Motorsports Newsletter 9/25/24

AND: Lions Automobilia Foundation and Museum Hall of Fame on November 14, 2024, 5 pm, Rancho Dominguez, CA to honor another great class of hot rod and drag racing heroes. I’ll be at this event with my sons.

AND: All links in the newsletter need to be copied and pasted into your browser in order to work.

AND: If you have an article or story you would like to share, please send it to me to post in the newsletter.

AND: Does anyone have a grammar check on their computer as awful as mine does?

2) George Poteet, by David Tremayne restspirit. DEMON DRIVER. Part 11 (cont’d).

Mike Cook had put some shots of the damaged racer and George signing autographs on his Facebook page the next day, not from any sense of sensationalism, “But because we want people to know that while this can be a dangerous sport, this guy walked away from a 370mph accident.” More than that, George commissioned Speed Demon II, and by the time he checked out at the age of 76 on Tuesday, July 16th, he had done 55 runs over 400 mph (53 recorded by the SCTA, two by the FIA) – more than any man in history. He had set 13 SCTA Bonneville records and six FIA world records and won the ‘HOTROD’ Trophy for the fastest car at the SCTA BNI Speed Week, an unprecedented 11 times. His crowning achievement was to set the AA/BFS pistonengined/wheeldriven land speed record of 470.015 MPH in August 2020, with a staggering top speed of 481.576 mph. He was inducted into the Dry Lakes Racing, Grand National Roadster and HIRA Halls of Fame.

AND: By RACER Magazine Staff. Video by Robin Miller. Raised in Detroit, he began racing motorcycles as a teenager after the end of World War II. He jumped immediately to American Motorcyclist Association expert status on HarleyDavidson machines, competing while working full time at a Chrysler factory. Paul Goldsmith’s first major AMA motorcycle win came in 1952 on the onemile dirt track at Wisconsin State Fair Park, now paved and known as the Milwaukee Mile. In 1953, Goldsmith won the Daytona 200 motorcycle race on the old beach road course, with his Harley prepared by legendary engine builder and tuner Smokey Yunick. He also won the 100mile race at treacherous Langhorne Speedway. Goldsmith finished second in the AMA standings in 1954 to a protegee and friend from the West Coast who also achieved success on two and four wheels – Joe Leonard. The rest of the story: https://racer.com/2024/09/06/paulgoldsmith19252024/?fbclid=IwY2xjawFIjyRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHV uni2PhQIaws9X61NsZayP9RozHYzVrNrN94JCgmRGZ2nM09tF2yTcgzA_aem_mzgWcO5K2EK42n5B_METdw.

AND: Anyone know whatever happened to Leroy Goldstein, that was one working son of a gun. Michael Dakin

READERS: Does anyone have any stories about Goldstein to share?

3) You might be interested to know that after my father’s years of racing coast to coast in AMA Grand National events, we lived in National City down in San Diego area and just a few miles from our house was the Paradise Mesa dragstrip. Floyd (Emde) was a HarleyDavidson dealer and since he wasn’t racing nationally any longer, he took up drag racing there for a few years in the early 1950’s. Since there weren’t many entries for motorcycles, he was often matched up with the cars, which included the Bean Bandits, who you probably know about. Floyd won at least one race with them I know about, and it got some news coverage locally. I’ll find something about that to send. Don Emde

DON: I’ve seen something familiar in the articles and the photo, and it’s in the story on my father. Did Paradise Mesa have a huge effect on drag racing? Absolutely yes, because the men from San Diego were part of the early SCTA and my father hired Jim Nelson as the first Tech Director and Jim wrote the rulebook. Paradise Mesa promoted one of the first NHRA Championships. (source: The Wally & Barbara Parks Story: We did it our Way)

AND: Here is photo of Floyd on his 74cubic inch Harley dragster at Paradise Mesa in September of 1952. I also included a copy of a magazine article I ran years ago that shows a local San Diego news clipping if you want to quote from it. I hope this helpful. Don Emde

4) Gary Medley here, like yourself, a charter member of the Progeny of Hot Rod Legends club. Not sure if you are a Goodguys member, but for the last decade I’ve penned a column for the GG Gazette magazine titled, Legends of Hot Rodding. Done about a hundred now most between 850 and 1000 words. I still have my little online store dedicated to my father’s legacy at gtmedley.

5) Museums, Libraries, Hall of Fame Program problems continued. Death or the loss of a founder or bigname supporter. Honorary programs, halls of fame all rely on one or more “big name” people who give credence and respectability to their programs. If there are enough supporters with respected names, then the death of a donor or supporter will not hurt the hall of fame program. Many award programs are started by men and women that are so important that without them these groups simply fade away. That’s what kills off reunions so often. Especially if the “big name” is also the founder of the hall of fame or reunion. In that case what saves the program is having the support of numerous, wellknown personalities.

6) The earliest history on the club’s Northam (Australia) event, by Paul Blank. I ran an event called the Classic Rally from 1992 for over a decade. A tarmac event, it attracted many wellknown participants (the likes of Sir Jack Brabham, Peter Brock and Ross Dunkerton among them) and over three days competitive stages and navigation tests covered regions outside of Perth as well as in the metropolitan area. Some years, the event included Northam. I got to know some of the senior staff at both the Shire and Town (as it was then) and got a call one day from the CEO. He was keen to discuss the idea of a “Round the Houses” event for Northam. I attended an evening meeting with the CEO, to which some interested locals had been invited.

