Racin' and Rockin'..."JB's Take"

Here's where we go to kick back after the races with our pals. Pour a tall one, punch a few buttons on the jukebox, and relax...
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WildcatOne
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Re: Racin' and Rockin'..."JB's Take"

Postby WildcatOne » Mon Jun 30, 2014 11:53 pm

My pick for Racer of the Week is Wayne Newby from Sydney, Australia. Wayne was recommended to me by our friend in Brisbane, Greg Gow. Thanks, Greg! Wayne Newby is a 3 Time Australian Top Alcohol Champion He recently won the 2010/2011 ANDRA Top Alcohol Championship. In a championship season where the funny cars were expected to dominate, Wayne kept his dragster at the front of the 2006/2007 ANDRA Australian Top Alcohol Championship right through the season despite a late charge from eventual runner up Brett Stevens. Newby took five wins to Steven's two while Stevens took the Low Elapsed Time and Top Speed bonuses at four rounds.

Wayne went Funny Car and he's been working on getting it up to its full potential. In the ANDRA, they race dragsters against Funny Cars in Top Alcohol, and it's different than in the US, but highly competitive and exciting. Wayne's made the switch and he's committed to success with his new operation.

Car Specs:
2006 Monte Carlo Carbon Fibre Body, Gordy Chassis, 490 cubic inch Brad Anerson Hemi, BAE Stage 5 heads, PSI "D" series Blower, BAE manifold, MGP Connecting Rods, CP Race Pistons, Manley Valves and Dual Springs, Newby 10" triple-plate clutch, Lenco 3-speed Transmission, Newby 10" Billet Alloy Differential, Carbon Fibre Rear Brakes, 2-300MPH Parachutes, Power: 3500++, Top speed inexcess of 255MPH, 3 G-Forces under acceleration, Maximum 10,500 rpm, runs on Methanol Fuel.

Short bio:
Wayne Newby from Sydney, Australia 39 in July (so will I, Wayne....just kidding!)
Engaged to Allie
Been racing since 1992 when he and dad David went to the USA and came back with a dragster!
That dragster still holds the mph record at Willowbank Raceway.. 257.73 mph since 2008
3x Australian Top Alcohol Champion
Probably not too notable, but 1st one to hit the wall at Sydney Dragway lol
Goal is to get the F/C running to its full capability, which has yet to be determined.
Wayne sends Big thanks to Mum and Dad for funding over the years....
Sponsors:
Newby Engineering, JBS tools,Fabre Australia, Coldy's tow and bullbars, VP Race Fuels, Smithfield Diff & Gears, Redline Oil, Covercraft

That's Wayne Newby, Racer of the Week, June 30th, 2014. Congratulations, good luck and safe racing in the future, Wayne.

As for me, the good news is not any of my friends died this week, but it's only Monday. It was forced on me that I'm getting old when I had to sign up for Medicare this week, ya know. I visited with Kim Van Zandt yesterday for 4 hours. We jammed, talked about the future and we're gonna do it. 3 of our former bandmates have died now. Anyway, I have one weekend a month off from the band, and we're going to try to find gigs for those weekends. We play Roadhouse Boogie, so we said then let's play roadhouses, ice houses, whorehouses, crack houses, and white houses. Should be a fun deal. We're tossing around ideas for a rhythym section. It'll have to be the right combination that doesn't end up with toxic results. That's another story in itself but the ground rules are that the band will play sober. Whatever anybody wants to do after that is their business as far as I'm concerned, but if you get messed-up at the gig, you're fired, period. BB King fines his musicians full gig pay if they drink during a performance, and if they drink any time before the show that night, they don't play, and they forfeit the gig pay. That's a good arrangement if you ask me. We're paid to do a job and we're going to do it great. If it's not great, then it will be redone until it's great. I know I sound hard-line, but I've been through the meat-grinder enough times to know what works and what doesn't work, and since I have to make the rules for this band, that's rule #1.

I keep up with the South African News site that follows the Oscar Pistorius trial, and I read something today on the chat line there that I thought I'd repeat tonight. This person said if the only tool in the box is a hammer, then all the problems start looking like nails. I read that while I was rebuilding my guitar pedalboard and it sure did make sense at the time.

I was surprised today when I got a message on Facebook from Dalton Eugene Dunn. 10 1/2 years ago, DragList put on a benefit here called "Blues For Becky". We raised 4 grand to send to Becky White, editor of Quick Times Racing News, who had been in a serious car wreck. At the benefit, I auctioned off my '77 Gibson SG, the infamous "Six-String Devil". It was Dalton's mom who won the auction. Well, Dalton's 25 now, he's a pro musician, he still has the six-string devil, and he lives right down the street. We're going to hook up soon. I plan to introduce him to Nick's buddies, too. He was amazed that I have kids his age who play. Great to hear from Dalton, and it brought back many great memories from those days.

When BP announced earlier that we had lost Mark Worden, I somehow did not associate Mark with the pilot of the Twin Cities Shaker that raced against Rapid Randy Baker that day at Eddyville Raceway Park in July of 2009. It was the DragList Nationals, and I drove George, my '70 VW Beetle, up there for the weekend. That race they ran that day, with Mark driving the Shaker against Rapid driving the Drastic Plastic '70 Maverick Funny Car...was absolutely the wildest drag race I ever saw. A cold front had blown in the night before, and the track was extremely tight, with both cars set up with a hot-weather tuneup. They had so much bite, they could barely get the tires to haze when they did their burnouts...Rapid, being a quiet, soft-spoken gent, was his usual maniac self behind the wheel of that monster, and he did a series of dry-hops as he approached the starting line. They staged, the tree activated, and all hell broke loose. They both jumped up into the air, all 4 wheels off the ground, and they snaked down the eighth mile track, using every inch of lane, right next to each other. I could swear I saw the Rear Gears logo on the side of Rapid's car at 600 feet, then the Shaker took a hard right and the 2 cars went through the lights in Rapid's lane, close enough to reach out and high-five each other. When they shut off after that unbelievable run, you could hear a pin drop in that place. I was standing next to Rapid's wife behind the starting line. I said "That was the wildest drag race I ever saw." She calmly turned to me and said "Oh, you haven't seen him race very much, have you?" What a thriller that one was, folks. Mark, thank you and may you rest in peace.

