Chris Karamesines

I just got my new Hot Rod magizine and it has a story about Chris. He started in 1959 and is still racing Top Fuel. That is 60 years folks He went 204 in 1961 and went 308 in 2009. He is the oldest licensed Top Fuel driver and is 81 or 83 and he won't tell. There is hope for us all. I saw him at San Gabriel when he raced Tom Ivo for the money. He was out first went into the dirt came back on the track and beat Ivo to the finish. What a racer. Roy

 

Talk about longevity, "The Greek" has it in spades.
The Rock

 

The Greek would come to Minnesota Dragways quite often, as did the Top Fuel guys from Mo. and Kan. One Sunday Chris was running particularily good. As late afternoon aproached and eliminations were done, the Greek made one last run, a record attempt. As he left the line there seemed to be an extra amount of thunderous noise and ground shaking. Of course he hazed them the full quarter mile. As I remember the speed was either 191 or 193MPH and thought to be a record at that time. We were all in awe. The announcer said we could all go out on the track to look at and touch the tire tracks, which we surely did. No publicity pictures were handed out and there was no autograph line. And no fence around a pair of tractor/trailers. Chris Karamesines, like the others, was a racer not a beer or oil filter salesman.

 

Chris still is not a salesman. He races his top fuel car with no major sponsors. When he finishes a race you won't see him quickly put on a cap before he does an interview. Amazingly he started racing dragsters when a t-shirt and a pair of sunglasses was normal attire in a rail and never lifted into the dirt and back on the track kind of driving and survived it. Willie Borsch was that kind of driver and he died of natural causes. I have a picture of Karamesines and Garlits going side by side down the track smokin' the hides all the way. That's the way racing should be. Roy

 

... and he is great shape too !!! When you meet him you would never guess he is in his 80's !!!!

 

Chris is a friend of the family and its great to sit around and listen to stories with him and his longtime crew guys!

 

Chris Karamesines was pitted next to "The Rodfather" Luigi Novelli at Brainerd last year.. If NHRA ever goes to a spec engine for Top Fuel Id look for those two to thrive! The Nitro experience between them both is like 110 years!LOL
Novellis' pit is always where Ill always be during qualifying on Friday.. He has quite a history himself. http://www.nationalmachinerepair.com/history1.shtml

 

We got a signed blower belt in our "display" at the shop.

 

http://bigyohnsracing.com/early-years3.shtml

Toward the bottom of this article is the Chris story I tried to tell above.

 

And, he's a damn nice guy....
.......always was....always will be

 

Chris is one of my dads friends. I actually have an old fuel 392 Hemi I got from him about 20 years ago.

 

This should take you for a ride down memory lane:http://twotogo.homestead.com/GoldenGreek1.html ENJOY!