7) Books on Mark Greene’s Cars Year website mentioned by those appearing on Mark’s Podcast. Bob Varsha – Gurney Eagle Westlake F1 by Bob Varsha (Author), Dan Gurney (Foreword), Peter Harholdt (Photographer) and Angle of Attack: Harrison Storms and the Race to the Moon by Mike Gray. Brian Ghidinelli – How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Michael Culver – Car Guys Vs Bean Counters by Bob Lutz. Dirk Layer – Porsche: Excellence Was Expected by Karl Ludvigsen, Ferrari 250 GT Competition Cars by Jess G Pourret, Ford GT40 by Ronny Spain, The Immortal 2.9 Alfa Romeo 8C2900 by Simon Moore and Motorbinder by Roy Spencer. Ingrid Steffensen – Inner Speed Secrets by Ross Bentley and Fast Girl by Ingrid Steffensen. Bob Dekorne – www.michaelfurman.com by Michael Furman, www.amazon.com/TomCotter by Tom Cotter. Robert Angelo – Never Leave Well Enough Alone by Raymond Loewy.

8) The Quick 32 Sportsman Series and Pro Bike & Sled Series (PBSS) Championship Point Award Series for 2024 was determined over the weekend at Empire Dragway in Leicester, New York. Charlie Emler Jr. from Spencerport, NY, secured the championship with his 738cubicinch Buck Racing Engines, nitrouspowered 1968 Chevrolet Camaro Top Sportsman entry by advancing to the final round of Top Sportsman Eliminator. Tony “The Shoe” Platania finished second, followed by Buddy Forrest in third, Tyler Rudolph finished fourth, and Craig Chadderdon rounded out the top five. Bruce Mehlenbacher is at Bruce@JAJentertainment.com.

9) The HSR Classic Sebring 12 Hour, which has annually wrapped up the calendar in December, now makes a major move to March at Sebring International Raceway to become the new Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) seasonopening event, March 7

9. Even better, the Classic Sebring 12 Hour takes place the weekend before the 73rd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring IMSA race, March 1215, 2025. Adam Saal SaalGoodPR

10) Meet Teen Auto Workshop Student, Scott. “While taking the program, I learned a lot of things and met new people with the same interest. I learned that when working on cars you should always wear eye protective glasses and gloves just in case dust or any debris gets into your eyes. I also learned cars are more than just four wheels and a motor. From: Petersen Automotive Museum info.

11) BOOK REVIEW: One Last Turn, (road racing) by Martin Rudow and David Gaddis (cont’d).

The text is double spaced and easy to read, and the captions identify car and driver. The biographies are very interesting and bring to life the names you are probably familiar with. Often our contact with mechanics, racers and owners are distant and we form a view of them that is not always that accurate. Unless we are with a person constantly, we cannot know or understand them. One Last Turn is a seminal book, in that it can form a central part of a subject upon which to build a library around. I knew quite a bit about Oscar Koveleski, the “Clown Prince” of road racing, but less about his mechanic Jack Deren. This book fulfills that lack of information. It’s one thing to read the racing sheets and learn the driver’s names, but quite another problem to really know the men behind the wheels and the men who keep the cars in motion. But One Last Turn is not simply a biography of individuals, or an encyclopedia of motorsports personalities.

12) Royce Rumsey just published Classiche Continuum Automotive Cognoscenti Preside Over a Concours Culture in San Marino. For photos go to roycer924_2.

13) WHO WE ARE © 2024 GrandPrix+. PAULA MURPHY by David Tremayne. MISS STP ‘Racing housewife’ Paula Murphy was the first woman to drive round Indianapolis, the first to handle both jet and rocket cars, and the first to be licensed to drive nitro dragsters, but that wasn’t even half of what she contributed to the female cause in racing.

14) That Healey of ours still needs a good home and someone who actually has the time and coin of the realm to do right by it. Burt Levy at thinkfast.

15) Books and Manuals from CarTech Publishing, 6118 Main Street, North Branch, Minnesota 55056, 18005514754, www.CarTechBooks.com. Ford Bronco: A History of Ford’s Legendary 4×4, by Todd Zuercher. Ford Inline Six: How to Rebuild & Modify, by Matt Cox & Barton Maurer. How to Build MaxPerformance Ford FE Engines, by Barry Rabotnik.

16) SHERM PORTER’s Calendar of Events at fuely32. September 28, 2024, Los Alamos Old Days Car Show, Bikes, bandmjarvis. September 28, 2024, 2024 Thunder on the Mountain, Tehachapi, 9am3pm, chamber. September 28, 2024, Cruisin’ for a Cure, OC Fair, Costa Mesa, CA, 9493537353, www.cruisinforacure.com. September 28, 2024, Humdinger Car Show, Penngrove Park, CA, 7075292521 or 5308646913. September 28October 1, 2024, World Finals, Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, www.sctabni.org.