Y'all be sure to tune in tomorrow night for Racing Through History on Racers Reunion Radio at 7 PM Eastern. It's a Goat Rodeo you don't want to miss. Thanks, I'll see y'all next week.
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Re: Racin' and Rockin'..."JB's Take"

Postby Wheelzman » Tue Jul 01, 2014 6:34 am

John you just amaze me with your graphic work and story telling. Can't wait till DLN's in September. :D

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Re: Racin' and Rockin'..."JB's Take"

Postby WildcatOne » Mon Jul 14, 2014 9:16 pm

Thanks, Wheelz! I'm looking forward to seeing you and Sharon there! Here's this week's "JB's Take":

My pick for Racer of the Week is Kevin Slyfield, from Verwood, Dorset, England. Kevin has been on the British Drag Racing scene for
decades, and his cars and on-track performances have stood out as some of the best in the UK.

Kevin's a member of the British Drag Racing Motorsports Association and he runs at all the tracks on the series championship that
the MSA sponsors. He was the winner of the 2010 Summer Nationals at Santa Pod, and he's in the thick of it at every race. His cars
over the years have been the beautiful 11 second Plymouth Belvedere that he ran for years on the circuit.

He stepped way up in 2007 with an all-steel 1941 Willys Sedan Pro Mod by Andy Robinson Race Cars. The blown alcohol monster
ran a best of 7.27 at 193 before the unfortunate crash at Santa Pod in 2013. I watched the video of that run. Under less than ideal
conditions, Kevin had it under control until right in the lights when it suddently took a hard left into the opposite wall. Luckily,
Kevin walked away from that crash and the only things that got hurt was the car and his feelings.

So he went back to Andy Robinson and had his '57 T-Bird built. The specs on the car are as follows: Best ET: 6.528 seconds Best
Terminal Speed: 213.11mph UK MSA Race Wins 2010 Winner – MSA Round 3 (Summer Nationals). The car specs are, Andy
Robinson Race Cars Chassis, 526 cubic inch Keith Black hemi, Supercharged on Methanol. The team sponsors are M & D Tooling.
Kevin has been knocked down in the sport of drag racing and he did what drag racers do. He regrouped, rebuilt and went back out
there. His new car is a real dreamboat, and Racin' and Rockin' wishes him the best in the future. Kevin Slyfield, Racer of the Week,
July 14, 2014.

I've had a miserable summer cold for 2 weeks now. Could be the flu, I don't know. I've taken every pill, dissolved every tablet,
drank every potion in the world that is available to consumers and I'm still sick. If that isn't enough, the side effects of that crap
had my prostate gland locked up for 4 days and I would have paid good money to have an easy time of it in the boys' room. It could
be that I'm just getting old and I don't get well as quick as I used to. My family wants to send me to Lourdes next weekend but I'm
trying to save all my money for the DragList Nationals in September. Hopefully this cold will be gone by then, for Chrissakes. I'm
looking forward to seeing my Drag Racing friends again.

Ya know, it's made me think. They can put live feeds on the internet from all over the world. They can get live footage from Mars,
but they can't cure the common cold, they can't grow grass under a domed roof, and they can't return fuel racing to 1320 feet. Go
figure. I'm not an NHRA-affiliated freelancer, but although lately the numbers are up in attendance and fields in the pro ranks, I've
only been to one thousand-foot race. Just coming from me out of the shrine to bad taste, 1,000 feet just didn't do it for me.

I keep up with the races and I listen to the audiocasts while I do graphics, but I don't plan to spend a couple hundred bucks at a
National Event and watch 'em shut off at a thousand feet. I hope they figure something out to get it all balanced again. The way
the fuel cars are running to a thousand feet, it appears to me that with the same amount of torque pulling them to the full quarter
mile, that they'd lose their tires before they got to the stripe. That will have to be addressed as well as the idea of slowing them
down from the engines, gears, blowers and fuel, or some combination of all those factors, not to mention how to stop them after
the run and not run out of shutdown space. The cars have exceeded the limits of some of the facilities, and they have exceeded the limits of their equipment and tires.

So what can be done? I don't know. I'm not a genius in these matters, but I do know that the sport will continue and thrive through
adaptation and ingenuity, the way it always has from day one. With the 60th US Nationals coming up, I've had a deeper and more
meaningful appreciation of drag racing and how it's become so much a huge part of my life. The graphics I do every week keep me
involved hands-on in the sport from the art angle, but it's the rich and colorful history of the sport that has touched my soul forever
and keeps me coming back every week for more. It's evolved beyond anything anybody could have imagined in 1954. It will be
interesting to look up from Hell a hundred years from now and see what it will become by then, that's for sure.

I want to send out a special shout to Bret Kepner. We're glad to hear you got through your health scare and we look forward to
hearing from you in the near future. You're a drag racing treasure and we wish the best for you, sir. And to Larry Clayton, we're
glad to see you doing well, my friend, and thanks for checking in with us tonight.

Y'all be sure to tune in tomorrow night at 7 PM Eastern for Racing Through History on Racers Reunion Radio. It's a Goat Rodeo you
don't want to miss. Thanks, I'll see y'all next week.
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Re: Racin' and Rockin'..."JB's Take"

Postby WildcatOne » Mon Jul 21, 2014 9:12 pm

I would like to ask for a moment of silence in memory of the great Johnny Winter.
Rest in peace, Johnny. You were a huge inspiration to me. There will never be another Johnny Winter. We were fortunate to have you with us.

