Motorsports Newsletter 8/07/24

By Richard Parks

1) EDITOR’S CORNER: All links in the newsletter need to be copied and pasted into your browser in order to work. AND: Museums, Libraries, Hall of Fame Program problems continued. Sponsorship can be three-fold: permanent, short time or one time only. Sponsorship can be in money or “in kind” help (non-monetary). A large sponsor makes things easier for the institution, but the loss of that sponsor is devastating. Small sponsorships mean more work for the director but expands the number of participants. Directors of Hall of Fame Programs are often hired on their ability to bring in new sponsors. That is a tough job at all times, but recessions and advertising budgets of big and small companies change all the time. When a major sponsor passes away it often results in the end of that support. Sponsors may also want to change the direction of the honors programs. AND: I received a letter in the mail regarding a copy of an old letter from the Aitkin-Kynett Agency concerning the possibility of scheduling a guest appearance of Wally Parks on the Mike Douglas Show. People tend to throw away letters and correspondence if it’s recent, but old copies of letters are pure gold to historians. I am so thankful for the kindness of readers who send such documents to me. I record them and then archive the material. I’ve asked the NHRA if they would like to scan the files. More on that later. Mentioned in the letter were Peggy Morrissey, R.W. Case, Bob Laporta, Mike Douglas, Wally Parks, Don Prudhomme, Carrol Shelby and Frank McGonagle. AND: My computer has gone wacky. It is not the format I typically use. I don’t know when it will return to normal.

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2) Longtime Funny Car racer Randy Walls passed away June 13. Walls began racing Funny Cars in Southern California in the late 960s before hitting the match race circuit in his “Super Nova” Funny Car. he left drag racing in 1971 but returned to the sport 26 years later after he tracked down his original Nova-bodied Funny Car in 1997 and decided to restore it. In 2004, Walls and his “Super Nova” became Nostalgia Funny Car’s first series champion. NHRA updates@go.nhra.com. AND: Former NHRA Top Fuel world champion Ronnie Martin, who won the championship in Robert Anderson’s dragster by winning the 1970 World Finals in Dallas, has passed away. Popular jet-car racer Mike Evegens, known to fans across the country for his string of Earthquake jets in which he competed from the 1970s through the 1990s, has died. Longtime Pro Stock racer Harold Denton, the only driver to have raced an entry from every major manufacturer (Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge, Plymouth, Mercury, Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile, and American Motors) has passed away. Denton’s career, which also includes the class’ first non-NHRA six-second pass, spanned 70 years. NHRA updates@go.nhra.com.

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3) August Vintage Metal magazine (Western Australia). My latest is at 220b-4e85-992d-de7702898834. The Vintage Sports Car Club is building a large and elaborate clubhouse in Whiteman Park, located in Perth, Western Australia. At Whiteman Park there is a self-contained mile road course, Tractor and Motor Car museums, Pedal car and Karting track, several playgrounds and swimming pool. Next to Whiteman Park is Caversham Wildlife Park with native Australian fauna and flora. Regards, Bob Campbell at robertcampbell4@icloud.com.

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4) Paul Chamberlain’s story continued. There was so much going on during those years that memories get somewhat jumbled, such as the legendary “River Road,” which doesn’t exist anymore thanks to the east/west section of the 134 freeway. In the 1950’s, driving west from Glendale on the two-lane blacktop Riverside Drive, with Griffith Park on your left side and the concrete ditch of the Los Angeles River on the right, you came upon a straight stretch of asphalt that was about 1/4-mile in length (more or less). Now bear in mind that this was a Los Angeles city road, so in certain areas the asphalt could be called that in name only which made for some interesting competition. Somebody had painted a line at the eastern end and another one at the western end. It was supposed to be 1/4-mile between lines (although I don’t remember anybody actually measuring it). At the eastern end or starting line, there was a dirt area on the river side of the road that was wide and long enough to accommodate a large grouping of cars. That’s where all the pre-race activity took place. Imagine that we were almost a half century ahead of the Fast and Furious movie guys. (to be continued in the next issue)

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5) REBUTTAL: “AH, the attached clipping recalls other ‘Letters’-section exchanges with print readers that proved consequential; just like social media, only with months between public sharing, instead of seconds. Research back then consistently identified reader ratings as second behind only the up-front-timely-news department (which has also largely vanished from short-staffed print survivors, sigh). Sorry, your recovering editor (DWjr) is too grumpy & busy relocating (gradually!) to Port Angeles, Washington, to catch anybuddy up on Paul Chamberlain’s unlikely story that began at the first Bakersfield March Meet. I’m confident that Richard Parks will cheerfully back-start your FREE newsletter sub to begin with Paul’s prior installments (of four/five). Ask nicely at Rnparks1@juno.com. The emailed letters are true labors of love, always worthwhile.” From DWjr. Pee-Ess: Did I mention FREE? EDITOR: I believe ALL stories are true, I can count on everyone, and hot rodders are the BEST in the world.

