocala was also the home of, some might say,

the King of Drag Racing, “Big Daddy” Don Garlits.

Several years ago, Don paid a visit to his new neighbor, and he and Josh quickly formed a friendship. Big enlisted Josh to assist on the Electric Swamp Rat dragster, which appears to be Big’s last project.

Josh Hart is indeed living the American Dream.

Josh’s words to live by are emblazoned on his dragster.

Josh swears, even though he’s a hardcore car drag racer, that he didn’t realize Ocala was also the home of, some might say, the King of Drag Racing, 'Big Daddy' Don Garlits.

Several years ago, Don paid a visit to his new neighbor, and he and Josh quickly formed a friendship.

LEFT. Josh chose Gene Gallant (brother of NHRA top tier performer Art Gallant) as his crew chief.

RIGHT. Josh’s business successes have allowed him to live the dream.

Josh’s work environs. Many drivers say A/Fuelers are more challenging than an AA Fuel Dragster.

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This is one half of Sherman Adcock’s dynamic racing duo.

STILL

Climbing MOUNTAINS Text and Photos by Rod Short

F

OR SOME RACE FANS, SUPER GAS AND SUPER COMP MIGHT BE MORE OF AN AFTERTHOUGHT THAN A REASON TO BUY A TICKET TO AN EVENT. Yet, for the participants, it’s an all-consuming fire requiring more determination and focus than many realize. Veteran NHRA competitor Sherman Adcock is a good example of what it takes to race in this division.

“You gotta keep diggin’ if you want to win,” Adcock says. “You have to know your car, the tracks, the weather, how to tune and what makes your combination work; on top of knowing your competitors.

With smart phones, Twitter, Facebook and all,

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/ SHERMAN ADCOCK KEEPS ADDING TO HIS HALL OF FAME CAREER

everybody copies each other and thinks they know what the other guy’s gonna do.

So, you have to be on your game and then be unpredictable, too.”

He should know. With two national championships, eight division titles, a dozen national event wins and former winner of the prestigious Million Dollar Race, Adcock has been there and done that. Yet, with all of his accomplishments and a national sponsor for his two cars, he started from humble beginnings.

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“My brother Woody and I grew up watching Dad race in Stock/Super Stock at Phenix City Dragstrip in Alabama,” Adcock recalls.

“I still remember seeing Hubert Platt, Grumpy Jenkins, Reid Whisnant and others there when they’d run a Pro Stock show right before the Gatornationals.

It was an Outlaw track, and I recall driving a Toyota there when I was 12-13, before I moved up to the family station wagon. When Super Gas came out, it was a class my brother and I could afford, which is why we adopted it.”

Adcock’s first full year of Super Gas competition was in 1986, which culminated in him winning the NHRA Southeast Division title. The next several years weren’t as successful, but then he had a breakout season in 1990 with several national and divisional wins, which led to a national championship. The following years brought highs and lows, but Adcock stayed the course, adapting as the class evolved. He won his second national title in 2007.

Today, he races an ’02 Trans Am roadster in Super

Gas as well as a 240-inchwheelbase swing-arm dragster in Super Comp, both of which came from Mark Horton at American Race Cars. Wilkerson Racing Engines built a 632-cid BBC combination for the roadster with a Dart aluminum block/heads and a 1,250cfm carb from Advanced Product Design. Hughes Performance provided the Powerglide transmission and converter, while the tires are from Hoosier. His dragster features a similar 615-cid engine combination, but with Pontiac heads, and it’s capable of 4.60 E.T.s in the eighth-mile.

“With good service and some luck, you can run these engines four to five years with new springs and lifters after 200 runs or so,” Adcock says. “The equipment we run is so much better today than when I first started racing.

We pay special attention to the carbs, shocks and having fresh tires. With the newer weather stations and software like Crew Chief Pro, putting time and study into it really pays off.”

With so many years in Super Gas and Super Comp

Sherman has every right to smile. He has two sweet rides, a wall full of Wallys and a major sponsor. His S/C chassis and engine, like his S/G, come from American Race Cars and Wilkerson Racing.

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Sherman's '02 Trans Am is a far cry from what Pontiac envisioned. The S/G's chassis is a product of American Race Cars and the big-block engine is by Wilkerson Racing.

We pay special attention to the carbs, shocks and having fresh tires.

With the newer weather stations and software like Crew Chief Pro, putting time and study into it really pays off.

—Sherman Adcock index racing, you could say that Adcock has seen it all. That perspective has led to some insights worthy of consideration.

“Super Gas has changed monumentally,” he says flatly. “In the ’80s, we were typically running 355 small-blocks with a top end speed of 125-135 mph. Now we’re running speeds approaching 170 mph. So, we’re getting faster and the tracks aren’t getting any longer.

“I ran the NHRA Division 2 point’s race at Galot Motorsports Park where they only ran to a thousand feet like the nitro classes do,” Adcock continues. “I think that doing the same in all our classes really wouldn’t be a bad idea for everyone. I mean, I like running the quarter-mile, but because eighth-mile stuff just feels a little short. Running a thousand-foot [track] felt just right.”

With 40-plus years of racing today, Adcock still has a lot of years ahead of him, and he credits a number of people for being there along the way. His wife Michele, brother Woody and sister Melodi all help keep the home fires burning, while others, including partners and car owners Tim Lunceford and Mark Horton and crew chief K.J. Johnson, have been there as well.

“I feel very fortunate to be able to this,” he says. “I’ve been lucky.” But there are still mountains to climb!

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/ BUD PREUSS DOING IT HIS WAY Text and Photos by Brian Losness

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B

UD PREUSS IS A SELF-MADE MAN. After graduating from Bellflower, California’s Garr High School, where he studied under none other than drag racing’s most famous educator, Gary Densham, he relocated to Grand Junction, Colorado.

When a promised construction job in Colorado failed to materialize, Preuss had a skill set to fall back on. “In high school I was striping and lettering people’s trucks and stuff on the side. I brought to Junction a California flair that nobody else had seen or done.” His creativity would pay huge dividends for Preuss and his family.

In the fall of 1980, Bud’s Signs opened its doors. “I started with me and that was it for a while,” Preuss says. Now he has 25 employees and an 18,000-sq-ft state-of-the-art shop that does all facets of the sign business.

When he was first starting out, he thought it would be fun to get a race car. Then children came, and Preuss focused on them. His oldest, Brett, fell in love with motocross, “So I focused my racing energies on his racing.”

Brett started to become quite successful, climbing the ranks and garnering attention from factories and sponsors. “We were gone all the time racing here and there, and it was

In high school I was striping and lettering people’s trucks and stuff on the side. I brought to Junction a California flair that nobody else had seen or done.

—Bud Preuss

ABOVE. The Driskell Enterprises 632-ci Brodex big motor cranks out a thumping 1,280 bhp. Early numbers—6.85/202 mph—are very promising.

BELOW. Team Preuss (L to R): Paul Schritter, owner/driver Bud Preuss and Robert Sheppard

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very exciting. Brett was getting really, really good,” Preuss tells Drag Racer.

Unfortunately, as with many motocrossers, injuries began to plague Brett. “One day he came up to me and said, ‘Dad, I just don’t want to do this anymore.’”

Then a few years ago, following the liquidation of the motocross operation, Preuss was somewhat coerced into going to the drag races. “I went just to watch, and damned if it wasn’t long after I was buying a car. The kids were out of the house, and I thought, well, it’s time for me.”

