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

[draglist]

Thanks for an awesome year of Racin & Rockin, John. Your music history, Racer of the Week, poster art, and awesome promo write ups make us look so good! bp

[WildcatOne]

Thanks, BP! If not for you I wouldn't be here. This is what friends are for!

My pick for Racer of the Week is Scott Linder from Hedrick, Iowa. I was browsing the net last month and I remembered Rob Pierce's membership in the Ozark Mountain Super Shifters. Scott is their 2014 Champ and I got in touch with him and he accepted...my favorite quote from Scott is as follows: "I'm not big on talkng about things I have done. But I love reading about others." And he lived up to that quote but he also gave me the vital stats on his magnificent hot rod. He told me:

My Chevy Nova is a 75. I have had it sense I was 14. Drove it in high school. Been racing it ever since. The best et was 7.52 at 182mph with a 632 cubic inch Reher-Morrison. Here is a short list of wins:

In 2007 we won the pro national dragster challenge. I went 9 rounds and was the only stick car in the class. I was Runner up in points for the Ozark Mountain Super Shifter in 2004 and 2006. I was Points Champion with OMSS in 2010 and 2014. I was Runner up in points for the Casey Stick Shift class at Eddyville 2010 and 2012. I won Championship in Casey Stick Shift in 2011, 2013 and 2014. I have been blessed with winning at least one race somewhere every year for the last 11 years.

That's Scott Linder, 2014 Ozark Mountain Super Shifters Champion. Good luck, safe racing and best of times in the future, Scott!

Regarding the announcement that was made today about Al-Anabi pulling out of all North American Racing, I have an opinion, or a take as it were, with the greatest respect to all. I see it as an excellent opportunity for everybody. To me, the Best-case would be if Alan could get backing for the team he already has in place and just keep going, but if I were a Megabucks team owner, I'd keep a close eye on this situation and make the top bid for AJ and his best guys if they become available...There's a lot of talent at Alan Johnson Racing...somebody with enough funding could sure enough make their team stronger real quick. Lord knows they wouldn't come cheap, but you'd get what you pay for, no doubt. Jason McCulloch
and Brian Husen are 2 of the best crew chiefs out there. If the rumors I've read turn out to be true about where AJ's going if his team does break up, it wouldn't surprise me if one of these guys ends up with Steve Torrence (Torrence could afford Lee Beard, so...) or it could be a different scenario: if AJ doesn't do what everybody expects him to do, one of them might. Either way, it would be a potentially game-changing event.

But in the meantime I am wishing the best for AJR and I hope they can continue. This just happened suddenly and apparently without any forewarning. It did appear to me in past years that the Al-Anabi expansion in US drag racing had reached an almost Torco-like level, but I didn't try to read anything into it. When you have that much money, which is just about like Bruton Smith times a hundred, you need a hobby to keep from getting bored, I guess. For the time it lasted, my hat's off to Sheikh Khalid Bin-Hamad Al-Thani for the contributions he made to our sport, and I wish him the best as well in the future. That's my 2 cents for this week.

I said on the last show that I was going to do a Led Zeppelin thing with my take, but I changed my mind. I do that a lot, so humor me. Since Joe Cocker died, I thought about some guitar players I knew about that never got the recognition I believed they deserved, and they died. Other than Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan, going further back to Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens, there are a lot of guys in between those icons of music that we lost and hardly knew about them.