My pick for Racer of the Week is Bill Leaf of Kewanee, Illinois. Bill was recommended to me by his crew member, D.J. Johnson. Thanks, D.J! Bill is the president of the great Ozark Mountain Super Shifters. He's been drag racing since 1975; 39 years. His
career highlights are 2006 Ozark Mountain Super Shifter Champion
2006/2007 Eddyville Competition Eliminator Champion
1992 Cordova Word Series Runner Up as well as numerous national event wins.

Bill's Red 1969 Chevy Nova is an awesome hot rod, with specs as follows: The engine is a Reher & Morrison 406 small block Chevy, it has a Lenco 5-speed CS-2 transmission, a Ram Sintered Iron single disc clutch. His best numbers are a 6.23 ET and 108 mph in the eighth mile, and a 9.89 at 135 mph in the quarter mile. The Car was built by RJ Racecars in Galesburg, IL. Actually it is the last sportsman car built at that shop before RJ started building only Pro Stocks and Pro Mods. Bill's personal sponsors are Grebner Motors, which is a GM dealer, and the Super Shifters sponsors are Quarter Max Components, RJ Racer Cars and Lenco. Bill's crew is D.J. Johnson and Bill Verscha.

In recommending Bill to me, D.J. said that Bill and his wife Janelle Leaf are the best Sportsman family he's ever been around and he is honored to crew for Bill on his car. Our buddy Rob Pearce, also a Racer of the Week and a member of the OMSS, was delighted to hear that Bill was to be featured. He told me that Bill is a super great guy and an ultra-tough competitor. We're proud to feature Bill Leaf as Racer of the Week.

Now, here's the part that really blew me away about Bill. He doesn't own a computer. He is not online. He just drag races and runs the Ozark Mountain Super Shifters, doing it old-school and he's their top guy. He is as hard core drag racer as it gets, he's doing it like they always did it before computers took over, and he drives a stick-shift Chevy. Y'all remember those times? I do. My hat's off to Bill Leaf, folks. He is the genuine article and he's an extremely valuable piece in the puzzle of modern-day drag racing.

Congratulations to our former Racer of the Week, Justin Rosenbohm from LeClaire, Iowa. Justin won the IHRA Nitro Jam at Cordova Raceway Park this weekend in the Bomb Squad Corvette, running in the ET Mod class. Great win for the Bomb Squad! Another Racer of the Week, Lou Rausch got to the final in his class as well. These rounds ain't easy to win, and our guys are out there kicking ass every weekend and we're damn proud of you guys.

I have a few thoughts on Johnny Winter I'd like to share with y'all. As we all know, Johnny grew up here with his brother Edgar. We'd known about them all our lives as we were all pretty much the same age. We had mutual friends as well. I first saw Johnny perform at the Love Street Light Circus and Feel Good Machine at Allen's Landing in Houston in 1968. He had his original lineup of Uncle John Turner on drums and Tommy Shannon on bass. He was playing Fender electrics; a Jazzmaster and a 12-string electric.

He was without question, the king of badassery on guitar. He blew our minds with tsunamis of psychedelic blues and rock the likes of which we had never dreamed of. He also played harmonica better than anybody I'd ever heard. He was just becoming established in this region as a guitar virtuoso in the league of Hendrix, Clapton, Beck and Page but he played a style that none of them were really doing at that time. He was playing pure blues but he was playing it with a certain edge that stood out as unique yet familiar to all of us.

Johnny had a hard life. In as much as he achieved fame, fortune and notoriety for his unearthly skill as a musician, he had a very troubled and difficult personal life. Not only because he was an albino and was virtually blind, but because he liked to party and hang out with folks that although I'm sure they had the best of intentions for him, the lifestyle brought him down for a while a few times.

He'd been to the mountaintop. He played Woodstock and he got a gigantic contract with Columbia in the late 60s that dwarfed the other deals being given to rock n' roll stars, and he did not disappoint. After his rockstar gig faded, he went back to doing what he did best, which was play the blues, and he won grammys by producing and playing on 2 of Muddy Waters' albums in the late 70s. More down time ensued, but in recent years Johnny made what he didn't like to call a comeback but he came back and he was in the middle of a world tour when we lost him.

He and Ry Cooder were my 2 biggest slide guitar influences. I play slide with my pinky and I've been told that's not right? Really? It works for me...and if it was good enough for Johnny Winter, it's good enough for me. My favorite Johnny Winter song is his blazing rendition of Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited". Not only the best version of that song I ever heard, but Johnny took it to another level entirely. I'll miss you, Johnny. And I thought I'd let you know, if you call Bob, he'll be there this time.

Tomorrow is my son Kyle's 30th birthday. He's an amazing guy, talented, creative, intelligent, with a great personality like his mom. My life instantly changed when I held him in my arms the moment he was born on that Sunday morning in 1984. He gripped my finger and I looked at him and I said My God...those are my hands! Tomorrow I will celebrate being clean and sober for 30 years as well as Kyle's birthday. Thanks, Kyle. You have no idea how much I needed you to come along. I've been blessed to be your father.

Y'all be sure to tune in tomorrow night at 7 PM Eastern on Racers Reunion Radio for Racing Through History. It's a Goat Rodeo you don't want to miss! Thanks, I'll see y'all next week.
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Re: Racin' and Rockin'..."JB's Take"

Postby WildcatOne » Mon Jul 28, 2014 9:11 pm

My pick for Racer of the Week is John Zappia from Perth, Western Australia. He is a fascinating man as well as a fantastic drag racer, and he was recommended to me by our friend Greg Gow in Brisbane. Thanks, Greg!

John Zappia is a drag racing legend in Australia. He is the current ANDRA Top Doorslammer National Champion. His 2013 season was the sixth consecutive championship for the man known as “Zap”.

John Zappia grew up in Fremantle – Western Australia, and earned a reputation as a serious rev head on the street. John left South Fremantle High School early, securing an apprenticeship with ALCOA as a Mechanical Fitter, and became a fully qualified tradesman at nineteen years of age. John tells of his passion for going fast and having heaps of power under the hood. His first hot car being an XU-1 Torana – serious streetcar material back in the 70's. “We used to do laps at Fremantle on a Friday or Saturday night, just waiting for a drag” John remembers. He came up like we all did. On the street.

