Drinking The Full Throttle Kool-Aid That Was 1969

"Well, it's 1969 okay... all across the USA... another year for me and you... another year with nothing to do..."  - Iggy Pop

And ironically, Iggy was from Detroit. And while Iggy may have been dead on about how some people felt back then, 1969 in regards to muscle cars, drag racing, and all things high performance, it was impossible to be bored, regardless of your favorite American marquee. There is still a discussion (argument?) about what year was the zenith of Detroit high performance during the first era of muscle cars. It's literally split right down the middle like a Sanders - Clinton caucus; half for 1970, the other 50% for 1969. Myself personally, after all these years, I still favor 1969. Let's break it down;

First off - muscle cars & their associated advertising. When it came to model year offerings from the big three, and even AMC, 1969 was bat-shit crazy. It was a year of COPO Camaros, Chevelles, and Novas. It was also the high point of independent dealers like Don Yenko selling their own customized versions of these vehicles. A fan of the Blue Oval and not the General Bowtie? We had offerings of the Torino Talladega as well as the Boss 302 & 429 Mustangs. If you were a dare to be different type of individual and went AMC, you were hard pressed to find something more off the wall than

the Hurst Industries built SC/Rambler (above). The Mopar contingency went ape over NASCAR bred models like the Charger 500 and Charger Daytona, in addition to the drag / street racing influenced Six Pack Super Bee's and Roadrunners (right). I'm sorry - but there were zero offerings in 1970 that came stock with a fiberglass hood with a huge scoop and four hood pins holding it down like the Six Pack Chrysler B-bodies from the factory. You had to remove the hood just to check the oil - that's hardcore. And several of the beasts listed above were one year models only.

Advertising companies also drank from the muscle car / acid laden kool-aid. 1969, without question, was the high mark in creative, psychedelic, and bold campaigns. It was a year that saw heavy use of powerful art work, societal themes, and youth-oriented language. We saw more vehicles being advertised with a drag strip as a background setting. We saw hippies in a Camaro. We were even treated to a special GTO model, The Judge, named after a skit on the popular TV show "Laugh-In". But nothing came close to the series of advertisements that were created by artist Paul Williams for Plymouth (above). Aimed squarely at the youth market, his renderings were around for less than a year. Williams took Dalton-esque caricatures about 20 steps further and literally brought the muscle car vehicles he was highlighting to life. Everything was exaggerated - from the tires to the exhaust smoke... and enthusiasts ate it up. You don't need a degree in advertising to realize we will never see anything like this again.

1969 was a turning point in the NHRA as well as in the AHRA. Most prominent - this was the year the Gasser as we knew it would start it's sharp decline in popularity. The deal breaker for most fans was the type of rig that was being run at the tracks. A class that was once filled with Willy's, Anglia's, as well as tri-five Chevy's, by 1969 we were seeing what was basically radically reworked examples of then brand new car bodies like "Ohio George" Montgomery's Mr. Gasket sponsored Mustang. Traditional Gassers had the possibility of being street-legal and driven, depending on your willingness to suspend all disbelief. However, in just a few short years after the turn of the decade, Gassers would morph into tube-chassis cars with fiberglass flopper bodies and looked like modern mini Funny Cars.

In the NASCAR ranks, there was a massive shift in racing team alliances that year that made the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 look like a thunder clap. Unbelievable as it seemed back then, Richard Petty and Petty Family Enterprises left Plymouth after more than a decade of highly successful years and raced with Ford for one season in 1969. Petty saw how advantageous the Dodge winged racers were going to be (as well as the modified Ford's and Mercury's) and he wanted Plymouth to offer the same. When Plymouth wouldn't or couldn't at the time, Petty jumped at a lucrative offer made by Ford to drive their aero-dynamic Torino-based Talladega. Plymouth would in fact respond by 1970 with the Superbird and woo Petty back for three more seasons before he would join Dodge. Another rumor as to why Petty rejoined Plymouth was the fact he only won nine races with Ford in 1969. He visited the winners circle 16 times in 1968 and then 18 times in 1970 when he was with Plymouth.