The greatest of these players from the early days was Cliff Gallup with Gene Vincent's band. Cliff Gallup was one of the main influences on Jeff Beck, who made a tribute album to him. His style of playing captivated my imagination the first time I heard him play, and I recommend to anybody to find whatever Greatest Hits they could find on Gene Vincent, as Cliff is nothing short of astounding from wall to wall on every song he did with Gene. He literally took rock 'n roll to the next level and he stood head and shoulders above his peers. If you want to find out where Cliff got his chops, get a Les Paul or a Chet Atkins album because it's all there. Cliff applied that style to rock 'n roll and it was a perfect fit the likes of which
will never be heard again. Cliff's playing held up through the years, and I've heard his licks played by Brian Setzer, Elliott Easton with the Cars, Jimmy Page, Eric Johnson and even Vernon Reid. Cliff was a private person and he quit Gene's band after a couple of years because he was homesick and he didn't like being on the road all the time. Other than playing some studio sessions with Gene and making a solo album in the 60s, He lived out his years in his hometown of Norfolk, Virginia, which was where Gene Vincent also came from. He kept a low profile, played occasional gigs around town with local bands, and in his obituary in 1988, his widow specified that his fame as a rock 'n roll pioneer not be mentioned. He preferred the quiet life and I respect that tremendously. Cliff Gallup, a force behind the scenes in the evolution of rock 'n roll.

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. Thanks, I'll see y'all next week.

[Novel-T]

Sorry,'m going to miss tonight's show. A lot of busy Mondays lately.

[draglist]

Andrew HInes was great on the show. JB did a great job, flu and all! bp

[WildcatOne]

Thanks, BP! Andrew Hines was one of my favorite guests on the show. They've all been great, but Andrew has a certain engaging manner that keeps ya tuned in to him. He's an amazing drag racer!

My pick for Racer of the Week is Roy Hagadorn from Venice, Florida. Roy was recommended to me by our friend Matt Burch, from Palmetto. Thanks, Matt! Roy is the 2014 NHRA National Champion in the Super Pro Class. From reading what his wife Candy sent to me about him, I am both amazed and proud to say that Roy Hagadorn is the winningest Pro Bike rider, ever. He doesn't use Facebook or computers much if at all, and all the information about Roy was provided to me by Candy, who maintains her and Roy's pages as well as the combined page of both their racing endeavors.

What Candy told me is as follows:
The kind of sad thing is we have not kept track of a lot of Roy's accomplishments. I had to go to the trophies, his jackets and articles to put this together. But we're proud to have been able to enjoy this sport and our many friends for all these years.

Roy started racing in 1979. He and Candy will be married 32 yrs in February. Candy races a Suzuki 1100, she's been racing 32 yrs. They have one daughter; Danielle started racing a junior dragster at 8yrs and now drives a Mustang in Sportsman. We have two Grandkids: Tanner (3 yrs) Kylie ( 9 months). We bought our first drag bike, a Suzuki 1100 in 1983 and Roy still races it today. It has a 1425 cc engine, slider clutch, g7 exhaust, g9 intake (cam motion cams, delay box, auto shift,
Wheelie bar, slick.

The Bike runs 5.50 in 1/8 mile at 125 mph
Runs 8.78 in1/4 mile at 148 mph
Fastest 8.12 175 mph on bike
Fastest in car 7.48 182 mph

Accomplishments:
Won NHRA Division 2 Pro Bike 6 times
Runner-up 3 times

2 time IHRA Division 2 Champion

40-plus Track Championships (we haven't been good at keeping track of it).

2 time Street Bike Champion

National Champion in Various classes:
Semdra, Mancup, Dragbike and ProStar
Classes include SuperComp, SuperGas, ProET and Street fighter.

NHRA World ProBike Champion 2014

People to Thank:
My Wife, Daughter, son inlaw ( Mike Mocny)
Steve Poneleit of South County Honda
Dan and Beth Rudd of MPS
George and Jackie of Star Racing

That's Roy Hagadorn from Venice, Florida, Racer of the Week. Congratulations on the Championship, Roy!
Good luck, safe racing and best of times in the future to you and Candy.

I talked last week about Cliff Gallup, who I believe is the greatest of the pre-February 3rd, 1959 rock n' roll guitar players. There were many, but right up there with Cliff was Link Wray, a self-taught half-Native American guitar player with more of a feel for the darker side of rock n' roll than anybody else had. His 1958 hit "Rumble" was an instrumental that was crudely recorded with his band the Wraymen in Dunn, North Carolina. He got the distorted sound out of his Sears Silvertone amp by punching holes in the speaker with a pencil. Back then, you had to do the best you could with what you had, ya know.

