By Richard Parks
1) Gambling on sports, including motorsports, seems inevitable. Romans gambled on which gladiator would win in the colosseum. Dice and board games go back thousands of years ago and even the old Pharaohs gambled. We should
keep informed on motorsports gambling and see if the “watchdog” programs work. Maybe they will or maybe they won’t,
but regulation is an option.
APOLOGIES AND CORRECTIONS DEPT: In the last newsletter I erred, this statement is correct, “Kyle Larson is the NASCAR Cup Champion in 2021 and many, many more professional motor racing championships including several wins
at the Chili Bowl Nationals.”
EDITOR SPEAKS: I will miss seeing Parnelli Jones at the various events and reunions around Southern California. He was a great supporter of racing as well as a champion. He will be missed. The stories that Hila Sweet told are priceless about Parnelli. Save your stories; don’t let them disappear from the racing and automotive culture.
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2) Todd Ballard, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of ALT Sports Data, expressed his personal enthusiasm about
the partnership, stating, “At ALT Sports Data, we are committed to enhancing the fan experience and driving engagement
in the sports we admire. Our collaboration with NHRA will provide a gateway for a broader audience to immerse them
selves in the excitement of the world’s premier drag racing series, through legal sports betting.” NHRA, together with
ALT Sports Data is also deeply committed to maintaining the integrity of the sport. This partnership will uphold the
highest standards of data accuracy and security, and through a partnership with IC360, NHRA will aim to capitalize on
the growing popularity of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series while also ensuring a safe and secure experience for its fans around the world.
AND: On the gambling deal for NHRA, Gambling on drag racing isn’t new. 50 years ago, at Gary US 30, I watched a whole grandstand of fans in a gambling frenzy at one of their Wednesday night funny car shows. At the PHR events in Martin, Michigan, the gamblers were in force at those events. Pretty much at any Pro Stock match race on the East Coast had gambling money changing hands. Gambling and drag racing are not a good fit. Steve Reyes
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3) The Rodders Journal printed a rare third cover for this issue. Subscribers will get the cover featuring Larry Jacinto’s
baremetal Deuce three-window built by Ryan Reed, cover B features Jim “Jake” Jacobs’ old school, period-perfect ’29 Ford roadster, and cover C showcases Ray and Terri Bartlett’s east coast-based ’40 Ford sedan delivery. From Don Smith.
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4) Dave Nicholas story continued. “The winning 1973 Lime Rock Camel GT class drivers on the podium. L to R, Warren Agor, Peter Gregg, Ludwig Heimrath Jr, Dave Nicholas and John Magee. Fast company indeed! Moving on 1974 marked the gas crisis when fuel prices increased to 55 cents a gallon. Jiri Nechleba decided it was too expensive to enter IMSA, so the team went NASCAR Modified racing. They took Nazdar out a couple times but unfortunately their races were not up to par with a DNF Watkins Glen and 6th in GTU Class at Lime Rock. They were not competitive against the under 2.5-liter Porsches and 240Z’s so Nazdar was retired from regular racing and used by Jiri Nechleba’s kids to autocross. For the next 30 years, the car bounced around between Jiri’s kids and Mark Scarano, one of the team mechanics.” (to be continued).
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5) BOOK REVIEW Corvette Drag Racing: The Golden Era, by Jim Dillon (2023). (last in the series)
The Corvette styling has adapted over the years, but all of the various remodeling is still as vibrant and beautiful today as when the first ‘vette came off the assembly line. The photographs are stunning, and I found myself thumbing through the book often. Corvettes such as the black and yellow Pryg & Eberwein, Midwest Auto Parts flat-nosed black ‘vette, Carmine Rotunda’s sporty red ‘vette, Dianna & Ripes stunning orange racer and show car, among many others. Competitive and classy, the Corvette will always be a fan favorite at static car shows and on America’s drag strips and road racing courses. Jim Dillon’s thorough and detailed story is a fascinating read and perhaps he will write another book on Corvette racing in the 21st century. I found the book Corvette Drag Racing: The Golden Era, highly enjoyable and recommend it for your library. Jim Dillon can be reached at jim@dillonreo.com and Gone Racin’ is at RnParks1@Juno.com.
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6) From Jim Miller (continued): “Fast forward to ’49 and the Goleta Drags where Fran Hernandes showed up with his Deuce Coupe laced with Nitro and cleaned up at that race (and made some good side money on a bet). Nitro was also gaining favor at the lakes thanks to dealer Tony Capanna, and everybody had their own favorite mix. I could also go on and on about the seven drag strips in the Los Angeles area and most didn’t buy into the NHRA rules from the start. Then there was the Maremont/ATTA Group out of Chicago that was on board with Nitro all the way. A look at the Drag rules Jim Nelson wrote for the San Diego Timing Association that were picked up by the NHRA were anything but simple. You had to weigh the car, calculate C.I.D. against car weight, then assign a class and car number then paint it on the car.”