Everybody knows George Lucas' movie, American Graffiti. Some people think the story, the 1932 yellow Ford known as The Milner Coupe and the street racing were real. The truth is, Lucus and his screenwriters made everything up. American Graffiti is just a story. Woodward Avenue, on the other hand, is organically real. The people, cars, and racing were as bona-fide as the Sunoco 260 that flowed from the station where Maple Road crossed the famous thoroughfare. In today's sanitized, safety-obsessed and litigious world, the tales we have heard about Woodward Avenue may seem too fantastic to believe. While decades have dimmed details or embellished accomplishments, the stories about Woodward are grounded in fact. In my humble opinion, 1969 was one of the last years that street racing was an "easier" affair. The insurance industry as well as the government would begin their major hurting on muscle cars beginning in 1970 and police crackdowns seemed more severe.

Looking at the big picture, back in the 1950s and ’60s, drive-ins and restaurants lined Woodward, attracting business from across the area. It was only natural that patrons cruised up and down Woodward between popular hangouts such as the Totem Pole and Big Town at the south end of Woodward and Ted's at the northern edge. Woodward Avenue also became an easy place for engineers to test a new camshaft or carburetor setup. Detroit executives could see the reaction of potential customers as they pitted their latest ideas against their competitors. All through the 60's, marketing departments learned that performance could help move sheet metal off dealer lots, causing corporate focus on Woodward Avenue to intensify. On a Saturday night the racing was as good as you could see at any drag strip.

Easier softer times - maybe that also contributed to the madness...
Until next time, peace out.
Dave

Something Seems To Be Missing...

I had an aunt who used to live by the following rule in regards to conversation; "Short, sweet, and to the point." I feel it also carried over to other parts of her life - like car buying. I can remember the time when she and her husband went to purchase a 1966 Chevy Biscayne in the late 60's (similar to the pic on right - there's was a 4-door with a big block - yee-ha!). While he stroked the check, my aunt did the negotiating... what little there was. Lucky for them, they purchased all their used vehicles from the same salesman for over 20 years, so he knew the drill. And knew not to argue or haggle. The same philosophy continues today and I experienced that the other day in an email I received. It contained all but 20 words, which included names:
"Dave - 
Love the blog and all the history. One thing though - what about the AHRA? Just sayin'. 
Be cool,
Hank"

See what I mean? In those 20 words, I totally understood where he was coming from and realized my over-sight. While vintage drag racing is covered in spades weekly in the blog, I really don't mention the AHRA too much. Mostly what gets banged out on the keyboard is the NHRA, mostly because it's such a large organization (filled with large amounts of drama), it's been around the longest, and also the fact that the AHRA doesn't exist anymore - it's a shame... on multiple counts. I need to delve into the American Hot Rod Association more. People say the AHRA was the birthplace of professional drag racing. While it was only active for 28 years, the group contributed heavily to what we now know as modern drag racing, especially on the pro level.

What many people don't realize in regards to the AHRA, was the true grass-roots mindset the organization had. Many a famous racer, from Don Garlits to John Force cut their teeth and earned their stripes in the AHRA. The organization found its mettle on the back-roads and outbacks of smaller tracks that made up their circuit, primarily in the Midwest and Southwestern United States from the 1960's until the early 80's. The groups significance is staggering:
 - They provided a home for Top Fuel dragsters, ignoring the nitro ban (that the NHRA put in place) from 1957 to 1963.
 - They gave Funny Cars, way back when they were altered wheel base cars (of A/FX) in late 1964 through early 1966, a place to call home when they were banned from the NHRA.
 - And while it was not called Pro Stock, by 1968 the AHRA not only had that particular class of racing already established but also had a heads-up Super Stock eliminator class as well.
 - By 1970, they introduced the Grand American Series of Professional Drag Racing and gave the sport its first year-long points chase that was paid off with a large end of the season bonus check.

