44 Year Anniversary Animal Jim Racing

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animal jim
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44 Year Anniversary Animal Jim Racing

Postby animal jim » Sat Jul 20, 2013 3:27 pm

:D 44 years ago today Neal Armstrong stepped on the moon. On the same day July 20th 1969---a Sunday---I took the Big Animal to Oswego, IL. Drag Strip for the first time and won 1D Hot Rod Class. 8)

That officially started my "Organized Drag Racing" All my other racing before was--Un Organized! :lol:
It has been quite a ride!

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draglist
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Re: 44 Year Anniversary Animal Jim Racing

Postby draglist » Sat Jul 20, 2013 3:48 pm

Happy anniversary, Jim! bp
Bill Pratt
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bandit
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Re: 44 Year Anniversary Animal Jim Racing

Postby bandit » Sun Jul 21, 2013 10:05 pm

Happy anniversary AJ!
Nano!!

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animal jim
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Re: 44 Year Anniversary Animal Jim Racing

Postby animal jim » Thu Jul 25, 2013 5:19 pm

:D Thanks. I was working on the Big Animal when I wrote that. Plan to run Big in 2014. :wink:
It has been quite a ride!

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pro70z28
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Re: 44 Year Anniversary Animal Jim Racing

Postby pro70z28 » Thu Jul 25, 2013 6:41 pm

Happy Anniversary AJ. Hope to see you at Cordova next month.
15th Annual DRAGLIST Nationals Sometime in 2020. Somewhere in the USA.

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animal jim
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Re: 44 Year Anniversary Animal Jim Racing

Postby animal jim » Fri Jul 26, 2013 12:34 pm

I will not be at Cordova for the World Series this year. I am taking a break this year. Plus I was not invited to the 60th. party anyway. When you start getting listed on the flyer as "AND MORE" like last year (Beswick and I were never mentioned on it) it is time to p*ss on the fire and call in the dogs. :roll: I am going to find a museum for Zeke. That would be a fitting end.

8) However! I am not done yet! I am freshening up my Big Animal 57 Merc KEEPING IT VINTAGE AS POSSIBLE to do some match racing VS Danny Doc Smith and his Joker. A barn find 57 two tone green Pontiac 2 door sedan gasser he is rentivating (VINTAGE AS POSSIBLE) It has a straight axle. These are affordable gassers. mid 11s as they actually ran over 30 years ago. It should be fun.

Big A. has the same 427 Ford Tunnel Port 8v 600 hp engine with same top loader 4 speed and Hurst shifter. M&H slicks and Moroso fronts. :wink:

The Joker will have a 455 Pont engine with 8v and Muncie Rock crusher and Hurst- tires about the same as Big.. :wink:

Amazingly--both cars have the old type Lakewood three point roll bar. Danny's is chrome! (which was an option. Mine is still red. :roll: Not legal under 11:50. So Along with many other sub 11:50 rules. 11:50 will be the cap. And that is what helps being AFFORDABLE GASSERS :wink: Not to mention bearing the cost of making the cars quicker and the overhead. :wink:
It has been quite a ride!

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draglist
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Re: 44 Year Anniversary Animal Jim Racing

Postby draglist » Fri Jul 26, 2013 9:42 pm

Well, that sucks but Zeke deserves a place of honor somewhere. The Big Animal sounds like it will be a great ride and lots of fun for folks to see how real race cars looked and ran! bp
Bill Pratt
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animal jim
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Re: 44 Year Anniversary Animal Jim Racing

Postby animal jim » Sat Jul 27, 2013 12:36 pm

Yes it is too bad about Cordova. :| The weekend before, on Aug. 18th. I was featured and honored at Rt. 66 as the Classic Legend for the Annual Rt. 66 Classic event. And I was advertised as I should be. I match raced my old friend Bill Neri in his new Warren Johnson nostalgia tribute clone. All went well. We put on a good show. :D That would have been a more fitting end. :wink:

Unlike the nightmare at Cordova the next weekend, which tarnished all my great memories and achievement's I garnered at that facility the last 32 years . :cry: :roll:

On Labor Day weekend, following the 2012 World Series , I was inducted into Great Lakes Dragways Hall Of Fame. It was a very nice ceremony and nice day. My last appearance was Oct. 1995 . I won the UDRA pro Modified World Finals VS Bill Graziano with my WunderBird. So last Aug/Sept 2012 for 3 consecutive weekends I had two out of three positive weekends. :lol:

As for Cordova , I won at least a dozen events there starting with my first appearance there starting in 1980. I won and also capped UDRA championships at that track. I even wrote a story about the 1988 World Series win. It is on my website http://www.animaljimracing.com Click on Animal's Stories. Title is-"I hate the Smell of Burnt Aluminum and Oil. Some may recall it. A condensed version was printed in Engine Builder's Magazine earlier this year, for my first article with Babcock publishing. (Engine Builder Magazine retained me for 2013 to do 4 of my racing stories involving engine situations on a quarterly basis.) That one in Jan. was the first. I did a second in May issue. Next is Sept and Nov. 8)

PS I was honored at the 1997 Gateway Banquet and also was the speaker . After my spiel, assisted hosted by Bret Kepner he presented me with a Thanks For the Memories plaque with images of my Pinto and Zeke the Zephyr. :)

Such is the life of an old drag racer. :|
Last edited by animal jim on Sun Jul 28, 2013 11:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
It has been quite a ride!

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Jack Redd
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Re: 44 Year Anniversary Animal Jim Racing

Postby Jack Redd » Sat Jul 27, 2013 11:52 pm

Congrats Animal Jim. We would love to see your car "ZEKE" in the Eastern Motor Museum of Racing (Penna.) Drag Racing Section.
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