Well, the XU-1 was not fast enough, so John purchased a 4 door HQ Holden sedan and fitted a 383 Chev and installed WB front and back ends on the car. A 454 Chev soon replaced the 383, and had so much grunt John reckons it would smoke in any gear (regardless of how many people were in the car), just by dumping the boot. He said “When the rear barrels of the Dominator carb cut in – it was insane!”.

John married Marie, settled down and started a family, and eventually he opened his own small business spray painting vehicles. The venture into business and spray painting was not to John’s liking, so he closed up and returned to ALCOA as a Maintenance Fitter tradesman, and he's been there for 15 years.

The man is a total contrast to the ballsy driver who was quite at home getting the best out of his former mount. This man’s wild driving antics are the direct opposite of his quiet, amenable manner. He is articulate yet intense and thinks long and hard before answering questions.

John Zappia is a paradox. Whenever he gets into the car he drives it like there is no tomorrow. His high speed runs through the water, his long smokey burnouts nearly to the finish line were always matched by the high speed backups to ensure the show would go on. The whole ritual was then finished by Zap wringing the car’s neck on every run. Then when it's over, here comes the quiet, soft-spoken gent, John Zappia.

John remembes every run and any problems that he encountered on these passes. His incredible memory is only matched by the respect and gratitude he has for the people who have helped him on the way.

The CRUSHER Top Doorslammer, from 2010/present is an SCF Race Car Fabrication chrome moly chassis, Zappia Racing Suspension System, carbon fibre composite body. It has a TFX 511 Hemi, PSI Screw Blower, B & J 3 Speed transmission. The car runs consistently in the low 5.80s at well over 250 mph in the quarter mile. It's a right-steered Holden Monaro HQ. It's pure Aussie drag racing all the way, like John Zappia is.

I recommend visiting John's website at zappiaracing.com.au and Facebook at John Zappia Racing. It would take almost a half-an-hour to list all his sponsors, and the picture he sent me last week to make the graphic with has his current lineup on the side. He's got 'em lined up waiting to get their names on his car. I was proud to feature you tonight, and we wish you good luck and safe racing in the future, John.

You know, some things happen as life goes on that we don't really expect, and with the years clicking by like they do, some information comes down the pipe that it's not easy to come to grips with. My youngest son, who I admire and love, is on his way to a job offer in Hawaii on the island of Kauai. I am thrilled for this opportunity to come along for him, as Kauai is arguably the most beautiful of the Hawaiian Islands, which are also arguably the most beautiful place in the world. Knowing Nick like I do, this is undoubtedly the place of all places for him to live, but the mixed emotions I feel about it are what I am dealing with now. I miss Nick. I guess I took it for granted that my kids would be here with me and Debby forever, but they're both grown men and they are going after life's adventures. BP knows exactly what I'm feeling tonight.

I was glad that Nick decided to split from the Trail in California and go to San Francisco. He's having a fantastic time with our family there, and today he gave me a full update on Haight-Ashbury and all the happening music that's going on there. He played a gig last week on bucket drums in the park for $15 an hour...he didn't say how many hours he played, but it was enough to get him hooked on the music there and get him connected to local musicians. I just wish all this hadn't happened as quickly as it did, but that's how life goes. I don't know when I'll see Nick again, but Debby got him unlimited minutes on his cell phone Friday, so I know we can call each other and talk. I love you, Nick. I hope I did a good enough job as your Dad.

I've been diving into the graphics full-force, fixing them up through August for our guests and into October for Racers of the Week. The folks in Florida that Barb got us have started networking and they've made excellent recommendations, as have the Racers I've hooked up with in the UK, the US Northeast by way of Rich Panicaro, some Texas racers I met at car shows, and our friend Greg Gow has pointed me in the direction of several Australian racers who have been wonderful to meet and work with on these projects. More than 90% of the Racers we've contacted have been not just pleasantly surprised and grateful to be featured, but they consider it an honor. It's worldwide ink, and hopefully it leads to worldwide opportunities and connections. I have only rejected one person. The criteria is pretty strict for this feature, and this guy had "Street Racer" written all over him...he had no drag strip data to give me, and his car was not a race car. Then when he told me why he should be Racer of the Week, he let me know in so many words that he's an outlaw with a lot of street mojo, and I had to decline. But the drag racers have lit this deal up and it's them who I have really enjoyed working with.

Y'all be sure to tune in tomorrow night at 7 PM Eastern on RacersReunion Radio for Racing Through History. It's a Goat Rodeo you don't want to miss! Thanks, I'll see y'all next week.
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Re: Racin' and Rockin'..."JB's Take"

Postby WildcatOne » Mon Aug 04, 2014 9:55 pm

My pick for Racer of the Week is Max Neubler III from Sarasota, Florida. Max was recommended to me by Audrey Lupinski Nuzzo, and her recommendation was emphatically seconded by dozens of folks from Max's area who know him as a racer and friend. Thanks, Audrey! The graphic on Facebook lit up like the New York Stock Exchange when I posted it. When that happens, it always tells me that I've got a winner for this feature. Max sent me some great information, and I'd like to read it to you now straight out of his email to me.

Thanks for doing my story. I started street racing in the early 80's in my first car a 1967 Firebird 400 that my Uncle bought new. I got into trouble doing that and my father gave a me 2 choices race way out in the country so I wouldn't hurt anybody or go to the local track. I went out and tried it but didn't understand the game and went back to my old ways. I got away from racing for a few years to become a pilot. Flying brought me to a new level of high performance and I got back into racing (This time legally).

I have had the same car, a 1972 Chevy Monte Carlo with a stock 454 in it for 15 years. Curtis Lamb owner of West Coast Towing gave me the car straight out of his towing companies holding lot. I knew how to set up a good and consistent car so I watched and learned from the best racers in the Southeast Rod Johnson, Mark Mullen, The Williams Brothers, and many others. John Frost took me under his wing and got me started, and Manny Sousa took me to the next level...