After running a ’34 Ford and then a Super Comp Dragster, Preuss decided to go all in on a new Tim McAmis Top Sportsman car. Asked why he wanted a door car, Preuss gave a very salient answer: “’Cause door cars have a character to them, and with a big inch

nitrous motor and an automatic, there isn’t a great deal of maintenance to them. It’s not like Pro Mod. I have a number in mind, and I have to run that number. I don’t have to lean on stuff.”

McAmis built a full chrome-moly chassis cloaked in a carbon-fiber 1969 Camaro body. With weight in mind, the interior is also completely carbon fiber. Racepak supplied the instruments, data-recording devices and

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Preuss spared no expense when filling out the order form for his Tim McAmis-built flier. The chrome alloy/ carbon-fiber-bodied creation is basically a Pro Mod without the headaches.

The McAmis chassis features an F/C-style driver cage and yards of strong yet lightweight carbon fiber.

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I went just to watch, and damned if it wasn’t long after I was buying a car. The kids were out of the house, and I thought, well, it’s time for me.

—Bud Preuss sensors. MSD provides and controls spark to the engine. All of the safety equipment is Simpson. Weld Wheels ride on Hoosier tires.

The engine is a Driskell Enterprises 632ci Brodix big-block Chevy. The long-block, topped with Brodix billet cylinder heads, was massaged by Sonny’s. A Profiler intake topped with ADP billet carburetors is augmented with an Induction Systems two-stage nitrous system. As currently configured, the motor produces 1,280 bhp.

That power is transferred to the rear wheels via an FTI Powerglide transmission with matching 10-inch converter.

Jeff Hoskins applied the Victory Red Paint to the Camaro.

Preuss is a stickler for tidy engineering, and examples abound throughout his racer.

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As of this writing, the car’s best lap, with a mild tune, recorded at the high altitude Strip in Las Vegas, is 6.85-202 mph. Preuss, with crew members Paul Schritter and Robert Sheppard, is looking forward to hitting tracks that are closer to sea level to discover the true potential of this red rocket.

Preuss likes to do things the way he sees fit. That’s one reason for his personal success, and it transfers to his racing. He, like Frank Sinatra, does things his way.

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L

IONS: THE GREATEST DRAG STRIP EVER? Many would shout, without a pause, “Hell, yes!”

Operating from 1955 through 1972, Lions went by several names: Long Beach (even though it was actually in Wilmington), or simply The Beach. It was the home track to many of the most famous drag racers who ever turned a slick. When the atmospheric conditions were just right, the air at the track was magical, creating perfect conditions for producing big horsepower. Those fortunate enough to attend Lions witnessed what many consider the golden age of drag racing.

Jerry Bivens, helming the Bivens & Fisher Checkmate T/F, was another Lions regular. ’Goo$e also spent considerable seat time in the Checkmate.

OFLions Spirit EVENT

/ THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES Text and Photos by Rod Short

At least 30 Lions-era cackle cars made beautiful music several times during the day’s festivities.

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Kenny Youngblood did a rendering of Lorenzen’s upcoming tribute to Lions exhibition. It’s guaranteed to be a jawdropper.

Those 700-plus in attendance witnessed a period-correct car show and at least 30 Lions-era cackle cars that participated in a simulated push-start scenario. The fans ate it up.

Recently, the legacy of this fabled racing facility was celebrated at the Spirit of Lion Event. Hosted by Rick Lorenzen at his massive Price Transfer facility, close to the strip’s original location, the event was a collaboration of efforts by Lorenzen, Dave Mandella, Steve Gibbs, Steve Davis and most specifically, Lorenzen’s right-hand man, Rob Marchese.

Those 700-plus in attendance witnessed a period-correct car show and at least 30 Lions-era cackle cars that participated in

a simulated push-start scenario. The fans ate it up.

In close proximity to the festivities was Lorenzen's Price Automobilia Auto Collection, devoted to American iron (including race cars) from the ’20s through the ’60s.

Lorenzen, who as a kid was a Lions regular, is in the process of creating (for lack

of a better term) a museum devoted to recreating “the spirit of Lions.” This is a long-term endeavor that will capture the essence of the drag strip, which at one time, was the epicenter of drag racing.

All in attendance say thanks for the memories to Lorenzen and everyone who brought this event to life.

This is just a small portion of Lorenzen’s amazing Price Automobilia auto collection.

The man of the hour, Rick Lorenzen, holding a rendering of one of Lions’ memorable races: The Mongoo$e vs. Snake, captured by artist James Ibusuki.

The Yeakel Plymouth T/F fielded by Lou Baney and Vince Rossi and driven by the Mongoo$e was a Lions regular. Vince’s son, Paul, was in the saddle for the event.

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Capps

/ JUST THE THREE OF US Text and Photos by Stephen Justice and Wayne Lederer

Family Racing

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S

HE’S 21 YEARS OLD, HAS BEEN RACING THE HEARTBREAKER ALTERED ROADSTER FOR LESS THAN 24 MONTHS, AND HAS ALREADY WON TWO NHRA WALLYS. Could it be the genes?

Sabrina Capps burst onto the nostalgia drag racing scene in late 2015 after successfully competing in NHRA’s Junior Dragster program. Her dad, Mark Capps, has been a regular participant at drag strips throughout the west for more than 30 years. Sabrina’s emergence is not the usual scenario whereby dad turns the wheel over to his daughter. Both are going full bore, each competing in NHRA’s Heritage Series; Mark in C/G and Sabrina in Nostalgia Eliminator 1. He also races the same class with the American Nostalgia Racing Association (ANRA) and Sabrina in A/G with the West Coast Pro Gas Association. Together, they have won four Wallys in less than two years. To race two cars in different classes in three associations is a near Herculean feat.

For Sabrina and Mark to compete in the NHRA Heritage Series on the same weekend, extraordinary planning, physical and mental endurance, some fortuitous scheduling, and mom’s oversight are required. Mom is Diana Capps, wife and mother—the motor that makes this operation go.

Together, the three of them, successful and inseparable, are Capps Family Racing.

Mark started racing in 1983, albeit it on the street. Mark remembers, “I was doing the illegal stuff all over the county, winning races and pocketing a lot of money. I was just a kid, fresh out of high school. After high school, I enrolled in the automotive program at Fresno City College, earned all my certificates, and worked as a mechanic for years.” Mark eventually opened his own business, Capps Mustang (later Mustang Ranch), specializing in restoring old Ford Mustangs. “We started with $1,500, right about the time Sabrina was born in 1995. It’s been pretty much a family endeavor, with Sabrina doing her fair share of the work along the way. kIn 2003, I started doing a lot more sanctioned racing as opposed to the street stuff. Sabrina was participating in Junior Dragster, it just made more sense for safety and other reasons.” Mark found a home with ANRA, winning many races in C/G with a ’67 Mustang.

He also captured two C/G titles in both West Coast Hot Rod and West Coast Pro Gas associations.

 The NE-1 roadster’s Heart Breaker moniker is quite accurate. Sabrina Capps has crushed the dreams of many a competitor.

I was doing the illegal stuff all over the county, winning races and pocketing a lot of money. I was just a kid, fresh out of high school.

After high school, I enrolled in the automotive program at Fresno City College, earned all my certificates, and worked as a mechanic for years.

—Mark Capps 49

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TECH SHEET SABRINA CAPPS (Roadster)

 A Steve Schmidt big-block GM Pro Stock motor functions quite nicely in its new home.

When Sabrina was old enough to race a big car, Mark decided to get out of the driver’s seat. He recalls, “I retired, I thought, to let Sabrina race the Mustang.

But, I got talked into driving the About Time blown and injected dragster. When Sabrina stepped up to NE-1 in 2015, I went back to Sabrina’s Magic, the name we gave the Mustang when Sabrina was four.”