17) The 2024 Chattanooga Motorcar Festival, to be held on October 1113, 2024, is receiving title sponsorship from Chattanooga’s Millennium Bank for the third straight year. The festival is celebrating its fifth annual event in the Scenic City and has been officially named the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival Sponsored by Millennium Bank. From: Judy Stropus at jvstropus.

18) (Trailblazer Newsletter for September Part 1.) The late Billy Graham’s son Franklin Graham took over his father’s work. When Franklin first met Dennis Agajanian, he discovered that Dennis loved fourwheel drive trucks and MOTORCYCLES! People all over the world know Dennis as “the world’s fastest flatpicking guitarist.” a moniker bestowed on him by country music legend Johnny Cash. In addition to Cash, Dennis has performed on stage with the likes of Charlie Daniels, Ricky Skaggs, Michael W. Smith, and Darius Rucker. Dennis has garnered industry accolades such as Entertainer of the Year and Living Legend Award. There is so much more to Dennis than his musical skills. From Chris Agajanian.

19) BLAST FROM THE PAST…… From the Wally & Barbara Parks story, We Did It Our Way. DECEMBER 1946 Wally Parks draws up plans for a hot rod car show.

In 1996 my father reminisced about a car show that he drew up while in his spare time at work at General Motors. The details eventually turned into the Hot Rod Exposition in Los Angeles in 1948; the first such hot rod show in the country and sponsored by the SCTA and Hollywood Publicity Associates. Dad wrote, “Fifty years ago, in 1946, Wally Parks sat at his drawing board at the General Motors auto assembly plant in South Gate, California and sketched out the floor plan for a car show – a dream that became reality the following year with the introduction of the world’s first indoor show of its kind, the Hot Rod Exposition.”

20) The Smothers Brothers’ Flirtation with Oldsmobile, written by Diego Rosenberg for The ClassicCars.com Journal: Your daily dose of steel, rubber and soul. Part 4. Smith had a meager $100,000 budget to promote Oldsmobile’s racing endeavors. Because of General Motors’ noracing policy, the budget was in a fund earmarked for Mobil and Union Oil fuel economy events. Another subversion, this one more clever, was the TV show serving as a front for the team, as some of the funds Oldsmobile gave as sponsor of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour was diverted to Smothers’ team. “In addition to the money, I intercepted usable parts, needed by the racers, from being scrapped. This consisted of engines, transmissions, and differentials, which are all high attrition items in racing,” related Smith.

21) Porsche 911: The Definitive History 20112019, by Brian Long. Porsche Racing Cars 20072023, by Brian Long. Jaguar: All the Cars, by Nigel Thorley. Alfa Romeo cars in Motorsport, by Peter Collins. From: Veloce, fine automotive books newsletter. FORMULA 1: CAR BY CAR 2000–09, by Peter Higham, US price: $90, ISBN: 978

1910505861 Format: 9.25 x 11.0, Hardback, Pages 304, 350 color photos. From: jvstropus.

22) HERE’S TO THE HEROES,written for DRIVE Magazine by Wally Parks. “But there were the objectors, as there always are – ones whose philosophies, good or bad, led them to oppose the ‘establishment.’ It happens in all walks of life, and in NHRA’s case, open criticisms of its regulatory decisions were often long, loud and media aimed. There were such offbeat laments as opposing a simple proposal that called for a small 3inch visor on the cowl of hoodless frontengined dragsters, to deflect oil or fuel from the driver’s face. And also voiced criticism of other safeguard proposals, calling them NHRA’s ‘silly rules.’ And when NHRA mandated transmission reversers, to eliminate timeconsuming and sometimes dangerous pushstarts, objectors were there with hysterical outcries, no matter how valid the reasons were for progressive changes in the functional rules of racing.”

23) BOOK REVIEW: The Last Open Road, written by Burt “BS” Levy. These are two (Phil Waters and Briggs Cunningham) of the influential and famous sports car drivers and car owners of early American sportscar racing and give the fictional narrative some real historicity. Another real sportscar racer that I wrote about, Oscar Koveleski, was there at this time. Perhaps our young fictional characters met Oscar as well. That’s what I like about Levy’s book is that one can mentally introduce so many others into his story. I found myself stopping and adding content to this wonderful adventure. Gone Racin’ can be reached at RnParks1. Author BS “Burt” Levy is at thinkfast. To be serialized, part 8.

24) The International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC) collects, shares and preserves the history of motor sports. 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 and walls and brought to life through a regular calendar of public lectures and special events. www.racingarchives.org. From Judy Stropus

25) Do you have an assistant which has your mailing list and could continue your good work if necessary. The newsletter is long, and the Internet Server thinks it is spam. Would it be practical to have Parts A and B, transmitted separately if necessary? Most readers would be expected to have a tight schedule, and simply do not have the time to get all the details. Dale Cook

EDITOR: I would have to send out A on Wednesday and B on Sunday, doubling my workload.

AND: As to stories written by the readers, I think it would be better if the stories were run completely all in one newsletter, in lieu of being continued from one newsletter to another. I think the readers would get more out of the stories, being more likely to read and comment on them. I think that it would be good to promote interaction between the readers. Put the stories in one section, perhaps Part B as referred to above. That way, people wanting to read the stories could go directly to them and could also scan the general news which would not be encumbered with the stories. Looking for a better way is characteristic of a racer’s mind. Dale Cook

DALE: Improvements ARE the RACER’S way. READERS: Please keep sending me suggestions.