Over the years there have been many wins at numerous tracks but the highlight was in 2003 winning the Division 2 bracket finals in Jackson, SC. I had the slowest car on street tires (8.50's 1/8 mile @ 82mph) racing against full out no-box race cars it was awesome putting them on the trailer. I'd like to win a track championship someday but I'm always happy when the car and I make it home in one piece. I put together a 1971 Monte Carlo to try my hand at index racing it's set up for 7.50's @91mph 1/8 mile.

I would like to thank West coast Towing, Stacey @ Stacey"s custom exhaust, Mike @competition motorsports, Chris Adams, and all those who have supported me and helped me when I needed it. Drag racers are serious competitors on the track but always help each other out when needed. Thanks for the opportunity to be on your program.

Max Neubler is good people, y'all. If he wasn't recognized as Racer of the Week, he'd still be out there running his car on the track. There are no decals on it, just his competition number. He just loves to rock out whenever he gets the chance and he keeps his car ready and running consistently at all times. It's sportsmen like Max that I love to feature because as it has been said so many times, it's guys like him who are the backbone of the sport of drag racing. Good luck, best wishes and safe racing in the future, Max.

From the world of Wildcat One: My friend Buzz who died last month's wife sent me his guitar strap. I have it sitting right here. I consider this the highest honor I have received in 25 years since my sister gave me Andy's Les Paul after he died. I'm going to use Buzz' strap with the Les Paul. Thanks, Judy. I'll make sure it is taken care of and I will wear it proudly.

I got my recording system together and I am very excited about doing something with it. Piece by piece, I've been building a new guitar pedalboard and it came out great. I'll be a novice at digital recording, but the good news is my friend Colin Kennedy is moving back to Texas after being in LA doing pro audio sound for movies for the last 25 years. He'll be in Lockhart, which is a small town between Austin and San Antonio. It's about a 2 1/2 hour drive from here, and I plan to visit him frequently. My Dad told me you can count your friends on one hand, and Colin is there for sure.

Y'all be sure to tune in tomorrow evening on RacersReunion Radio for Racing Through History. It's a Goat Rodeo you don't want to miss.
Thanks, I'll see y'all next week.
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Re: Racin' and Rockin'..."JB's Take"

Postby Wheelzman » Tue Aug 05, 2014 9:19 am

Cat your dad was so right in his wisdom. Acquaintances are many but true friends are few. :D

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Re: Racin' and Rockin'..."JB's Take"

Postby WildcatOne » Mon Aug 11, 2014 10:10 pm

Yes, he was, Wheelz. Thank you.

My pick for Racer of the Week is Division 1's Kyle Cultrera from Charlotte, North Carolina. Kyle was recommended to me by our friend Rich Panicaro. Thanks, Rich!

NHRA’s Northeast Division is full with a group of what could arguably be called some of the toughest Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series competitors in the nation, and division titles in the region are therefore coveted and held in very high regard. For young Kyle Cultrera, the 2013 season ended like a dream as he accomplished a feat almost unthinkable for a driver so youthful in his career: he won Divison 1 championships in both Competition Eliminator and Super Comp. “This was an unbelievable and exciting year,” said Kyle, who accumulated a total of four wins in five final rounds across the two categories. “My goal at the beginning of the season was that I wanted to win one championship, but I just had one of those years where everything seemed to fall in the right place. Winning two championships in one year is something that is rarely done, and luckily we were able to accomplish that.”

“We just kept going rounds, and to put it in simple terms, that’s just what you have to do to win a championship,” said Cultrera. “It can be challenging sometimes to run two cars, but my dad is a great help. We’ve got a good system. This is my third year in Comp, and this year we really pulled it together.”

Both cars have basically the same equipment except for the engines, so I'm gonna give the specs on the dragster and differentiate the engines and chassis specs between the two:

2009 Undercover Chassis Dragster
Chassis: 4130 Chromoly Tube Chassis / Undercover Motorsports
Paint: Steves Custom Paint, Eliot ME
Engine: 615 cu in. Big Block Chevy / 3V Performance
Carburetor: Stinnett Automotive
Transmission: Powerglide / Abruzzi Racing Transmissions
Tires: 17 X 33.5 X 16 / Mickey Thompson Tires
Wheels: M/T Pro 5.0 / Mickey Thompson Wheels
Data Aqusition: Racepak V300SD
Shock: JRI
Air/Oil Filter: K&N
Fuel System: Aeromotive
Fuel: Eastern VP Sales
Brakes: Lamb
Radios: NW
Ignition: MSD
Alloys: Moldstar
Quickest ET: 7.08
Fastest MPH: 189

1932 Austin Bantam
Chassis:4130 Chromoly Tube Chassis / Prostart Race Cars
Engine: 170 cu in. Eco-Tech Chevy / Al Ackerman Racing Engines
Rear End: Dewco
Carburetor: Sherman Shly
Transmission: 3 Speed / Coan Racing Converters/ Scott McClay Engineering
Quickest ET: 8.87
Fastest MPH: 146

“I'm thanking my parents, Stephen and Joann and my sisters Jessica and Lauren for supporting me in all of my racing efforts. I’d also like to thank Dave Ring and Al Ackerman for the opportunity they gave me with the Comp car; Charlie Yanetti; our teammates Donny and Joe Algeri; Scott and Cliff Moberg and Tuffrail; Tom Vigue and 3V Performance; Abruzzi Racing Transmissions; Rick and Carl and Independent Boat Haulers; Jack Sepanek and Sepanek Racing Transmissions; Scott Hall and Moroso; and Mickey Thompson Tires. I have to mention the racers in Division 1 because we are without a doubt the toughest division in the country. We have great car counts in Comp and Super Comp and the Division 1 staff does such a good job with the track. I only have five years experience, and I don’t think I’d be where I am without all of the good racing that I’ve had over those years. We’re very lucky to be able to race in such a good division. I get to race with the best.” Truly fascinating stuff, folks.