Like Cliff Gallup, Link Wray was more famous among players that he influenced than what was translated into chart success. He recorded a couple of albums in the 60s and 70s that are recognized as lost American classics, and he did them at his home studio. Beautiful, plaintive songwriting with incredibly structured orchestration all done by Link, and the 2 albums "Link Wray" and "Beans and Fatback" stand as his true masterpieces.

I remember in the early 80s I was drifting through a record bin and I came across a couple of live albums that Link had made with the rockabilly singer Robert Gordon. I thought to myself, it would be interesting to hear what Link Wray is doing with modern guitar technology and instruments, so I bought the 2 albums, took them home and put them on the turntable. From start to breathless finish, that guy absolutely tore the house down. He flat nailed it, man. I never heard anybody better. Not the Stray Cats, not Elvis' band, nothing came close to Link Wray's interpretation of the early rock tunes performed in modern times. It's not like he played a million notes at the speed of light. He played the right notes at the right time is all. It made sense and it came across with pure conviction and feeling. Best live gig I ever heard.

Link had a difficult time in his personal life. He was never close to his 8 kids or his 3 ex-wives, but he handed his legacy to one of his grandchildren not long before he left us in 2005. I hope he found peace in the next life, but I can assure you that Link Wray is a monumental figure in the John Bockelman hall of fame. The fact that he hasn't been inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame after being nominated a few times is unthinkable and I hope they get their stuff straight on that deal, like right now.

Y'all be sure to tune in tomorrow 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.

[WildcatOne]

My pick for Racers of the Week are the Williams Brothers Racing Team from Northampton in the United Kingdom. Dan, Nic and Keith Williams were recommended to me by our friend Carla Pittau of Heaven & Hell Racing. Thanks, Carla! The Williams Brothers run three '69 Chevys...a Nova, A Camaro, and a Chevelle, all legal stock cars, and they are simply gorgeous hot rods, highly competitive and finely crafted and tuned, and I'm proud to feature these great drag racers tonight. Dan sent me the specs on the cars:

69' Nova - driven by Dan Williams
NHRA legal Stock Eliminator raced in Sweden in A/SA since 2012
396ci Stock Eliminator engine built by Brian Tilburg
Spec: Moser 12 bolt rear axle with back cut gears and gun drilled rear axles
Coan XLT TH350 transmission
Caltrac rear suspension
Afco double adjustable front shocks
Best ET: 10.08 on an 11 second index
Achievements: Runner up twice in Tierp, Sweden

69' Camaro - driven by Nic Williams
NHRA legal Stock Eliminator which will be racing in Sweden in 2015 in CC/SA class
427ci ZL1 Stock Eliminator engine built by Brian Tilburg
Spec: Moser 12 bolt rear axle with back cut gears and gun drilled rear axles
Coan XLT TH350 transmission
Caltrac rear suspension
Afco double adjustable front shocks
Best ET: 9.92 on a 10.60 indenx
Achievements: Prior to running Stock Eliminator, Nic is the 2013 Avon Park Pro ET Champion

69' Chevelle - driven by Keith Williams
NHRA legal Stock Eliminator - will also debut in Sweden this year running C/SA class
396ci Stock Eliminator engine built by Brian Tilburg
Spec: Moser 12 bolt rear end
JW TH350 transmission
Best ET: 10.38
Achievements: The car was new out in 2014 and time has been spent testing and running the occasional bracket race in Pro ET.

Williams Bros. Racing is Dan and Nic, the brothers, and their Dad, Keith Williams.
All of the cars have been built by us., Nic also has his own body shop, OCS Paint.
Racing stock is our passion and our goal is to ship the Nova & Camaro out to the US to compete in NHRA races. We look forward to seeing you and your fine cars here soon, Dan, and thanks for the great info on your projects. Good luck, safe racing and best of times in the future.