26) Bill Montgomery of Hidden Pioneers sends a list of YouTube videos to share with the readers. Please put the following in your server’s search box to find the proper link. A) NASA’s “Hidden Figures” awarded Congressional Gold Medal

YouTube. B) (16) Video | Facebook. C)

Google Search. D) Once Hidden Figures, now Congressional Gold Medal recipients

Roll Call. E) Medal Ceremony

hiddenpioneers and jwrtile.

27) This Week on Cars Yeah Mark Greene will interview Marikay Satryano, Chad Schnitz, Terry Karges and Bruce Sweetman. Mark Greene is at info.

READERS: You are missing out on fantastic people and half hour shows if you aren’t on Mark’s podcast. He really knows how to interview people.

28) INSIDE OSCA: The Bolognese miracle that amazed the world. By Carlo Cavicchi Photographs by Walter Breveglieri US price $120, CDN price $150, ISBN: 9781910505915, size 9.225 x 11 inches, hardback, 272 pages, 225 blackandwhite photos. From: jvstropus.

29) The Allard Dragon story part 1 produced by Phil Waters and published on eurodragster. 12th September 2024. The British Drag Racing Historiansare proud to present part one of the Allard Dragon stories: This story takes a look at the Allard Dragon dragsters that first burst onto the scene early in 1964. Much interest came from the motoring press and excerpts from some of the articles are included along with detailed lists of the component parts used to build these affordable dragsters capable of 11 second runs at over 120mph, available to the public in kit form as an easy step into the growing draggin’ scene here in the UK. The story was produced by Phil Waters with pics added by Nick Pettitt. and published by editor of Eurodragster.com Chris Winn. You can view this story and photos by entering European Drag Racing News (eurodragster.net) or https://eurodragster.net/article.aspx?id=55.

30) When you talk about Hall(s) of Fame and a suspect lack of clarity in their selection and induction processes I hope that you’re not including the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in that assessment. I’m a nominator and a voter there and am quite at ease with the processes that the MSHFA uses to nominate, look for consensus on, and elect people to the honor. (In fact, two years ago Matt Stone and I had the great honor of conominating Ed Iskenderian for inclusion in the Hall, he was voted on and we’ll see “Isky” inducted in March of next year). … AND, as I’m quite sure you know, your dad was inducted to the Hall back in 1993 along with George Bignotti, Craig Breedlove, Jacqueline Cochran, Dick Mann and a number of other stalwarts of the sport. I love your newsletter, but I must confess I sometimes have to take a quick nap (or a quick nip) after weathering the intense course of mental aerobics that your reporting puts my old brain through with each succeeding edition. … So PLEASE keep up the good work! Doug Stokes

EDITOR: The answer to your question is NO. They were my experiences with the Boat Racers Reunion Honors Program. As for naps, why I am going to take one right now.

31) BOOK REVIEW: 12 Hours of Sebring 1970, by Harry Hurst. Reviewed by Thomas L. Bryant, EditorinChief, Road & Track magazine, Published: November 6, 2012. Part 4 (last in the series)

Hurst’s photos are excellent for capturing the drama and the human emotion that came to the forefront as this 12hour race ran down to the last few minutes. In his introduction, the author writes, “This book is not intended to be a definitive record of that event; there are ample race reports from that time which document what happened (and conflict in many ways!). Rather, I would like you to regard this book as a trip back in time.” This seemingly simple book is deceptive, because I found it to be one of the best racing event books I’ve ever read. This truly is a remarkable work, and even more so as it is privately published by Hurst in a limited run. So, if you are passionate about racing, I recommend that you contact the author and order a copy. The price is $24.95 plus shipping, and it can be obtained from Hurst Communications, harry.

32) Congrats to Ohtani, the Japanese/American Baseball superstar. Remember we have our own Hidden Pioneer Matano giving back to our country through STREAM Design Education: Check out this video here with Jay Leno & HP Tom Matano. Put the following into your search engine: 25 Years of Miata

Jay Leno’s Garage

YouTube, or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1qgtCt1jG0&t=320s. Hidden Pioneer’s Bill Montgomery

BILL: Jay Leno is my favorite comedian and a real car guy. He told me to get lost once when we attended the Gale Banks Party, which shows that Jay is a real connoisseur of character.

33) WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT CAR PEOPLE: The normal stuff that we listen to is in a narrow band width. I was in a musical family and had listened to an AM radio. Then FM became popular there was a big difference in sound. High quality 45 and 33.1/3 records were a lot better to listen to as compared to the 78 RPM records. I took some electronic classes and started building high fidelity audio equipment. A good heavy 33.1/3 RPM record with a good cartridge sounded almost as good as what my family’s live music sounded. Then the TAPE and CDs came out and they sounded flat. Back to records. Learning about the human hearing and the changes in the DB levels I learned that anything on the radio or internet is still limited in bandwidth even in the DB level, though the clarity has become lot better with over sampling using digital manipulation. Expensive highfidelity sets, and record player are still very popular around the World. Now when you go to the Symphony that has a very large orchestra, you sit in a quiet hall and when the music start you start hearing a lot more frequencies and the dynamics are awesome. More like a surround system that was popular a few years ago in the HiFI world. Any live music is wonderful. Dimitri “DEMA” Elgin, from Elgin Cams.