That's Kyle Cultrera, Racer of the Week. Good luck and safe racing in the future, Kyle.

I've talked previously about the early heros and pioneers of Rock 'n Roll, but lately I've been reading and researching one in particular that stood out among the group of rockers that defined this new and exciting musical genre in the mid-1950s. Gene Vincent was my favorite of the first wave of rock 'n rollers for a number of reasons. As was the case with Dion DiMucci in New York with the doo-woppers, Vincent Eugene Craddock from Norfolk Virginia was a full beat heavier and his attitude was a full step ahead of what was to come later. Gene was a restless soul with an adventurous personality, and his show was one of the wildest ever.

If his leg hadn't been crunched so bad in a motorcycle wreck when he was in Korea, there's no telling what he would have been able to pull off, but he chose not to have the leg amputated after the doctors said they couldn't fix it, and he limped the rest of his life on it and lived in constant pain. While he was in the hospital recuperating after the accident, he learned to play guitar and he co-wrote his biggest hit, "Be Bop-A-Lula", which got him his recording contract with MGM in 1956. Not just that the song was totally awesome, as I found out later that all of his songs were, but Gene had the greatest rock 'n roll musicians of the early days backing him up.

The Blue Caps had solid gold players at every position, and they sang just as well as they played. For the first few years he had his band, his guitar player Galloping Cliff Gallup was laying down tracks on his records that were totally mind-boggling displays of virtuosity and skill with a bluesy, rock 'n roll style that influenced Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, George Harrison and Eric Clapton. Truth be told, it was Les Paul who inspired Cliff. I went back a few years before the Blue Caps and found Les Paul playing nearly identically but Cliff put it in a more youth-oriented context and we could all relate to what he did.

I discovered the range of Gene's talent when I picked up an LP in a bargain bin in 1980 called Gene Vincent's Greatest Hits Volume II. All it took was one listen and I was hooked. His song "Race with the Devil" is about a drag race. He was into hot rods as well. Man! I went back and searched out every record that guy made and I studied his style and sound until I had a solid feel for his music and I applied it to what I was doing. He could sing the sweetest ballads, rock out harder than Elvis and Jerry Lee, wail like Little Richard, and reach into your heart like the Everly Brothers.

So why didn't he rise to the top, I wondered. Well, he was a black-leather type guy. He was percieved as a greasy, wild juvenile delinquent rock 'n roll maniac...and his popularity was affected by the downfall of the first wave in the late 50s. However, in Great Britain, he was idolized and welcomed with open arms by the Teddy Boys and their culture. He found more success there than he ever had here. He was riding in the car when it crashed on the way to the airport with Eddie Cochran in the front seat. Eddie was killed, and Gene's leg was further injured, making it almost impossible for him to stand up any more, but he kept going. We lost Gene in 1972. The years of pain and stress had taken their toll on his body, and he died at the age of 36. I wish he would have lived longer, but like so many other great spirits in the history of rock 'n roll, he left a window for us to view his art and he moved on. In my world, the work of Gene Vincent stands as the greatest of the first wave.

Y'all be sure to tune in tomorrow night at 7 PM Eastern for Racing Through History on Racers Reunion Radio. It's a Goat Rodeo you don't want to miss. Everybody keep on Rockin'. Thanks, I'll see y'all next week.
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Re: Racin' and Rockin'..."JB's Take"

Postby WildcatOne » Mon Aug 18, 2014 9:49 pm

My pick for Racer of the Week is Gary Riley from Sugar Land, Texas. On Memorial Day Weekend, I was with the band at the Haak Winery in Santa Fe, and they were having a car show in the main parking lot. I strolled around and checked out the awesome machinery that was on display, but I was stopped dead in my tracks when I found Gary's hot rod. It's a 1923 Model T Fuel Altered, and the second I laid eyes on it, I knew this was going to be featured in my segment. Gary came up and introduced himself, hung out with me and told me a brief story about this amazing race car, which he named "The Panacea". He fired it up and did a cackle before I went back in an played! What I found out from reading Gary's write-up that he sent me is that this car is an original 1960s fuel altered that has been restored, updated and renamed to not only be displayed but raced at nostalgia events as well. It is a genuine link to the glory days. I was blown away, and it makes this feature even more meaningful to me. Here is Gary's information that he sent to me about this incredible car:

John,
Like a lot of the race cars of the 1960’s some of the history was lost when the car changed owners and ‘The Panacea’ is certainly no exception. I have
Some documentation and have talked to two of the rebuilders and while the following might not be true and correct, it is how I understand it.

Originally constructed for the AA/Fuel Altered class that was so popular in the 1960’s, but the NHRA viewed these cars as dangerous and with good reason considering the number of serious injuries that occurred to drivers of these maniacal short wheel base, over powered supercharged and nitro fueled race cars. The Panacea was at that time probably named the 49er Express before being sold to Machine Tech who rebuilt the car to compete in AA/Altered in the newly formed Competition Eliminator class.

The 49er Express was plagued with handling problems and made decisive turns to the right wall. The immediate cure was to install a leaf spring over the front axle to preload the right side and hopefully keep the car driving straight and the leaf spring was left in place to keep the car in it’s original state. The rear end is bolted solidly to the chassis and the only suspension is the air in the rear tires. Of course the abundant power and lack of rear end travel only adds to the driving enjoyment.