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7) “As far as I’m concerned, Parnelli Jones was the greatest driver of his era. Whether he was racing sprint cars, Indy cars, sports cars, Can-Am or stock cars, he exhibited a flair that was all his own. He had aggressiveness but also a finesse that no one else possessed. And he won with everything he put his hands on, including off-road. I certainly looked up to him, and I won my first championship in 1965 only because Parnelli retired after Indy that year. And for that, I say thank you. Had he continued racing, PJ would have amassed a record that would have been the envy of everyone. So, if you want to describe a total winner, there you have it — Parnelli Jones.” (signed) Mario Andretti (sent in by Chris Agajanian)
CHRIS: That is what Rodger Ward told me as well.
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8) Paul Chamberlain’s story continued. “One fine day, I drove over to the NHRA offices, which were located on Vermont Street in Hollywood, between Sunset and Santa Monica Boulevards, to transact some Monarch business (I guess, hey I’m 83, I can’t remember every detail.) Somehow, I left the offices with a summer job at NHRA! I was hired as a go-fer. Looking back, that job gave me the golden opportunity to rub elbows with some of the great people in our sport. Some became good friends, some I just knew in passing, and some I missed the chance to know.”
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9) Ice Speedway Racing History: In 2004 X-Treme Speedway Kart Racing (X-KARTS) was added to the World Champion-ship ICE Racing Series. The ICE X-KARTS more than doubled in participation the very next season and crowned their first World Champion. Another popular entry-level class recently initiated by ICE are the ICE Breaker Amateur Quads. Many of our current pros around the country have come out of this “racing for fun and a trophy” class.
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10) BLAST FROM THE PAST…… From the Wally & Barbara Parks story, We Did It Our Way. 9 JULY 1944 Chuck Spurgin and a cartoon of the latrines. Chuck Spurgin came to see Dad while they were stationed in Bougainville or a nearby staging area; he drew a head portrait of Spurgin with a full beard and labeled it “Beaver” Spurgin, USN. It lifted his morale when he met another dry lake friend of his. Meanwhile, a world away, Ak Miller would be fighting Germans in the Ardennes and Johnny Ryan would face horror in December as he almost drowned when a U-Boat sunk his transport ship in the English Channel. Another cartoon my father drew showed him cleaning the latrines with this caption, “This may be helpin’ to win the war, but it seems like a funny way?” Some cartoonists are famous for their drawings, which are extremely artistic, while others have a vicious sense of humor. My father’s style is reminiscent of a nascent Walt Disney, the characters being rough and yet somehow “common folk.”
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11) Please put this on your Motorsports Newsletter. The 2024 Bonneville/EL Mirage Rules & Records booklet, with the Performance Directory is the “yellow pages” of the LAND SPEED RACING WORLD! Still only $10. Shop (scta-bni.org). Thanks, Ron Main is at ron@speeddemon.us.
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12) Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Unveils 2025 Induction Class (continued). Bill Stroppe (1919-1995) — Stroppe once joked he was “a can-opener engineer,” but a sharp and inventive mind made him one of the top builders of his time. Stroppe began a long association with Ford after winning the 1947 Henry Ford Memorial Regatta with a Ford flathead-powered boat. Stroppe Lincolns finished 1-2-3 in the stock car class at the ’52 and ’53 Carreras Panamericana. His Mercurys won early ‘60s NASCAR races, the 1963 Pikes Peak Hill Climb and a ‘64 USAC title. Stroppe made his greatest mark in the desert. First, he convinced pal and inductee Parnelli Jones (MSHFA Class of 1992) to go off-road, garnering national attention for the sport. Then he built a series of Broncos that set trends and records, he and Jones winning consecutive Baja 1000s (1971-72). Soon Larry Minor, Rod Hall, James Garner, Walker Evans (MSHFA Class of 2015) and others were lining up at his door, resulting in scores more SCORE victories. For 2025 Induction Celebration tickets, visit the MSHFA at www.mshf.com or contact MSHFA President Levy at (248) 895-1704 or glevy@mshf.com. For museum tickets call 1-800-PIT-SHOP. From: Adam Saal at SaalGoodPR@gmail.com or 321-890-2848.
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13) Brad Sweet is well known to those of us who follow and enjoy dirt/circle track and NASCAR racing and is the brother-in-law of Kyle Larson of Elk Grove, CA. Kyle Larson is NASCAR Cup Champion in 2021 and many, many more professional motor racing championships including several wins at the Chili Bowl Nationals. Kyle is most notable of late for his 6th fastest qualifying speed and 18th place finish (due to a pit lane speeding penalty) in his rookie debut at the most recent Indy 500 race. Kyle is married to Kaytlyn Sweet, Brad’s sister, and both are from Nevada City, CA. We are very proud of Brad, Kyle and Kaytlyn and all of their racing family who hail from Northern California. Bob Choisser
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14) ED PINK story, written by Dick Martin 2012 (captions left in text, to be serialized)
“I was just getting started and because I had no recent business history, I had to put deposits on everything. The phone, gas meter, electrical—by the time I was done, I had $35 in my pocket between that and nothing. I was married and had two kids.” There was no looking back. Ed’s business didn’t either, it went straight up. “People were happy with what I did.” Ed would move once more to a larger facility in 1965 to Van Nuys where they’re located today. To see the captioned photos go to https://www.motortrend.com/
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15) Williow Springs is up for sale. At one point in time if you were heading up to WSIR to run some practice laps, you stopped by Autobooks on the way and got the keys to the track’s front gate from Harry. Doug Stokes
READERS: See, “After 62 years of ownership by the Huth family, the “Fastest Road in the West” is up for sale.”