The time away from the Mustang did not affect Mark’s driving acumen; he scored two Wallys in 2016.

“Success in this class at this level requires a tremendous amount of cunning and concentration. The staging process is particularly critical to winning the race.

Opponents are going to play a mind game with you.

You do the same and had better be good at it,” Mark explained the Machiavellian maneuvering by drivers.

“But win or lose, I will always congratulate the other racer.

Good sportsmanship is equally as important to us as winning.”

Like father like daughter seems to be apropos here.

Sabrina excelled in the Junior Dragster program, twice earning runnerup honors at the ANRA

championships at Famoso Raceway. The energetic 21-year-old nursing student is not lacking confidence. Sabrina offers this about herself, “I know I am really good at what I do. I think I have been successful in the sport because of experience, commitment and my family. I have always worked on my race cars from the time I had the junior dragster, and I believe that experience has made me a better driver. I always try my hardest, and my mom and dad taught me that sportsmanship is just as important as winning. Everybody is going to have an off day now and then, but if you believe in yourself, the wins are going to come.”

So, what is next for the altered roadster driver? “I’ve gone 185 mph, but I want to go faster. I want to get licensed in a nostalgia nitro Funny Car—that is my dream race car— even an NHRA Big Show Funny Car if the opportunity arises. I love being in the seat and just going down the track. I am proud of my accomplishments so far, but I want to get behind the wheel of a nitro-burning race car.”

 “Spartan” best describes the roadster’s very functional cockpit.

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Car Builder: McKinney Chassis Engine: 585-cid BBC Steve Schmidt Pro Stock motor Engine Builder: Rick Fauset, Fauset Racing Engines Manifold: Hogan sheet metal tunnel ram Cylinder Heads: 12-degree profiler Camshaft: Competition Cams Lifters & Springs: Competition lifter and springs Rocker Arms: Jessel Crankshaft: Sonny Bryant Rods & Pistons: GRP aluminum rods, J&E pistons Oil Pump: Peterson dry sump Fuel System: Twin Gary Williams 1150 Dominators with two Dedenbear throttle stops Ignition: MSD 7AL with crank trigger Transmission: Powerglide by Brandon’s Transmissions Shifter: Hurst quarter stick Torque Converter: Neal Chance Front & Rear Suspension: Strange 10-bolt top loader rearend Tires & Wheels: Centerline with Mickey Thompson tires (front), Convo Pro Centerlines with Mickey Thompson 34.5x17x16 tires (rear) Safety Equipment: Simpson (all)

Racing two cars at the same event is no easy feat.

The cars are usually on a strict qualifying schedule, and turnaround time between them can make for a mad dash back to the staging lanes to prepare the second race car. When just three people are servicing two race cars, things can get frenetic. Then come eliminations, and as eliminations progress, the interval between rounds gets shorter. This is where multi-tasking mom’s contributions really kick in.

Not only does Diana handle the pre-race preparations (food, beverages, gear, etc.),

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TECH SHEET MARK CAPPS (Mustang) Car Builder: Chris Alston 4-link Engine: 565-cid 460 Ford Sports block Engine Builder: Ric Fauset, Fauset Racing Engines Manifold: Edelbrock Cylinder Heads: Blue Thunder Camshaft: Competition Lifters & Springs: Competition Valves & Rocker Arms: Competition Crankshaft: SCAT Rods & Pistons: SCAT rods and Ross pistons Oil Pump: Mellings high volume Fuel System: 1450 Dominator with a Dedenbear throttle stop Ignition: MSD Transmission: Powerglide with a 5500 stall convertor Shifter: Hurst quarter stick Torque Converter: 9-inch Continental Front End Suspension: Mustang with VariShock shocks Rear Suspension: Alston 4-link with VariShock double adjustable shocks and anti-roll bar in the back; 9-inch rearend with Wildwood disc brakes and and 4.11 gears, built by Fearless Gear, Fresno, CA Safety Equipment: Simpson (all) Body Work: Johnny’s Paint and Body Paint & Airbrush: House of Color Iced Violet, Johnny’s Paint and Body, Fresno, CA Chrome & Polishing: Adam’s Polish

but once at the track, she monitors the weather station, dials-in the Deadenbear throttle stops, and gets Mark and Sabrina ready to race. Once it’s time to pull up into the staging lanes, Diana’s job can get hectic.

Nevertheless, it’s a routine she has down pat.

Diana says, “First, I suit up Mark and Sabrina. I help Mark with his helmet, shoulder belts and gloves. I kiss him, put up the window net and give him an ‘I love you’ sign. With Sabrina, I help her suit up and secure the seatbelts the way a mom knows is safe. Once she is in the race car and belted, we say a prayer and I give her some reassuring words before Mark pulls her into the water box. Then, I scoot down the

track so I can back her up, pull her into the beam, exchange familiar gestures, and let her stage.” This is repeated so long as dad and daughter are competing. As Mark says, “We run her to death; I don’t know a lot of teams doing it.” Oh yeah, Diana also takes out engines and transmissions when needed. She is the crew chief.

That’s Capps Family Racing and they are darn good— just the three of them.

 BELOW. What would the owner of Mustang Ranch, a vintage Mustang restoration company, race?

Obviously, it has to be the vehicle that ignited Detroit’s Pony Car revolution.

 Team Capps (L to R): Dad Mark, Sabrina and Mom Diana

 It’s Blue Oval all the way for Capps. The

engine is a 565-ci 460 Ford sports block, built by Ric Fauset of Fauset Racing Engines.

 Similar to the roadster’s interior, the

Mustang is all business and light on creature comforts.

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/ THE ULTIMATE MIX OF NOSTALGIA AND NITRO

Text by Pete Ward Photos Courtesy of NHRA Motorsports Museum, Doug Adams and Jim White

T

WENTY-SIX YEARS AGO, THE FIRST CALIFORNIA HOT ROD REUNION TOOK PLACE. It’s doubtful those who planned the inaugural event had any idea what they’d created. It has tapped into the deep desire of hot-rodders in general and drag racers in particular to reconnect with the golden age of automotive performance.

To those who haven’t had the opportunity to participate in the Reunion, here’s a primer of what to expect and why you’d want to attend.

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WHAT IS THE HOT ROD REUNION? The Hot Rod Reunion, produced by and benefitting the NHRA Motorsports Museum, is three full days of quarter-mile nitro nostalgia drag racing; a giant gathering of customs, hot rods, and muscle and vintage race cars; a huge automotive and vintage swap meet; and a quartermile of manufacturers and vendors offering everything from steering wheels to souvenirs. The Reunion is famous for providing the opportunity for fans to spend time with their heroes and legends of the sport. Additionally, some of the greats from hot rodding and drag racing history are honored. And if that wasn’t enough, the season’s Hot Rod Heritage Series Champions and the Reunion Race Winners are crowned.

HOME OF THE CACKLEFEST® The famed Cacklefest® will return to the 2015 Reunion format with thrilling push-starts on the return road and the crowd-pleasing sights and sounds of nitro-burning engines thundering in the night. For hundreds of fans, the Cacklefest® alone is worth the price of admission. The sight and sound of dozens of fuel racers roaring in cadence is an experience you won’t soon forget. Like the first Reunion, the first Cacklefest® in 2002 was created by the museum and has grown to be a muchanticipated part of each Reunion today.

Racing classes include: Nostalgia Top Fuel, Nostalgia Funny Car, A/Fuel, Junior Fuel, 7.0 Pro, A/Gas, NE1, A/FX and Exhibition, as well as AA/Fuel Altereds and professional exhibition. Nitro junkies, you’ll witness more side-by-side fuel action at the CHRR than two Big Show races combined.

