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70s Funny Cars: Round 49
Text by Danny White
Gene Altizer had one of the toughest injected nitro funny cars of the early seventies. Altizer almost won the prestigious Super Stock Nationals against the blown nitro machines. It was said that Altizer so upset Jungle Jim Liberman that Liberman refused to race him. Altizer's Nova was in fact bought from Jungle himself. The Logghe Bros. built car could run consistent sevens with ease (Photo courtesy of Big Bob Snyder; info from Draglist files)
Gary Crane came from his native Alberta, Canada, home to race funny cars in wild, wide-open Southern California funny scene in the late sixties. Crane built the Travelin Javelin, which featured a cast iron Keith Black Chrysler Hemi backed by a Torqueflite. The car’s wild paint job was different on each side of the racecar. Gary and fellow Canadian Dale Armstrong drove the car. Though never a big winner, the little Rambler was popular with the fans. The car was later sold to to another Canadian who continues to race the car as the Travelin Javelin with an injected nitro Chevrolet . (Photo courtesy of Mike Ditty; info from Draglist files)
Ed Lee was the driver of the Leader Automotive funny car, a machine featured in the last round under new owner Ed Sargent. George DeLorean, brother of John DeLorean, owned the full size Pontiac. (Photo from Gerry Kalenjecki; info courtesy of Dennis Doubleday and Draglist files)
Julius Hughes was a famous drag racer from Atlanta, Georgia. Julius had raced blown gas altereds and Top Fuelers before buying Tom McEwen's Barracuda. The Atlanta Speed Shop Zotfish Barracuda was powered by Hughes built 392 Chrysler Hemi. Julius Hughes, J. Ed Horton, and Scottie Scott all drove the car in NHRA divisional action plus local match races. The known best times for the car were low-eights in the 190 MPH range. The name of the car came from the B.C. cartoon anteater character whose "ZOT!" spelled doom for many ants. (Photo courtesy of the Danny & Donna Watkins; info from Draglist files)
The Smith Bros. and Fetrow Minnesota Cuda was one of the first funny cars out of the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Bob Fetrow had raced gas dragsters in the sixties and he built the Plymouth in his shop. Don Smith drove the Cuda to a known best of 7.59, 196 in 1971. (Photo courtesy of Jack Gates; info from Eric Gates and Draglist files)
Different teams ran funny cars named Super Vega. For Frank Huff, this version was a progression of a couple different funny cars beginning with the Super Camaro. Huff and his partner, fellow driver Clare Sanders, raced the Super Camaro, and then built the first Super Vega. Sanders left the partnership and Huff continued racing the Chevy powered car on his own throughout the 1971 season. In 1972 Frank built a new Super Vega and added new partner Jack Brown. The car was new and unlettered at the time the photo was taken; note the snow on the ground in the background and the no burnout sign. Huff raced the last Super Vega before taking over the Foster's King Cobra Mustang. (Photo courtesy of Big Bob Snyder; info from Dennis Doubleday and Draglist files)
Some funny cars in the seventies did not have a long life span and this Dodge Charger was one of them. The team of Crossley & King was more famous for racing dragsters in the sixties, but like other teams, decided to try their hand at racing a funny car. Bill Crossley, the former owner of the Crusader fueler, and driver Wayne King built this Mr. Ed bodied Charger. The Hemi powered machine crashed at Irwindale on its first time out. The team did not rebuild the car and Wayne King went on to field successful Pro Comp dragsters to end his racing career. (Photo courtesy of Howard Hagen; info from Draglist files)
Bryan Raines raced a blown gas 27 roadster in the Open Gas Supercharged class that ran at many Southern California tracks. Raines got his first funny ride in Nick Harmon's California Shaker Mustang and progressed to this Vega. Bryan teamed with Doug Finlay and Bruce Belfiore to race the Steve Plueger built machine. Doug Finlay tuned the car to a known best of 6.26, 236.79 best clocking on Donovan power. The team split up and Raines went to drive his own cars and for others. (L&M Photo courtesy of Bob Plumer and Drag Race Memories; info from Draglist files)
Famed journalist Bret Kepner identified this forgotten Monza as Ivan Thompson's Topeka, Kansas machine. Ivan was a Chevy Top Fuel racer who enjoyed some success on the AHRA tour. Thompson built the Monza in 1979 with cast iron Chevy power. Bret said the Monza ran 7.10s on nitro before switching to alcohol and then retiring. (Photo courtesy of Jim White; info from Bret Kepner and Draglist files)
Dodger Glenn was one of the most liked funny racers of his era and racers and fans alike were crushed when he unfortunately lost his life in an accident at Maple Grove in 1978. Glenn had raced Top Fuelers before taking over the driver’s seat of Jim Fox's Frantic Ford Mustang in 1973. The team of Fox, Freddy Frey, and Dodger Glenn was one of the toughest on the East Coast in the mid to late 1970s. In 1978, Dodger raced on his own after Fox and Frey retired. Glenn built a new Frantic Ford Mustang II, but the body was destroyed in a wheelstand at Englishtown and was replaced by this Arrow. The known best for the Frantic Arrow was 6.38 at 239. (Photo courtesy of Bob Plumer and Drag Race Memories submitted by Bobby Frey; info from Bob Plumer and Draglist files)
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