Wild Bill Alexander--R.I.P.

Sadly,one of Drag Racings true Pioneers/Heros passed away a cpl nites ago.

No services or memorial for Bill----just memories.
He was literally reborn when this "Nostalgia" thing took off in the late 80s and early 90s.
I pretty much grew up at Lions with my mom & dad & he was one of my heros of the day. I'm going to miss him deeply.
Troy Cagle

http://topfuelwormhole.wordpress.com/2009/09/08/wild-bill-alexander/


https://soundcloud.com/bigsounds2001/forty-years-of-my-life

 

Thanks for those memories. Makes me want to go to the Reunion, just in case it's the last time I got to see someone. Enjoy the afterlife, Wild Bill!!

 

RIP Wild Bill...

 

Thanks Troy . He will never be forgotten . We'll have to raise a cup for "Wild Bill " and all the rest that have gone on . See 'ya at Bako. Spence

 

I watched him drive in NTF. True class act, he will be missed

 

Thank you for posting this, he was a true legend.

 

Another one of my early heroes gone. Really sad, especially right before Bakersfield. Having an overload of memories right now.

Thanks for posting this Troy, used to watch your Dad flying by me in the roadster when I was working front staging at Pomona. Even got to flag him off a few times for qualifying / practice runs

 

Very sorry to learn of Bills passing. Am happy to have had the pleasure to meet him and get to know him a bit.
Here he is at what has to be one of his finest moments in his driving career when he drove the Pontiac powered AA/Fueler Earnie's Camera "Shutterbug" in 1962 to a win over the Greer/Black/Prudhomme AA/Fueler.



Here is another pic of Ernie's Camera Pontiac AA/Fueler. I am pretty sure this is Bill torquing the heads before a run. If anyone knows for sure, please let us know.

This pic has "Wild" Bill Alexander sitting behind the wheel of my then squeaky new Pontiac Powered AA/Fueler at Bakersfield 2003.

 

More pics of Wild Bill.

Here Bill is around 2004 with the newly recreated Shutter Bug at Bakersfield.



Here is the pic I meant to post above.

 

Another shot of Wild Bill driving the Pontiac Shutter bug. This time at San Fernando in 1963. This is where Bill and the Shutter Bug met their fate. In 1963 Bill totaled the car here and was hurt but, recovered the drive again. The car was finished but, Bill tucked away the engine and was later used in the recreation 40 years later.

 

My dad used to own/drive a dragster that was previously wheeled by Wild Bill. My favorite part was the two blisters on the cowl. They were for clearance, as he drove with cowboy boots back in the day. Too cool. RIP.

 

First saw the Ernie's Camera car at Bakersfield, think it was '61, maybe '62. Still in bare metal, no nose piece. But what stood out was how well it ran for a gas burner, and how cool the rear tail piece looked, never knew it was shaped that way to hide the "sissy bars." First met Bill himself when Hippo Brammer put his 300" motor in a brown digger, forgot the owner's name...but after Bill's first ride, Hippo said to him, "want to go back to a Pontiac," and Bill just said "hell no!" Think he liked the ride...

Sorry to hear he is gone, RIP.