 ABOVE. The Cacklefest® is one of the CHRR’s crowning moments. Here The Snake lights off his famous Shelby Ford Cammer T/F.  BELOW. The action on the fabled Famoso strip is non-stop during the Reunion.

2017 Nostalgia Silent Auction Presented by Drag Racer Magazine BENEFITTING THE WALLY PARKS NHRA MOTORSPORTS MUSEUM THE MUSEUM is seeking items for this year’s auction, including treasures such as vintage racing apparel, framed artwork, new and used speed equipment, trophies and other racing memorabilia. The auction will be held during the California Hot Rod Reunion, Oct. 20-21 at Auto Club Famoso Raceway. Items for silent bid will be displayed starting Friday, Oct. 20 in the auction tent located adjacent to the Famoso tower. Bidding will close at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21.

Interested donors please contact Rose Dickinson, rdickinson@nhra.com, 909.622.2575; or Greg Sharp, gsharp@nhra.com, 909.622.2735.

You can also drop items by the museum at any

time during Wednesday-Sunday business hours, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you drop them off, please leave complete information about the item as well as donor contact information.

The value of your donated item may be tax deductible, please check with your tax associate or the IRS. The museum is receiving many items now, in every price range. The auction items will be listed and updated as received on the Reunion website with recognition of donor.

Bidder procedures will be outlined. Cash or credit card will be accepted.

Thank you for your past, current and future support.

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GRAND MARSHAL AND HONOREE RECEPTION Plans for the 2017 Reunion also include the return of the Honoree Reception to the DoubleTree Hotel Ballroom in Bakersfield with Grand Marshal Rick Stewart and 2017 Reunion Honorees: Pete Eastwood, Bill Holland, Bob Lambeck, Bob Panella Sr. and Jimmy Scott, who will be recognized for their many achievements in the motorsports field.

Also, as in the past, nitro cars will fire off in front of the hotel.

HOT RODS WELCOME!  ABOVE & BELOW. You crave nitro action? There’ll be dozens of Nostalgia T/F dragsters and Floppers in competition.

Park your pre-1972 hot rod in the famed Famoso Grove and/or a designated area close to the track action and spectator seating. The tree-lined Grove parking is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis, so get there early. Parking is just $25 per car for the entire event in addition to your daily admission. Plenty of free parking is available outside the Grove also. Hot rod parking starts at 7 a.m. each day. Museum members park for free.

The lineup of participants is building each day and proving to be another great event.

Nuts & Bolts Info 26th annual California Hot Rod Reunion® presented by Automobile Club of Southern California Oct. 20-22, 2017 Auto Club Famoso Raceway, McFarland, CA (just north of Bakersfield) To participate in the Cacklefest®, as a racer, vendor or seller in the swap meet, please go online to Nhramuseum.org and click on the “Reunion” tab to download an application to enter.

Spectator tickets: Call 800.884.6472 or log on to Nhra.com/hotrodreunion Buy before Oct. 13 and save $10 off gate admission, that’s just $65 for three days. Auto Club Members save even more.

 ABOVE. The California Hot Rod Reunion allows you to time travel back to the good old days.  RIGHT. It’s not just about racing, there will be hundreds of hot rods, customs and muscle cars on display.

For more information, go online to Nhramuseum.org or call 909.622.2133.

The three-day schedule of events can also be found at Nhramuseum.org.

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Dot Stock: All steel body. No fiberglass panels of any kind. No missing parts. Must be completely street legal. DOT approved tires, full street trim, full interior, lights etc..

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Junior Eliminator: 11.00 and slower. Full body. Fiberglass hood or one piece front clip allowed. May run without front bumper, Open headers welcomed! Any tire may be run. Trans brake/foot brake only. Two steps and air/electric shifting units allowed. Full NHRA rules apply.

Top Eliminator: 10.99 and faster (just like NHRA super pro). Anything goes as long as it’s safe and NHRA legal. Delay boxes, trans brake, foot brake, air/electric shifting units are all OK. All fiberglass panels allowed. Full race interior set up. If it passes NHRA tech, it qualifies. Full NHRA rules apply.

Fun Runs: Exactly what it says. Go have some fun with your ride. Setup a race with your buddy or just make a 1/4 mile pass down the strip for the rush of it. It’s all for fun.

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2017 EVENT SCHEDULE 57th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals Feb. 9-12 • Pomona, Calif.

33rd annual NHRA Arizona Nationals Feb. 24-26 • Phoenix 48th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals March 16-19 • Gainesville 18th annual DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals March 31-April 2 • Las Vegas 30th annual NHRA SpringNationals April 21-23 • Houston 8th annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals April 28-30 • Charlotte, N.C. 37th annual NHRA Southern Nationals May 5-7 • Atlanta 29th annual Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals presented by Minties

May 19-21 • Topeka, Kan. 5th annual NHRA New England Nationals June 2-4 • Epping, N.H. 48th annual NHRA Summernationals June 8-11 • Englishtown 17th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals June 16-18 • Bristol, Tenn.

11th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals June 22-25 • Norwalk, Ohio 20th annual Route 66 NHRA Nationals July 6-9 • Chicago 38th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals July 21-23 • Denver 30th annual Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals July 28-30 • Sonoma, Calif.

30th annual NHRA Northwest Nationals Aug. 4-6 • Seattle 36th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals Aug. 17-20 • Brainerd, Minn.

63rd annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals Aug. 30-Sept. 4 • Indianapolis

NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP 10th annual NHRA Carolina Nationals Sept. 15-17 • Charlotte, N.C. 33rd annual Dodge NHRA Nationals Sept. 21-24 • Reading, Pa. 6th annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals Sept. 29-Oct. 1 • St. Louis 32nd annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals Oct. 12-15 • Dallas 17th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals Oct. 26-29 • Las Vegas 53rd annual Auto Club NHRA Finals Nov. 9-12 • Pomona, Calif.

FOR COMPLETE SCHEDULE AND TICKETS GO TO NHRA.COM

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For many of us, racing is in our blood. It runs through our veins and the smell of racing fuel signifies another work day. For some, the passion for racing has been passed down through the generations.

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RACING VALVE Sound Rules SPRINGS to Remember Text by Ben Mozart Photos Courtesy of PerTronix Performance Products Text by Archie Bosman Photos by Moore Good Ink

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B

EFORE STARTING THIS VALVE SPRING STORY I THOUGHT I HAD A GRASP OF ITS MECHANICS, BUT THEN AS IT DEVELOPED, IT BECAME INCREASINGLY COMPLICATED, UNTIL I REACHED A POINT WHERE I DOUBTED IF I HAD ANY INTUITIVE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW VALVE SPRINGS AND THEIR ATTENDANT VALVE GEAR FUNCTION. Happily, the accumulated reams of research data were simplified when Dick Boyer entered the picture. Here, courtesy of Erson Cams, are several sound rules to remember. It’s a brief insight developed for those interested in high-performance engine technology that explains the severity of the environment in which the valve spring operates and some of its relationships with the various functions of the valve train.

Erson suggests that the primary factors considered when selecting valve springs in a racing engine are first, the amount of valve lift, and second, engine speeds. As engine speed increases, so does inertia, which refers to valve-train resistance to changes in speed and direction.

With regard to the valve when it is fully open—at maximum valve lift—most engine builders desire the valve spring to be within 0.050 inch to 0.060 inch of coil bound. This almost coil-bound condition returns the coil spring to a uniform, stable shape on every closing cycle.

