1964 Pontiac GTO Heats Up the Drag Strip
August 5, 2011 by GreaseGirl · 3 Comments
Heartbreaker 1964 Pontiac GTO Drag Racer
While at Toyota’s Irwindale Speedway recently for Amateur Drag night, I came upon this beautiful 1964 Pontiac GTO. Although running in the professional class, this car is built from scratch by its owner, Dennis Jewell.
With brand new paint job, this 64′ Pontiac is breaking more hearts then ever.
But the good part is, there’s plenty of substance behind the polish. This GTO is powered by a 604 cid motor pushing out 1100 HP at 7,500 rpm!
Aspirated with two 1050 Dominators, it’s fastest run has been the 1/4 mile in 8.3 seconds @ 163 mph.
I love this cool exhaust exit at the front fender….
and good looking hold-down for its Optima Yellow Top battery in the trunk.
Even more, I love that Dennis has built this beauty himself – along with good friend Jimmy Branham’s support.
Speed Fever Continues at the Drag Races
August 5, 2011 by GreaseGirl · Leave a Comment
Toyota’s Irwindale Speedway Heats up on Thursday Nights!
Speed Fever is a serious thing. Once I caught on, it was only a matter of time before I got interested in drag racing. First I hot rodded my Studebaker. Then I began attending Speed Week each year. Eventually I learned to do a burnout. Why not drag race!?
Although it’s not time for my own Studebaker to get on the dragstrip just yet, I’m sure it’s day will come. First I’ve got to learn a thing or two about drag racing – and what better way to go to do that than ride along with a pal who’s been racing his 1955 Chevy Gasser for years!? When my buddy Stan first invited me to go along with him to the Irwindale Raceway, I didn’t realize we were going to actually drive his racing gasser TO the races. But yep, he built this car to drive and there’ll be no trailer for him. (Read more about his Chevy here.)
Thursday nights at Irwindale is a run-what-ya-brung amateur night with some professional class racers around also. It isn’t a nostaglic-class night, anyone can come…so long as you have a helmet and a seatbelt (unless you start going too fast…then you’d need some extra safety equipment).
I was happy to see there were lots of young people getting interested – even if they’re there for the tuner-car category.
While there were plenty of new Mustangs, Camaros, and rice rockets racing – there were still plenty of old cars to watch too, like this 1964 Chevelle. Another amazing ’64 is this amazing 1964 Pontiac GTO, click here to read the story!
Or this early fifties Chevy 2-door. It looks like somebody has been doing a lot of work to make this coupe a record breaker!
This Malibu was one mean looking wagon! Those are some wildly high air cleaners!
An unlikely candidate for racing, this 1959 Metropolitan Nash speed down the strip.
This Oldsmobile 442 is about to ride off into the sunset.
As the sun went down and the air cooled off, drag racing times just got better… You can’t ask for anything better then that.
Don Garlits Crash Video – The Modern Dragster Born
March 19, 2011 by pikesan · Leave a Comment
Famous Don Garlits Swamp Rat Crash Caught in Video
Swamp Rat 13 – Photo Courtesty of the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing (See a copy of the crash photo behind, middle)
If you’re a fan of drag racing then you know “Big Daddy” Don Garlits. You’ll also know his varied “Swap Rat” dragsters creations that carried Big Daddy to just about every racing “Hall of Fame” in existence.
Don Garlits was certainly a winner and an innovator. Along the way, he was the first to hit 170, 180, 200, 240, 250, 260, and 270 miles per hour in the quarter mile. As an innovator, he’s best know for driving the first REAR engine dragster ever raced.
How’d he come up with the idea that changed dragster design and drag racing forever? It happened in Long Beach, California at the 1970 AHRA Grand American. In the finals against Richard Tharpe, this crash happened in Swamp Rat 13.
I’ve only ever seen pictures of this crash before! I never know video existed… I’ll show the picture here when I get permission from the owner. The two speed transmission Big Daddy was experimenting with exploded right off the line.
Swamp Rat 14 – Photo Courtesty of the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing
So… following the accident that took off a piece of Big’s right foot, Swap Rat 14 made it’s debut in Pomona in 1971. Funny thing is, the steering was too quick in Swamp Rat 14, so the project was nearly scrapped save for not-so-gentle nudging from Big’s wife Pat. Maybe she was the smartest of the bunch cause the fine-tuned digger, sporting a new Dodge Hemi behind the driver, making it much safer, went on to set the all time quickest ET at Indianapolis at 6.21 at over 240mph. Safer and faster!