EDITOR: Dema also added, “Remember that there is more in life than working every day.”

34) Books and Manuals from CarTech Publishing, 6118 Main Street, North Branch, Minnesota 55056, 18005514754, www.CarTechBooks.com. 4.6L & 5.4L Ford Engines: How to Rebuild Revised Edition, by George Reid. Ford Flathead Engines: How to Rebuild & Modify, by Tony Thacker & Mike Herman. Ford 429/460 Engines: How to Build Max Performance, by Jim Smart.

35) BOOKS: The Automotive Alchemist, by Andy Saunders. Bahamas Speed Week, by Terry O’Neil. Bugatti, the Italian Decade, by Gautam Sen. Books from Dalton Watson Fine Books at www.daltonwatson.com.

36) Cruisin La Verne Holiday Car Show on Saturday, November 23rd in Old Town La Verne, CA. Palm Springs Car Show & Festival on Saturday, Oct 5th in Downtown Palm Springs. Entry forms at: www.PalmSpringsCarFest.com. Brea Holiday Car Show, on Sunday, Dec 8th in Downtown Brea. Entry forms at: www.BreaHolidayCarShow.com.
From: Flying Deuces news.

37) Jennifer Rodriguez’s 1st Mural for JRDesignzYouTube, see: HiddenPioneers.

38) Start racing today with NHRA Street Legal. From: updates. DIVISION 3

Kentucky Beech Bend Raceway Park, Bowling Green, KY (1/4mile), 2707817634, http://www.beechbend.com/. Ohio Valley Raceway, West Point, Kentucky, (1/8mile), 5029224152, http://www.ohiovalleydragway.com/. Michigan Milan Dragway, Milan, Michigan, (1/4mile), 7344397368, http://milandragway.com/. Ohio Edgewater Sports Park, Cleves, Ohio, (1/4mile), 5133534666, http://www.edgewaterrace.com/. National Trail Raceway, Hebron, Ohio, (1/4mile), 7409285706, http://www.nationaltrailraceway.com/. Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk, Ohio, (1/4mile), 4196685555, http://www.summitmotorsportspark.com/.

39) Event organizers, UNC Charlotte and the Stand 21 Safety Foundation, are building on the topic after seeing the interest generated at their soldout EVRSafe event held last Fall. Conference Chair Eric Huhn says: “Much has happened in EV Racing since our inaugural EVRSafe Conference last year. New developments, fresh insight from experts and a growing network are ready to be shared with attendees, and I’m looking forward to the discussions that will come with that.” EV Racing Safety Conference Returns to Charlotte Motor Speedway, October 22, 2024. https://motorsports.charlotte.edu/evrsafe. From Don Taylor: dtaylor@racinggoessafer.org.

40) Jason Dienhart, President and CEO of Global Time Attack and Super Lap Battle, joined us for the 4th Annual Race Industry Week. Hosted by Brad Gillie from SiriusXM, Channel 90, The Late Shift. team.

41) I do read every one of the newsletters and enjoy them. A lot of it is about stuff I really don’t know about, but it does keep me abreast of what is going on. And it does bring back memories when it is about people I knew…love the stories about Ak. What a character. Marilyn Lachman

42) From the MSHFA website at https://www.mshf.com/. 2005 inductees: Danny Foster, Hurley Haywood, Holman & Moody, Tommy Ivo, Benny Parsons, Troy Ruttman, Tom Sneva, Jay Springsteen. 2006 inductees: Tom Carnegie, Elliott ForbesRobinson, Chris Karamesines, Nigel Mansell, Hershel McGriff, Curtis Turner, Jeff Ward. 2007 inductees: Bill Elliott, John Fitch, Jim McGee, Leo Mehl, Jim Rathmann, Bubba Shobert, Sox & Martin. 2008 inductees: Michael Andretti, Buddy Baker, John Force, Richie Ginther, Paul Goldsmith, Wayne Rainey, Betty Skelton.

43) Ak Miller left his garage in the 1960’s to work for Ford and run in the Mobil Economy Runs. He was a terror at the Pike’s Peak Hill Climbs, winning nine times in his class, with Ray Brock as his crew. He and Brock also competed in and won their class in the 1963 Baja 1000 Road Race. Ak always reduced a man’s given name to a nickname, and he could size up a person in an instant. Once you were stuck with one of Ak’s creations that is how everyone knew you in the hotrodding community. (source: Wally & Barbara Parks story, We Did It Our Way)

44) The Quick 32 Sportsman Series and Pro Bike & Sled Series (PBSS) Championship Point Award Series for 2024. Lee Burgess’s Pro Bike 2008 Suzuki Hayabusa, a 1340cc powered entry from Canton, PA, secured the 2024 Pro Bike & Sled Series (PBSS) Championship while being closely contested by Josh Costa, who finished second, and Josie Brooks finished third. Bill Pippard finished in fourth place, and Drew Nearhoof in fifth. All racing was contested on the Empire’s eighthmile surface. Bruce Mehlenbacher is at Bruce@JAJentertainment.com.