The Machine Tech altered was sold to Robert Nathanson who partnered with Extreme Automotive to update the chassis by adding the required additional roll bar hoops for 7.50 elapsed time chassis certification and to prepare the altered now named ‘The Drifter’ for the Grand National Roadster Show in which they garnered a first place and to compete in Nostalgia Eliminator II purchased the altered from Robert in 2011 and did a frame up rebuild, modifying the roll cage structure, the front axle, some performance enhancements, electrical system and, of course new paint. The theme of reconstruction was to only improve what Robert Nathanson and Extreme Automotive constructed and maintain the nostalgia look, devoid of high tech electronics (2 step control, trans brake). Northside Chassis was the roll cage and suspension fabricator and Paint House Texas applied the burgundy pearl paint, The gold leaf flames are by David Whittle of California Designs. At this time the name was changed to ‘The Panacea’

The engine is a 468 cubic inch Chevrolet HP block
6-71 supercharger turning at 36% overdrive making 10 pounds of boost.
Two 750 cfm Holley carbs
SRP forged blower pistons
Forged Steel Crankshaft
Howard’s roller camshaft
Chet Herbert roller lifters
Crane roller rocker arms
MSD ignition system
Turbo Hydro 400 transmission
9” Ford/Currie rearend
And additional parts by Meziere, Jackson, TCI, Cloyes, Cragar, Pyrotech, Magna, & DJ Safety Equipment.

Previous best elapsed time is an 8.52 @ 155 mph

For the past two years I have displayed The Panacea in several car shows to include the Houston Autorama where we captured Best in Class & Outstanding Competition in 2012 & 2013.

At this time no nostalgia events have been scheduled in the Houston area so racing has been limited. Must be time to put The Panacea on the market and look for a front engine alcohol dragster.

Gary, when you do acquire that digger, be sure to let me know. I guarantee it'll be featured.

That's Gary Riley, Racer of the Week. Thanks for not only having such a fine hot rod, but also for preserving the history of the sport with this car. Good luck and safe racing the future.


A quick note to Gary Riley, if you missed it I did your Racer of the Week feature earlier in the show tonight while we were getting Jeg lined up to come on. This show will be archived and saved online at RacersReunion.com in the Racin' and Rockin' section, and the graphic and text from tonight's JB's Take will be posted on DragList.com on the Forum in Dangerous Bill's Cafe Noir/Racin' and Rockin'/JB's Take. Thanks again for your great story and your great hot rod.

Last week Don Teague mentioned that of the early Rock 'n Roll heros, Buddy Holly was his favorite. Tonight I'd like to feature him as well as add my Take on his life. I could easily take a full hour to do that, but this is JB's Take and I'll say as much as I can in as little time as possible. Buddy's entire catalog of recorded material has been published by now, and most of the folks our age know all those songs by heart. To this day, they exude energy and a freshness that touches our hearts and memories of this wonderful young man who we lost so early in his life and career.

Buddy Holly was a genuine musical genius. He was an understated and somewhat shy person compared to many of the outrageous rock n' roll stars of his day. He just played and sang his songs. His expertise on the Fender Stratocaster was right at the top of his field along with Ritchie Valens in the late 1950s. He showed everybody that it was OK to wear glasses. There were many who came along that copied the look...Elvis Costello comes to mind...but his influence went beyond fashion, although the Everly Brothers, who were among his best friends, copied his wardrobe, hairstyle and stage presence. I could see and hear his influence in the early 60s in Bryan Hyland, Tommy Roe, Bobby Vee, Dion, I can't say Elvis, but a lot of material that we heard back then came from the gifted hand of Buddy Holly. He was unique in that he had a larger-than-life showtime persona but he was the most
down-to-earth of all the early rockers. It could have been his upbringing, but his personality was downright lovable. Everybody who knew the guy loved him. What more could you ask for in life?

The Crickets were a good band. Jerry, Joe and Nicky provided solid backup for Buddy to deliver their songs. But Buddy Holly had something more to offer the world than raw boogie woogie. He had unbelievable music fighting to get out of his soul. At the age of 21 he was writing, producing, arranging and collaborating on sophisticated masterpieces of songs with his friends Paul Anka, Gene Pitney, Neil Sedaka and Sonny West, who incidentally I was blessed to have met and hung out with along with Buddy's backup singer John Pickering at SugarHill studios in 2010. Buddy just did it. He had a natural talent for it. He was well on his way to becoming the greatest force in popular music of all time. I loved Phil Spector's work from the early 60s, but if Buddy Holly had lived...

We all know how his life ended. After the plane crash, Rock 'n Roll spent 5 long years wandering in the desert. It wasn't until an English group who named their band after Buddy's band came along and put it all back where it belonged, but to this day, as much of the heartache we feel about how Buddy was lost so early, it's the unbridled joy and passion of his performances that still hold up and stand for the true and eternal spirit of rock 'n roll. I'm grateful to have his records and to have grown up with his music. I do highly recommend checking out the movie "The Buddy Holly Story" if you haven't already seen it. I thought it was historically accurate as well as giving a deeper look into Buddy's personality. I thought it was Gary Busey's finest hour by far as an actor. On a side note, "La Bamba", the movie about Ritchie Valens with Lou Diamond-Phillips is an excellent document of these guys as well.

Y'all be sure to tune in tomorrow evening at 7 PM Eastern for Racing Through History on Racers Reunion Radio. It's a Goat Rodeo you don't want to miss. Everybody rock on. See y'all next week.
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Re: Racin' and Rockin'..."JB's Take"

Postby WildcatOne » Mon Aug 25, 2014 9:24 pm

For Racer of the Week, I have selected Rick McCann and Carla Pittau, who own and operate Heaven & Hell Racing from Blackheath, London, England. I found Rick and Carla on the Santa Pod website and they have been wonderful people to work with in putting their graphic and feature together. Here is the info on this great and popular English Sportsman racing team:

Heaven & Hell is based in London, England. They race in the Pro ET class with an index of from 9.00 seconds to 11.99. Carla's best time to date in the 1970 Camaro is a 9.58, achieved at Santa Pod Raceway, whilst Rick's best time in the 1984 Camaro is a 9.89, which was also run at Santa Pod.

The team consists of Rick and Carla who are the Drivers and Chief Mechanics, Dave Buckland is the Crew Chief and reserve driver, Colin Roaf handles Chief Sparks, pit and starting line crew, Christine Buckland is the Team Manager and handles Catering and Photography, Grace Roaf is on the Pit Crew and handles Video and Photography, and Corrado Pittau is an Honorary Team Member and Electronics consultant.