If not, the spring exhibits excessive space between the coils and it cannot maintain its composure—it constantly shakes and wiggles. Therefore, it could be argued that a valve spring operating at moderate lift that doesn’t close properly is more inclined to ail with premature weakness or breakage than one operating with higher lift that does close properly.

AGGRESSIVE CAMSHAFTS AND WHEN THEY UNDERMINE THE COMBINATION Beyond these two parameters—the amount of valve lift and engine speeds—there is the aggressiveness of the camshaft profile to consider. Race engine builders frequently refer to an aggressive lobe as a “square lobe,” which conveys a somewhat exaggerated mental picture. “Aggressiveness” in this context means how fast the valve is propelled off the valve seat. If it’s too aggressive, at some point in the engine rev cycle it will loft the lifter off the cam lobe, and the valvetrain assembly will lose control. This is debilitating as it undermines valve-

spring longevity.

Race engine builder Jon Kaase warns, “When the valve-to-lifter assembly leaves the cam lobe on the opening side and comes crashing down on the closing side, this affects the entire valve train, particularly valve springs.

It weakens them and can break them. It also injures solid roller lifter wheels as it bangs them against the camshaft lobes.”

Consequently, overly aggressive cam profiles have a nullifying effect, most notably when piston speeds outrun the valve events.

SEAT PRESSURES Springs are available as singles, doubles or triples, and they are selected by the amount of pressure required for the lifter

It’s all about how hard you are pushing the limits. If you use the same spring for the intake and the exhaust, which we often do, the exhaust will last longer because it has more degrees of duration than the intake.

—Jon Kaase, race engine builder

If insufficient clearance

exists between pocket wall and spring, machine pocket with spring seat cutter to prevent binding. By contrast, excessive clearance between the pocket wall and spring provokes unwanted, axial movement. Correct the problem by installing a spring cup.

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insufficient spring pressure, which will lead to failure.

Engine builder Kevin Stoa adds, “You could have the best valve in the world, but if it floats, it can act like a jackhammer and break.” Often, the good name of the valve maker is blemished when the fault lies in inadequate spring pressure or the valve train going out of control. As a consequence, the valve can be hammered, as Stoa indicates, until it breaks.

Most engine builders

arrange the valve spring to be within 0.050 inch to 0.060 inch of coil bound, which returns the spring to a uniform, stable shape on every closing cycle.

WHAT’S VALVE FLOAT?

Designed for professional and sportsman racers, Erson’s FSP series is aimed at drag racing, oval track and endurance events as well as motorcycles.

These competition valve springs are created from super-clean, ultra-strong, specifically blended steel alloy wire of the highest quality. to follow the cam lobe.

Naturally, you use the lightest spring to control the valve—that is, to keep it closed and not allow it to chatter—because the higher the spring pressure, the more power is absorbed by the engine to operate it. If a single spring can control the valve, adding more spring pressure will not generate more power. On the other hand, cylinder pressure will be lost if the valve chatters. Valve chatter or valve bounce means the valve continues to bounce on the seat when it closes.

Chatter is often caused by insufficient valve-spring pressure or by the valve closing too aggressively, despite, sometimes, the lifter following the cam lobe faithfully.

Seat pressures used with flat-tappet camshafts are usually in the 120- to 140-pound range. However, by employing careful running-in procedures with expensive tool steel flat

tappets and camshafts some engine builders adopt 200-pound seat pressures and beyond.

But on Kaase’s Boss Nine hot rod engines, which use a hydraulic roller camshaft and operate with single valve springs, the seat pressure is around 160 pounds. On its P-51 race engines, which run a solid roller cam and double springs, the seat pressures are 220 to 230 pounds. On the Mountain Motor Pro Stock race engines, seat pressures are generated by triple springs and maintained in the 450-pound range. Valve spring open pressures on these engines operate at around 1,200 pounds.

Erson’s Dick Boyer agrees that the worst thing you can do is to lose valve train control due to insufficient spring pressure. The horsepower loss caused by adding a little more spring pressure is negligible compared to the effects of

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Valve float occurs when the valve train is out of control. It’s when the lifters have lost contact with the lobes, when they no longer follow the cam. “If the valve train loses control during a dynamometer pull, it is audible,” says Stoa. Instead of the air flow increasing or remaining linear, it decreases precipitously.

The loss is also apparent in the numbers.

“The airflow might be 800 cfm, but if it encounters valve float, it will instantly drop to, say, 500 cfm or 600 cfm. The fix is not always simple, but initially, we might experiment by increasing valve spring pressure or reducing rocker arm ratio. Let’s say your rocker is 1.6:1, we might reduce it to 1.5:1.”

Jon Kaase tells us, “It’s all about how hard you are pushing the limits. If you use the same spring for the intake and the exhaust, which we often do, the exhaust will last longer because it has more degrees of duration than the intake.” Sometimes Kaase uses a similar cam lobe shape on both the intake and the exhaust. “When you do this, usually the springs act about the same, except the intake is usually a little bit heavier, and so it might have a problem a little bit earlier because of the additional weight.”

Of course, the spring not only closes the valve but also controls the rocker arm and pushrod mass. In addition, if the racer demands greater engine speeds, greater lift requirements and the more aggressive camshaft lobes (faster and harsher), the heavier the valve spring must be.

Erson Cams, widely viewed as a leader in competition camshafts, has been providing proprietary racing valves springs since the ’90s. Designed for professional and sportsman racers, Erson’s FSP series is aimed at drag racing, oval track and endurance events as well as motorcycles.

These competition valve springs are created from super-clean, ultra-strong, ERSON CAMS specifically blended steel alloy 800.641.7920 wire of the highest quality.

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PART 12

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/ TWO WEEKLIES, ONE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 1964 Text by Dave Wallace

A

NY GEARHEAD LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE LIVED OUT WEST IN THE ’50S AND ’60S WILL INSIST THAT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WAS THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE FOR HOT-RODDING AND DRAG RACING. Yes, there will always be deniers who swear that some local scene elsewhere was equal to, if not better than, the coast’s, just unfairly underrepresented in newspapers and magazines that just happened to publish in the L.A. area. The real reason that SoCal got so much press coverage, goes their argument, is that the weeklies and monthlies were there. Historian and NHRA Motorsports Museum Curator Greg Sharp, a product of the car-crazy Long Beach-San Pedro region, counters, “That’s exactly backwards: The newspapers and magazines were here because the action was here, and all year ’round, street or strip.”

Indisputable evidence unexpectedly emerged during research for the previous episode of “Paper Trails,” which involved the last six months of 1964 (see “Paper Trails, Part 11,” pg. 68, Sept. 2017). We were struck by how much “offseason” activity was reported in same-week editions of Drag News and Drag Sport Illustrated following a rainy L.A. weekend.

At a time of year when strips across most of America were either already shuttered for winter or just hosting low-risk sportsman classes, open Top Fuel shows and major match races continued out here.

Most tracks ran Sundays, though two of the best known, Lions Drag Strip and Fontana International Dragway, hosted weekly pro shows right through fall and winter.

Because C.J. Hart ran his weekend feature programs on Saturday nights, Lions escaped the Sunday rainfall that shut down other SoCal strips.

Top Fuelers were his Halloween headliners, but surprise-entrant Jack Chrisman stole the show—just as he had at NHRA’s Nationals that summer—along with DSI’s cover with the nitro-burning Sachs & Son Comet. It’s impossible to overstate this compact’s impact, both at the time and forever more. Originally successful for Chrisman and Bill Shrewsberry as a legal A/FXer, the reconfigured fueler made tirefrying exhibition singles of 10.71/147.54, 10.72/151.26 and 10.67/149.50 here.