45) To all Hidden Pioneers check out this very Cool website that we are Partners with and share the same goals & vision. Enjoy and share, CSI Bill Montgomery. LIVE  service, https://nwn.tv. VOD hiddenpioneers.

46) In conjunction with Nitro Revival 7 at Irwindale Raceway, Lions Automobilia Foundation & Museum will expand its schedule to accommodate distant and international attendees again this year. Those dates are Wednesday through Saturday (92PM) on November 6, 7, 8 & 9. Set aside a day to discover over 150 dragsters, funny cars, gassers, hot rods, muscle cars, Willy’s cars & trucks, drag boats and drag bikes in unique environments at the museum in nearby Rancho Dominguez. Wear your comfortable shoes for walking or reserve a mobility scooter at Lions Automobilia Foundation. We’re close to LAX airport and the original Lions Dragstrip location at 223rd & Alameda. You can buy tickets online at LionsAutomobilia.org. From Darr Hawthorne darrhawthorne1.

47) The earliest history on the club’s Northam (Australia) event, by Paul Blank. I assumed this would be a few people who wanted to chat about ideas, but it turned out quite different. The meeting was in the Town Hall, with the CEO and myself at a table on the stage and dozens of locals seated, asking questions and making suggestions as if the event was to go ahead. My strongest suggestion was that the town engage the Vintage Sports Car Club, as the club had the experience and resources to run an event of this nature. At that time, the York Flying Fifty was no longer being run and Albany had yet to be developed, so the VSCC in fact was running no Round the Houses events at all. It turned out to be ideal timing in that respect. I made the introductions, and planning began for what is now surely the longest running event of its type!

48) Drag racer Dale Cook, is also a Chief in the Cherokee Nation, and write on his recent Trail of Tears bike ride.

On Friday, we started out at Ross Landing, 3pm eastern time, arriving at Bridgeport, Alabama at about 3pm Central time. There were the vendors and the Band on the Trail of Tears Stage, followed by a dynamic Fireworks Display orchestrated by Randall “RIP” Gibson. Saturday, the Ride left Bridgeport at 8am for the Harley Davidson dealership. We brought up the rear in our Official Trail of Tears Vehicle. After a brief stop at the dealership, we came on to Waterloo, with a stop at Bojangles on Cox Creek Parkway, and a momentary stop at McFarland Park, just to say we did. (McFarland Park is a Stop on the Original Trail of Tears Ride.) Upon arrival at Waterloo, we completed the Ride by going to the Trail of Tears Sign which was unveiled in 1995. We then returned to the four way Main Street intersection where Riders of the authentic Trail of Tears Ride turn left on Main Street, who also complete the Ride by going to the Sign. (to be continued in the next issue)

EDITOR: This is one for my bucket list.

49) Tonight, at Lions: SAE/Lions/Nikola Hydrogen Trucking is Real, a seminar on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, from 5:308pm with guest speaker Christian Appel. We are forming a “Specialty Lions Club” named the Long Beach West Lions Club. The club replaces the original club that closed. This was one of the 9 clubs that formed the Lions Drag Strip. As a Specialty Club, we can support the Lions Automobilia Foundation and share their mission and preserve history of the “Drag Strip” as well as the mission of the club to promote the automotive sport and educate the youth to keep in the tradition. Lions Automobilia Foundation media.

EDITOR: That is wonderful news about a new car club supporting the car culture and the Lions Museum. The sad news is that no one will be able to attend the very interesting seminar because that news didn’t reach me in time.

50) SHERM PORTER’s List of Events and car shows for 2024, fuely32. NOVEMBER 13 ANRA, Season Finals, Auto Club Famoso Raceway, relax. NOVEMBER 3 Spring Turlock Swap Meet & Car Show, Stanislaus, CA 2092018491, www.springfallturlock.com. NOVEMBER 3 Nojoqui Falls Fun Run, Central Coast Street Rods, Solvang, CA https://centralcoaststreetrods.com/. NOVEMBER 3 Champagne, Pete & Cars, Pete’s 88th Birthday Celebration, Stockton, CA. NOVEMBER 58 SEMA Show, Las Vegas, Nevada, www.SEMAShow.com. NOVEMBER 89, NITRO Revival, Irwindale Dragstrip, CA, 5597976176 or www.nitrorevival.com. NOVEMBER 910 Fuel Curve Autumn GetTogether, Pleasanton, CA, 9258389876 or www.goodguys.com. NOVEMBER 910 SCTA Time Trials at El Mirage, CA, www.sctabni.org.

51) Hidden Pioneers seeks sponsors to do events, spread the knowledge through social media platforms, hands on learning, introductions to professionals, Mentorships and more. We started this Team because of my cousin Katherine Johnson who worked for NASA for 34 years. The movie about her was made based on a book called Hidden Figures and we now have a roadmap to continue her legacy. NASA is our focus and plan to get a Space Act agreement to help open doors and get us more in demand & known. From HiddenPioneers.