With the passing this week of Kim Fowley, I was intrigued by his legacy. Kim Fowley had been a fixture on the outskirts of rock 'n roll for as long as I've been involved. As it turns out, he had a hand in more projects than I could list tonight, and his influence and personality was one of the most powerful to have ever made its presence felt in this music genre.

Kim Fowley was pretty much pigeonholed by mainstream media into being a fringe character of the LA scene. To an extent, he deserved that label, but on the other hand, he gave us hits and bands that shaped the course of rock 'n roll for decades to come. He either produced, wrote for, or managed acts from the late 50s on up until present times, and just a few of his clients are the Rivingtons, Bumble B and the Stingers, The Runaways, Warren Zevon, Soft Machine, Family, Slade, Helen Reddy, Gene Vincent, Steel Breeze, The Hollywood Argyles, The Mothers of Invention, KISS, Leon Russell, Kris Kristofferson, Alice Cooper and Jonathan Richmond and the Modern Lovers. And that's just a few of the artists he worked with and contributed to their careers. His list of clients reads like the membership list of the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.

You had guys like Kim Fowley, Joe Meek in England, Phil Spector, who played in Fowley's first band along with Bruce Johnston later of the Beach Boys, Rick Rubin, Andrew Loog Oldham, who turned the Stones into a world-beating phenomenon in the mid-60s by reinventing their image, Malcolm McLaren, and Lee Hazlewood who were masters of their craft but for one reason or another, not part of the establishment because of their singular vision. I, for one, have always appreciated somebody being different, especially if it brings new music to a new level like they did. I can say without reservation that music today would not be what it is if Kim Fowley hadn't been in it. He created an alternative perspective; a different atmosphere, one that revealed a more basic instinct than what had been done previously. He broke on through to the other side before it was cool to do that, ya know, and I appreciate his contributions. He kept it interesting for sure.

May you rest in peace, Kim Fowley. We were lucky to have you with us, and as with so many geniuses who have come and gone, we took it for granted that you'd always be there. I hope you are given your due as the great artist you truly were. You have my vote as a member of the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. It's where you belong and I believe your time will come soon. Godspeed.

I was reading today for the Super Bowl, it will be Idina Menzel singing The National Anthem, while John Legend is singing “America The Beautiful". The headliner of the halftime show will be Katy Perry with Lenny Kravitz. This group of people are all highly regarded in the music industry for their talent and success. I have not been very impressed by a lot of what I've seen during the Super Bowl halftime show, but this lineup shows great promise. Idina and John are two of the very best singers and musicians in the world, and I have no doubt that they will deliver outstanding performances. I dig Lenny Kravitz, but I can't say's I know anything about Katy Perry. Guess I'm older-old school than I thought! I'll be watching her do her thing and I know she's gotta be good or they wouldn't have her doing it. I do enjoy the commercials. Some of the best I've ever seen have been during the Super Bowl and I look forward to that every year. As for the game, I think the Pats are going to win, but I plan to enjoy it for its basic value. What's cool is that the NHRA 2015 season kicks off the next weekend at Pomona; heck, the offseason wasn't that difficult to get through.

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.

[WildcatOne]

I have 2 Racers of the Week tonight. Last week I missed giving Robbie Grangrade of Glendale, Arizona his feature so I'm going to do Robbie's feature first.

Robbie picked up his '67 Mustang in Colorado in 2005 and he's been driving it around the Phoenix area for the last 10 years. He drag races for fun, but he's racked up an impressive list of wins, and his expertise on the tree is very well-known.

Robbie has a very fast car; it runs 11.3s in the quarter mile, but he wins mostly with driving skill. He dials in an accurate number, cuts a .00 light 90% of the time, outfoxes the other guy, runs his number and wins. Speaking of Robbie's wins:

The big wins were sportsman champ for division 7 in '09 and the bracket nationals in vegas in 2012. Probably 20 local wins total. Robbie said he hasn't been racing much the last 2 years. He said maybe 10 races a year. I think that's a pretty hefty schedule, myself. Robbie's been trying to sell his car. He plans to build a stock eliminator car for NHRA competition.