Carla said: We have small blocks in both cars and we are very happy with the performance and especially with our wheels up launches. We recently upgraded the rear brakes in the 1970 Camaro, going to light weight discs and re-plumbed the whole system using Speedflow stainless steel braided hoses and fittings. Rick and I, with our crew, do all of the work on our cars. This includes building our engines, which we do together with the help of our crew, transmissions which I do on my own as everyone else hates them (!!!) rear axles (whoever draws the short straw, sometimes at the track and without tools after damage, like it happened in Finland) suspension(everyone) and electrics (Colin Roaf and his daughter Grace). This way we can afford to race two cars and have done all the championship rounds in the last 20 years or so.

The '84 has produced fantastic wheelies with the rebuilt small block, which was taken up to 407ci after the old stock block gave up the ghost a few years ago at the National Finals. A new Dart Sportsman Little M block was then employed, with new pistons and rods, but re-installing the same Dart heads, intake and using the same Proform 900cfm carb. After another engine swap, with this we finally achieved Rick's dream of running in Superstock and had the pleasure of travelling to Sweden to race at the Veidec Festival in Mantorp and to Tierp Arena. We campaign it in the Stock/Super Stock wars in Scandinavia.

Speaking of Scandinavia, we really enjoyed racing in Sweden and reached the semifinals at the Sweden Internationals at Tierp. Sweden is a great country, with great people and fantastic racing. All our fellow competitors helped us when we needed parts after breaking our fuel pump and we'll always be grateful for the great sportsmanship showed by the Swedish racers.

Even when watching races in the States Superstock was always our very favourite class, better than Pro Stock, better than Top Fuel or Funny Car - we always tried to learn from the guys and gals running Stock and Superstock and enjoyed their excellent show immensely. Being part of this means the world to us, our debut in Mantorp was absolutely awesome, and the race at Tierp even better. We LOVE SWEDEN!

Thanks to the class sponsors: EDA, Inkwell Printers, Penn Autos, A1 Motor Stores, W.A.S.P., Toxico Clothing, ModUrStang, Motorshack, Hauser Race Cars, Real Steel, Top End Tales). Thanks to Kenny Coleman of EDA for his help, advice and rescuing us with swift part supplies. Thanks to TCI and their support. And last but never least, thanks to Eurodragster for their fantastic coverage and promotion of the sport we love.

Rick and Carla are planning to move to Sweden next year. The UK Racers will miss them at their home track, which is Santa Pod, but they'll still be racing on the European circuit so it's not good bye so much as it is see you next time...Carla is originally from Italy. She is fluent in Italian and English. She has her own company, M P D (UK Sales) Ltd based in Orpington, Kent. They offer the largest selection of melamine and fibreglass trays in Europe as well as a complete range of food transport equipment for hot, chilled and frozen produce. They also supply an extensive range of trolleys including stylish heated and chilled beechwood models, elegant restaurant and liqueur trolleys, as well as a large stainless steel and back of house assortment.

Rick is the president of Ramair Ltd., in London. It's an architectural and construction company. They are both successful in business but their passion is drag racing, and they have been very successful at their true mutual endeavors. Carla said drag racing is our life and we work very hard to be the best we can be, and are lucky to have the support of dedicated friends who share the hard work, highs and lows, trials and tribulations, and ice cold beer at the end of racing!

When I talked to Carla yesterday, they were at Shakespeare County Raceway in their RV, waiting for the rain to stop but the forecast wasn't too promising. Even with the bad weather, they were happy to be where they were, at the race track with their cars and their friends. They have the true spirit of drag racing, and it just don't get no better than that, folks.

Rick McCann and Carla Pittau, Racers of the Week. Good luck, safe racing and best wishes to y'all in the future from Racin' and Rockin'.

I don't think I have a whole lot of time left here, but all week I've been thinking about the local bands I saw when I was young that inspired me to want to play music as a pro. There were many, and they were great. The band the Thirteenth Floor Elevators had the best rock n' roll singer I ever saw or heard in Roky Erickson. He's still great, but he had some hard years and he didn't go as far as the people he influenced such as Robert Plant, Janis Joplin, Billy Gibbons and to an extent, the entire punk rock genre.

Another group that I loved back in the day was Fever Tree. Their hit "San Francisco Girls" was a beautiful song; it still holds up today. The Tree made 4 albums and I have them all. They were poetic yet extremely talented musicians.

The Moving Sidewalks toured with Hendrix and eventually grew into ZZ Top. They were the first band I saw that used a light show, and Billy Gibbons was incredible on guitar and vocals. They recently had a reunion concert and I'm sorry I didn't know about it until after it happened.

The Bubble Puppy blew everybody away with progressive rock and jazz with a psychedelic flair to them that is hard to describe. Their saga was
similar to the Elevators in that, to quote Phil Ochs, they were there but for fortune.

Besides the Top, a couple of other local acts did make it over the hump. Johnny and Edgar Winter made it to the top of the heap, and Kenny Rogers also came out of Houston with his great band, the First Edition. B.J. Thomas made it, too.

One local band that was incredibly good was Josefus. They were the people's band. They played for free and they also did showcase gigs that left people walking away shaking their heads saying "Better than Zeppelin". The lifestyle had something to do with their early demise, but they did reunite for an album in the 1990s that proved all over again just how excellent they were.

I wasn't into acoustic music hardly at all, but there were also a group of folkies as we called them who are still at it. They're good people. I have gotten to know a lot of them over the years and they play from the heart.

Maybe next week I'll finish this up because I didn't really get into a lot of details. If y'all ever see me play live, you'll see a little bit of all of this and a little bit of my own stuff.

Y'all be sure to tune in tomorrow evening at 7 PM Eastern for Racing Through History on RacersReunion Radio. It's a Goat Rodeo you don't want to miss. Everybody Rock On. Thanks, I'll see y'all next week.
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