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6) I was fortunate to introduce George Poteet, who was in the 2016 PRI Show audience while hosting a seminar featuring Ken Duttweiler, who built the record setting engines for George. He was a nice guy and I’m sorry to hear of his passing. Greg Zyla GREG: I met George several times and he was always reserved and polite, but when land speed topics came up, he was energized and loved to show us his car and the crew that made it happen. We will miss him.

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7) Last in a 2-part series. After the first couple of sectors on the around the world airline tour, Mrs Johnny von Neumann disappeared back home (we had already lost one passenger who died in his sleep in the Hotel). She was a gorgeous lady some foot taller and a good couple or three decades younger than von Neumann, but he continued the Tour on his own for whatever reason. At every Port of Call, I uplifted one or two bottles of Stolichnya Vodka exclusively for Johnny. His initial greeting had been “Stolly on the Rocks, Chris!” He was an interesting and entertaining Gentleman with a little plaited pigtail. The Tour was hosted by Astronaut Frank Borman (kind of Grand Marshal if you will) so it was a great honour to meet him. All in all, probably the highlight of my 27 years in my Cabin Crew Career with British Airways. Maybe I’ll tell you sometime of the Bloody Mary (Best ever, Chris) that I mixed for Jack Nicholson. Cheers, Chris Pattison (Allard Dragon and Grim Reaper Nostalgia Altered).

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8) I just received a copy of: West Coast Junior Fuel, by Nick Vaughn. 175 pages with Hundreds of photos. As good a read as one could ask for. Well thought out and incredible captions to the photos. You can find it on Ebay. Tim Kraushaar (Weed) TIM & READERS: Mark Greene at Cars Yeah podcast, of which I was on his program a while back, has sent me a list of the books written by those he has interviewed. Some good reading there. I will post it in parts.

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9) The Vintage Speedcar Association (NSW) Newsletter 245th Edition

Issue #6, June & July 2024. 16 pages. Article by Mary-Rose Vella, Photos by Belinda Steel. “2nd demonstration run at Illabo on May 18, 2024. The program consisted of nine events for the six divisions present on the day. The Midget division had fifteen drivers. Also in attendance were Barry Graham AUS 1, Aaron Benny USA 5, John Field NSW 31, Darrin Young NSW 34, Terry Young QLD 67, Ian Lewis VIC 59, Kerry Phelan USA 4, Peter Fitzpatrick SA 34, Bob Hasselgrove VIC 55, Maria Green NSW 95, Gavin Liebrand QLD 5 and Carl Yenne QLD 95.” John/Maria Green ajkake@bigpond.com.

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10) NHRA and Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) officials announced today that Toyota has been named the title sponsor of the world’s biggest drag race, the 70th annual Toyota NHRA US Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. The 70th anniversary of The Big Go takes place on Aug 28-Sept 2 in Indianapolis, with the Toyota NHRA US Nationals marking the final race of the regular season during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series campaign. From: nhracommunications@nhra.com. NHRA: My father would be so proud to hear this. Since 1956 when the Oil and Auto companies left motorsports my father desperately tried to get them to return to drag racing where he felt they belonged. Part of the reason they left was due to the ban by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Safety Council after the deaths (80+) at Le Mans and many deaths and injuries on American tracks during the 1950’s. Motorsports has proven that it can increase safety and prevent injuries and death. We are glad Toyota is sponsoring the US Nats.

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11) Wow! Quite a list! Here are the first car books I read as a kid: HOT ROD and STREET ROD by Henry Gregor Felson, THE RED CAR by Don Stanford. A novel about European-style sports car racing, featuring an MG TC, a teenager and a mysterious garage run by an old man from the Old Country. Roger Meiners ROGER: Reviews are fun to do, and I encourage others to write reviews too and I will post them here.

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12) BLAST FROM THE PAST…… From the Wally & Barbara Parks story, We Did It Our Way. Charles Gesner wrote a full-page article in the Los Angeles Daily News on February 27, 1946, that was complimentary to hot rodding. The article was headlined “There’s another side to this ‘hot rod’ racing,” and he quoted SCTA’s Randy Shinn extensively. Others mentioned were Connie Weidell, Don Kidd, Dick Bowers, Jack McGrath, Buddy Gregory, Eddie Meyer, and Vic Edelbrock Sr. Parks was not mentioned, but kept this article in his files to show the progress that hot rodding and dry lakes racing were receiving from the media of the time.