The Mustang has a new roll bar, which is much safer than the old one. New belts are in, the battery is relocated, and wiring has been done that needed to be fixed.

Robbie's R/Ts are way different from day to night. He has to back off at night or he red-lights big time. #1 Div 7 Sportsman, #1 ADRA pro class, #2 Div 2 NHRDA in Diesel Truck...Yes he races his truck too...LOL
He has a Top 7 finish in the sportsman class in the Summit series.

Robbie Grangrade is racing for fun, but he races to win also, and winning makes it that much more fun. Way to go, Robbie, and good luck getting that stock eliminator car done. You'll be featured again when you do.

I might add that Robbie, along with BP and Billy Mac, is one of my wife's favorite people. When Debby and I went to Phoenix a few years ago for a marketing conference, Robbie came over and picked us up and took us out to dinner. When he pulled up into the hotel driveway in his Super Duty F-250 diesel, Debby was jumping up and down...believe me, folks, when Debby jumps up and down when you show up, you are one very lucky guy, and I guarantee you're in for a good time. Way to go, Robbie. Whatever you did to make Debby love you, you did it right and she's a #1 fan of yours.

For this week's Racer of the Week, I have selected Paul Baxter from Canton, Georgia. Paul was recommended to me by our friend Billy Mac. Thanks, Billy!

Paul's '69 Chevy C-10 stepside is a unique but highly functional hot rod, and it's been a pleasure finding out about this race car. Here is what Paul sent to me last week:

We built the truck about 9 years ago. We knew that we needed sponsors to sustain the racing schedule that we desired. I raced two races that year, and went to the ORSCA year end banquet. I met Harvey Alsabrook from Southern Truck Parts. In a matter of days, we were offered sponsorship that covered a large part of products, and entry into the races. We only ran two races that following year in our truck, when STP offered us one of their cars, a Pro ET Monte Carlo, and trailer. We were off to run the 5.30 index for the rest of the season. I drove for them for the next six years running 5.30, and 5.0 index classes. We always qualified very well, in the top five most of the time, with several #1 efforts. I won several races, and was always a threat to finish well. We finished 7th in the points, and that was starting with zero points going into the third race of the season, due to changing classes.

We decided as a family to start racing our truck again. The kids enjoyed being a part of the truck when I was racing it. My son learned to weld at the age of eight, while installing the floor pans in our truck. We won the first race we entered the truck in, after it sat for six years. What a blast! The truck draws attention everywhere we take it, and affords us the opportunity of building relationships with racers and fans. These relationships have led to us being able to demonstrate our faith in God at the track, and have led to many lifelong friends.

The truck specs are:
1969 Chevrolet C10 stepside
Stock rear suspension with coil over shocks, and an anti roll bar
Chris Alston's chromoly FAB9 housing with Moser axles and center section
JW power glide
Custom stock type all chromoly front suspension fabricated by Steve Tucker at Southeast Race Cars.
The truck is all steel except for the hood.
It has a 12 point chromoly funny car cage, fabricated by Steve Tucker.
540ci conventional head big block Chevrolet.

The crew consists of my wife Kasey, and kids Brady, and Breelan. Best et is 5.50 at 130 mph in the 1/8 in the truck on an Mickey Thompson radial tire. Looking to push into 5.20's to low 5.30's this year!

Paul Baxter is having a great time racing this truck, and it's a winner. We wish you good luck, safe racing and the best of times in the future, Paul.

Next Monday I'm going to give my take on one of my biggest guitar-playing influences, and I plan for it to be a true accounting of his impact on my life as well as that of popular music. He did more than folks might think he did, and I'm looking forward to paying tribute to the great Randy California. Stay tuned.

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.

[Wheelzman]

Love that truck as I had one of those years back. Thanks Cat.

[WildcatOne]

Thanks, Wheelz! Paul is an outstanding young man. The truck is a great race car!