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What particularly impressed us about the soggy Oct. 31-Nov. 1 weekend was how all of L.A. got rain that Sunday, yet the subsequent issues of both weekly tabloids gathered sufficient news, rumors, humor, action photos and

advertisements—mostly involving local activity—to ink 24 pages in Drag News plus 12 in Drag Sport Illustrated (DSI). As a result, before we bid farewell to the 1964 season, this entire installment is devoted to those respective,

competitive editions, each cover-dated Saturday, Nov. 7 (and on sale the previous Wednesday).

To read either publication in its entirety, on screen, PDF page scans are available on disc from Wdifl.com.

Coincidentally, the front page of the other weekly tabloid featured Arnie Beswick in the world’s other supercharged “stocker” (following the premature end of the groundbreaking, now-grounded Dodge Chargers). The Farmer took two rounds and Phil Bonner won once before rain interrupted Houston's best-of-five (!) match race. The gas-burning GTO was much quicker and faster, clocking 10.36 at 140.42. Forrest Bond shot the upper photo, while Bill Hughes photographed Pete Robinson’s successful Atlanta defense of his number one spot on the all-important Drag News Mr. Eliminator List.

Challenger Norm Weekly lost this round to a red light

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LEFT. Lacking the usual coverage this week from rained-out local tracks, and always short of ads, DSI founder Phil Bellomy cut his Nov. 7 package to 12 pages. Those “staff” photographers and writers were actually freelancers or track officials (including the mysterious “Eskimo Gudger,” later revealed to be Steve Gibbs, the future NHRA race master). Bellomy and sidekick Jim Kelly, fine photographers both, were the only paid employees of the first weekly drag rag to challenge Drag News, albeit briefly.

ABOVE. Less than four months after the 200-mph barrier had first been believably penetrated by Don Garlits, Frank Cannon and Paul Sutherland, “running a Two” on fuel (or 185 on gas) was still relatively rare. We’d bet that not many Super Le Gerra 550 Magnum customers overcame their shame to request the refunds hereby promised in the “rate-holder” section on the back cover of Drag News.

TOP RIGHT. Even with a dozen or so strips established, more were being built. You know that a sport is literally year ’round when grand openings happen in mid-November.

Carlsbad, between Orange County and San Diego, would last for half a century.

BOTTOM RIGHT. Small-block fuel and gas slingshots were still competitive, as Warren, Coburn & Hollaway demonstrated at Lions the previous Saturday night. Ed Iskenderian put together his hero ad before Drag News went to press on Tuesday morning, less than 36 hours after James Warren outran Danny Ongais in the Top Fuel final.

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ABOVE. You knew it’d been a slow news week when land-speed racing got this kind of space in a hardcore drag rag. Norm Thatcher’s 480-inch Hemi Plymouth’s one-way 205 mph through the flying kilometer (201.34 average) and flying mile (199.48 average) was the fastest, by far, for any production automobile.

BELOW. Talk about bang for the buck, lucky SoCal fans saw shows like this for two bucks, even in winter—at least, those few willing to brave notoriously chilly, windy Saturday nights in far-off Fontana. Note the disappearance of identification with Mickey Thompson, the latest promoter unable to compete with the wildly profitable Lions Associated Drag Strip that M/T opened and operated until 1963.

ABOVE. In contrast to flamboyant competitors Ed Iskenderian and Howard Johansen, Jack Engle’s promotional style was to stay behind the scenes. In this classic example of gasser warfare, neither Engle Cams nor its owner is mentioned, though the familiar writing style suggests a collaboration with Fred Stone’s unnamed camshaft sponsor. Younger readers may be surprised to learn of a time when manufacturers and racers considered it all in good fun to degrade rivals as “Mr. Eskimo Cam Co.” (Isky) and “Big June” (John Mazmanian), while blatantly accusing gas-class illegality (“… your Chevy-powered altered …”).

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RIGHT. It was obviously big news when Ollie Riley, the guided-missile engineer who retired to build drag-strip clocks, custom-designed a setup for SoCal’s newest facility. Perhaps the most significant innovation was the Telewriter system, which printed out exact copies of the time slips being handwritten in the tower, in real time. Previously, the only documentation of E.T.s and mph were original time slips handed to drivers, which went home with their cars. As quickly as times were announced and clocks cleared in the tower, those numbers vanished into thin air. Frequent discrepancies in times and even round winners among various publications were inevitable when correspondents still struggled to hear results mumbled over poor PA speakers, then scribbled their best guesses into notebooks, with no way to verify numbers.

LEFT. Decades before slip-tube dragsters better accomplished the same objective, suspended engines transferred weight rearward and increased traction—theoretically. Kent Fuller’s MagiCar started the brief trend and was soon challenged by Lakewood Chassis Co. owner Joe Schubeck.

Fresh from a promising 7.90/194 debut at “Pete’s Meet” in Atlanta, Schubeck would blow his motor in the first round of this Lions showdown with Gary Cassiday and crash in the lights. Blinded by oil and unable to deploy the new car’s parachute, Joe spun repeatedly and bounced off of a dragster on the return road, barely missing its push car.

The only injuries were to Schubeck’s wallet and especially his ego; though Joe’s wild 8.81/179.28 was quicker and faster, Cassiday’s 8.88/156.25 took the win light. (Nearly four decades later, the revolutionary MagiCar made history again as the original cackle car when restorer Bill Pitts enlivened his static display at the second NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion by firing up its blown 392 Chrysler, inadvertently launching a worldwide trend.)

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Rainout weekends left tabloid pages normally devoted to SoCal event coverage to be filled (with something) on Monday.

Publisher-editor Doris Herbert took this opportunity to run some shop photos shot while Joe Schubeck’s sprung slingshot was still under construction (centerleft image) this summer. Ironically, Schubeck’s successful racing career was about to be sacrificed to his manufacturing success. The introduction of hydroformed, lightweight scatter shields for dragsters transformed a small chassis shop into Lakewood Industries, an industry giant that soon commanded the owner’s fulltime attention. The friendly operation was also a touring racers’ repair shop and home away from home, as illustrated by the hitters who happened to be hanging out the day that reporter Bud DeBoer and photographer Steve Suhajcik dropped by. At 79, “Gentleman” Joe is still dreaming up stuff to make racers faster and safer (view a cool video at Schubeckracing.com).

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“Mister” Norm Kraus also sponsored the season’s quickest doorslammer, Gary Dyer’s 8.6-second, blown-fuel DR-1703-RossDodge.

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Part 12: Nov. 7, 1964, tabloids (Nov. 2017 DR)

NOVEMBER.2017

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The Final Leg

Shane Molinari’s star has been on the rise in 2017.

A

S OUR SEASON WINDS DOWN, THERE’S A LOT TO TALK ABOUT. The first, and easily most exciting, thing coming up at the time of this writing is Drag Illustrated’s $100,000 Winner-Take-All World Series of Pro Mod race in Denver. At the time I’m writing this column, 14 of the 16 drivers have been announced. The fan vote and the Friday night, $10,000 race-your-way-in driver are still up in the air. Many drivers are interested in competing in the Friday night race to vie for that spot on Saturday.

Another hot topic since my last column is winners.

The mid-season champions were: • Topeka: Stevie Jackson • Englishtown: Rickie Smith • Bristol: Troy Coughlin • Norwalk: Shane Molinari

Blower cars, which were the dominate cars in the first part of the season, have been taking a backseat to nitrous and turbo cars through mid-season for a variety of reasons, like rule changes, weather and track quality.