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13) Bill Montgomery tells us about the creation of Hidden Pioneers (Part 1, to be serialized). Our team is called the Hidden Pioneers, who we are, how it got started and our plans for today and tomorrow. We are registering with the state but right now it’s a team of individuals that promote and focus on the ABC’s we came up with. We use cool vehicles to draw young people and tell us what they like and what they would like to do today and tomorrow. Through our partners we can connect with the youth and introduce them very quickly because of our relationships we have established. Donors and sponsors get the benefit of being at car shows and on campus through Prime Motivation, a non-profit organization: https://primemotivation.com/. Bill Montgomery is at HiddenPioneers@gmail.com.

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14) The Esses is a Diamond Sponsor of IMRRC Dinner Honoring McLaren Racing’s Zak Brown with Cameron R. Argetsinger Award at Corning Museum of Glass on September 12, 2024. Annual gala to recognize Brown for his universal contributions to help advance and improve the sport of motor racing. From: jstropus@earthlink.net.

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15) It was my friend who had first told me the story of how losing the 1970 British Open golf tournament in St Andrews was something the golfer Doug Saunders never really got over. On the last hole of the tournament, he missed a simple 18-inch putt. Could he ever forget that he was asked some 20 years later. “Sure,” Saunders had replied easily. “Sure, I can forget it. Sometimes I can forget it for a whole hour at a time.” As you can read elsewhere in this issue, Parnelli Jones felt a similar deep sense of loss. And just as with Fangio, albeit for a longer spell, you were aware of his charisma. I still treasure that chance encounter. After Parnelli had left, my friend who had been silent virtually all the way through, said almost disbelievingly, “That was Parnelli Jones.” From: David Tremayne at restspirit@aol.com.

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16) PrimeMotivation.com and International All-stars at Baldwin Park High. We just finished our 5th school out of 25. It feels good to know that the International Allstars is helping to motivate and teach High School 12th grade students about the automotive industry. Look at the pictures and the website for updates on what we do and how to get involved. It’s fun, productive, safe, clean, motivating and powerful being on campus. See https://www.facebook.com/ media/set/?set=a.10150228517398943&type=3. Bill Montgomery hiddenpioneers@gmail.com, and Jerry Rangel. READERS: I’ve watched and admired how Bill and Jerry and their volunteers have motivated and turned around the lives of young men and women and directed them into beneficial subjects and the automotive world. They inspire young people. See the photos in the link above. These are future employees and consumers, the best of the best.

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17) Have you been receiving the SCTA Racing News? Jill Iverson, SCTA’s Chief Starter, took over the editorial duties and is producing an outstanding publication. If you are receiving the publication and need additional material, I’m sure we can work something out. I’ll check with Jill and JoAnn out at the SCTA-BNI office. Russ O’Daly RUSS: There was a time when women weren’t allowed to be in the SCTA. I’m proud of the SCTA for changing that rule and it appears that they are now vital to the progress of the Association. Jill wrote to me that she is at the Salt right now and is working hard, but when she returns, she will contact me.

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18) We are looking for Ak Miller stories. Here are some that we have collected. AK could also be a bull of a man; stubborn and confrontational when his sport was attacked or betrayed. His friends felt the same way and he rarely tolerated those who put down hot rodding and land speed racing. His heart was in Land Speed Racing, and he left the NHRA to return to racing at Bonneville and El Mirage, where over the years, the Miller/Lufkin/Carr team set and reset hundreds of records. In 1953-54, Miller raced a modified T-roadster in the Mexican Road Race. Quick on the turns and curves in the mountains, the little roadster would give up its lead in the straight-aways to the more powerful European cars, but he still placed 8th in 1953 and 5th in 1954. (Source: the Wally & Barbara Parks story, We Did It Our Way)

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19) Books on Mark Greene’s Cars Year website mentioned by those appearing on Mark’s Podcast. 010: Dominic Dobson – The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein 009: Tom McDowell – Incredible Barn Finds by Wallace Wyss, Strange but True Tales of Car Collecting by Keith Martin and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce 008: Russell Lee Fleury – All Corvetetts Are Red by James Schefter 007: Sam Memmolo – Toxin by Robin Cook 006: Jonathan Ward – Cradle to Cradle – William McDonough and Built to Last by Jim Collins 005: Dave Bowman – Go Like Hell A.J Maime and Gentlemen Start Your Engines by Wilbur Shaw 004: Kenji Yoshino – Citroen 2CV by John Reynolds 003: David Bull – Any book from David Bull Publishing 002: Kevin Beard – Time & Two Seats by Janos L. Wimpffen and Excellence was Expected by Karl E. Ludvigsen 001: Rick Cole – Piloti, Che Gente by Enzo Ferrari

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20) Wally’s stories: courtesy of DRIVE Magazine, by Wally Parks (serialized). In addition to the SCTA, some of the other groups staging periodic events were the Russetta Timing Association, Western Timing Association, Bell Timing Association and Mojave Timing Association, plus a Cal-Neva Timing Association that conducted its events on a lakebed near Reno, Nevada. It started at the original Oakland Roadster Show, produced by Al and Mary Slonaker in 1949, when a safety-minded Division of Motor Vehicles official, Doc Huggins, suggested a meeting of the varied associations, to see if a solution might be found.

