I am sorry to report that Mr. Stein does not partake in the Internet. At least that is what I was told by an intermediary. That would have been "too cool..." W2
That's OK, this thread has still been blessed by visits from (*to name a few) Skip Asay, Jere Stahl, Ken Gunning, Lou Cuviello, Ann Toews, Keith Berg, Vic Guilmino, Bill Izykowski, Tony Janes, Ed Mc Glawhorn, Tim Neja, John Dianna, John Mason, Mark Yacavone, Chuck Norton, Dominick Rinaldi, etc., etc. What a 'trip back in time' it has been! Now, if only George and/or 'Spyder' would 'stop by' and say hi! * ... and by the way, if YOU were an NHRA Junior Stock racer during 1962-1972 AND have posted on this thread (I'm sure I missed a few folks), let me know and I'll add your name to this 'visitor's list.
Pontiyak wrote; "Hey SundayNiagara. I have to add my 2 cents worth here re- the 72 Springnats semis. That wasn't Hayward Register that redlighted to Bobby Warren in the semis. It was me, with the orange Karbelt camaro, running the same class as Bobby. He blew the record, real good in the final catching up with Kronenbitter. Jims car sounded so terrible, no one could believe it made it to the finish line". <!-- / message --> And here's the coverage. Now I've figured out the mystery man from Eastern Ontario Welcome aboard. More stories & memories please!
Yes if only they would. Cause i am pretty sure alot more than we even think are reading this, and we would REALLY like to hear from them!
In remembring Bill Robinson, I met him when I had gotten back from Nam and had bought Paul Mayo's 70 442 W-30 convert which some of you saw at York in 2008. Anyway, I knew NOTHING about running stockers let alone the Olds 4 speed combination, but I would always be able to count on good advice from Bill and Lee Sherman. What terrific guys they both were, and I am very sorry to hear that neither is still with us. Do any of you remember his wife's name (maybe Judy)? They were together constantly with her really helping out on the car
Lee Sherman's wife's name is Linda, for a time she had her own stocker (a V6 4-Dr X-bodied Citation). It was aptly-named 'Madam X' I haven't heard from Linda since shortly after Lee died in 2001. Be nice if we heard from her here ... so much she could share.
Wasn't Bill Sherman the guy who owned the 64 red GTO that was the 'ringer' in the Motor Trend test vs the Ferrari GTO? It was one of only two that the factory equipped with a 421 engine instead of the 389. A red one and a blue one and the blue one got crushed by GM. Supposedly a policeman(?) by the name of Bill Sherman bought the red car after Pontiac got through with it. He kept it until his death.
Irwindale Raceway 1965 to 1977 had several interesting programs One was called " King of The Hill" another Was ICS or Irwindale Championship Series for legal Stock and Super Stock Cars. This is about "King of The Hill" which started on Jan 1 1968. Carl Swift was the first king in his 1951 Ford "Poor Boys Thunderbolt" Carl was king based on his 1967 record in brackets. Although this was not a legal NHRA car it was a Legal AHRA stock car. AHRA still had a big presence in southern California in 1968. Carl was king for 2 weeks and then I dethroned him in the 3rd week. If you won you got a 100.00 check which was more than my weekly pay check from my job. I lost two Bob Lambeck in week 4 to his 1957 Chevy 150 sedan D/S. The picture I am posting is from May of 1968 after he had won 6 straight king of the hills with Landy's 68 440 SS/EA Dart. At that time those 440 Darts were only legal for super stock. Today they are legal for both stock and super stock. Bob won the Div 7 Super Stock title with that car in 1968.
Indy thoughts 1968. Here is a picture of John Barkley leaving his car in the back lot after being refused a entry at the gate. The rest is history, he drove Phil Cooper's car in class. I am also enclosing a picture of David Dickson,s "Street Hemi" B/SR. This was probably the wheel stand of 68 Nationals. Dickson's car had belonged to Jim Parsons before he built "The High and Mighty" A/SR. Parsons is a story in it self. David's car and Bill Jackson's "Scratcher" were involved in heat competition in B/SR for a couple of years.
Tony Janes- The In-Bomber competed in and won (twice?) a competition known as "King of The Hill", but I thought it was held at Flightland Raceway in Nebraska. Is this the same race or two different events? -Dean
I'm not sure, but the high wheelstand pictured at Indy may well have been the Nash and Yodock B/SR from Div 1. The car did go into an uncontrolled wheelstand in either '67 or '68 at Indy when the throttle stuck on Nick Nash. Does Jack Thomas remember this?
I ran into Carl Swift at the Antique drags California Speeedway in 2008. He is still running the flathead, It looks the same. He does real good for a man that I belive is a double ampute.
Todays progress... Those letters aren't vinyl either, their hand-turned 23K gold leaf. More to come tomorrow! -Dean
Do you plan on racing the "IN BOMBER" at any of the nostalgia meets? Nice car and congatulations of the dedication to finish it. Cant wait to see it at the York Show.