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16) DRAGSTRIPS in the USA and Canada. National Speedway Directory, 2504 Lake Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois.
West Michigan Sand Dragway, Hart, Michigan, Dragstrips, Dirt.
Western Colorado Dragway, Grand Junction, Colorado, Dragstrips Length: 1/4-mile.
Western Speedway, Victoria, British Columbia, Dragstrips Length: 500-foot.
Wichita Raceway Park, Wichita Falls, Texas, Dragstrips Length: 1/8-mile.
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17) THE MAILBAG DEPT: I miss the highlighted names. I have not noticed that bold and color adds to the size of the email. Keep up the good work. Richard Nicholson, Dyno Don Nicholson nephew.
RN: It did not affect the length, just the amount of time I spent and the extra amount of typing. RP
AND: “Sent from my iPhone and its sometimes decides to spell words differently than what you find in the dictionary.” Sent from a reader. I love that line and will adopt it from now on. My spellcheck has a mind of its own too.
AND: Whether it happened because of a problem or not, I like the new format. Dave Maset
DAVE: Thank you, it’s not as pretty but it saves me a lot of time.
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18) DUFFY LIVINGSTONE, by Dick Martin (To see the photos go to https://www.motortrend.com/
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19) The PALM SPRINGS Car Show & Festival, October 5, 2024, in Downtown Palm Springs, CA. Cars or trucks club, please invite your members to sign up and participate in this exciting new car show. www.CoolCruiseCarShow.
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20) Triumph & Standard, Morris, Rootes (Hillman, Humber, Singer, Sunbeam, Talbot), Rover, Austin, Ford,
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21) (Randy Walls story continued) “My father was Thomas Hatfield Walls, and he was born in June 1914 in Breckenridge County, Kentucky. My father Thomas was a very nice, honest and generous man but very hard on me. He was in the general merchandise business, owning small grocery and hardware stores and later service stations; all while farming as well. He was also educated and was actually a schoolteacher as well. He was a mechanic of sorts due to owning several service stations, but he would have nothing to do with racing. He wasn’t real happy with me being in racing but didn’t try to stop me; except of course if I did any street racing. I could never do anything right to please him and moved to California in the Air Force so I could get away from him and develop myself.” (to be continued)
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22) Full Throttle; The Bruce Kessler Story, Shifting Gears: Bruce Kessler’s Journey from Racetrack to Film Set. Bruce Kessler from Le Mans to Hollywood. Saturday, June 22 at Autobooks-Aerobooks, 2900 W. Magnolia Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505, 818-845-0707, www.autobooks-
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23) KNOW YOUR MOTORSPORTS PERSONALITY: Jose Grijalva, President and Race Director, SCORE International. SCORE is an off-road racing sanctioning body in the sport of desert racing and is famous for the Baja 500, San Felipe 250 and the Committee’s flagship event; the Baja 1000. Compiled from Epartrade.
Doug Kalitta, nephew of NHRA legend and team owner Connie Kalitta, is one of the most successful Top Fuel drivers in NHRA history winning the 2023 NHRA Top Fuel championship after finishing second in points six times. Kalitta is tied with Joe Amato for fifth on the NHRA’s all-time Top Fuel wins list with 52 winner’s circle celebrations in addition to 60 runner-up finishes and 53 #1 qualifiers. Compiled from Epartrade.
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24) SHERM PORTER fuely32@sbcglobal.net List of Events
JUNE 14-15 L.A Roadster Show, County Fairplex/Pomona. For info: www.laroadsters.com.
JUNE 15 Monterey Rock & Rod Festival. Terry Wecker 831-809-6252 or www.montereyrockrod.com.
JUNE 15 Wild & Crazy Car Show, Tracy Wildlife Association, Tracy, CA. Pete: 209-983-0271 or www.tracywildlife.org.
JUNE 16 Garlic City Car Show, Gilroy, CA. vwright@Gilroy.org or http
JUNE 22-28 Santa Maria (CA) Elks Club Car Show, 9am-3pm. For info: 805-922-1538.
JUNE 20-23 Woodies on The Wharf, Santa Cruz, CA. For info: www.santacruzwoodies.com
JUNE 21-23 VAIRFEST Corvair Car Show, Arroyo Grande, CA. Vince 805-481-5757 or www.centralcoastcorsa.org.
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25) BILL HINES. Written by Anna Marco at anna.osr@gmail.com. Bill Hines was truly an alchemist. Alchemy is a philosophical and proto scientific tradition aimed to purify and perfect certain objects, to transmute base metals into noble ones such as gold, to cure disease and prolong life. Bill was a metal magician who achieved it all. He overcame a severe spinal handicap from birth, and later, despite hands deformed by arthritis, they were perfectly suited to holding the tools of his trade; a cigar, a lead rod, a rag soaked in marvel oil and wooden paddle. Young fabricators wanted to be like him despite the fact that he was partially deaf and addicted to Pepsi and Taco Bell food. (requested by Dick Martin; to be continued)
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26) The remaining NHRA YES (Youth & Education Services) events the Hidden Pioneers plan to support. 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Season Schedule. Sept. 20-22, 2024, 16th annual Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals, zMAX Dragway, Charlotte. To purchase or renew tickets, please visit www.nhra.com. Hidden Pioneers hiddenpioneers@gmail.