Thank you, Jim Tice - without whom, a great deal of this would've never happened...

Without a doubt the popularity of drag racing, regardless of organization, had a profound affect on muscle car sales as well as it's associated advertising. While some muscle car (or super cars as they were called then) advertisements were borderline controversial by the late 60's, the manufacturers embraced the concept of placing their performance offerings in a drag strip environment instead of on the street. Couple that with some catchy phrases like, "Speed contests

belong on the strip", it made these over-the-top tire-frying brutes more responsible and safe - or at least that was the notion. The message got out... sort of. The problem was, you weren't going to see an ad for a 1970 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler situated at the drag strip in Life Magazine or the Saturday Evening Post. There were published in enthusiast magazines like Super Stock and Car Craft. But most of the influenced advertising was saved for the brochures available at the dealerships. Because these were printed specifically for those venues who were selling these vehicles, the artwork could be way more liberal. Plus, there was far more advertising real estate available that the manufacturers didn't have to pay for like they would in a magazine.

Lastly, I received another email suggesting I should mention something about the Daytona 500 since the race is this Sunday. OK - the Daytona 500 is tomorrow February 21st 2016. There. Done. If you want more - hit the Internet, social media, or the TV. It's everywhere. I don't need to add to it.

Until then, peace out,
Dave

See? I Have An Excuse!!

Finally! After all these years I not only have an excuse to continue with my hot rodding ways of life and have gasoline run through my veins, but I also have a psychological study and medical proof to back me up. I read a passage out of a book called "The Hot Rod Reader" that's been edited and put together by Melinda Keefe and Peter Schletty. Here it is in a nutshell - back in 1952 a psychologist named Peter E. Siegle did a study on the evolving and popular hot rod culture. His main question was: "Of what value, if any, is the hot rod to the furtherance of American cultural ideals and to American individuals?" He also looked into the psyche of the hot rodder and what makes him or her tick.

His findings were positive and monumental - just what the conservative 50's public didn't want to hear. He called the serious hot rodder compulsive; "...A hot rod addiction is a substitute action for reducing the tensions of frustration resulting from an other wise difficult attempt to achieve status in the ordinary "conspicuous consumption" sense. The American social system places many obstacles or frustrations in the path of individuals. This leads to subsequent aggression toward society as a whole." Confused yet?  It gets better... and a tad more humorous. Siegle went on to note that post-war (World War II) frustrations had led to an increase in teenage delinquency and scandals. However, participating in hot rodding left that individual no time to engage in such delinquencies. His final conclusion was that the hot rod movement was creative, educative, and constructive.

Did I mention after I read all this, my wife was still not impressed...

However, it's quite possible that this mind-set that has been in place for generations is one of the reasons why hot rodding in general, high performance specifically, and racing motorsports continues to evolve. I was reading an article this past week about some of the current trends to watch for in this coming year. A few caught my eye - one is that chrome & polished aluminum are on their way out and copper & nickel plating are the "new" chrome. The other one is more extreme; an extension of natural rust and patina, I'm starting to see more street rods & rat rods with actual ripped, gouged, and gored sheet-metal. Actual holes... with sharp edges in some cases. A few examples look like an engine part brutally failed and took out the side portion of the hood when the shit hit the fan. The owner then dropped in a new engine but said screw it to fixing the sheet-metal. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but it's wild looking.