Now you know about the birth of the modern dragster.
Gotta thank Lionsvideo.com for posting this on Youtube. Get your copy on DVD!
Also, if you get a chance, go to the Don Garlits Museum in Ocala, Florida. I was in Florida on business once and got to go. It’s worth the trip!!
John Force Racing 2 for 2 Winning Gatornationals
March 17, 2011 by pikesan · Leave a Comment
Team Force Wins Gatornationals
TEAM JFR RACE REPORT
2nd of 22 races in the NHRA Full Throttle Series
42nd annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals
Gainesville Raceway
Gainesville, Florida
March 13, 2011
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Final round results from Sunday’s 42nd annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, second race in the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:
FUNNY CAR – Mike Neff, Fishers, Ind., Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, 4.092, 310.48 mph, def. Cruz Pedregon, Brownsburg, Ind., Snap-On Toyota Camry, 7.819, 99.32 mph.
TOP FUEL –Del Worsham, Chino Hills, Calif., Al-Anabi dragster, 3.858, 318.00 mph def. Tony Schumacher, Brownsburg, Ind., US Army dragster, 3.866, 318.39 mph
PRO STOCK – Jason Line, Mooresville, NC, Summit Pontiac GXP, 6.554, 211.96 mph def. Greg Greg Anderson, Mooresville, NC, Summit Pontiac GXP, 6.545, 212.43 mph
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE – Eddie Krawiec, Brownsburg, Ind., Harley Davidson V-Rod, 6.847, 197.08 mph def. Karen Stoffer, Gardnerville, NY, Geico Suzuki, Red-light DQ, 6.949,193.27 mph.
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CASTROL GTX’S NEFF WINS GATOR NATS
GAINESVILLE, FL — Mike Neff and his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang were hot on Saturday and they got hotter on Sunday racing to a second career win as a driver at the 42nd annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals. The win was the 198th funny car win for John Force Racing and it was the eleventh win for JFR at Gatornationals seven by John Force, one by Tony Pedregon, one by Gary Densham, and one by Ashley Force Hood in TAD. This was the first funny car win for JFR at Gatornationals since 2003.
It was the second win in a row for JFR in 2011, Robert Hight won the season opening NHRA Winternationals, and the fourth overall going back to John Force’s championship clinching wins at Las Vegas and Pomona at the end of 2010.
“This is just a great day for our whole team. We needed this to keep the Force string going,” said Neff. “This is four in a row for team Force. It feels good. Fortunately I have a great Mustang. It is the car John drove last year and I just got in it. Now it is just a matter of not messing it up as a driver. That is the hardest part for me.
This was Neff’s first final round and win at the NHRA Gatornationals as either a driver or crew chief. Neff was crew chief for Scotty Cannon and Gary Scelzi. His previous best at the Gatornationals was two appearances in the semi-finals with Scelzi.
Neff is pulling double duty as crew chief and driver but he is not carrying the load by himself. He was quick to spread the credit for the team’s success to his crew and teammates.
“I am mentally drained. Losing an hour of sleep last night didn’t help me either. We have so much help with people looking at the track like (track specialist) Lanny Miglizzi and (crew chief) Bernie Fedderly. I’ve got guys like (crewmen) Danny (Hood) and Jon (Schaffer) in the pits helping me. They help carry the load and they do a lot of the hands on stuff. The hardest part is the mental side. That mental drain just kind of wears you down over the course of the day. It is all worth it now.”
Neff didn’t know he would be back in the driver’s seat until the end of January. For the unflappable Neff the return to the seat was a welcome diversion but also a mentally taxing endeavor. When he was asked if he could slip back into the crew chief role if Force suddenly reversed field Neff was eager to make his driving plans clear.
“I want to give it a run all year now. I love tuning and that is what I will be doing for a long time. This driving deal might just be a one year deal for me. I am trying to make the most of it. When I drove a couple of years ago I was disappointed with my results,” said the seven time NHRA national event finalist driver. “I just felt like we didn’t achieve what I would have wanted to achieve. I made some mistakes driving. For whatever reason I just felt kind of unsatisfied. It is important to me that I want to be a good driver. That is what I am really trying to work on. This win means more to me than the other one by far. This is just a great, great day here.”
With the win Neff moved into sole possession of the Full Throttle points lead. He became the 37th different points leader in funny car class and he is the sixth different JFR driver to lead the funny car points. He joins a list led by John Force, Robert Hight, Ashley Force Hood, Tony Pedregon, and Gary Densham.