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27) Books and Manuals from CarTech Publishing, 6118 Main Street, North Branch, Minnesota 55056, 1-800-551-4754,
www.CarTechBooks.com. Copo Camaro, Cheville & Nova: Chevrolet’s Ultimate Muscle Cars. Chevrolets of the 1950’s: A Decade of Technical Innovation. Chevy TPI Fuel Injection Swapper’s Guide, by John Baechtel. How to Build and Modify GM Pro-Touring Street Machines, by Tony E. Huntimer. Rebuilding the Small-Block Chevy: Step-by-Step Videobook.
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28) On April 23 we lost Vale Rod Slater a former VSCC member. https://indd.adobe.
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29) Top free-agent-to-be Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz is on a few teams’ wishlists. 2004 Indy 500 Winner Buddy Rice Happy Out of the Spotlight. Marco Andretti, Third-generation driver says he’s ‘happy as I’ve been in the last five to eight years’ at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Red Bull’s Christian Horner sticks to the company line at Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix when it comes to the Andretti Cadillac effort to put a car on the Formula 1 bid. Indianapolis 500 Rookie Linus Lundqvist wants to stay focused and impress but enjoy the pageantry, experience of being in elite company. From: Autoweek and Don Smith.
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30) BOOK REVIEW: Where They Raced; Auto racing venues in Los Angeles, 1900-1990, by Harold L. Osmer (to be serialized). Reviewed by Richard Parks for the Gone Racin’ series of historical works. Harold L. Osmer was a student and chose to do research on a subject that had been neglected, the old auto racing tracks and sites in Southern California. His paper helped him achieve his master’s degree and it gave racing fans a historical overview of the rich history of our past. The one complaint in this marvelous book is that it is so short. Everything about the book, Where They Raced; Auto racing venues in Los Angeles, 1900-1990, is of the highest quality in research and writing. Osmer has located the original sites of these auto racing tracks and has given us a taste of what racing was like from the earliest days of automotive racing. The photos, maps and diagrams are amazing, and the text is interesting. The book measures 11 inches long by 8 ½ inches high and is in a paperback format. Harold Osmer is at program@hopublishing.com. (to be continued)
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31) Chris Williams, Owner and Director of SMART Modified Tour, joined us for Race Industry Week 2024. Hosted by Jeff Hammond from SiriusXM, Channel 90. From Epartrade at team@epartrade.com
AND: Linda Vaughn joined us for Race Industry Week 2024. Hosted by Joe Castello of WFO Radio.
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32) Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) President Chris Ward points to the Classic Sebring 12 Hour as another example of how the festival atmosphere of a two-weekend vintage/historic contemporary festival could also celebrate other popular and historic pastimes. In addition to HSR sports car competition, the Classic Sebring “Pistons and Props” also celebrates the rich aeronautical history of Hendricks Field, the WWII training airfield on which the annual 12 Hours of Sebring is run. A fly-in and display of vintage military and other classic aircraft is a co-feature of the Classic Sebring. From: adam@saalgood.
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33) Did you know that the legendary AutoBooks in Burbank is up for sale? Call Tina, at tina@autobooks-aerobooks.
AND: Autobooks-Aerobooks, the well-known bookstore in Burbank, CA is for sale. After 17 years it is time for us to retire. We are looking for a new steward to continue the 75-year tradition of Autobooks-Aerobooks. Contact Tina@autobooks-
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34) Voting Opens Today for the SEMA Board of Directors. Please cast your vote for Rich Barsmian. Thanks, Don Smith
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35) Roger Penske fields teams in IndyCar, NASCAR’s Cup, and Xfinity Series. Team Penske has 591 major race wins, 653 pole positions, and 40 championships, along with 18 Indianapolis 500 victories, two Daytona 500 Championships, a Formula 1-win, overall victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring, as well as winning one Bathurst 1000 race in Australia. From: Jim Murray Memorial Foundation, at linda@jimmurrayfoundation.
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36) DRAG Cartoons Comic Paper OPEN for ads and sponsorship. Be a part of the finest in automotive humor. These 32 to 36-page comics are given out free at car shows, drag races and museums, car clubs, schools, goody bags! Also, the SEMA SHOW! DCCP PRICE LIST (DRAG Cartoons Comic Paper) A3=FULL PAGE :11X17 $500. A4= 1/2 PAGE :8X11 $325. A5=1/4 PAGE :5X8 $215. A6=1/8 PAGE :4X5 $165. A7=1/16 PAGE :2X4 $100. A8=BUSINESS CARD :2X3 $75. A8=BUSINESS CARD $50. Call, TEXT, email me for more information! Robin Millar, MPC-DRAGcartoons, Daughter of Pete Millar, King of Cartoons, Publisher, Cartoonist, Dragracer, creator of CARtoons Magazine, DRAGcartoons, Ed ‘Big Daddy’ Roth and Wonder Warthog. 310-529-1831, www.