It also brings to mind the question of just how did Gasser drag cars get started? I can tell you one thing - 55+ years ago not every racer could afford a new Chevy with a hot 348, or a Bonneville with a tri-power 389 V-8. Even in the early days of drag racing back in the late 50's, cars were placed into categories. Custom framed cars were put into the dragster class and modified vehicles were placed into Competition Coupe, Sedan, or Roadster classes. These classes were then further divided (A/Gas, B/Gas, C/Gas, etc.) by overall weight and engine sizes. The year of the vehicle didn't matter. One of the more popular classifications was the Gas Coupe and Sedans. Rules called for street equipment to remain intact to include lights, horn, and windshield wipers. Engines were unlimited to include nearly any manufacturer style into any vehicle platform. The Gas Coupe and Sedan classes had to maintain stock wheelbases and engine relocation was limited to a maximum of 10% setback from the center-line of the front spindle to the front spark plug. Racers needed shorter wheelbases, a higher center of gravity for better weight transfer and the potential race car also had to be affordable. Some of the cars initially "discovered" were of little value to street hot rodders and the used car market. In other words, they were really cheap to buy. Some of these cars included the 1940-41 Willys Coupe, 1937-41 Studebaker Coupe, the 1933 Willys Model 70, and the Ford Anglia. You like that term - "...of little value"? Can someone please lend me a time machine? Of course, things got more wild every year and by 1960, the NHRA added super-charged classes to the Gasser ranks. Everything was going well, until the late 60's when then late-model Gassers eventually killed the popularity and spirit of the original concept. In that case, no - there was no excuse...

I want to finish this blog post with a massive thanks to all of you - the readers. This particular entry marks post #61 of Full Throttle (and formally Maximum Power). To date, this blog has received 15,000 views over the past 3 years. I'm unsure where all the traffic came from since there's just a sea of internet fodder out there. The sources run the gamut - from Facebook, (https://www.facebook.com/VintageV8/), my website (http://vintagev8photography.wix.com/photography), search engines in general as well as a new photography website I display my works called 500PX. I try to update these pages as often as possible, so bookmark them and check back often!

Always moving forward. Adapt and survive, people.
Until next time, peace out.
Dave

The Madness From Detroit

"What were they thinking? Those manufacturers in Detroit are mad!" Without delving into a bunch of research pertaining to mid 60's high performance automobiles and racing in general, it wouldn't surprise me in the least that some government, consumer or safety group uttered those statements. I hopped on this train of thought a few days ago when I had a chance to review my coffee-table book on muscle car advertising before it heads off to the publisher. Usually I don't get a chance to touch on the subject of classic 1960's automotive advertising, but it is a crucial cog in hot rodding history. If it weren't for the madness coming out of Detroit and then blatantly throttled by Madison Avenue, it a reasonable assumption that many of the high performance models we hold near and dear to our gear-head hearts wouldn't exist.

Long before the Internet existed, the manufacturers from Detroit used television, billboards, and print media as the staples of their advertising - and magazine ads were their own entity. The 1950's were very sedate when compared to the swinging 60's. Muscle car advertising in general, until almost the mid 60's, was almost all black and white. 1964 was a major turning point in muscle car advertising due to the release of the Pontiac GTO as well as big block engines like the Chrysler Hemi. Before it was acceptable to promote power, speed, and everything else that goes along with it, advertisements for the GTO and the Hemi were already in performance buff magazines. In later years, concepts of sex, being a "winner", being the envy of everyone else, and who knows how many others, were played with and used with numerous muscle car advertising campaigns. In many cases, it was a statement of, "If you owned one of these, you'll get a whole lot of that".

Advertising wasn't the only madness coming out of Detroit by 1964. We've mentioned this before - when it came to drag racing, the NHRA, and the AHRA, nothing escalated or changed more radically and quickly then A/FX class racing.  Lasting only four racing seasons, from 1962 through 1965, cars went from being basically stock with big engines, slicks and ET's in the low 12's, to running massively altered wheelbases, nitro, injectors, with quarter mile times in mid 9's.
So, what exactly was Factory Experimental? The NHRA rulebook for 1965 stated that FX class cars were reserved for 1965 model year cars only. These vehicles could use factory optional equipment which didn't have to be necessarily be factory assembly line installed. In laymen terms,