Thanks! I think it would be great to see the car on a strip lined up with another jr. stocker, but if we ever do bring it to a nostalgia drag meet I don't think we will go too hard on it. Just go through the gears and get into it a little bit. Would love to pair up against Buckshot or the Tokyo Rose, even if just for pictures! -Dean
Thanks, I am alive and well in Viginia. I have really enjoyed reading this thread. Yes, I like listening to Doo Wop music too. I worked as the announcer at Cecil County from 1967-1970 until the track was sold. We had a geographic advantage to draw a very large number of extreemly well prepared Jr Stockers from, and we played to it. These cars were the backbone of drag racing at Cecil. We always had big time shows to draw fans but the number of stock cars that were regulars from Jersey through Phila to Baltimore swelled the race nights. Our eliminators cars had to win their classes, so guys would bring extra manafolds to switch out to other classes for a shot at the evenings eliminator $. These cars were always clean well prepared and as professional as any group of classes going. Most could have "moved up" in classes but perfered to be in a very competitive eliminator. I am proud to say that I enjoyed this class of people way more that the "pros", who just could not wait for their paycheck and go. I am proud to say that I catered to the stockers in writing the articles for the three weekly drag papers and throught the mike. Most of the time they looked as good and better than the "pros" that we had to pay to come. They clearly deserved credit for putting on the best racing we had. In the end they were nice folks that loved drag racing and would stop to talk to you any time. At any night during the year we would have 15-20 record holders , national, champions and yes, my friend George. Now that was Class! This is what I miss about drag racing today. I will look forward to the York show this year and hope to re-make some dear old friends. Tom
Is there some way to post this message on the "CLASS RACER FORUM" under the thread call "BLACK TUESDAY" or is permission required from this site or the original writer? This is a great post about Jr. stock racing and tells it like it is. Thank You.
Hey Tom; Thanks so much for posting here!! Your take on the Junior Stock racers verses the pros is much appreciated. So true about the class and professionalism of the Stock racers back then. Feel free to share more memories because we sure would love to hear them.
As always, this particular thread never ceases to amaze and entertain... Chock full of drag racing history and genuine bedazzlement, this thread takes the cyber-surfer into the thick of a time when drag cars had real personality-- Unfortunately, most of us are well-aware that in these so-called, ahem, "modern times", we don't get to see nearly the degree of personality in racing machinery as we did "back in the day"-- It's a whole new and far different scene these days, and we simply can't deny that... Big thanks to all who continue to keep this thread stocked with enchanting photographs, and tales of a class that will live on in the memory banks of hardcore drag racing enthusiasts for many years to come... This site continues to provide a valuable resource of "old school" drag racing appreciation that is beyond reproach, for that, we are very, very thankful... It's a joy to read and absorb all the history... "The Doc" (Celebrity Drag Racing Authority & Visionary)...
Here is a link to the classracer form, stock/ SS, post black tuesday. You have to register there to post on the site. http://classracer.com/classforum/showthread.php?t=22410 and the site that started the post http://www.superstockforum.com/showthread.php?threadid=11401
Why did they race stock categories? Why didn't they just get a dragster and go quicker? Their cars had names, not corporate logos. They weren't "sell on Monday" sponsored cars. They were old, four door, station wagons, sedan delivery's. However don't think they were "what ever was in the driveway". These cars were well thought out on paper before the car and horsepower was selected for a specific class. The goal was to get the most advantageous weight-to-horsepower machine that just barely made the class to get that extra advantage for a desired class. By the way, People in the stands related to these cars. These beautifully painted billboards paid tribute to local patrons like gas stations and body shops. Most guys that had partners just to afford to put it all together. Recall how many cars were identified as this guy and that guy. So why didn't they sell out and put a dragster together? This was the "right coast" and there were so few locally owned dragsters that could actually make three decent runs a night. Where was the competition in being one of four or five cars in the modified eliminator and run a second and a half off the record? The few local cars that occasionally made appearances would smoke the tires off in an evening and even if they won they wouldn't pay for the tires they just used up! As it was, these Jr stockers became photogenic legends, they were known (and are still remembered) all over the country because of their records and championships. Every week they were covered in the drag rags and the magazines. They competed in national events. They also ran two and occasionally three times a week between, York, Cecil, DelMar, and Suffolk. So why did they get the ink? WHY NOT! They were the show. Next time, "Friday night time trails".
A lot of guys back in the day raced the stockers because the majority just didnt like dragsters. We were interested in racing something that we could relate to.
I think running a 13 second car can be a lot more fun too. It takes some getting used to to run 200mph in a slingshot, not something I would want to do personally. Recieved our confirmation today for the York show, what other jr. stockers are going? -Dean
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