Norwalk’s winner has also been a conversational buzz. Norwalk was Shane’s third final round this season and, so far, winning has been a bit of an exclamation point next to a stellar season for him.

The last four races of the year are: • Indy, September 1-4 • Charlotte, September 15-17 • St. Louis, September 28-October 1 • Vegas, October 26-29

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BEHIND THE SCENES

BY BILL HOLLAND

David Rampy

W

HILE THE SPORT OF DRAG RACING PROVIDES AMPLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMPETITORS IN THE PRO RANKS TO EARN THEIR LIVELIHOOD DOING WHAT THEY LOVE, THERE ARE PRECIOUS FEW CHANCES FOR SPORTSMAN RACERS TO DO THE SAME. You can probably count them all on one hand.

One of the lucky few is known as “Rambo” David Rampy.

For nearly 35 years, the Piedmont, Alabama, resident has been traveling the NHRA circuit (plus IHRA in the ’80s) in search of the winner’s circle. He’s found it an astounding 95 times at NHRA national events, plus at 55 divisional titles and assorted other major events.

It all began in 1973 when David transitioned

from an occasional illicit participant in “contests of speed” to the preferred environment of a sanctioned drag strip—Sylacauga in particular. His weapon of choice was a four-speed ’66 Chevelle.

Rampy first struck pay dirt in 1983, winning Super Stock Eliminator at NHRA’s Cajun Nationals. His mount was a Pontiac GTO owned by his future father-in-law, Sonny Ray. He and Sonny’s daughter, Kelly, tied the knot in 1986, and she’s been an important part of the

equation ever since, tending to the administrative needs of a full schedule.

Meanwhile, Rampy has plenty on his plate maintaining a variety of race cars, including a ’93 S-10 bracket racer for 26-year-old son Chase.

A scan of Rampy’s racing résumé shows the majority of his wins have come in Competition Eliminator.

As the most prolific Comp racer in the sport’s history, he’s often questioned about the class’ future and how to reinvigorate it in the face of  David Rampy: #42 of NHRA’s Top 50 Drivers.

Rampy was one of only three true sportsman drivers to be honored.

UPDATE: July 23, Rampy scored 96th win.

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dwindling participation. In typical form, underscoring his humble nature, Rampy allows as how, “There are lots of Comp cars sitting in garages all over the country. What NHRA needs to do is ask the owners of those cars why they’re not racing. If [the NHRA] can overcome just some of those obstacles, we’d be in a better place.”

In addition to his many wins in Comp, Rampy has scored in other classes as well: Super Comp, Super Gas, Stock, and most notably, Super Stock. He’s doubled

up no less than four times, winning both categories at the same event.

While hopping from one car to the next might seem challenging, Rampy reiterates, “With both cars you’re driving off the bottom bulb, so that’s a constant.

And, depending on who you’re racing, the closure rate can be similar.” Rampy has developed an acute feel for taking the stripe. With S/S or Stock you can break out, while in Comp you can set yourself up for a CIC penalty.

For many years, Rampy partnered with Indiana

 Rampy’s Super Stock Camaro is also a potent multinational event winner. As of this writing, he’s first in Comp and second in Super Stock. We could very well be looking at a double world champ.

 Rampy’s 2017 NHRA Route 66 win was especially sweet.

He was able to share the winner’s circle with the Skillman clan (Drew won Pro Stock) and the folks from Patterson Elite engines.

 The first of 96: Rampy’s Super Stock win at NHRA’s 1983 Cajun Nationals.

 When you think of Rampy, this is the image that first comes to mind, his Comp Eliminator roadster.

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RV dealer Harold Stout, and they enjoyed much success (although a brief foray into the Pro Stock ranks in the early ’90s didn’t provide the anticipated dividends). Other associations throughout the years included Boo Weekly, and most recently, Ray Skillman of Skillman Chevrolet, and Richard Freeman and Allan Patterson with Patterson-Elite.

David relishes his first Wally given its breakthrough prominence and family ties, and his 50th was certainly a milestone victory, but in Rampy’s mind, his most recent victory at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois (number 95), was especially sweet. “Given the layout of the track and the way things worked out, we were able to share the winner’s circle photos with the Skillmans and Pattersons,” he said. “I’ve been relying on Patterson/Elite engines for most of my career, and the Skillman family has been most supportive of our efforts.”

What’s next on Rampy’s agenda? As of this writing, he’s leading the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series national points in Comp Eliminator and is second in Super Stock, just a few points out of the lead—so capturing an NHRA World Championship or two is certainly in the cards.

And then there’s that magic 100 number. With fellow Sportsman standout Dan Fletcher nabbing his hundredth Wally at the Joliet event, the incentive is certainly there. Given the performance and reliability of Rampy’s cars, coupled with his obvious driving skills, it’s not a matter of if, but rather when.

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MOSTLY STOCK

BY ROD SHORT

The Future Begins Here / HEADS-UP STREET CAR RACING—SMALL-TIRE STYLE!

N

ORTH CAROLINA MAY BE KNOWN AS THE HEART OF NASCAR RACING, BUT LOCAL SMALL-TIRE HEADS-UP RACERS ARE BEGINNING TO TURN SOME HEADS. Mark Rogers of Salisbury, North Carolina, is definitely a case in point with his ’03 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra. Running as quick as 4.73 seconds in the 1/8-mile at 147-plus mph in Ultimate Street, he’s among the quickest in his category.

What is Ultimate Street?

It’s one of several different big-buck, small-tire classes popularized by Duck X Promotions out of Crystal Springs, Florida, best known for their Lights Out and No Mercy events.

Held annually at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Valdosta, Georgia, these events have become Internet darlings, drawing huge interest from Millennials and Gen Y participants and fans. Marketing types are beginning to take notice of the demographics of this fan base, including NHRA, which featured X275 racing at the Houston and New England Nationals this year.

We caught up with Mark at Piedmont Dragway, where he had just set an E.T. record running in the Carolina Heads-Up Racing Association (CHRA). He’s recorded a 4.73 pass in the eighth at 147-plus mph, running at 3,100 pounds with a 4.30 gear on M/T

P275/60R15 tires. Putting it in perspective, this number is quicker than any of the 45 cars that attempted to qualify for this class at Lights Out 8. In fact, only four of those 45 were even in the 4.70s at all.

Ultimate Street is not “run whatcha brung” racing. Typical class rules mandate stock location, stock-bore engines and cubic-inch limitation. Single carburetor and cast intakes are the norm with limited amounts of nitrous.

Blowers and turbos are limited and allowable only on small-block combinations with stock valve angles. Rear suspensions are limited to stock type or ladder bar only, and wheelie bars are prohibited.

Eric Yost at Customs by Bigun built Mark’s 3,100-pound racer, powered by a 281-ci Ford DOHC mod motor, which came with 32-valve factory heads. Pete Harrell of Harrell Engine & Dyno built the engine combination using a Work Turbochargers 76mm T6 with a cast wheel and a 1.32 A/R exhaust housing with Tial 38mm wastegates. Mark does not use an intercooler, since he’s running methanol for fuel. Dave Klaput of Performance Racing Transmissions built the Powerglide, featuring a torque converter from Greg Slack’s Converter Design Specialists. Mark gives credit to Pete Harrell for Pete’s tuning skills, as well.

Becoming known as the World Series of Small-Tire Racing, these Lights Out and No Mercy shootout types of events

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offer a number of classes including, but not limited to, Outlaw Drag Radial, X275, Outlaw 632 and Leaf Spring. Local tracks across the nation are adapting rules from these classes to create their own local formats. Members of the aftermarket are coming on board as sponsors as well as new start-up chassis builders, tuners and engine shops.