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37) Team owner Jiri Nechleba and driver Dave Nicholas looking serious prior to the Lime Rock race. Their serious look turned to smiles after the finished first in class for their second victory in a row. From 1975 through 1977, Nicholas raced on a sporadic basis in a variety of cars. In 1976 Jiri bought a NASCAR modified Chevy Vega for oval racing which for Nicholas was both a humbling experience and a lot of fun. Thereafter he competed in 13 events, mostly in BMW 2002s and IMSA RS class with a best finish of sixth at Lime Rock. From: Dave Nicholas at davnik6@gmail.com. (to be continued).
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38) CEO of McLaren Racing, Zak Brown was born and raised in California, Brown raced professionally around the world for 10 years before developing his skills in motorsport’s business and commercial worlds. In 1995, he founded JMI, which grew to become the largest and most successful motorsport marketing agency in the world. JMI was acquired in 2013 by CSM, a division of Chime Communications. Brown is a racer and renowned for his energy, his relentless work ethic and his knowledge of the business and history of motorsport. He’s been unafraid to publicly address some of the issues facing the world of motorsport and has been the lead protagonist around the budget cap, sustainability and diversity in the sport, as well as champion of fans interests. From: Judy Stropus jvstropus@gmail.com.
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39) Indy 500 winner Parnelli Jones dies; was successful on everything from the dirt tracks to Indianapolis. Communication with fans the key to multi-network and streaming TV deals will keep fans scrambling to find this week’s race per IMSA president John Doonan. American Jak Crawford looks for F1 ride as the 19-year-old has completed a nearly 250-mile test session in an F1 car for Aston Martin. IMSA racer Mathieu Jaminet will not enter the Indy 500; maybe the Daytona 500 someday. From: autoweek@
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40) The 46th HSR Mitty at Michelin Raceway. The Grand Marshal of the 46th HSR Mitty was recently retired and longtime HSR President David Hinton who gave the traditional “Drivers Start Your Engines” command for Saturday’s Cars of Japan Feature Race. Hinton, who is also the owner and principal of race and championship-winning historic and vintage racing team Heritage Motorsports, remains a popular fixture in the HSR paddock. He was presented at the Mitty competitor social mixer at the track with the HSR Mitty Award for the competitor that best typifies the adventurous spirit of the fictitious daredevil daydreamer, Walter Mitty, who is the namesake and inspiration for the 46-year-old HSR Mitty extravaganza.
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41) From Chris Agajanian: The oldest driver to ever to win the Indy race is the late great Al Unser Sr. in 1987 at 47 years and 360 days old. The youngest driver was Troy Ruttman in the Agajanian Special #98 in 1952 at the age of 22 years and 80 days. I’ve been asked, who of our three drivers would I prefer to take the checkers this year. My choice would be Marco Andretti for a few reasons. Who know how much longer he will contend in that race. Colton will undoubtedly win someday, and the primary reason is because Marco is driving the #98. Which would mean that the 98 would have won the Indy 500 five times (1952 Troy Ruttman, 1963 Parnelli Jones, 2011 Dan Wheldon, 2016 Alexander Rossi. Good luck to all. God be with all the drivers. (last in the series)
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42) John Callies has been involved in the performance industry for over 53 years. After earning a degree in mechanical engineering, he worked for Pontiac Motor Division for 21 years; the last 12 years as manager of Pontiac Motor Sports. John left Pontiac and started Callies Crankshaft Co. Six years later he moved to help Joe Lunati get his company acquired by Holley Corporation. He then moved on to work with Camshaft Machine Company to develop a line of aftermarket performance cam cores. Five years later joined forces with Ed Morel to build Morel lifters into a top line of performance lifters. From: Dimitri Elgin dema@elgincams.com.
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43) The LA VERNE HOLIDAY CAR SHOW on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Downtown La Verne, CA. Entry forms can be downloaded at our website: www.CruisinLaVerne.
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44) Tony Schumacher actually drove an alcohol F/C for his father, Don Schumacher, and then lined up a job driving the
Peek Bros Top Fuel car. He then returned to his father’s team to drive the Army-backed T/F car, with which he enjoyed remarkable success. More recently he’s been driving a T/F car for Maynard Family Racing. Anonymous
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45) I am bringing DRAGcartoons to Sweden this summer to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Piteå Dragway! The following events will showcase papers: Pitea Dragway (Sweden); Mooneyes;
March Meet; Classic Burger Car Show (Inyokern); Lions Automobilia Museum; NHRA Winternationals; Fabulous Fords Forever; Canyon Run Car Show; Lake Hughes Antique Nationals; Irwindale Roar of the Lion Nitro Car Show; Isky Birthday Parties; Ventura Nationals; Cruising for a Cure; California Hot Rod Reunion; SEMA Show; Nitro Revival; NHRA World Finals; Don Garlits Museum; Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum; ADM Zimmerman Museum and many more events. Artwork DEADLINE September 1, 2024. PRINT READY JPEG or PDF files due by September 15, 2024. LAST CALL is
September 19, 2024. Thank you, Robin Millar, at 310-529-1831, Millarkey@aol.