For the crew chief turned driver he improved his final round record to 2-5 and he has now won his last two final round appearances. He is 2-5 versus Cruz Pedregon. Ironically, Neff’s first touring job was working on Pedregon’s McDonalds Oldsmobile in 1992 when Pedregon won the funny car championship.
He opened the day with a first round win over friend Jim Head. Neff dispatched fellow Ford driver Bob Tasca III in the second round and he defeated Jack Beckman in the semi-finals before outrunning the two-time world champion Pedregon in the final.
Neff’s Castrol GTX Ford Mustang clicked off an impressive string of elapsed times: 4.095, 4.059, 4.126 and 4.092 for a round average of 4.093 seconds on a track that reached a temperature in excess of 110 degrees.
Neff’s last win was 2009 Auto Club NHRA Finals when he defeated teammate Ashley Force Hood.
While Neff was extending the JFR win streak his teammates were battling to maintain their positions in the Full Throttle top ten point standings. No. 10 qualifier Robert Hight had the toughest draw in the opening stanza racing against teammate and legend John Force. Hight made his best lap of the weekend, a session quickest 4.079 seconds in route to first round win. Hight dropped his next round race to Jack Beckman when his Auto Club Ford Mustang went up in smoke at half track.
After his first round win over Force Hight told the near capacity crowd, “That is what we have to do. We have to quit messing up. Our team was behind this run. (Crew chief) Jimmy Prock and (assistant crew chief) Eric Lane were great. Now my team gets to put some of these Mac Tools to work. It is tough when you have to race the boss but now he is going to tell me to go out there and get this win now.”
At the top end after his first round loss Force was philosophical but not concerned by his slow start for the 2011 season.
“I make (Hight) president and now he is sending me home every week. It ain’t no good if we have to race each other in the first or second rounds. We need to stay away from each other and get everyone up in the top half. Jimmy said OK and then he runs a 4.07,” said Force.
“I thought good as long as one of these Fords wins. My son-in-law is my new president. At the end of the day he whipped me in Pomona and I had to fight my way back here. I am just excited because he is still in and Neff is still in. (Co-crew chiefs) Dean Antonelli and Ron Douglas were taught by Austin Coil, the very best.“
When Force looked back on some of his personnel changes from the past two seasons, the winningest driver in NHRA history doesn’t know how to evaluate their success.
“I don’t know if I am lucky or smart. I keep having to make changes amongst the teams and move my drivers and crew chiefs around. Mike Neff proved that he could win when he won Pomona (in 2009). To see him come out here and win is great,” said the 132-time winner.
“He was on his game all day. The car was consistent. He has Danny and Jon working with him and these kids are working hard for him. They are working like Austin and Bernie. The car isn’t missing a lick. Not only is he doing great as a crew chief but also a driver. He was on his game every round. I was really proud. He was under a lot of pressure. He showed he can do it. He is in the game up in the points. I am not worried about Guido and Ron Douglas and my team. We know how to win and we just have to get our deal jiving. I made some good calls. All our sponsors Castrol, Ford, Auto Club, Mac Tools, and BrandSource get the payday.”
The three John Force drivers will leave Gainesville Raceway in first, fourth and ninth place in points.
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UNOFFICIAL FULL THROTTLE POINT STANDINGS
FUNNY CAR – 1. Mike Neff, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, 201; 2. Cruz Pedregon, 161; 3. Matt Hagan, 175; 4. Robert Hight, Auto Club Ford Mustang, 170; 5. Jack Beckman, 116; 6. Ron Capps, 105; 7. Jeff Arend, 104; 8. Johnny Gray, 100; 9. John Force, Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang, 88; 10. Jim Head, 86
TOP FUEL – 1. Del Worsham, 186; 2. Tony Schumacher, 162; 3. Shawn Langdon, 148; 4. Morgan Lucas, 147; 4. Larry Dixon, 147; 6. Antron Brown, 141; 7. Spencer Massey, 136; 8. Steve Torrence, 87; 9. Doug Kalitta, 85; 10. Terry McMillen, 84
PRO STOCK – 1. Jason Line, 230; 2. Greg Anderson, 182; 3. Greg Stanfield, 148; 4. Roger Brogdon, 138; 5. Ron Krisher, 131; 6. Erica Enders, 115; 7. Kurt Johnson, 85; 8. Shane Gray, 83; 9. Ronnie Humphrey, 82; 9. Vincent Nobile, 82.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE – 1. Eddie Krawiec, 124; 2. Hector Arana, 104; 3. Karen Stoffer, 100; 4. LE Tonglet, 74; 5. Andrew Hines, 62; 6. Matt Smith, 54; 7. Gerald Savoie, 53; 7. Shawn Gann, 53; 9. David Hope, 32; 9. Jim Underdahl, 32; 9. Angie Smith, 32; 9. Mike Berry, 32
THE DRIVERS
JOHN FORCE, 61, Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang
Final Qualifying: 7th at 4.119 seconds, 310.48 mph
Bonus Qualifying Points: 0
Race Results: Lost to Robert Hight.