52) DEREK WARWICK Never look back: The racing life of Britain’s double World Champion, by Derek Warwick with David Tremayne. Forewords by Ross Brawn, Alex Hawkridge and Jean Todt. US price: $80, CDN: $100 ISBN: 9781910505908. Format: 8.25×10.5, Hardback, Pages 384, 300 photos, mainly color. From: Judy Stropus

53) He (Timo Schweiger) has a grasp on things and listened to some excellent parents/Mentors. Being around an engine centric family business, has no doubt been a part of his education. Sadly, most kids never get to see how things get made, have to chipin to help, or learn any life skills before heading off to higher education. I was lucky where my Dad and Grandfather always included me on projects, thus teaching me how to paint, build things, fix things, or appreciate a family business. I got to meet some guys from Switzerland and review a concept engine that they made for Polaris. They took Polaris input and did the design, manufacturing and early development and was impressed and would have to say it was exceedingly good right out of the box. Everything was very current. I think most of the technology trickles from Moto GP to them. Rudy Sayn and I used to always talk about how valuable strong trade schools are or could be. Not just for the students, but also for Industry folks to have an outlet to Mentor and feedback real World experience. Much of what we know is not as sought after today, because it does not provide the quick quarterly results investors expect for engine technology and development. Pat Baer

54) The Smothers Brothers’ Flirtation with Oldsmobile, written by Diego Rosenberg for The ClassicCars.com Journal: Your daily dose of steel, rubber and soul. Part 5. The team’s five racers, dealers, cars, and racing classes were as follows: Loyed Woodland, Berejik Oldsmobile, Needham, MA: 1969 442 W30 fourspeed coupe, E/S Pete Kost, DeweyGriffin Oldsmobile, Bremerton, WA: 1969 442 W30 automatic convertible, F/SA Ron Garey, Chesrown Oldsmobile, Columbus, OH: 1969 F85 W31 fourspeed coupe, F/S Willard Wright, Century Oldsmobile, Van Nuys, CA: 1969 Cutlass S W31 automatic convertible, G/SA Jim Waibel, King Oldsmobile, Lakeland, FL: 1969 Cutlass S W31 fourspeed convertible, G/S

55) George Poteet, by David Tremayne restspirit. DEMON DRIVER. Part 12 (cont’d).

George’s life was not just about going fast, or his business, however. He and wife Cathy were very close to son George Jr and daughters Kimberley, Stephanie and Bethina, and their 11 grandchildren. And he had always had an avid interest in special cars and his 1000acre homestead housed a huge collection. He won the coveted 1996 Don Ridler Memorial Award and America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award, both with his 1937 Ford roadster, and took great interest in commissioning upcoming customisers to build cars, thus helping the industry to sustain itself by developing future generations. Businesses he helped including master engine builder Kenny Duttweiler (whose potent powerplants propelled several variants of Speed Demon); Troy Trepanier’s Rad Rides by Troy (he created George’s other landspeed car, the 1969 Plymouth Barracuda, Blowfish, that broke the 300mph barrier); the Rolling Bones Hot Rod Shop; the Roadster Shop; Cal Automotive and Alloway’s Hot Rod Shop. He encouraged newcomers to achieve their best and inspired and facilitated hundreds of designers, builders and fabricators to create their own masterpieces.

56) (Trailblazer Newsletter for September Part 1.) Dennis Agajanian is a force of natureyet sensitive to those who are hurting. He’s larger than lifeyet one TRAILBLAZERS 21 of the sweetest human souls. Dennis has been described as tough as nails with a tender heart. Franklin said that Dennis is not afraid to go anywhere or do anything. Franklin and Dennis have gone on trips to minister together often to places they both knew their lives would be in danger: places like Sudan, Cambodia, and the Middle East, sometimes ministering as bullets flew by and mortars exploded around them. Dennis has additionally done a considerable amount of ministering in our prisons. From Chris Agajanian.

57) The Ultimate Guide on NHRA Drag Racing Series Betting in the US. NHRA Betting Strategies & Tips. You can utilize several basic NHRA betting strategies if you are a beginner. They include: Set a budget for your betting activities to avoid betting more than you can afford to lose. Avoid chasing losses or emotional betting. Ensure you understand the basics of drag racing, including the different categories, how races are conducted, and the factors influencing race outcomes. Research the drivers’ performance history, strengths, weaknesses, and recent forms to help you make a more informed betting decision.

seriesbettingintheus/. John Towle

58) HERE’S TO THE HEROES,written for DRIVE Magazine by Wally Parks. “Some of the more venturesome, experienced racers came up with new ideas from time to time, slightly outside existing rules – but that is the name of the game in drag racing. Some worked, others failed, often requiring remedial changes and/or additions to the existing rules. Through the years, NHRA’s technical department has relied upon input from many sources in maintaining the parity and safety of its regulations. Major changes usually are screened via consultations with car owners, crew members, drivers and industry representatives.”

59) BLAST FROM THE PAST…… From the Wally & Barbara Parks story, We Did It Our Way. 13 DECEMBER 1946 SCTA meeting; Parks becomes the Secretary of the SCTA.

“Ivan suggested that we decide on the new proposed fulltime secretary’s job before electing our officers. A vote was called on the proposal as stated in the November minutes and was passed by a 17 to 6 majority. This provided for a salary of $300 per month with dues being raised 50 cents to $1.00 per month per member as required. It was pointed out by the president that this newly created job is an elected office and is subject to recall or replacement the same as in any other SCTA officer’s position.Candidates for the new general secretary’s job were Lowell Lewis, Randy Shinn, Paul Stratton, and Wally Parks. After much deliberation and revoting Wally Parks was elected.