Factory Experimental was just a showcase for Detroit to sell built high performance cars with non-production modifications and parts. The "A" classification (one of three in FX), was in regards to the vehicles weight divided by the total cubic inch displacement of the engine. In A/FX, that meant 7.50 to 8.99 pounds - the lightest weight possible. While the NHRA also had some fine print to keep these race cars as stock as possible, Chrysler was the first manufacturer to throw the rule book out the window starting in early 1965. This was largely in reaction to Ford stuffing a 427 cubic inch motor in a lightweight Mustang - which turned out to be even quicker than the Fairlane Thunderbolts. By moving the both axles forward - the front 10 inches and the rear a whopping 15 inches - Dodge & Plymouth A/FX cars now had a scant 44% of the vehicles total weight over the front - and that included the heft of the 426 Hemi motor. With better vehicle weight transfer and a rear over-hang the size of a football field, any advantage Ford had with their Mustang

vanished in a heartbeat. The NHRA promptly banned the altered wheelbase Mopars, but the AHRA welcomed them with open arms. Ford, Mercury, as well as independent racers representing GM, had no choice but to follow suit and build A/FX cars using the Chrysler blueprint. It wasn't just a quest for winning, faster times, and more horsepower. By the end of the 1965 racing season, stock car and FX class racing were the most popular with the fans.
If A/FX and Altered wheelbase drag cars weren't enough, adding insult to injury were wheel-standers like the Hurst "Hemi Under Glass" Barracuda and Bill Maverick's "Little Red Wagon" Dodge A-100 pickup truck.

Not to be left out of the madness picture was the after-market. While not based out of Detroit - most were based either in California or Florida - there was no shortage of, in some cases, pure insanity. Case in point; the legendary Turbonique Company and their Drag Axle that was highlighted and tested an a ultra-rare 1965 Z-16 Chevelle SS... one of only 201 built. Hey - either go big or go home. If you're not familiar with, at minimum, the product, you should. What the Drag Axle was, in a nutshell, was a small 850 horsepower rocket engine that attached to any rear differential of any vehicle. The rocket created thrust that spun a turbine, that was attached to planetary gears, which were attached to the rear axles. The final gear ratio in the differential determined the final turbine speed... which was usually in the tens of thousands of rpm's. Easier than nitrous to operate, just hit a separate power button for the rocket while the vehicle was running, and hang on for dear life. Advertisements for the Turbonique  Drag Axle (which ran for years in automotive performance buff magazines for years) claimed mid to high 10 second quarter mile times on pretty much an ordinary car. Far out, man. (Photo courtesy of Hot Rod).

Does this madness from the automotive manufacturers continue today? Yup - Ford has teamed up with Google and their anti-car autonomous vehicle program. Hybrid and electric cars are iffy enough. Save from Tesla, no other manufacturer to date has produced one that is worthy of high performance. It's been all bread and butter. So blah. So boring. So why is Ford's decision to hook up with Google madness? Ford says "... they strive to make driving fun." You do the math.

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

Where There's Smoke, There's Fire

Remember a few blog posts back we took a closer look at 1966 - supposedly when everything started going to hell in the non-performance conservatives eyes? Things were a-changing, and hot rodding, muscle cars, and racing were getting radical as well. However, I received an email last week from a regular reader named Tom. He mentioned that "...nobody just flipped a switch and bang - everything changed overnight. All this "going to hell" started happening a few years earlier. While it may or may not have been the official turning point, one has to admit that there were some impossible to miss signposts." Agreed!

The first place I looked for a smoking gun was a 1964 issue of National Dragster - and it was loaded with clues. For starters, Don Prudhomme was setting the drag racing world on its ear. Speed records, in all aspects of drag racing, were falling like the snow in last weeks blizzard in the Washington D.C. area. Prudhomme set yet another top speed record at Pamona with a then-blazing 202.24 mph. That may sound like yawn city today, but 50+ years ago, that was cooking.

If you need more proof, at that very same event, Jack Chrisman unleashed a series of absolute tire-smoking blasts in the now-famous Sachs & Son blown 1964 Mercury Comet. Experimenting with new injectors, Chrisman nailed a best time of 10.60 at almost 150 mph. And this was with tire spin for about 400 feet. Within a year, a landslide of A/FX cars would follow in its footsteps.


