70s Funny Cars: Round 51
Text by Danny White
Dave Robinson ran this Chevy powered A/FC Vega under the Kelly Chadwick banner. Robinson had a Camaro before this Vega also under Chadwick's name. Robinson drove Jim Robbins’s match bash Chevy II in the sixties. Robinson ran mostly in Texas occasionally running out of state against his fellow Texans in match races. The Vega ran sevens with the injected nitro combination. In 1974 the Vega was repainted as the Chaparral Vega and got a blown alcohol engine. (Handout photo courtesy of Jim White; info from DRL files)
The team of Haywood & Thomas bought the ex-Boss Bird from Arnie Beswick in 1972. The team put a Chevy in the car and renamed it the Bad News to run on the UDRA circuit. Don Haywood did the driving for the team. The Bad News team continued to use Arnie's name to help get bookings. Don Haywood would race alcohol funny cars into the late eighties with the Haywood & Near team. (Photo by Norm Newgord, courtesy of Gary Newgord; info from DRL files)
This Vega Wagon was not the first car that Indiana based racer Norm Day ran under another racers name, Day had ran the former Mazmanian & Thompson Opel Kadett under Jr. Thompson’s banner in AA/GS action on the UDRA circuit and match races. Day had Ken Cox build the Vandal Wagon with Chrysler Hemi power. The wild little Vega could run in the seven-second range with a 7.37 190 best. (Handout photo, info from DRL files)
Terry Pringle ran series of former Gene Snow cars in A/FC and BB/FC through out the 1970's. This Dodge Challenger was built by famed Logghe Bros. shop in Michigan. The car featured a Keith Black built Hemi for power. This version of the Rambunctious ran sevens and was very tough to beat in local Texas action. Pringle continued to race Snow's cars until 1977. (Handout photo courtesy of Jim White; info from DRL)
Frank Cook & Chuck Landers took the Drag-On name from Jim Robb’s after Mart Higginbotham retired from drag racing. Jim Robbs ran Racing Fuels Incorporated in Dallas, Texas and had backed the Higginbotham ran Drag-On Vega from 71-73. The Vega was handed over to Frank Cook and Chuck Landers, who were racing an A/FD on the local Jr. Fuel circuit. The team raced both the funny car in match races and the Haley-Settles-Wood car in NHRA action. The Drag-On Vega became of the quickest & fastest A/FC of the 70's with a 7.10 203 run. Cook & Landers later took over the Drag-On name from Robbs and became a Texas legend before retiring from drag racing. (Handout photo courtesy of Bob Alberty Jr.; info from DRL files)
Frank Harris had run an AA/GS Opel with the famed Stone, Woods, & Cooke banner to help get bookings. In 1973 Harris built this Vega to run East Coast Fuel Funny Car Circuit with a blown alcohol Chrysler Hemi. It was said Harris paid a percentage fee to the S, W & C team to use the name. (Photo courtesy of Ultragraphics; info from DRL files)
In 1973 and into 1974 Jeg Coughlin had one of the toughest fuel funny car team. In 74 Coughlin split the team up and converted the funny car over to alcohol. The driver Dale Emery and crew Dee Gant and Fred Miller all ended working on the Beable & Schmidt Blue Max team. Coughlin had major succes with the car as he took over the driving chores running a 6.75 209 best. (Photo courtesy of Rick Oldfield; info from DRL files)
In 1977 funny car racer Al Hanna put together a three car team, in addition to Hanna's AA/FC there was also a Top Fueler and this BB/FC ran by Americo Carranca. While the nitro cars toured outside of the New England area the BB/FC was mainly seen in local racing action. The Mustang II ran sevens at best before the end of the 77 season. In 1978 the team split up and Carranca built the Captain America funny car. (Unknown photographer; info from DRL files)
Norm Day built a new funny car in 1976 with sleek low-riding Cuda built by Ken Cox. Day got permission from Don Garlits to use his name on the new car. This proved to be Day's most successful car running a 6.95 205 best with a 512 Donovan Hemi. Day raced the car in all the sanctioning bodies of the day with success in all. (Photo courtesy of Ray-Mar Photos; info from DRL files)
Bob Flock became the next racer to use the Stone-Woods-Cooke banner in the late seventies. Flock had been a crewmember on "Jungle Jim's" funny car before building this BB/FC. Bullet Bob as he called himself got the beautiful Vega to run sevens at best in match race action. Flock retired from racing until returning in the late 80's with the Bullet Bob TA/FC and as of 2008 is running an AA/FA in match races. (Photo courtesy of Mike Sopko and www.quartermileclassics.com/
; info from DRL files)