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21) Dave Wallace Sr’s never-seen San Fernando fotos are finally here! A separate section is devoted to the big inch (310ci-up), nitro-burning big brothers that ran in TOP Fuel against supercharged dragsters. West Coast Junior Fuel: Volume I, A Class History 1964-1972, by Nick Vaughn with photos by Dave Wallace Sr. Buy at Amazon, $30.49, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9DT5YC8. From: Dave Jr. Wallace aafueler@volcano.net.

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22) One Last Turn, by Martin Rudow. Harry Hurst, one of the leading experts on Can-Am racing, just wrote on his popular Can-Am history Facebook page, “This is a massive book

 almost 400 pages

 and is beautifully produced. I commend the authors for not just finding photos in the usual places; they went out of their way to get shots from the mechanics and other less-published sources so some of the shots I have never seen before. I very much recommend this book and applaud the authors for producing this important historical document to preserve these legacies.” Martin Rudow is at rudowsp@gmail.com or call 206-427-1124.

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23) Thank you for your Newsletter. I really enjoy it. David Tremayne

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24) BOOK REVIEW: The Last Open Road, written by Burt “BS” Levy, published by Think Fast Ink. Reviewed by Richard Parks for the Gone Racin’ series. Copyright 1994 (11 printings). The first part is the nuts and bolts, so you will see what you will be getting, followed by the review itself. The Last Open Road, written by Burt “BS” Levy, is a hardback book with a dust cover jacket and a cloth backed spine for durability. It measures 6 by 9 inches in size, with 354 pages. The paper quality is excellent, not glossy for there are no photographs, but will last a lifetime and will not decay or produce dust (which poor quality paper often does). Without the dust jacket the color is black with the spine having the title of the book and author in gold leaf. The dust cover jacket is in silver, with black lettering and six small, colored photographs. Do not throw away or dispose of the jacket as it not only protects the book, but over time increases the value. A book without the dust cover loses its price value (unless it is a rare edition of a well-known work). Author BS “Burt” Levy is at thinkfast@mindspring.com. To be serialized, part 1.

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25) I’m working on programming for Friday Family Night at Colombia Memorial Space Center in Downey, California (CMSC) for August 30th. Are you interested in meeting in the Community Room? If so, what would you like to do? Thanks, Arlene Busby, President, Aerospace Legacy Foundation at alfpresident@yahoo.com.

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26) Now open, four new exhibits at Petersen Automotive Museum info@petersen.org. Super/Hyper: The ultimate automobiles. driven by possibility: Waymo’s road to autonomous transport. Alternating currents: The fall & rise of electric vehicles. Modern concepts: future visions from recent past. On display 2020 Bugatti Divo; 2002 Cadillac Cien; and 2022 Apollo Intensa Emozione.

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27) Speedvision was resurrected in 2022 to serve vehicle enthusiasts. More than 700 hours of content featuring storytelling, iconic hosts, automotive, motorcycle, aviation, and boating content. Available at no cost as a free ad-supported television (FAST) network. President and CEO of Speedvision is Robert Scanlon. Scanlon’s past positions include head of motorsports at ESPN and ESPN2, co-founder of the original Speedvision, creator and president of Velocity (now MotorTrend) for Discovery Inc, and senior production at ABC Sports. Speedvision is @speedvisiontv on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. From: Tony Thacker and Friends at thackerstorqtalk@55935385.mailchimpapp.com.

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28) August Vintage Metal magazine (Western Australia). My latest is at 220b-4e85-992d-de7702898834. “Motorsport Australia should take note. Five years might be a bit recent for most of our historic competitors, but it represents history for many people and could bring in more younger people. Another point to consider is that an ‘old’ car that last raced five years ago would be a relatively cheap purchase compared with the escalating prices for the cars currently recognised as historic by Motorsport Australia.” Regards, Bob Campbell at robertcampbell4@icloud.com.

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29) The Pro Bike & Sled Series (PBSS) will include previous winner Josh Costa from Retsof, NY, riding his 2009 Suzuki Hayabusa and Josie Brooks from Arkona, ON, riding her 1997 GSXR 750. Brooks was the number one qualifier at the last two events and the winner in 2023. Qualifying will be held on Friday, August 15, at 5 and 7pm and Saturday, August 16, starting at 10:00 am, with eliminations starting at 2:00 pm on Saturday. From: Bruce Mehlenbacher bruce@jajentertainment.com.