My pick for Racer of the Week is Don Speer from Milan, Illinois. Don was recommended to me by Shawn and Chrissy Deters. Thanks, Shawn and Chrissy! There’s a lot to say about Don Speer, and this is what I got from Chrissy Richardson Deters yesterday…

Don started drag racing when he was 17 years old, back in '73, and was still in high school. His parents didn't know about him racing, and back then, a parental consent wasn't needed. Don was working at a Honda dealership, and also racing Motorcross and flat track. At the Honda shop, they were building a 750 Honda, (which is about equivalent to about 830 cc with a super charger) and Don was asked if he would be interested in trying to drive this drag bike. So, Don raced this drag bike and fell in love with drag racing immediately. For the next several years, he was drag racing other people's stuff, since he never had his own epuipment at that point in his career, until 1976 when Don began racing his own rides full time. This is also the same time that Don began his career with building his own hot rods as well.

In 1978 Don was offered to drive another racer's Top rear engine dragster, which was one of the fastest cars in the Midwest, and this is when Don knew he was hooked with the high horse powered cars. Since then, Don has raced at many tracks, winning 4 track championships, racing his own equipment.

Best accomplishment for Don Speer is, the fact that for 41 years he has raced, he has built his own cars, he has had over 200 wins, and likes to think he has helped push the envelope with low ET, high MPH, etc, and being one of the first local racers with a 7 second car, and also a 6 second car. Don had the track record at Eddyville for a lot of years, with the first 4 second car (with Eddyville being an 1/8th-mile track), which were all bracket cars. Nothing has stopped Don from achieving these goals, not even by being told thousands of times, over and over that he's "too fast" because the "rules" never fit for what Don wanted to accomplish. Don has also raced Pro-Mod, TAD, TAFC, adding to the list of many accomplishments.

In 1982, 83 and 84, Don semi finaled, and runnerd-up, 3 times straight for the ET finals division 5, and in 1985, Don was the ET bracket finals winner at Indy.

Car specs--Don's yellow 2012 Chassis Concepts super charged rear engine dragster is 580 cubic inch, with a Rodeck engine, an 871 High Helix Retro blower, and carries the front end for about 300 ft, approximately 2 ft off the ground, and it is deadly consistent.

In 1992, NHRA decided to legalize super chargers in bracket racing, which Don was the "first guy on the block to accomplish that". At that time, 7.50 ET was the fastest you were allowed to run in bracket racing. This was a whole new game out there, and someone had to figure it out. This is at the same time that Don quit his "real job" and decided that he could make a living building race cars and going racing, so he opened his own shop, and he's not sorry he did that.
Best ET and MPH -- this is interesting because Don has done the same ET and same MPH 3 different times, in 3 different cars. ET was 6.64 @ 202 MPH, which was accomplished in Don's dragster, Hank Brown's dragster, and Luke Smith's dragster, which are also cars and motors all built by Don as well.

Goals--Don has made such great friends and this is his racing family. He adds that it's not always about winning, but he likes to push the envelope and build better stuff all the time, which is what he is best at.

Thanks to -- Don thanks his wife Sue, because if it wasn't for her, he would have retired a long time ago but she's still got ambition for this sport. Don said his friends and customers are what keeps him going. One of his customers told him awhile back that they couldn't keep racing if Don ever quit building cars.

Most memorable moment -- 1993 Norwalk Ohio, racing a Friday night, and Don is running his super charged dragster, 7.10 ET, going down track and in the 5th round,while going thru the traps, they had a power outage, last thing Don saw was his win light, and then it was total blackness...he had no idea where he was on the track, he was racing a door car in the other lane, and the last thing the driver of the door car saw was Don's chute deploy, and Don's car going into the dark. The driver of the door car went full throttle, chasing Don, to help Don be able to see where he was going since the door car driver had one working headlight. Don says "that guy saved my life."