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46) Harley Night 1, Costa Mesa Speedway 5/11/24 (serialized). “Elated that their wait is finally over fellow competitors trade stories and happenings. For some this is the first time they have seen each other since the National Championship was held here on September 23, 2023. The number of spectators waiting to get in was incredible. Many had been standing in a long ticket line for quite some time before the gates opened at 6pm. Greeted to Rock and Roll from the high energy Durty Watur band, a free race program featuring the 50 years of Shawn McConnell racing on the front cover and a dozen or more vendors selling everything from shirts, motorcycle parts, legal services and more. It was party central as the crowd enjoyed the pre-race festivity. Track announcer Terry Clanton entertained, plugged sponsors, greeted guests and VIP’s till Alexandra Castle sung the National anthem and the first race began.” Howie Zechner (to be continued).
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47) Book Signing @ The Roar of Lions on Saturday, June 22, 2024. “The Old Master” Ed Pink will be signing his newly released book, Ed Pink, The Old Master. Ed Pink’s gift for designing and building engines made him a motorsports icon. His handiwork has powered, among others, drag-racing superstars Don Prudhomme and Tom McEwen, Indy Car legends Al Unser and Tom Sneva, sports car heroes Bob Wollek and Brian Redman, and USAC champions Tony Stewart and
Kasey Kahne. From: Lions Automobilia Museum at info@lionsautomobilia.org.
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48) NASCAR Shocker: Stewart-Haas Racing Closing Its Doors After 2024 Season. F1 Officials Promise to Make F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix ‘Smarter, More Efficient.’ F1 Monaco GP Notebook: Series Targeting Southeast Asia. Yuki Tsunoda, update on wet weather packages, surprise F2 winner. Former NASCAR Cup Race Winner Paul Menard Notches Trans Am Triumph. From: Autoweek autoweek@newsletter.
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49) “Camshaft and Lifters Letdowns, Bombs, and Flops,” by Elgin Industries. Elgin Industries will present this live webinar on Wednesday, June 12 at 9 am PST. Presented by Scott Stier, Aftermarket Sales & Technical. Hosted by Brad Gillie from SiriusXM, Channel 90, The Late Shift. From Epartrade
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50) Opening Odds Released for PlayNHRA at Bristol. See https://nxtbets.com/
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51) Schumacher, Prock, J. Coughlin, Herrera & J.R. Gray win at Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
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52) It was a great day in Pasadena for the Art Center grand opening with a cool car show. The Hidden Pioneers came and invited guests to support our team. The EV Director Garth, an Art Center grad showed people around and caught up with Stewart Reed, former Chair of Transportation & Design. There were so many good artists, AI experts, builders, car
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53) The Trakbytes website at www.trakbytes.co.uk has received its latest update. There are 30 new additions or updates between June 1966 and the most recent entry, 2004’s Main Event at Santa Pod. Amongst the racers at Santa Pod’s opening round of the 2024 FIA Championship recently were many names that were also there 20 years ago, including Andy Robinson with his Studebaker Pro Mod, Peter Wacker, who was running his first six second passes, Peter Kunc and Michael Malmgren. Jon Webster was setting new personal bests in Top Fuel and Jimmy Alund was setting new European records in Pro Stock. From: Chris Dossett chris@trakbytes.co.uk
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54) “Andy (Granatelli) is a big, loveable Italian bursting with life. He’s as extroverted as an otter. On race day, he’s down in the pits like a downed barrage balloon in a costume that looks like a combination of the aurora borealls and a gangster’s funeral wreath. It does everything but give off sparks. It’s dangerous to stare too long at it with the naked eye. Jim Murray From: Jim Murray Memorial Foundation at linda@jimmurrayfoundation.
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55) Hidden Pioneers Bring you the Industry Leaders of today & tomorrow of Transportation & Technology. Meet & talk with some of these Pioneers at the Summit. Jeremiah’s Hidden Pioneers COOL video: https://youtu.be/
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56) Poor weather conditions that are forecasted have forced the cancellation of the Quick 32 Sportsman Series and Pro Bike & Sled Series (PBSS) this weekend at Empire Dragway. From: Bruce@
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57) SHERM PORTER is at fuely32@sbcglobal.net. List of Car Events
JUNE 22 Classics with The Cardinals, Santa Barbara, CA. John 805-455-2712 or info@
JUNE 22 F-100 Western Nationals, Anaheim, CA. www.f100westernnationals.
JUNE 23 Pomona Swap Meet, Los Angeles Fairplex, CA. For info: 714-538-9091.
JUNE 23 Corvettes of Sonoma County, Santa Rosa, CA. Mary 707-791-5147 or crazyminx@comcast.net.
JUNE 29 Italian Hot Rod Association, Sacramento, CA. For info: Johnny 916-834-7439.
JUNE 29 Big Bash Car Show & Picnic in the Park. Biddle Park, 3500 Lopez Drive, Arroyo Grande, CA.
JUNE 29 Rods and Roses, Carpinteria, CA. www.rodsandroses.
JUNE 29 F.A.S.T. Time Trials, 1/10th Mile, Santa Margarita, CA. sanluisobispocountyta@
JUNE 30 Oldies Car Club Show & Hop, Salinas Sports Complex, CA. For info: Frank 831-206-9775.
