Motorsports Newsletter 6/12/23

By Richard Parks

1) Last Friday I attended the service for noted illustrator and National Dragster staffer John Jodauga. His artwork graced many press kit covers (most famously those for Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins) and posters, while his portraits were a staple of ND for many years. In attendance were many who worked with John over the years; Steve Gibbs, Greg Sharp, Neil Britt, JR Martinez, Carl Olson, myself, and current Dragster staffers Phil Burgess and Jeff Morton. Noted artist James Ibusuki was also there, as was components manufacturer Roger Lamb. Many others, too (that I probably failed to recognize). John’s contributions to drag racing’s fabric will surely endure. Bill Holland
BILL: Thank you for the sad news. He was a special and talented artist and a good friend of my father’s. John passed away last May 11th. See Phil Burgess’ nice article at https://www.nhra.com/news/2023/jodauga.
Phil Burgess wrote: A gallery of JJ’s art: https://www.nhra.com/news/2023/artwork-john-jodauga. And remembrances from friends and co-workers including myself, Bill, and many others: https://www.nhra.com/news/2023/friends-and-co-workers-remember-john-jodauga.

2) Do you have any word for services or a memorial for Jimmy Dilamarter? If so, or when you do, please let me know. Doug Stokes

3) I forgot to tell you how much I enjoy your newsletters, I read every single word and follow many included links. Your research is amazing and enviable, I am a retired Professor Emeritus and wished my students had your expertise, job well done. Don’t ever give up. Ron Bell