60) The Ultimate Guide on NHRA Drag Racing Series Betting in the US. Drag racing is heavily influenced by track conditions such as temperature, altitude, and track surface. Some drivers and teams may perform better under specific conditions, so consider these factors when placing your bets. Monitor the betting odds offered by sportsbooks. Odds can fluctuate based on factors such as recent performance, injuries, or track conditions. See https://nxtbets.com/theultimateguideonnhradragracingseriesbettingintheus/. John Towle

61) Books on Mark Greene’s Cars Year website mentioned by those appearing on Mark’s Podcast. Sylvain Tremblay – The Beast by Jade Gurss. Randy Pobst – Skip Barbor Racing School Going Faster by Carl Lopez, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle Stacey David – The Bible. Jeff Braun – Tune to Win: The Art and Science of Race Car Development and Tuning by Caroll Smith, and Speed Secrets 5: The Complete Driver by Ross Bentley. Leslie Kendall – Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile by Nick Georgano. Jeff Koch – The World of Automobiles encyclopedia, you’ll have to find them used. Don Kitch – Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein and My Sweetest Victory by Alex Zanardi. Eric Cook – A Mechanic and a Gentleman by E.S. Edwards, Honda an American Success Story by Robert L. Shook and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig.

62) Louis Unser (18961979) also raced roadsters for Bill Kenz in Colorado, passing his rookie test at Indy, but he never entered the 500. The Unser family stamp on the Brickyard was later made by his nephews Bobby and Al, and later Al Unser Jr. (MSHFA Class of 2009), but it is fair to say their path to Indy glory might have never happened without “Uncle Louie.” His 2025 enshrinement will make the Unsers’ the only family with four individual inductees in the MSHFA. Bobby, Al and Al Jr shared that honor as a trio the last few years with NASCAR’s Allison family after Davey Allison joined his father Bobby Allison (MSHFA Class of 1992) and Uncle Donnie Allison (MSHFA Class of 2011) as a member of the MSHFA Class of 2021. Sent in by Adam Saal.

63) EDITORS NOTES: The following letter will be a 2part serialized letter. Next week the conclusion.

Dear Mr (Dema) Elgin: To briefly introduce myself, I am Timo Schweiger, the son of Pit and Karin from JPS Aircooled in Switzerland. We had a brief conversation at the Rennsport Reunion in Laguna Seca. I am in high school and am currently writing my final thesis on the topic: “Economic Growth and Education in the USA from 1870 to 1980.” It would be an honor and a pleasure if you could take the time for me and fill out a questionnaire via email, or even better if I could conduct an interview with you over the phone. With warm regards, Timo Schweiger

Here are some of my thoughts about your answers and the subject in general: a) I really appreciate the importance you lay on the trades. I’ve barely ever thought about them as this “life sustaining” thing. b) I am concerned about the lack of openness to new and critical ideas in and around academia. Many of the subjects I follow see similar problems. For instance, (almost) none of the top physicians thinking about different things than string and quantum theory and their unwillingness to enter debates with people with conflicting views. c) In general, I hold a very positive view on the current education. Despite some recent bad numbers, more people than ever are able to read and write in America and around the world. The trend line is very promising. d) The middle management in schools is slow, they promise everything and deliver nothing. The way I see it, this is just the way any big organization, that has existed for a long time, works. Be that a government or a large corporation, they get slow and over time more and more obsolete. e) I try to stay out of politics as much as possible, because whenever I take a peek, I get pulled into all the details and rabbit holes and come back out again a week later knowing less than before. Timo Schweiger is at timo.schweiger.

64) From the UK VSCC Bulletin. I received these photographs from Mike Bellair, my opposite number at the VSCC of Victoria. He couldn’t resist the photographs and included them in The Vintage Sports Car Club of Victoria Inc Newsletter. I was similarly tempted, and the photographs appear on this and the next two pages. Again, like Mike, I had to reduce the size of the photographs to fit them in. The VSCC Bulletin is a print publication and the photo graphs were reproduced as centre spreads. You can see the staple marks and even the staples in a couple of shots. Bob Campbell, Editor of Vintage Metal Magazine of Western Australia robertcampbell4.

EDITOR: This was my favorite article.

65) Fast and familiar Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) race winners at the Fall Historics at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Those include Todd Treffert’s 1974 #14 Porsche 911 IROC, Jeff McKee’s 1964 #51 Ford Falcon, Ryan Staub’s 2008 #13 Mazda MX5, Craig Watkins’ 1968 #46 Porsche 911, David Richardson’s 2018 #06 Porsche 991.2 GT3, Jon Field’s 2016 #37 One Motorsports Ligier JS P3, Colin Dougherty’s 2008 #92 Porsche 997, Benjamin Myers’ 2001 #29 Carbir CS2 Sports 2000, Justin DeFoor’s 2014 #16 Ford Mustang, and Brian Norman’s 2014 #16 Ford Mustang. From Adam Saal at SaalGoodPR.