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58) Paul Woolnough, President Americas & Global Development of Formula G. Formula G is a global all-electric motorsports series that will race as a support series, using the world’s first dual powered race car. Formula G will feature independent championships in four regions, each with 10 team franchises. Compiled from Epartrade.
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59) Avila Beach Rally and Air Strip 1/2 mile runs, June 22-23, plus overnight rally. From: info@petersen.org.
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60) READERS: While I collect stories and biographies in my archives, which I share with others, there are many who go straight to videos and that’s another valuable source. Don Prieto’s stories are on YouTube. If you spot any others, please let me know and I will put it in the newsletter. My grandsons videoed me on 3 occasions.
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61) DRAGSTRIPS in the USA and Canada. National Speedway Directory, 2504 Lake Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois
Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park (aka Firebird International Raceway), Chandler, Arizona, Dragstrip, Road Courses.
Wilkesboro Raceway Park, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, Dragstrip 1/8-mile.
Willow Springs Intl Raceway, Rosamond, California, Dragstrip 1/8-mile, Road Courses 2 & 1/2 mile.
Windy Hollow Dragway, Owensboro, Kentucky, Dragstrip, 1/8-mile.
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62) Ice Speedway Racing History: In 2004 ICE and its star racers made it to the big time! For the first time in history ICE Racing was seen in the world’s most exciting city – LAS VEGAS! That particular World Championship Open event at the Orleans Arena paid a never before heard of $20,000 cash purse. Both the Nitro Speedway Bike and Unlimited Outlaw Quad Champions pocketed a cool $5 Grand! World Championship ICE Racing returns to the beautiful Orleans Arena in 2007. In the 2005-2006 winter season a new era began in arena ice racing with the Inaugural Manufacturers World Cup ICE Racing Championships. World Championship Series features state-of-the-art, hi-performance, major factory-made motorcycles matched up with many of the world’s most talented riders. http://icespeedway.com/
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63) The Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+ continues as part of this weekend’s 23rd annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.
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64) BENETTON: Rebels of Formula 1, Evro Publishing books are distributed in North America by Quarto Publishing Group USA. Books can be ordered from Quarto by email: sales@quarto.com; phone number: 800-328-0590; or website: www.quartoknows.com. Please use the relevant ISBN number when ordering. BENETTON: Rebels of Formula 1 is also available in the USA from specialist and online booksellers, as well as on evropublishing.com. For more information about this book, or to request a review book and/or an interview, please contact Judy Stropus at jvstropus@gmail.com
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65) Lou Gigliotti, President. Plotted on 180 acres near Dallas, G2 Motorsports Park is built to the highest of racing standards. The 3.1-mile course will feature nearly 3-story elevation changes, F1 style run off areas with soft barriers, F1 style pit lane garages and corner attributes adapted from tracks around the world. From Epartrade.
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66) BLAST FROM THE PAST…… From the Wally & Barbara Parks story, We Did It Our Way. 25 SEPT 1944. I found only a few letters from his war years; one that he kept came from Bozzy Willis. It read, “Hi Wally: Thanks a million for swell cartoon and splendid letter. Man, what ideas. Here is a pix of body I finally put on the modified chassis. Oh Year, I picked up the Colorado License Plate last summer on my vacation or was it this summer? To get to realities I dug this photo of a strictly stock ’36 V-8 motor on a strictly stock ’32 frame but Ford hydraulic brakes with specialty-built Indianapolis design body built in LA by man who built body for Rex Mays jobs. Some jerk rich kid, Lt jg in Navy and stationed at No Island here owns it. Thinks it will do 150 mph, I suppose. Will warp his pants one of these fine days when I pull the Bean Iron on the road. Say howdy to Chuck. – Bozzy”
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67) MARCH 29, 1984, Copyright Times Mirror Company, by Jim Murray. Some people call downstairs in the morning to
see what time it is. Mario Andretti calls to see what day it is. He crosses the international date line as regularly as the sun. Some people can’t remember what city they’re in. He can’t remember what continent. Mario is the most successful export since pizza. He came to this country from the displaced-persons camps of northern Italy after World War II, a boy whose family lost everything in the Nazi occupation. When they said they slept “three to a room” in the camps, they didn’t mean people, they meant families. The only place young Mario got any privacy was in the front seat of a car. (to be continued)
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68) ED PINK story, written by Dick Martin 2012 (captions left in text, to be serialized)
“Keith Black was very good at what he did. He was interested more in manufacturing parts. Maybe I should have done that same thing, but I was more interested in building the engines and tuning them to get the very most out of them. I was trying to build them as good as I could make them. I tried to come up with ways the other guys didn’t do or think of doing. The preparation of all the parts was critical to make sure everything fit. When I bought a part, I didn’t take for granted that the part was correct. We spent more time building the engines than others did. My main concept was first you have to make the engine live and then you make it run faster. Keith had his customers who preferred his engines, and I had my customers who preferred mine. If Keith had parts that I needed I’d buy them from him. We had a friendly rivalry, but I wanted to beat him, just as he wanted to beat me.” Captioned photographs go to https://www.motortrend.com/
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69) This Week on Cars Yeah Mark Greene interviews Jim Glickenhaus, Torsten Gross, Zak Brown and Megan Meyer.