Don went to Cordova in 2009, with a Chassis Concepts 1941 Willy's built pro mod car, set up for bracket racing. First time out, the track was only sprayed to 1/8th mile. Don staged the car, knowing if it didn't feel right, he would shut off early. At about 500 ft, Don lifted, however, the car was still under power, almost as if the throttle was stuck, and by the time Don was at the 1/8th mile, and trying to reach the master disconnect, (while driving a car that's out of control.) He ended up brushing the rail. The problem ended up being a full throttle switch on the throttle that came loose, which caused the throttle to stay open. Don called his wife Sue, told her the story, she said "put it in the box and bring it home." Don said we got the problem fixed and we're gonna make another pass..."because that's just me".

Most influenced racer -- One of the toughest, local racers, who Don respects greatly, is Ed Bousman, of Clinton Iowa, and for years Ed dominated Cordova. Don knew if he was ever going to make it at this game, he had to beat one driver, and that was Ed. Til this day, there is still a mutual respect between the two drivers, and both are still tough racers to beat.
Don would like to pass his knowledge on to all his friends and customers, everything that he has learned along the way over the years. Don is a mentor to many, many racers who want to learn how to do this sport, as he never had anyone to teach him.

Chassis Concepts/West Heads/Pink's Bus Service Quick 16 Race-- Don will be sponsoring 5 quick races, starting in May. This will be a field of 8 Top Dragsters and 8 Top Sportsman Door Cars. The last two races will be on Friday and Saturday during World Series at Cordova in August 2015. Points finale will be that Saturday night during Series.

That’s what Chrissy sent to me about Don . I thought I’d mention a couple of things here. Don Speer’s graphic and the post I made with it is Top-3 all-time in responses and likes; he’s up there with Bret Kepner and Jim Wilson in popularity and recognition. But here’s what really got me…Don Speer is not online. He does not have an internet connection. Everything he’s done has been done manually and in a person-to-person context. And here he is, an extremely well-known and respected racer, fabricator and all-around famous personality in the Midwest. My hat’s off to you, Don. In my and everybody’s opinion, you’re one of the best drag racers who ever put his boot to the wood. Good luck, safe racing and best of times in the future.

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. Thanks, I’ll see y’all next week.

[WildcatOne]

I’d like to ask for a moment of silence on behalf of my sister Sylvia in honor of the great Leslie Gore. My favorite song that you recorded was the B-side of “That’s The Way Boys Are”, called “That’s the Way The Ball Bounces”, which was an early Marvin Hamlisch composition. Both sides of the record’s titles started with “That’s The Way” but I was entranced by your vocal on the B-Side. You were beautiful, you were great, and we never forgot your wonderful music. May you rest in peace.

My pick for Racer of the Week is Rodney “Hot Rod” Rezentes from Hilo, Hawaii. Hot Rod’s “Just Plain Blown Crazy” Top Alcohol Dragster is the foremost example of Sportsman drag racing excellence on the Big Island. The blown big-block Chevy car sits on a Hadman chassis and has set performance benchmarks for the last few years in Hawaii, with Rod also driving a Fuel Altered at selected events. Rod is on the board of directors of the Hawaiian Drag Racing League, and he is the 2014 IHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series champion. His home track at Hilo, Hawaii was named IHRA track of the year in 2014, and he is also the track champion. That Chevy engine makes a ton of power, and from watching the videos that are posted online of his best runs, it appears to me that he isn’t about to give up his position any time soon. He’s been at the top of his sport for more than the last 10 years, and he’ll keep going into the future as long as his foot can slam the pedal. Rodney “Hot Rod” Rezentes exemplifies the spirit of Hawaiian Sportsman Racing, and I’m proud to feature him tonight. Good luck, safe racing and best of times in the future, Rod.