Does this represent the future? Possibly. Racers like Mark Rogers and his compatriots represent not only a new breed of competitor, but most likely a bright outlook for the next generation of competitors, as well. Sit back and enjoy the show!

NOVEMBER.2017

8/2/17 6:59 AM

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RACER TECH

BY TODD VENEY

Racepak

R

ACEPAK, THE COMPANY THAT REVOLUTIONIZED DRAG RACING WITH THE FIRST DATA RECORDERS MORE THAN A GENERATION AGO, HAS MADE TUNING AND MONITORING VIRTUALLY ANY KIND OF RACE CAR EASIER THAN EVER WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF A PAIR OF INNOVATIVE NEW PRODUCTS: THE DRAG SMARTWIRE AND IQ3D DRAG LOGGER DASH. The Drag SmartWire serves as a drag vehicle’s power distribution center. Equally at home in dragsters and door cars, it eliminates the need for fuses, relays and breakers and takes the headache out of wiring any race car. “It’s the easiest way there is to wire a race car—any car,” says Racepak Sales and Marketing Manager Chris Vopat.

“It eliminates extra weight, unnecessary complexity and all of the extra components that used to make wiring a hassle: fuses, circuit breakers and relays. It talks to your ECU and your EFI system, and if you have a Racepak dash or data recorder, needless to say, it works perfectly with that, too.”

The Racepak Drag SmartWire features a total of 30 outputs and 12 inputs, and all inputs and outputs are user-definable, enabling complete control of the vehicle’s power needs, and it’s pre-programmed for most drag-car functions. The unit comes complete with a wiring harness developed specifically for cars that compete on the drag strip.

“It's preprinted for each function, the trans-brake and all the functions a typical sportsman racer really needs to have,” Vopat says. “You can then specify your own custom parameters for each of the 30 circuits once you have it in the car: the amperage, the voltage, anything you want.”

Just plug in a laptop, and you'll see every function that goes out to the vehicle. Then you can then easily modify each circuit’s parameters in countless different ways.

For example, you can program your fan circuit to be activated from a certain range it reads from your water temperature. If temperature is reading a high number when the ignition is switched off, the fan could be programmed to run for any length of time or

until the engine reaches any temperature you specify.

“The possibilities to control each circuit are virtually endless,” Vopat says.

Racepak’s IQ3D Drag Logger Dash has become the go-to entry-level dash logger for weekend warriors and bracket racers, with all of the functions the average sportsman racer could possibly need. It’s compact, all-in-one design has the same state-of-the art design as the IQ3 dash the pros use and a built-in data logger.

Data is displayed on four user-defined pages and stored after each run on a microSD memory card.

“With the Drag Logger Dash, you can set warning lights for high or low temperatures and high or low pressures, plus it features programmable shift lights,” Vopat says. “You determine what you want to monitor and exactly where you want to see it. And for data collection, there's a frontmounted microSD card that you can take out and plug right into your computer.

There are four screens

to toggle between, and in each there’s an rpm sweep and gear indicator. Each of the four pages has five programmable areas for just about anything a racer could think of. You could have, say, the vehicle speed in the lower left corner, and you can label it ‘speed’ or ‘MPH’—anything you want.”

Another invaluable feature of the Drag Logger is an internal processor that can communicate with any aftermarket EFI or OBD-II. “The older line of dashes didn’t have that. You'd have to buy an additional module to read an ECU or different EFI,” Vopat says. “The IQ3D Drag Logger has it all built right in.”

 The Racepak Drag SmartWire eliminates the need for fuses, relays and breakers. It takes the headache out of wiring any race car and is fully compatible with Racepak dashes and data recorders.

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 Racepak’s IQ3D Drag Logger Dash monitors every function a sportsman racer could possibly want to track with the same style as the IQ3 dash the pros use, and it has a built-in data logger.

NOVEMBER.2017

8/2/17 7:01 AM

DR_1711_91 8/3/17 3:02 AM Page 91

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THE MONGOO$E JOURNALS

Summer News: Some Good, Some Not

H

BY TOM “THE MONGOO$E” McEWEN

 One of many Route 66 race events, an interview for the fans (L to R): Tony

Schumacher, ’Goo$e, Tanner Gray and Arnie Beswick; Gary Dyer is in front of ’Goo$e.

ELLO, MY FRIENDS, I APPRECIATE YOUR STOPPING BY AGAIN. We’ve finally reached the time of year when racing goes coast to coast, and recently, I got to experience some serious Midwestern action.

Once again, I was asked to participate in NHRA’s Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, Illinois.

Chicagoland has always been special to me.

When I first started touring back east, The Greek invited me to work out of his shop.

Through the years, I raced extensively in the area—U.S. 30, Union Grove, Oswego and Rockford—but Route 66 Raceway is nothing like those tracks. Scott Paddock, the president of Chicagoland Speedway and Route 66 Raceway, oversees the facility, which encompasses several hundred acres and looks more like a golf course than a racing operation. I’d like to thank him and his staff, especially Sarah Palya, for taking such good care of me. And of course, I always enjoy the opportunity to talk to the fans.

Back on the West Coast, Rick Lorenzen, owner of Pride Transport, hosted the Spirit of Lions Event, with the help of Rob Marchese, Dave Mandella, Steve Gibbs and Steve Davis.

It featured at least 30 nitro-burning nostalgia race cars. There were a ton of familiar faces, and many of the fans who watched me race at Lions were there. It’s always good to reconnect with those who have supported me through the years. Speaking of which, there are some events coming up that I’m looking forward to attending, and I hope you can make it to at least one, if not all of them.

My good friend, Steve Gibbs, is putting on the inaugural Nitro Revival and Racer’s Reunion at Barona Drag Strip near San Diego on Sept. 30. To learn all about this new event, visit Nitrorevival.com.

And one event I always enjoy attending is the California Hot Rod Reunion at Famoso Raceway, north of Bakersfield, California; this year it’s Oct. 20-22. The folks at the NHRA

 Good things for good people. My buddy Mike Kuhl’s shop was damaged during

spring rains, but a bunch of his buddies did a museum-quality reconstruction.

Mike’s better half, Lynn Rose, put together a suprise open house for him to celebrate the completion. A great time was had by all in attendance.

Museum are really working hard to make this one a real barnburner. Tickets are now available at Nhramuseum.org.

Next, I head for SEMA in Las Vegas, Oct. 31-Nov. 3.

Even though it’s not open to the public, I get plenty of opportunity to talk to old friends and business associates. I’ll also be spending time at the McLeod Racing booth with owner Paul Lee, and at the NHRA Motorsport’s Museum Booth.

Then, my season wraps up at the NHRA World Finals at Pomona, California. I’ll be there with my friend Randy Ranew and his wife Suzan at their Redline T-shirt Club booth.

For the unfortunate news, we’ve lost more friends and

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associates. Terry Chandler (Johnny Gray’s sister), the patron saint of Don Schumacher Racing, who sponsored the Infinite Hero and Make-A-Wish teams out of the goodness of her heart, passed recently.

We also lost the very crafty Chuck Beal, who raced both alcohol and nitro floppers, and Pro Stock pioneer “Akron” Arlen Vanke.

On a more personal note, my friend John Collins passed away. John established himself as a formidable T/F shoe before joining me as teammate driving my second Navy Duster. You might remember the photos of me racing a Navy F-14 Tomcat jet, well, John was right in the middle of that project. He was a good guy, and an excellent driver.

NOVEMBER.2017

8/2/17 7:03 AM

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