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30) Randy Walls story continued. “I was always involved in street racing and my streetcar was a 1957 Chevy, dual quad 270hp, 283 cubic inch engine and I got the racing bug. I raced the Chevy in Biloxi, Mississippi and in Gastonia, North Carolina, before moving to the San Diego area while I was in the Air Force. My next car was a 1960 Impala that I put a mild 327 c.i. motor in and turning a low 13 second elapsed time at up to 104 mph. I was so over trained in electronics that when I got my discharge, I couldn’t get a job because I was overqualified for what was available. McDonald Douglas said I would be bored to death with any of their jobs. I was collecting $25 a week unemployment and looking for jobs and at the same time building cars and motors and porting cylinder heads, etc. on many fast cars, so I had to go in that direction.” (to be continued)

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31) I will say that after my friend recovered and would later hang out happily with the likes of Parnelli, A.J. Foyt, Bobby Unser and the much-missed Robin Miller, much as I came back from my own first tongue-tied meeting with Mario Andretti. Other Indy stars I’ve been lucky to meet, besides Parnelli Jones and the Man from Nazareth, include four-time 500 winner Rick Mears (my friend and I were guests of Roger Penske in 1991 when Rocket Rick scored his final success at the Brickyard, sitting behind his parents Bill and Squib in the grandstand between Turn 1 and 2, and for me he was the greatest oval racer of them all). From: David Tremayne restspirit@aol.com.

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32) Here is some info on the High School tour we have been doing since 2004. Why do we do it? Established in 2004, Prime Motivation Expo is a fun, innovative, interactive strategy, which promotes a positive message to disconnected youth to stay in school and focus on future personal and career-oriented goals. Motivating youths to further their education and seek career-tech education as a possible career path may help lead them towards a path of self-sufficiency and reduce the number of out-of-school, out-of-work youths. Prime Motivation is a tax exempt, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. website: https://primemotivation.com/. From: Bill Montgomery

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33) Eddyville Dragway presents Horsepower Festival Fall 2024, Sept 21, 2024. Racing all classes including 2 truck classes, plus Car/Truck/Jeep show. Contact Ron, 816-810-6287. DIESEL Motorsports offers the best in diesel drag racing events all around the country. From: team@epartrade.com. FuelTech will present a live webinar on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, at 9 am PST. Presented by Luis de Leon, Technical Director & COO. Hosted by Jeff Hammond from SiriusXM, Channel 90. From: team@epartrade.com.

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34) Six first-prize winners will each be awarded a K&N Performance Cold Air Intake System. NHRA Sweepstakes. The sweepstakes will begin at 9am ET on July 19, 2024, and end at 11:59pm ET on December 6, 2024. Go to: https://www.nhra.com/2024-nhra-sweepstakes-official-rules.

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35) The Ultimate Guide on NHRA Drag Racing Series Betting in the US. Prop Bets (Proposition Bets): This market allows you to wager on events that occur during the drag race but are unrelated to the race’s final outcome. For instance, you can bet on a certain player scoring either above or below a certain point level (over/under market), the margin of victory, the fastest qualifier, the number of round wins, the occurrence of red lights, or engine failures. Props bets often offer higher returns because of the circuit’s competitive nature, whereas race winner and future bets tend to offer odds that reflect an event’s favorites and underdogs. nhra-drag-racing-series-betting-in-the-us/. John Towle AND: All links in the newsletter need to be copied and pasted into your browser in order to work.

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36) The dropped valve story, by Dale Cook (last in the series). “One familiar with those early Novas would know that the toe-in went extremely positive on acceleration. You were pushing the front tires which were both turned in as you accelerated down the track. On the ‘Other end’ you might be wondering what “It” was going to do when you let off the gas.”

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38) 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule here on the FOX broadcast network. July 25-27, 2024, 37th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals, Sonoma, California. August 14-17, 2024, 43rd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, Brainerd, Minnesota. August 27-Septempter 1, 2024, 71st annual NHRA US Nationals Indianapolis, Indiana. From: Bill Montgomery at Hidden Pioneers hiddenpioneers@gmail.com.

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39) The International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC) collects, shares and preserves the history of motorsports. Spanning continents, eras and race series, the Center’s extensive historical collection embodies the speed, drama and camaraderie of amateur and professional motor racing throughout the world. The Center welcomes serious researchers and casual fans alike to share the stories captured on our shelves, walls and brought to life through a regular calendar of public lectures and special events. www.racingarchives.org. From: Judy Stropus at jstropus@earthlink.net.

