"weekender" Tommy Mccray, World Record Holder, Henry-j

Tonight one year ago marks the day my old man pasted away. His friends knew him as Tommy, his HAMB friends knew him as WEEKENDER. I grew up riding around the middle U.S. in the back of the old car he made famous in the sixties by setting the 1/8 mile world record in. He referred to it as that old "DRAG CAR" but it means a lot more to me as did his life of having fun in the HOT ROD lifestyle. He brought me up to understand the old way customs and hot rods were build driven and never trailered except it was pulled by another rod and not by a late model puller!!!! He always was looking for cars, away to customize a car by the things he saw on new cars and anything that could relate to car news. He didn't give a shit about any sport that had anything other than a car or a race in it!!! A very good artist and a car visionary to the last days of his life. He planned his funeral to be a HOT ROD procession (EVEN INN THE RAIN)and had his casket pinstriped, and carried to the grave site by a top of the line five window Chevy truck!!!!These pictures that follow are a few pictures of the old car that sits i my garage tonight, that is going to get the shit flogged out of it tomorrow for this exact very reason. HE told me when I tore it up for the first time in Oklahoma" It's a RACE CAR,, they are built to tear up""""

 

And more !!!!

 

We really miss your Dad. He was a keeper.
Flog the "drag car" once for me. Dools

 

The new tags on the "OLD DRAG CAR" spell his HAMB name WEEKENDER . The old tow truck used to be the tow vehicle that towed it to the track's with the tow bar pictured in one of the other pic's.

 

NEW TAG and home!!

 

Your dad was a good one!He always had something good to say about my cars, even though they were rough and didnt always fit in with, the others at events we both went to.He could of been like others and just acted like I didnt exist, but he didnt.I only new Tommy about 20 years, but always counted him as one of my best friends.Our paths usually crossed, around 5 or 6 times a year, and when they did, we always had fun and great conversations.He was definately a real hot rodder!
Seeing all these old pics, is great, I have never seen many of these before, all the time I knew him and the Henry J , the car was yellow, as it is today.These pics tell the story well, about how much of a car guy he was, no words or captions are needed! I have a picture of your dad, on my garage wall, right beside a poster of the Graffiti coupe, many a day, I look up and say Tommy, what are we doing today? I hope he is looking down and smiling, and even laughing at me and some of the dumb things I do and the ratty cars, I work on.And Then , I think how much, I miss him, and some others, seems like my age group is getting smaller pretty fast.
He will always be, a guy I looked up to and admired, how he lived his life and the love he had for hot rods and anything to do with them.You can and should be very proud of your father, as Im sure he is of you, and how you have kept an interest in hot rods and opened another chapter in the story of the old Henry J drag car! Its not the same without ya,Tommy.

 

What a great legacy and memiories he left you..
Enjoy the car...enjoy the lifestyle, enjoy the memories...
Bill j.

 

Cool pics Timmy. I have never seen most of those. That pic that shows the Hamburger stand at M.A.R. in the background brings back memorys...

Too bad the assholes are building a subdivision over the top of it right now. Here's a recent Google Earth image of it. You can still see the track, but the stands, bleachers, crossover, etc. are all gone.

 

Hi, Timmy.
It's so good to see all the wonderful memories that you shared with your dad and many of his friends. We really enjoy hearing from you and how great it is that you are keeping the faith. We're sure that your dad is enjoying it as much as you are,
See you in Joplin
THE WEED'S

 

Must have been a very understanding cop to have only ticketed them for noisey cars at 1:40am on a desolate strip of the loop.

Flog "That old race car".

 

If you look hard ay the other persons name on that ticket, he is a very wealthy man that owns a few nascar teams now--------------Felix who,,, My dad always knew somebody no matter where we went...although he could never hook back up with Felix in his later years, he wanted to. Never met a stranger and never talked bad about anyone's ride no matter how "raddiy" it was, always saw the potential that the owner saw and willing to sugest somthing he had seen or had thought of over the years.