4) What a great journey to be able to track down so much information and details. Just happy for you and for ‘others’ that you have done and continue to do the research so HISTORY is not lost. You must work on this history 20 hours a day! John Towle
JOHN: I started in 2000, when I first discovered the computer, courtesy of Joan Denver’s insistence that I join the modern era. Not quite 20 hours a day, but close.
READERS: John is referring to the story on Wally & Barbara Parks and the NHRA, which I send out free of charge to whomever wants to read it.
5) Thank you for your coverage of West Coast Kustoms Cruisn’ Nationals. We had one of the best years ever. Doug Mason
6) Hot Rod Bob Choisser writes, “I understand that the folks at Kingdon Drag Strip (Lodi, CA) have raised enough money and recently laid down 1/8th mile (660-feet) of new asphalt, and they will continue to run ¼ mile distance and claim that the transition from the new surface to the old is very smooth. They don’t see a problem for the faster drag cars.”
7) FormulaSAE has proven that motorsports enhances the knowledge, aptitudes and attitudes of learners–and provides a model for all aspects of education … a model that is not understood and not used by educators and their authorities … in spite of their dismal performance levels. The future of AI should uncover the unexplored values of motorsports, and reveal a model for adoption by ‘education’. Ken Berg
8) Dear Hidden Pioneers: I truly enjoyed my time at Hillbank and listening to some fantastically interesting input about the need for more technical and vocational training in our school system and in society in general. If you have multiple emails marked below, please let me know which one you prefer. I would like to add your names to my motorsports newsletter and ask you to send me events and updates to add to it. My father, Wally Parks, created the NHRA to provide just the sort of education and safety (1950’s style) that you are advocating. It is evident to me today that this is a battle that must be waged every generation. This is not a topic that is won three generations ago and never needs to be fought again. We must provide educations that help our children, not an education that is staid, impossibly passe, unusable and unsatisfying to the needs of youth. There has to be a future for young people. Classes in Junior High, High School, and College that gives them hope for a better life and livelihood. I also want to commend Aggie Kobrin for her efforts on AD ASTRA Magazine. It is extremely well done, informative, picturesque, outstanding photographs and text. A periodical that should be standard in all public and private schools. I will do a review of it soon. Please ask me for this review if you want it. I am proud of all of you for your efforts and hope to be at more of these programs in the future. Hidden Pioneers shouldn’t be just Bill Montgomery’s effort. It’s an effort we should all be a part of. Inspired young people are what we are after, and they are a market that the Automotive and Technical Industry should attract and nurture. Thanks for inviting me. Richard Parks
9) Royce Rumsey just published ‘Charmed,’ told with 38 CHARMED Lyon Collections alluring ‘68 Shelby GT500KR convertible photographs. “By 1967 the original Mustang platform, and its raucous Shelby GT350 bad-boy variant had evolved from the Wimbledon White and Acapulco Blue bare-knuckled street brawler into more of a Marquess of Queensberry light-heavyweight champion…”
And “(Re)Cycled” in Exposure. From Flabob, to Daytona and other venues, vintage motorcycle racing has fascinated Americans. See Harley-Davidsons, Indians and other brands race each other.
And “Santa Ana Aerie.” For the full story and photographs of the Lyon Air Museum write to Royce Rumsey at roycer924_2.
10) SEMA Show, October 31-November 3, 2023, Las Vegas, Nevada. Mike Spagnola Talks EPA, Rise of EVs, Car Trends and More on ‘The Smoking Tire’ Podcast The SEMA president and CEO also reveals how this year’s SEMA Show is bigger and better with all-new programs. Don Smith
11) The Charity Motorcycle Show is located in Scotts Valley, just north of Santa Cruz, California will be held on August 27, 2023. This has been a “Music” and Kiwanis Club charity event for many years. The Motorcycle show aspect is a new addition to this annual Scotts Valley Kiwanis Club Charity event, thanks to the efforts and hard work of Robbie Cadwallader. There will be a lot of quality motorcycles there. Here is the Google Map page for Skypark Scotts Valley, California, replikad, and Robbie Cadwallader robbiecadwallader
12) 2023 SEMA Leaders & Legends Gala Friday, July 21, 2023 from 6-9 PM at The Anaheim Marriott Hotel, Anaheim, California. The SEMA Leaders & Legends Gala (formerly the SEMA Awards Gala) is a long-established tradition where individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the industry are honored and celebrated. The 2023 SEMA Hall of Fame Inductees are: Steve Ames, John Iannotte, and Mitch Williams. The evening will feature cocktails, networking, and dinner. Seating is limited with a minimum age of 16 to attend. For more information, contact Alicia Stager at alicias, or 202-796-2252, or Courtney Wright at CourtneyW
13) The Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Classic 6 Hours of The Glen Debuts This Weekend, June 9-11, 2023, on the Legendary Grand Prix Course at Watkins Glen International 2) I am Richard Nicholson, my uncle, Dyno Don Nicholson and your dad (Wally Parks) built the sport of Drag Racing. Dyno Don is a name for the early drag racer fans. Enjoy a 12-minute video on y-tube, titled “Dyno Don Nicholson Drag Racing Legend,” https://youtu.be/rzyl3CUoxuA. Also DynoDon.com. Let me know what you think of the video. Many of the photos are part of our family collection as we attended mostly Pomona Drag Strip. RACING FANS: Check out the websites and videos. Cool photos of what it looked like in the past. Dave McClelland, Steve Evans and Dyno Don himself.
14) Long Beach car show/swap meet-August 6th (Sunday AM) Long Beach High Performance Swap Meet (longbeachhiposwapmeet.com).
Sept 9th-Cruisin for a Cure Car show Orange Co-Sept 9th Saturday 2023 Homepage – CruisinForACure.
Long Beach car show/swap meet-September 10th (Sunday AM) Long Beach High Performance Swap Meet (longbeachhiposwapmeet.com). Sent in by Bill Montgomery of Hidden Pioneers.