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40) The Quarter Mile Foundation (QMF) has a new booth location at the end of Hot Rod Alley in the Central Hall during the SEMA Show. Booth number 22299 will be our home this year. Quarter Mile Foundation, 6210 Beverly Dr, Cleveland, Ohio 44130. Traci Hrudka is at hrudka@44704005.mailchimpapp.com, or hrudka@sbcglobal.net.

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41) Leading the Quick 32 Sportsman Series Championship Point Award Series is Kayden Wicke with 340 points, followed by Craig Chadderdon in second with 319 points, Luke DeJonge in third with 300 points, Don Kiekel in fourth with 296 points, and Buddy Forrest rounds out the top five with 280 points. From: Bruce Mehlenbacher at bruce@jajentertainment.com.

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42) Trailblazers Gazette: Newsletter of the Trailblazers Motorcycle Club, August 2024. CYCLE ACTION magazine was basically a Southern CA magazine that ran sporadically from January 1957 through January 1969. It was a great magazine with incredible photos. This photo was the early beginning of 31 years of So Cal motorcycle racing at one of the most famous racetracks to ever exist in the US. We owe it all to J.C. Agajanian Sr and his family who gave us 3 decades of motorcycle and car racing, plus 72 motorcycle National events! Sent in by Chris Agajanian.

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43) Mercedes-Benz Cars £19.99, by James Taylor, 96 pages, 220 pictures. A full run-down of all Mercedes-Benz models produced between 1945 and 2000. Starting with a brief description of the pre-war cars, which continued on when production restarted, the book continues in chronological order with all model class ranges and individual models right up to 2000, when model designation and design changed. With model-by-model descriptions and detailed technical information, this book will be a great resource for all Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts. Also, in the series: Triumph & Standard, Morris, Rootes (Hillman, Humber, Singer, Sunbeam, Talbot), Rover, Austin, Ford, Riley & Wolseley, Citroën and Jaguar. From: Veloce, fine automotive books newsletter@veloce.co.uk.

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44) Books on Mark Greene’s Cars Year website mentioned by those appearing on Mark’s Podcast. 065: Jesse Alexander – The Dam Busters by James Holland 064: Stacy Puckett – Speed Was My Life by Alfred Neubauer 063: Joe Kyte – First A Dream by Jim Clayton 062: David Dickinson – Fenders, Fins & Friends: Confessions of a Car Guy by Lance Lambert, The Old Car Nut Book #1 by David Dickinson, and The Old Car Nut Book #2 by David Dickinson (Reviews on file) 061: Terry Karges – Supreme Allied Commanders of WWII by Charles River Editors 060: Pete Lyons – Can-Am by Pete Lyons (Pete’s first book that is out of print) and Can-Am Cars in Detail: Machines and minds Racing Unrestrained by Pete Lyons and Fast Lines by Pete Lyons 059: Lance Lambert – The Old Car Nut Book #1 by David Dickinson and The Old Car Nut Book #2 by David Dickinson and Fenders, Fins & Friends: Confessions of a Car Guy by Lance Lambert (Reviews on file)

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45) Wally’s stories: courtesy of DRIVE Magazine, by Wally Parks (serialized). “The proposal resulted in a meeting at Oakland, followed by period get-togethers between the organizations in Fresno and Bakersfield, aimed at ironing-out the problems of dry lakes abuse and overuse. As the series of meetings continued there was little progress, except for proposals by a representative of Cal-Neva, C.W. “Tiny” Snell, who had detailed plans for foundation of the group as the American Hot Rod Conference. But due to competitive nature of participating organizations, and an abundance of one-upsmanship, nothing was resolved or agreed to.”

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46) The Vintage Speedcar Association (NSW) Newsletter 245th Edition

Issue #6, June & July 2024. 16 pages. Old folks and old cars at Oakburn Park Tamworth Saturday 25, 2024. Article and photos by Shane Fullager. “We headed to Tamworth once again for their final round of the year, the Charlie McGarva Classic. The weather was looking great, and the motel was filling up with race cars on the Friday afternoon. Friday evening, 16 of us boarded the courtesy bus and headed off to one of the many local pubs for a meal and a couple of cold ones and plenty of chatting and laughter. Saturday morning everyone congregated in the BBQ area for a breakfast of bacon and eggs, and coffee, then afterwards at 11:00 am we all headed off to the track. As usual, the Tamworth Motorcycle Club have done a fantastic job preparing the track for our vintage cars. We had cars from as far south as Canberra and Brisbane in the north.” John/Maria Green at ajkake@bigpond.com. EDITOR ADDS: Oakburn Park (built in 1996), Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia, is a versatile motorsport complex. Address: Gunnedah Road, Tamworth, NSW, 2340, 440 meters, clay surface, for Speedway Karts, Super Sedan, Late Models1. About 250 northwest of Sydney.

