Camaro-calling Bill Duke

[Dennis Doubleday]

Actually,I didn't know that.Here are a couple of Veney from mid-1971.The painted version precedes the primered car.The white car is late in July,the car that Duke id's in the other shot is September,so it's very plausible.I am confused on the time-line of the Mineo Firebirds though. Dennis Doubleday

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[B Duke]

Wow, beats me, I am just happy that I got it right. I loved that circuit. Good close racing, no leaks, little breakage

[Dennis Doubleday]

So,if I'm reading Vic's post correctly,this car(taken at Connecticut in 1970) became the Veney Firebird.This right Vic ? Dennis Doubleday
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[B Duke]

This car was so cool. Firebird body styles translated well to fiberglass. This car was still Chevy powered, but the following year he ran a flopper that still employed basically the same body, but with the new narrow, dragster style chassis. It was 392 powered. In an early run, the body came lose and was destroyed. So Mineo qualified and ran the car sans body shell in the accompanying 32 top fuel show. This was at Lions (sic)

[Dennis Doubleday]

I agree.I wasn't necessarily a huge Poncho fan,but I loved the look of this funny car.Here is the aforementioned T/F car.These are all from 1971.First shot from Vern Scholz at Pomona.Then a Bakersfield shot.Then Fremont,then Lions. Dennis Doubleday

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[B Duke]

Well I stand corrected. It was a 426 and not a 392. Ah well......At least I didnt claim it was still GM propelled

[Dennis Doubleday]

No,you're not wrong,Duke.I went to my notes from 1971,and you're right,at some point that year he was running the 392".See ? We haven't gone completely senile yet<g>. Dennis Doubleday

[B Duke]

What I would also like to see more of is that bronze colored Corvette, part of which is depcited in the staging lanes next to Mineo's white primered Firebird in the staging lanes. Often times, there are cars in the back drop or foreground in this case, that are as intriguing as the car serving as the center piece. As for Mineo, he received his race education in large part from Just For Chevy Lover's Tom Sturm. They teamed up together in 1968 while fielding one of Sturms Corvairs. Mineo's name was emobossed on the side, giving him credit as driver.

[jim sanders]

again great stuff guys ! Dennis in the pic from Conn. there is a trailer in the background that caught my eye.... i have a photo that has uncle Curt's camaro parked next to the same trailer... it is a body up shot that blocks the name on the trailer but i can see BOB VE .... just curious Jim

[Dennis Doubleday]

You're exactly right,Jim.That's Bob Vaselka's trailer.He had the ex-Dick Loehr "Stampede" 69 Mustang at this race. Dennis Doubleday