It's funny now I am in a point in my life with my son living with me and I have the available funds to play, all I want to do is spend it with my son on his up and coming ride, just don't feel right without the old man to bounce ideas off of and hear his coool spin on how he would do it or what he had seen done to try to integrate it in my idea's...And to put him next to "THE COUPE" I'm sure he gets a kick out of that because to him he was just another guy, not the hero that myself and all his family looked up to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He loved the HAMB !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I caught that last name and said....hmmm!
It's good to know he really is a car guy.
Glad you are enjoying time with your son.
When I was younger I had the stereotypical love hate relationship with my Dad.
I'm happy to say I had the opportunity to get to know him better and now I cherish every moment I have with him.

 

I can't believe it's been a year already. It was cool of you to share photo's of the procession last time. I'm sure he wasn't disappointed.

 

Another year gone...Tommy and I enjoyed one last drag race at the HAMB drags, he in his Henry J and me in the Stude..and we both had a good laff about that...it was fun and he is missed...

R-

 

We always pitted next to your dad at the HAMB drags. He was a great guy. He is missed.

 

i stop by tommy's grave occasionally to say hi. there's usually some cool tidbit there that someone's left in his memory. i'm gonna go by sometime this week and leave something myself.

here's a few pix from his funeral.

 

"Stewed" , I think you have a very good way to remember your dad ! I hope it brings back some additional good memories ! Burn some rubber for "Weekender" !

41 Dave

 

Gone but not forgotten. Your dad was a great guy. I have a soft spot for Henry Js, I had one in high school.

 

Plan on pitting next to me this year!!!!!! It's a long trip but it's one I feel will be worth the effort!!

H.A.M.B. 2007 COUNT ME IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Sure man, I'll save ya a spot.

 

Your dad sounds like a helluva guy. Would like to have met him.

 

He was. And like Timmy said, he never met a stranger.

 

Here are a few more!! Some of the old time slips. One of a blank slip that they wrote the time on the back but I posted the front because I thought it was a cool piece. The next pic is of my dad's Idea of a "TRAILER QUEEN". the other two are of the 36 Dodge truck he built (and I helped a little) before and after. Just one of the rides he had!!!

 

Very cool buddy....wish i could have meet him....just glad your keeping it the way it was. We gotta hook up this summer and see your collection of toys, and the pictures.... FWIW, i was about 7-8 years old and built a yellow Henry J gasser model....reminds me of yours....which i hope to someday get a ride in(hint hint)

 

SIT DOWN,,,STRAP IN,,,,,HOLD ON,,,,AND SHUT UP,,,!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thats what I tell my 4 and 5 year old girls when we are making a bonzie pass to the local gas station. I'd be glad to give you a ride!!!

 

Hi Tim,
We all love your dad,Looks like the seeds haven't fell far from the tree....
MOKAN-....BE THERE -FRIDAY! SATURDAY![sunday sounds cool]

 

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Cool....and i'm holding you to that!!!

 

so sorry for the very late reply! i was looking at a tshirt thread that 63cadguy had, when i seen this! i thought id seen about every name from the MO HAMBers. he mentioned outlaw tee's , which is about 15 miles from me!!! id noticed he hadnt posted in a long time so i started lookin ..
id like to give you my condolences on your father Tim, i feel very left out not getting to meet him ..sounds like he was one heck of a guy!June 11Th will be a year since my dad passed! goe's by fast!imma meetcha at the drags this summer for sure!
take care..todd

 

Thanks Breeder,, I have received so many p.m.'s, calls and people just like you who had been part of his life you could not imagine. This forum was his last connection to the Hot Rod word that he had even when he couldn't get out and Hot Rod any more and he told me of you and all the other HAMBers and how much fun he had just getting a chance to get out and do it again at MOKAN before he was gone. I WILL BE THERE in the old Yellow car and shy of tearing it up again I'll make as many passes as daylight and the line of cars at the flag man or tree will allow. I am staying at the Ramada and will be arriving Friday night!!!! Won't be hard to miss!!!!

 

Can't wait to see the J and meet you at the drags... I'm sure your ol pops is grinnin ear to ear. Best thing you can do is never forget and always remember