Mark has just recorded 2495 podcasts, including me as well. You can do it too, just send Mark an email and describe
your car experiences. From: info@carsyeah.com.
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70) DUFFY LIVINGSTONE, by Dick Martin (To see the photographs go to https://www.motortrend.com/
a Chevy dealer. In those days Chevy dealers made it so the warranty engines they removed were made useless. They would crank the pistons down and break the skirt off of each one, then take a hammer and hit the front of the crank where the pulley goes on to put a flat spot on the corner, and they poked a hole in the side of the block. They’d sell them for $25.” Duffy filed the front of the crank, bought some Jan’s pistons and welded up the hole in the side of the block. Tim’s Precision Engines balanced and bored the 265 to 283 cubic inches. Duff scrounged some Chevy truck heads for $30 and Tim put bigger valves in them. He threw in a Shaffer aluminum flywheel, a three-carburetor manifold for Carter carbs which Duffy modified to hold 97s, and he had a screaming V-8. (to be continued)
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71) “We have discussed taking the Classic Sebring concept further by pairing up with food and wine festivals, art shows
and even film festivals where the racing takes place during the day and theme-connected movies show on certain nights,” Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) President Chris Ward said. “Even other historic government-related sectors, such as military jeeps and other specialty vehicles for example, could make for an entertaining festival when combined with HSR racing.” From: adam@saalgood.
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72) Al Caldwell’s Drag Race Gazette was kind of a 5×7 sized newsletter or publication that was given out for free at all the Northern California drag strips. It was maybe 8 to 10 pages, printed on some really cheap yellow stock paper. I think Al printed the thing in his basement on his ancient printing press. From there he would deliver them to whatever drag strip was running that weekend. Mainly Fremont because it ran every weekend. It featured photos of all the NorCal racers in action with captions and race reporting. Al made his money from ads that appeared in his Gazette, such as Goodies Speed Shop, Vic Hubbard’s speed and marine, Champion speed shop and Gotelli’s speed shop all paid for ads in the gazette. Local drag strips also purchased advertising when a special event was taking place. I was kind of Al’s unofficial photographer, I covered Fremont, Half Moon Bay and Vacaville for him. If I ventured down to Los Angeles, he would run photos of NorCal racers competing in SoCal events. Steve Reyes
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73) For the first time, Texas Motorplex will host the Right Trailers NHRA Jr Drag Racing League Western Conference Finals presented by Capco Contractors. The facility just south of Dallas will host hundreds of young competitors June 8-15 during the event, which is an annual highlight of the NHRA Summit Racing Jr Drag Racing League, for kids ages 5-17.
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74) Max Hoffman £30, written by Myles Kornblatt, Hardback, 20.7x25cm, 160 pages, 227 pictures. The story of Max Hoffman, who started his career as a racer in Europe, but became the catalyst for getting some of the most celebrated sports cars into the hands of the American public. His dealer network might have been based in North America, but his influence and impact were global. newsletter@veloce.co.uk.
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75) One week after Kyle Larson earned Rookie of the Year at the 2024 Indy 500. See https://fb.watch/
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76) “In 1981 Dave (Nicholas) drove a friends Capri in the Pocono 500 Camel GT event. The car was underpowered compared to their competition, so expectations were not high for a good finish. Had it not been for the heavy rain Nicholas would have been way down the field, but he made up ground finishing in 12th place before they called off the race due to the rain. This would be Nicholas’ last race and his life for the next several decades would go in another direction. Different opportunities, different places over the next 30 years, Nicholas moved from selling cars and racing into management roles with several different businesses.” From: Dave Nicholas at davnik6@gmail.com. (to be continued).
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77) www.FlyingDeuces.com, www.
www.CruisinLaVerne.com, www.
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78) Sherm Porter’s Schedule of car shows and events (fuely32@sbcglobal.net)
AUGUST 2-11 37th Hot August Nights, Virginia City, NV, Limited to 5,500 1979 and older vehicles, call 775-356-1956
AUGUST 3-9 SPEED WEEK BONNEVILLE, Utah. For info: www.scta-bni.org
AUGUST 9-11 33rd ‘Fun Run 2024’ Big Bear Lake, 909-585-9253 or www.antiquecarclub.org
AUGUST 9-10 Lake Tahoe Concours d’ Elegance Wooden Boat Show. For info: www.laketahoeconcours.
AUGUST 9-15 MONTEREY CAR WEEK www.whatsupmonterey.com/
AUGUST 15-17 Mecum Auction – Monterey 2024 – For info: www.mecum.com
AUGUST 16-18 ANRA Summer Nationals – Auto Club Famoso Raceway – For info: www.anra.com
AUGUST 16-17 53rd North-South Run, Santa Maria, CA. Info: 562-920-3404 NoSoRun@gmail.com
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79) Photos available from Spencer Simon: JC Agajanian, Jimmy Correia, Bill Vukovich and Stu Hilborn (photo by Hilborn’s daughter). Bill Hines traded the 1926-27 roadster body to Street Rodder editor Jerry Weesner for the 1950’s body to make
the Bat2. Jerry’s son Keith sold the T body and passed it to a couple people and then I got it. I added a little nose art on
the original tiger shark paint scheme that Jerry did. Spencer sparklecraftspecial@
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