Quotable: On Mike Neff – “He is trying to lead tune the car and lead drive the car. That is a lot of overload. Then you have the pressure of stepping into my hot rod. I told him there is no pressure. This is our house we own it. Nobody tells us what to do and I only make changes when changes are due. I am just excited for the whole group and we have a strong three car team. Ford says we are One Ford. We are all in the top ten and we will be OK.” – JOHN FORCE
MIKE NEFF, 44, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang
Final Qualifying: 3rd at 4.074 seconds, 311.05 mph
Bonus Qualifying Points: +7 (3rd quickest of Q2 and quickest of Q3 and Q4)Race Results: Beat Jim Head, Bob Tasca III, Jack Beckman, Cruz Pedregon
Quotable: After second round win – “I felt pretty good rolling up there. We went down the race track when it was a little hotter than this. I just kind of ran in like yesterday. I hate to say it but I am a little surprised it ran that quick. It feels good the old Castrol Ford has been running good. I am just going to try and not screw it up.“ – MIKE NEFF
ROBERT HIGHT, 41, Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang
Final Qualifying: 10th at 4.133 seconds, 309.20 mph
Bonus Qualifying Points: 0
Race Results: Beat John Force. Lost to Jack Beckman.
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FOLLOW JOHN FORCE RACING AT www.twitter.com/jfr_racing.com
****
NEXT EVENT:
12th annual SummitRacing.com Nationals, April 1-3, Las Vegas, Nev.
2nd annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals, April 15-17, Charlotte, N.C.
24th annual O’Reilly Spring Nationals, April 29-May 1, Houston, Texas
31st annual Summit Southern Nationals, May 13-15, Atlanta, Ga.
23rd annual O’Reilly Summer Nationals, May 20-22, Topeka, Kan.
John Force is Big in Texas
March 8, 2011 by pikesan · Leave a Comment
Force Selected As Newest Inductee Into Texas Motorsports Hall Of Fame
FORT WORTH, Texas (March 8, 2011) – John Force, one of drag racing’s most legendary figures, will add yet another racing accomplishment to his illustrious career resume when he becomes just the fourth NHRA racer inducted into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Force, a 15-time NHRA Funny Car champion (1990-‘91, ‘93-2002, ’04, ’06, ’10), will be honored Thursday, April 7, at the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame Gala held in the Speedway Club’s Grand Ballroom at Texas Motor Speedway during the Samsung Mobile 500 NASCAR doubleheader race weekend.
Force’s induction will highlight an evening that recognizes the accomplishments of some of the biggest names in motorsports, all while benefitting Speedway Children’s Charities at Texas Motor Speedway. Others being recognized are seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Richard Petty; defending race winner of Texas Motor Speedway’s Samsung Mobile 500 and AAA Texas 500 Denny Hamlin; five-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson; four-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon; and veteran motorsports reporter Terry Blount.
“Being inducted into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame is a great honor,” Force said. “I have a lot of great memories racing in Texas. They say everything is bigger in Texas. I won my 100th race in Houston and that was a huge milestone. When you think of the other great Texas drag racers like Raymond Beadle, Kenny Bernstein, Eddie Hill, Lee Shepherd, to add my name to that list is amazing. The fans in Texas have always been some of my best. When I was in the hospital after my crash in 2007 (at the Texas Motorplex), they brought cakes to Baylor (University Medical Center in Dallas) for me and waited outside for days. I’ll never forget that.”
Force will become the 13th member enshrined into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame. He joins previous inductees A.J. Foyt (2003), Johnny Rutherford (‘03), Terry Labonte (‘04), Lee Shepherd (‘04), Kenny Bernstein (‘05), Jim Hall (‘05), Eddie Hill (‘06), Mark Martin (‘07), Jim McElreath (‘07), Bobby Labonte (‘08), Bruton Smith (‘08) and Joe Gibbs (‘09).
