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Jim Bucher (M) from
Cincinnati, Ohio
USA
(Comp Nr/Finish:
357 ) |
1973 - Category: TOPFUEL, Type: TN, Class: AA/FD, Div: 3 |
| "Kenner's SSP" Owned by Jim Bucher
from
Cincinnati, Ohio
USA
| Crew Chief: Jim Bucher |
| '72 Dragster by
Bill Stebbins |
Powered by Supercharged Nitro 470 Chevrolet ZL1 by Jim Bucher with
2 speed manual transmission |
| 1/4 Mile ET: |
6.030 at Unknown |
1/4 Mile MPH: |
241.28 at NHRA Ontario CA 11/18/73 |
| 1000 FT ET: |
Unknown at Unknown |
1000 FT MPH: |
Unknown at Unknown |
| 1/8 Mile ET: |
Unknown at Unknown |
1/8 Mile MPH: |
Unknown at Unknown |
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Entry's 1973 Performance Ratings (0 to 100) based on comparison to average ET/MPH:
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1/4 Mile Rating: ET 80.95,
MPH 84.61 |
Entry is 0.93779 times average ET and 1.05899 times average MPH |
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1000 FT Rating: ET 00.00,
MPH 00.00 |
Entry is 0.00000 times average ET and 0.00000 times average MPH |
| 1/8 Mile Rating:
ET 00.00,
MPH 00.00 |
Entry is 0.00000 times average ET and 0.00000 times average MPH |
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| 1973 Records: |
1/4 Mile: 5.784 ET, 247.25 MPH |
1000 Ft. 0.000 ET, 0.00 MPH |
1/8 Mile: 4.135 ET, 184.80 MPH |
| 1973 Average: |
1/4 Mile: 6.430 ET, 227.84 MPH |
1000 Ft. 0.000 ET, 0.00 MPH |
1/8 Mile: 4.360 ET, 175.56 MPH |
| 1973 Minimum: |
1/4 Mile: 7.076 ET, 207.04 MPH |
1000 Ft. 0.000 ET, 0.00 MPH |
1/8 Mile: 4.690 ET, 163.21 MPH |
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Notes: Trying to pick a top ten list of Top Fuel cars for '73 was a tough task. Lots of different drivers stepped up. Sure, you would have to have Don Garlits and James Warren on the list, but then who? The Donovan-powered cars of John Wiebe, Herm Petersen, Carl Olson, Pat Dakin, and Flip Schofield all ran great. Marvin Schwartz picked up, as did Tommy Ivo, and Clayton Harris and Don Moody continued to impress. But all those dragsters used a Chrysler Hemi or an aftermarket aluminum version in the Donovan's case. Jim Bucher stood out from the crowd using an aluminum 470 cubic inch Chevy "Rat" motor. He made it work and should be considered for the list. Jim was able to build the engine for far less than it would have cost to build a Hemi. The car was also light, weighing in at some 200 lbs. less than the lightest Hemi-powered cars. You would have to start at Beeline to review his season, where he ran 6.25 to qualify #6 for the AHRA Winternationals. He failed to reach the finals but was by far the quickest Chevy there. In March, he was at Lakeland for the IHRA Winternationals, where he qualified #4 in the sixteen-car field with a 6.76. An off-pace 7.20/199.11 lost in the opening round. He was not at Bakersfield. But he sure opened everyone's eyes at Gainesville for the NHRA Gatornationals. Bucher qualified #5 with a 6.179/227.27. In the opening round, he then improved to 6.120/224.43 to beat Randy Allison's 6.70/161. Jim then set a new NHRA ET record in round two, where his 6.079 at 236.22 beat Olson's 6.15/227. An easy pass of 10.77 advanced in the semifinals when Steve Carbone lost fire. This put Jim into the final against Petersen. Unfortunately, the Chevy broke, and Herm soloed for the victory. Jim did win the NHRA Division 3 WCS race in Indy in late April. He set Low ET and Top Speed in the final at 6.23/230.76. Jim then traveled to OCIR on May 12 for the Constructor's Championships, where he qualified #15 in the 32-car field with a 6.66. He got to solo in round one when Dominic Cardoza lost fire. Jim took an easy 9.23/92.49 pass to advance. He also soloed in round two when Carl Olson's car failed to fire. His first race came in the third round, where he shut off with problems, while his opponent, eventual winner Don Moody, was losing a clutch on a 7.25/153 run. On June 2, Bucher was at the Edgewater National Open. It was an eight-car field, and he qualified #5. That set up a first-round meeting with low qualifier Jim Walther. The two had a great race, with Walther's 6.56/218 edging out Jim's 6.56/217.90. At the NHRA Springnationals, Bucher's 6.461/227.84 qualified #11. An off-pace 6.640/220.58 in the first round, lost to Wiebe's 6.48/220. He ran better at Englishtown for the NHRA Summernationals, where his 6.203/223 qualified #7. A 6.52/221 beat Jon Hansen's 6.60/217 in round one, while a second round 6.32/217 advanced when Dakin fouled away a 6.30/223. In the semifinals, Vic Brown broke against him, and Bucher moved into the final with a 6.32/219.51. He faced Harris, who got into the show as an alternate and had not run better than 7.30 in eliminations. The Chevy lovers in the stands were licking their chops, feeling that they would witness a Chevy winning in TF. Things didn't work out that way, as the car died once again, and Jim could only watch as Harris' car coughed and sputtered to an 8.72/149 for the win. Jim destroyed the car at Union Grove when it went into a wheelstand and flipped over, landing hard. Jim was OK, but the car was badly damaged. He returned in August to Martin, Michigan, for the PHR Championships. He set Low ET in qualifying for the sixteen-car field with a 6.12. Jim opened eliminations with a 6.27/184 over a wheelstanding Paul Longenecker, and a 6.35/220.04 beat Wiebe's ailing Donovan car at 6.93/137. But a 6.41/207.85 in the semifinal lost to Dakin's 6.32/206. His next stop was at Tulsa for the AHRA National Challenge race. Of course, he had the only Chevy to qualify in the 32-car show, and his 6.30/218.14 got him into the top half of the show (#10). Jim was the number one qualifier at Indy with a 6.091/226.70 effort, leading an incredible field of about 75 entries! Unfortunately for Jim and Chevy fans, Randy Allison stepped up from his #17 qualifying position to upset Bucher in round one, 6.063/229.00 to a consistent but losing 6.099/229.59. Jim ran at the Gainesville WWCS meet in September, where he hit 223.88. He qualified #13 with a 6.68 in high altitude Amarillo, Texas, for the NHRA World Finals. Carl Olson took a first-round win, 6.304/227.27 to 6.396/225.00. At the Ontario Supernationals, Jim qualified #11 at 6.134/233.16. But first-round blues struck again when Dan Richins took a super close 6.070/213.76 win over Jim's booming 6.090/241.28. Jim didn't usually run it out the back door, but he topped 240 on his last pass of the NHRA season. All in all, it was a great year for Bucher and his Ohio Rat, and he won a ton of new fans across the country and globe. | The listed 6.03 did not occur in NHRA national event competition. But we remember it, and it is also cited in a 1996 Chevy Engines book (crediting Jim as the quickest ZL-1 at 6.03). Where did that run occur? |
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Submitted by Draglist Archives, Last updated on Thursday, October 2, 2025, 11:33:02 PM by
Ron Howard.
Approved by Super Crew. |
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Rankings updated: 10/02/25 03:04:32 am EDT