I’m open for suggestions from all Sportsmen Racers for Racer of the Week, folks. I keep the roster full for about a month or so in advance. The criteria to be selected is fun and easy to produce, and for no cost you or your favorite Racer gets worldwide ink. Feel free to message me at John R. Bockelman on Facebook, you can email me at pctalent@sbcglobal.net, or message me on my DragRacersReunion.com page. I’ll be happy to work with you, and y’all will join a very special group of folks who deserve the recognition and have put in the effort to succeed in drag racing. I hope to hear from you soon.

It seems fitting that while I’m talking about Hawaii tonight, I should finally get around to talking about one of my musical influences who died there in 1997 in the heroic rescue of his 12-year old son. Randy California was given his last name by Jimi Hendrix in 1966 when Randy Wolfe was playing guitar in Jimmy James and the Blue Flames in Greenwich Village. The band was starving but they were great…more than great, actually, and when Chas Chandler whisked Jimi away to England to form the Experience, Randy decided to move back home to California and put his own band together.

His stepfather, Ed Cassidy, was in his 50s and had a 30-year career behind him as a jazz drummer, but when he heard Randy playing his new music, he offered his services as the drummer for the band he was forming. When Randy accepted Ed’s offer, it was in my opinion a stroke of genius, one of many that he had, as the band Spirit featured some of the most creative yet rock-solid drumming of any band, ever. The two remained partners throughout Randy’s career and life, and I can’t imagine hearing a Randy California song without the great Ed Cassidy playing his unique style behind him.

Randy was responsible for several classic albums, beginning with Spirit’s first album, into their second great outing, The Family That Plays Together, through the masterpiece that was The 12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus, which not only reached unimaginable heights of beauty and vision, but also produced nightmarish images of the dark side of rock music and the hippie myth.

Although they wouldn’t have another record like that one, their music continued to thrive, and from the album “Feedback”, which Randy and Ed recorded with the Stahley brothers after some of the members of Spirit split and formed Jo Jo Gunne, the song “Taurus” from that album is recognized as having been used by Led Zeppelin as the opening guitar licks in their song “Stairway To Heaven”. Spirit performed “Taurus” when Zep opened for them on their 1969 tour. The litigation in that matter is still ongoing. Speaking of Jo Jo Gunne, Mark Christopher Andes, the bass player who joined that band with Jay Ferguson, both of whom were in Spirit with Randy, went on to join Heart in the 1980s and played on several Heart albums and hits. He lives in Houston now, and is a session man at SugarHill Studios. I met him a few years ago at the SugarHill 60th anniversary CD release party. The Citykings played a song on that CD.

Anyway, one late afternoon in 1975, I was in my one-room flat in darkest Montrose, which my friend Scott Blair named “One Alley Center” and I heard a band a half block away playing a Spirit song…”I Got A Line On You”. I thought, damn, they’re nailing it. Sounds just like ‘em! Then they started another Spirit song, “Fresh Garbage”, and I decided to stroll over to the Texas Opry House and check these guys out. Much to my amazement, it was Randy California and Spirit, and they were rocking the joint! Cost 5 bucks to get in, and it was the best money I ever spent. I got to see the master up-close and in person play his best with Ed Cassidy on drums and Barry Keene on bass. They were absolutely fantastic, and it was this band who was touring in advance of the recording and release of what I consider to be the greatest rock ‘n roll album ever recorded, “Spirit of ‘76”.

I got my copy of this album from a cut-out bin at the neighborhood record store, and from the first note to the last, I was hooked on it. Everybody could say an album came along that changed their life or at least influenced their outlook, and I’ve had a few of them over my years, but Spirit of ’76 completely turned my life around, and I made some very significant changes to my career, my lifestyle, and yes, my Spirit. I’ll never forget the contribution that Randy California made to my life. It went deeper than it did with others, but I found my spiritual touchstone with that record and it was him who created it.

Randy lived in Hawaii, mostly, until his untimely death in 1997 at the age of 46, when he drowned after saving his 12-year-old son from being swept away by the strong current.

Along with Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Holly and Gerry Rafferty, Randy California became an immortal being in my life and he will forever be an immortal Spirit.

Y’all be sure to tune in tomorrow evening 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.