Is it me or are Gasser's getting a ton of ink lately? It seems almost every magazine is covering them to some degree - be it Hot Rod Deluxe, Street Rodder, or Maximum Drive. In no way am I complaining. I'm also digging the diversity. The history books show a majority of these vehicles were either Chevy's, mainly tri-fives, or Willy's coupes. While I dig these rides to no end, I still have a soft spot for the "dare to be different" rides. Like tri-five Fords, Chevelle's, Falcons, and Novas. One trend I'm also starting to see more of are street-driven hot rods with a Gasser appearance. While this isn't everyone's cup of tea, kudos go out to the owners who have the stones to make it work.

In my opinion, NASCAR was ahead of the curve in regards to what was happening in 1964. Thanks to Chrysler, NASCAR had absolutely no warning of the bomb the manufacturer would drop at Daytona; namely the 426 Race Hemi engine. While there is plenty of folklore in regards to how these now famous engines almost didn't make the Daytona 500 deadline (mostly due to block casting and cracking problems), it's all fact that Richard Petty and company blew the doors off the competition and Chrysler drivers finished first, second, and third. So dominant the engine would be, it would be banned from racing until Chrysler agreed to make it a regular production engine (de-tuned of course) in assembly line built vehicles.

In 1964, muscle car advertising was in its infancy, but Detroit was already fanning the flames. The interesting point here is while racing was going full-on ballistic, the marketing firms back on Madison Avenue had to tread lightly... everyone that is except the ad agencies working for Plymouth and Pontiac. Apparently, they didn't the memo. Case in point:
 - The 1964 Pontiac GTO; in its debut brochure, Pontiac had the balls to print that the dual exhaust wasn't exactly quiet, and that unless you ordered the manufacturers lazy 3.08 geared rear axle, gas mileage was nothing to write home about.
 - But the years most blatant award went to Plymouth and their advertising of their 426 Max Wedge engine. Advertisements depicted artwork and copy that was a street racers dream. Huge engines, politically incorrect language, and all the emphasis was on performance and speed.

I'm sure the people behind all these events couldn't have possibly predicted the ripple effects that would end up influencing drivers and enthusiasts for decades to come. They also had no way of knowing how much diversity would grow out of these early milestones. We'll leave you with this - if it weren't for these events of the past, do you honestly think we would have hot rodders building machinery like the one pictured on the left. An old 1970 Chevy C-10 pickup truck that simply goes by the name of "Farm Truck". Looks like an absolute beater, but has a nitrous fed 572 big block and runs mid-10's. How this rig holds together under such hard launches amazes me, but man do I want to build one just like it.

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

Three Sides To Every Story - Yours, Mine & The Truth

Controversy; noun. A disagreement, typically when public, prolonged and/or heated. Also see dispute, argument, war of words. We're not talking about the latest Trump and Palin media smash and grab headlines - but when it comes to controversy with muscle cars as well motor-sports, those two talking heads look like total amateurs when compared to some of the drama that has come down the pike over the past few decades. Besides - the vintage automotive and racing aspects are way more interesting. For example, wouldn't you rather read about the story behind the Dodge Charger that's pictured to the right or read about Republicans slamming each other?

Memories started flowing innocently enough with a humorous discussion at the automotive repair shop at where I work. Mainly, the brief, but idiotic, federal law dating back to 1974 and the seat belt starter interlock system. The what? For about 6 months, the feds mandated all new 1974 model year cars and light trucks sold in the US to be equipped with the maddening seat belt starter interlock system. The way this system worked in a nutshell was both driver and front passenger seat belts had to be fastened or said vehicle would not start. The law came about after a study was done by Ralph Nader and a few other political zealots that concluded a whopping 72% of all drivers and passengers did not wear a seat belt at all. Their logic was to force their findings down the buying public's throats and mandate the country's first semi-seat belt law. Unfortunately, the system was not very reliable and was prone to electrical malfunctions - never mind it was a total pain in the ass. By the Spring of 1974, politicians literally had their ears blow-torched off by the public and other government officials (where do you think fleet vehicles went). The law was quickly repealed and recalls went out with instructions on how to remove the system.