15) I was in NYC at Time Square for a 2-day event with Simon and Schuster. My book “Twenty Million Years” was on display there. Most of the authors attending only have 1 or two novels. They were quite blown away when they discovered I have 18 Novels selling worldwide and 8 super Book Video Trailers. I was the only person that showed up with books to give away. I gave books to 8 authors who now know what a good book cover looks like and the effort they need to do. The reason why I give away books is a book is worth 10 business cards. The takeaway: A number of authors there want me to create book covers for them. They love having an autographed book from a famous author. My day is coming soon. I did 17 out of the 18 book covers, which means I’m a successful commercial artist. This particular video has 4,444 views. Arizona Alien Adventure: When the Zhrakzhongs Arrived by Paul D. Escudero | Book Video Trailer – YouTube. Paul Escudero
RACE FANS: While you are strolling the pits, pick up Paul Escudero’s outer space fiction (he’s also an engineer) and give to your wife to read in the stands. That way both of you will be happy.
16) “DRIVEN TO CRIME: TRUE STORIES OF WRONGDOING IN MOTOR RACING,” by Crispian Besley. Murder: David Blakely (the driver killed by his lover Ruth Ellis); Franco Ambrosio (F1 sponsor of Shadow and Arrows); Elmer George (American racer who married into Indy ‘royalty’); Ricardo Londoño-Bridge (Colombia’s first F1 driver); Mickey Thompson (1960s American drag-racing icon); Nick Whiting (casualty of the biggest gold bullion heist in British history). Evro Publishing books are distributed in North America by Quarto Publishing Group USA. Books can be ordered from Quarto by email: sales; phone number: 800-328-0590; or website: jvstropus
17) The Lions Drag Strip Museum will have thousands more square feet of wall murals and custom designed displays will showcase vehicles from the dry lakes of El Mirage, to off-road, NASCAR and Ascot Speedway. Tributes to Southern California’s drag strips, speed equipment pioneers (like Ed Iskenderian) and racing Hall of Famers will also be included, as well as a ‘surprise’ movie car display. For more information, contact: LionsAutomobilia.org. Kenny Youngblood
18) Terry Cook’s “I WAS THERE Bench Racing Tales from the 60’s & 70’s.” Volume I- Grumpy Jenkins, Carl Olson, Sneaky Pete Robinson, Von Dutch, prankster TV Tommy Ivo, Hunter S. Thompson, Art Arfons, Jungle Jim Lieberman, Cha Cha Muldowney, Steve Gibbs, Joe the Fonz Carloni, Danny Ongias, Benny Osborne, Tony Feil, Pete Van Iderstein, William Jeanes and Wally Parks. Dozens of wacky stories like the time my dad called the police on me, panic the night I sold my Scrape Zephyr. Volume I ISBN: 978-1-7358046-0-6 $23.95 delahayeusa. “Terry Cook is the most creative person I’ve ever met.” Jim McCrew
READERS: Worth the dough just to see what Terry Cook has written about you.
19) Weather forces NHRA New England Nationals eliminations at Epping, New Hampshire, to move to Bristol Dragway for the completion of the 10th annual NHRA New England Nationals. source: Dragzine.com. Don Smith
20) Dear fans of motoring and at motorsports for Shelby Cars: My father, Wally Parks, met Bill Montgomery and was as impressed with this young man’s zeal as I have been. We have needed at outreach program to resurrect vocational and automotive education in our school system ever since the NHRA sent the Drag Safari out on the road in 1954, ’55 and the Safety Safari in 1956. If you would like to know why we call it the SAFETY SAFARI today and not the DRAG SAFARI write to me and ask for the book that I wrote on my father and stepmother and I will send it to you in email format (attachments). I am grateful that you see the potential benefit for education as well as for Shelby cars. My father and Carroll Shelby were good friends and Carroll was an advisor and NHRA Board member in the early 1950’s. All the very best, Richard Parks and Scott Parks (my son and Wally’s grandson)
21) EVVTOL TECH SHOW/ EXPO • EVVTOL Tech Show/Expo LLC is under the umbrella corporation of EVVTOL. EVVTOL will produce the most influential EV Future Tech Show/Expo events in the world by exhibiting breakthrough EV & EHV & VTOL technologies, e-mobility conferences, introducing global innovators giving direct insight into the EV & VTOL world’s biggest brands displaying their products and do business and meet new partners. The URLs that EVVTOL are listing throughout the presentation are going to be used to assist in show/expo marketing, web SEO, show/expo search, and URLs to showcase the show/expo exhibits and help our overall search reach on the web to get the message across. EVVTOL Expo (spagnani
22) Biographies are my hobby and I help people write them. I say “help” them because even on the occasions when I do most of the writing I cannot succeed without their input. To tell a story of one’s life I must see it with my own eyes and in my mind and that isn’t always possible, so I rely on the person who wants his story told to tell me. It is a simple process and I try to write bios fast. You tell me your story by listing NOUNS in your life (people, places, things). Try and write one sentence, or more if you choose, for each noun you wish to write about. This can be your parents, grandparents, where you were born, where you grew up, your education, hobbies, jobs, friends and family. Your history is unique to you, and you should tell it the way you wish to. There are no hard and fast rules, although I ask that you spend only five or ten minutes at a time and move your story along by sending the rough drafts to me to edit and ask you more questions. You should not spend a lot of time researching; just write your story as you remember it. You can always add details later as they come to you. And above all, have fun with your story. Do you know that in the 200 biographies that I have helped people write that not one of them was boring. Your life is far more interesting and fascinating than you can believe. Richard Parks (editor)
23) The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is going to unify Beech Bend Raceway and Famoso Dragstrip NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series events in 2023. For decades the best in nostalgia drag racing has drawn racers, hot rodders, and fans to Bowling Green, Kentucky, and Bakersfield, California, to experience how the sport of drag racing began. It was always Wally Parks’ vision to unify hot rodders from coast to coast who were looking to measure themselves against the best of the best. The quarter-mile became their chosen measuring stick, and the cars were the stars. Now, with 30 years of nostalgia racing under its belt, the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum has announced its two 2023 Hot Rod Reunion events will relaunch as the Wally Parks NHRA Nostalgia Nationals. Pat Wright, Museum Director
24) At breakfast Wednesday Spencer said you wanted some Kent Fuller pictures. The luncheon and visit to Fuller’s shop was April 21, 2011, in Santa Rosa. The Auburn lunch group, Schrank and Hampshire brothers and others came down. We had a bay area group also attend. The Vic Hubbard dragster was one of Fuller’s favorites. Denny Forsberg