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47) BLAST FROM THE PAST…… From the Wally & Barbara Parks story, We Did It Our Way. The 1946 AAA National Championship automobile racing season was unbelievable. After four years with no racing allowed by the government the pent-up demand for auto racing simply exploded. In 1946 there were 77 sanctioned races and only 2 of those races were non-points races. George Robson won the Indy 500 and Ted Horn won the AAA points championship by a huge number. Following Horn in the points chase were George Robson, Emil Andres, Bill Holland, and Tommy Hinnershitz.

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48) Mark D. Miles, President and Chief Executive Officer of Penske Entertainment Corp, comprised of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), INDYCAR and IMS Productions (IMSP), joined us for the 4th Annual Race Industry Week. Hosted by Marshall Pruett of RACER.com. From: team@epartrade.com. Patrick Peter, President of Peter Auto (promotors for Le Mans Classic, Mugello Classic, Spa-Classic, Grand Prix de l’Âge d’Or, Dix Mille Tours, & Estoril Classics), joined us for the 4th Annual Race Industry Week. Hosted by Jim Roller of SPEED SPORT. From: team@epartrade.com.

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49) We are looking for Ak Miller stories. Here are some that we have collected. The Miller Brothers garage was originally located in Whittier where he and his brothers, Zeke and Lawrence (Old Dad) worked. Zeke’s wife, Dorothy Miller ran the office in a no-nonsense manner. “I had to,” she said, “or we would never get any work done.” It didn’t take much to get things out of hand and before long Dorothy’s booming voice would chastise the brothers as they ran around the shop squirting oil from oil cans at each other. When the mood struck or there was a race, Ak would just take off, much to the chagrin of Dorothy. (Wally & Barbara Parks story, We Did It Our Way)

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50) 200 independent voters, about half who are journalists, historians and other experts, vote in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) selection process. The other half of the voters are the past inductees. Voting members have consistently chosen direct participants in the racing itself (drivers, crew chiefs, team owners, etc) over media members, businesspeople, designers or others who are no less important but fulfill less center-stage roles. From the MSHFA website at https://www.mshf.com/.

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51) Apparently one can now place a bet on a range of young men who are racing in USAC. Here’s the deal (and the odds): “SPEED SPORT newsletters@speedsport.ccsend.com, USAC Indiana Sprint Week

 Make Your Picks! USAC Indiana Sprint Week

 Make Your Picks! Logan Seavey +128, Brady Bacon +1075, Daison Pursley +1358, Kevin Thomas Jr +1537, Kyle Cummins +1657, C.J Leary +1684, Mitchel Moles + 1857, Robert Ballou, +2080, and Justin Grant +2321. NXTbets.” Doug Stokes is at stokes28doug@gmail.com. DOUG: What does it all mean? Is Seavey better than Grant, or the other way around.

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52) Introducing our new and heavily requested Group Tour offering, allowing you to take your friends and family on a comprehensive trip to the Petersen Automotive Museum. We’ve offering three different tour options: a Museum Highlight Tour, a Private Vault Tour, and a Spotlight Tour. Available 7 Days a Week. Petersen Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036. Email: tours@petersen.org, or phone: 323-964-6348.

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53) Texas Legend Jim Hall and his Chaparrals, by George Levy. The author, George Levy, will have a book signing at Autobooks/Aerobooks, on Saturday, August 24, 2024, from 11am-3pm. The historic bookstore is located at 2900 W. Magnolia Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505. Phone 818-845-0707 or email Manager@autobooks-aerobooks.com.

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54) For the past 70 years, the NHRA US Nationals has stood as the biggest and most prestigious drag race in the world, and the 2024 NHRA U.S. Nationals, at historic Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, promises to be an event for the record books. This year’s 70th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals takes place during its traditional Labor Day Weekend, Aug 28-Sept 2, 2024. From: National Hot Rod Association nhracommunications@nhra.com.

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55) Born Akton Moeller, in Denmark, eighty-one years ago, his family immigrated to Southern California when he was just a small child. He worked in various garages as a youth and for Hannah Nixon, in their store in Whittier, back in the 1930’s. Ak remembers seeing Richard Nixon studying at the old secretary desk in the store and asking Ak to bring him a candy bar and to “help yourself as well.” RMN was already a practiced politician! Years later, when visiting the White House as a member of a racing contingent, Ak found himself teased and everyone doubted that he had ever known the President. Nixon strode in and grasped the hand of his old friend and said, “Ak, did you bring me a candy bar?” Le Roi “Tex” Smith says that Ak harbored a real dislike of the President, but I think that came more from familiarity with him than hatred of the man. But it is true that all you had to do to rile Ak, was to mention Nixon’s name to get a rise out of Ak. (Source: Wally & Barbara Parks story, We Did It Our Way)

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56) Meet Ari. “Growing up in go-karts with my dad and now pursuing a mechanical engineering degree to become an automotive engineer, my passion for cars is at the core of my being. Working at the Petersen was a natural next step. Every day, as a gallery interpreter, I share my passion for cars with our guests, and seeing their smiles is incredibly rewarding. Equally rewarding are the learning opportunities I’ve been given. During my first few days at the Petersen, our museum director, Terry Karges, suggested I work with our technicians on building a racecar for the 24 Hours of Lemons when he heard of my engineering aspirations.” Ari is at the Petersen Automotive Museum.