Force joins Shepherd, Bernstein and Hill as the only NHRA racers inducted into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame. The Lone Star State has provided the best and one of the more terrifying moments of Force’s career. Entering the 2011 season, Force has registered 13 of his 132 career victories in the state of Texas. One of his most unforgettable drag racing moments also came in Texas, and it wasn’t celebrating a win or championship. In 2007, Force was involved in a near-fatal accident when he blew a tire that sent his car careening into Bernstein. After six hours of surgery and several months of rehabilitation, Force returned to for the season opener in 2008. His redemption came in 2010 when he became the oldest NHRA champion, winning his record 15th championship at the age of 61.
Petty, one of NASCAR’s iconic figures, will be honored with the Bruton Smith Legend Award. Petty has been synonymous with NASCAR, starting his career as a driver in 1958 and since retiring from racing in 1992 he has remained active in the sport, serving as car owner of Richard Petty Motorsports. Petty’s career is highlighted by his seven series championships (1964, ’67, ’71, ’72, ’74, ’75, ’79), which is tied for the most in history with the late Dale Earnhardt. Petty’s ultimate racing honor came last year as he was among the five individuals inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s inaugural class.
Hamlin, last year’s most dominant Sprint Cup Series driver at Texas Motor Speedway, will be awarded the Texas Motor Speedway Racer of the Year. Hamlin became just the second driver in speedway history to sweep both Sprint Cup Series races in the same season – winning April’s Samsung Mobile 500 and November’s AAA Texas 500. His victory in the AAA Texas 500 served as a clear indicator that he was a championship contender as he overtook Johnson for the championship lead, marking the first time since 2005 that Johnson was not leading entering the final two races of the season.
Johnson, the defending five-time Sprint Cup Series champion, will receive the Texas Motor Speedway Sportsmanship Award. Johnson has dominated the sport – becoming the first driver to win five consecutive Sprint Cup Series championships – and doing so with his modest and humble personality. He also embodies the ideals of sportsmanship off the track. His charitable contributions through the Jimmie Johnson Foundation have helped raise more than $3.5 million for charitable organizations.
Gordon, Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, also will be recognized for his contributions off the track as he will receive the Maj. General Thomas Sadler Award. He has championed the efforts of Speedway Children’s Charities through his contributions with the Jeff Gordon Foundation Corvette Raffle. Since beginning the raffle in 2006, he has helped raise more than $400,000 for Speedway Children’s Charities at Texas Motor Speedway.
Veteran motorsports journalist and Houston native Terry Blount will receive the Excellence in Motorsports Journalism Award. Blount’s career has spanned more than 30 years with tenures at some of the largest newspapers in the United States. He has worked at the Houston Post, Houston Chronicle and The Dallas Morning News and currently is a motorsports writer/columnist for ESPN.com. During his career, he has missed only one major race at Texas Motor Speedway since it opened in 1997.
Blount has earned numerous writing honors, including the Citation for Writing Excellence from Hearst Newspapers and the Excellence in Journalism Award from the Houston Press Club.
Fans will once again have a say in the voting for the top moment of 2010 at Texas Motor Speedway. The choices have been narrowed to three moments: Hamlin’s sweep of Texas, Kyle Busch’s record fifth consecutive Nationwide Series victory at TMS, and Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton’s scrap on the backstretch during November’s AAA Texas 500. Fans can submit their vote by visiting www.texasmotorspeedway.com.
The Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame, located in the outdoor atrium adjacent to The Speedway Club, is open year round and free to the public. The Hall of Fame atrium features pedestals of the inductees, including their career highlights.
The Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame Gala benefits Speedway Children’s Charities at Texas Motor Speedway. The organization’s mission is to care for children in educational, financial, social and medical need in order to help them lead productive lives. Speedway Children’s Charities at Texas Motor Speedway has distributed more than $7.5 million in grants to local children’s organizations in Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties.
A VIP reception hosted by previous Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees will take place prior to the awards ceremony beginning at 6:30 p.m. CT on the ninth floor in the Grand Ballroom. The Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame induction ceremony will begin at approximately 8 p.m. CT.
Table sponsorships, beginning at $1,200, and individual tickets for $150 are available by calling the Speedway Children’s Charities office at (817) 215-8421 or by visiting www.scctexas.org.
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FOLLOW JOHN FORCE RACING AT www.twitter.com/jfr_racing.com