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57) SHERM PORTER’s List of Events and car shows for 2024, fuely32@sbcglobal.net. August 23-25, 2024, Goodguys, West Coast Nat’l, Pleasanton Fairground, ’99 and earlier, www.good-guys.com. August 30-31, 2024, Nor-Cal Novas Family Reunion Car Show, Pleasanton, CA www.stevesnovasite.com. August 31, 2024, Paso Robles Fairgrounds Automotive Swap, all makes of autos, hot rod parts, auto parts vendor booths & auto memorabilia, by the Central Coast Automotive Group, ccagswap@gmail.com, or Tim 805-242-9322. August 31, 2024, Run to The Pines Car Show, Pine Mountain Club, CA, info@runtothepinesautoshow.com, Pete at 805-540-0265 or www.runtothepinedautoshow.com. August 31-SEPTEMBER 1, 2024, Ventura Nationals, Ventura County Fairgrounds, 100’s of customs, hot rods & more, bands, vendors. For info: www.venturanationals.com. August 31-SEPTEMBER 1, 2024, C10 Intervention Truck Show, downtown Woodland, CA, Brothers Trucks, open to 1908-1998 GM trucks, lifted, lowered, stock, custom, everything is welcome. For info: 530-848-7412. August 31-SEPTEMBER 2, 2024, Nate’s Pinedorado Car Show, Pinedorado Grounds, 10am-3pm. Open show-all years & makes, cars & bikes, info: Mariia Powels 818-809-7910 or www.cambrialions.org/car-show.

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58) Aug 10th, 2024, 6-8PM iconic Shelby Cobra, alongside esteemed guests and enthusiasts, Petersen Automotive Museum info@petersen.org. Aug 12th Road to Pebble Rally. Aug 17th Little Sparks, City Bldg 10-11am. Sep 1st Japanese Car Cruise-In 8-11am. Sep 15th Lowrider Parade 10am-2pm. Sep 28th Day Rally-Idyllwild 8:45am-5pm.

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59) The Ultimate Guide on NHRA Drag Racing Series Betting in the US. Futures Bets: This is a popular betting market in the motorsport world. In this market, you choose who will win the championship at the end of the drag racing season. Unlike football or basketball, where dominance at the start of a season does not guarantee the overall championship win, motorsports are conquered by dominance on the circuit. For instance, if Doug Kalitta wins all the first ten events of the drag racing series, it becomes more difficult for him not to win the championship title. https://nxtbets.com/the-ultimate-guide-on-nhra-drag-racing-series-betting-in-the-us/. John Towle

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60) Then, just recently in Canada I had the privilege of meeting another extraordinary character. I was having a coffee at Kick Sauber with Graeme Lowdon on Sunday when his business partner and buddy Marc Hynes arrived. “DT will probably know all about Mary McGee,” Hynesey said. I didn’t, but my interest was instantly piqued when he started filling me in. “Want to come and meet her? She’s down at Mercedes.” Well, I barely said cheerio to the suddenly abandoned ‘Monkey Hanger’ as Hynesey and I hot-footed down the paddock, and there she was, sitting with a big grin in the wheelchair she’d only had to use after a recent fall. What is it about these US racing heroines, films and falls? The late, great Paula Murphy (See GP+ Issue 369, Bahrain) had a film made about her at the age of 93 and then had a fall and was mad as hell to have to do publicity stuff sitting down. From: David Tremayne.

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61) The Pro Bike & Sled Series (PBSS) Championship Point Award Series is led by Josh Costa (318 points), Lee Burgess (297 points), Bill Pippard (279 points), Nichole Albin (259 points) and Tom Varney in fifth place (with 258 points). From: Bruce Mehlenbacher at bruce@jajentertainment.com.

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62) WHO WE ARE © 2024 GrandPrix+. DAVID TREMAYNE. A freelance motorsport writer and former executive editor of Motoring News and Motor Sport, he is a veteran of 35 years of Grands Prix reportage and the author of more than 50 motorsport books. He reported on his 600th Grand Prix in Russia in 2021. He is a member of the F1 Paddock Hall of Fame and on the FIA Media Working Group. David Tremayne is at restspirit@aol.com. READERS: GrandPrix+ is a beautifully written and photographed magazine on F1 racing.