Stepping back a few years, when muscle cars were in their glory era, lying about an engine's horsepower level was rampant - on both ends of the spectrum. With bread and butter big blocks like Chevy's 396, Chrysler's 440, and Ford's 390, horsepower ratings were usually bumped in order to get enthusiasts excited about them. It was not uncommon to have a well-known super-car dealership like Royal Pontiac, Grand-Spaulding Dodge, or Tasca Ford, modify the big blocks that were prepped and then handed over to magazine writers and editors as press mules. Hey - the more positive ink the cars got, the better. So what if people cheated... a little.
However, when it came to top dogs like Chrysler's Max Wedge or Hemi engines, Pontiac's 421 Super Duty, as well as the Ford and GM 427 inch big blocks, the manufacturers down-played the actual power numbers. Some examples were so bogus and underrated, it was almost laughable. Other examples were more stealth - like the Chrysler 340 and the Buick 455 Stage 1 (pictured above right). In regards to the Buick, the Stage 1 was an iron fist in a velvet glove. Most people thought, "...it's a Buick. How fast can it really be? The engine is only rated at 360 horsepower." Guess again and try closer to at least 430 horsepower. Combine that with a stump-pulling 510 pound feet of torque and you had an old-man's car that could clean your clock to the tune of low 13 second quarter mile times in stock trim and low 12's with some very simple modifications.

NASCAR is also no stranger to pulling the wool over someone's eyes, but it's usually the drivers that push the envelope. Case in point - the 1974 Firecracker 400. On the second to last lap at Daytona, David Pearson knew he was a sitting duck. Richard Petty, who was right behind him, would simply ride the draft until the last possible moment, then slingshot passed him for the win. However, just before the white flag, Pearson drove down by the apron as if he had a blown engine, leaving Petty to inherit the lead. It appeared that the future seven-time Cup champion was going to take the checkered flag. But did Pearson really have engine trouble? Lies - all of it! It wasn't until the final turn when Petty realized that Pearson was right on his tail. Pearson's No. 21 car shot next to Petty off Turn 4 and then finally past the No. 43 car to take the checkered.
But the race wasn't over - another battle was taking place for third between Buddy Baker and Cale Yarborough. The pair fought for position, eventually crossing the finish line at the exact same time, prompting NASCAR to declare an official tie for third.

But one of the oddest stories and situations to ever come down the history line, was back in July of 1959 at a Bakersfield California meet, where Jack Chrisman had to race himself in the final. How did this happen? He found a technical loophole in the racing rule book and ran in two different dragster classes - AOD as well as A/D - and happened to win both. So, in the final heat, Chrisman chose to pull his Sidewinder digger out of the Top Eliminator final and handed the win to... himself. It was a first and I guarantee you also a last in drag racing.

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

Why Do We Screw Things Up? Because We're Human

I was reading an article this week about Tom Peters. "Who the heck is he?", you might be asking. Tom Peters is a GM executive who designed the 2005-13 C6 Corvette - one of the more beautiful vehicles of this millennium. He is also credited with the butt-ugly design of the Pontiac Aztek. In reality, however, Peters designed the original Aztek concept, which if you remember back to the late 90's, was a cool looking cross between an SUV and a station wagon. The concept is actually considered to be one of the first CUV designs that are so prominent today. So what happened? How did it go from cool concept to one of the ugliest cars produced in 40 years? People are human - other people got involved and screwed things up. First it went from a design team to a development team. The development team assigned the Aztek to the Chevy Venture mini-van platform. That meant the wider concept had to be narrowed so it would fit the chassis, which also resulted in an awkward high roof and beltline as well as a more slab-sided look. Then things really nose-dived when the developers went absolutely overboard with the "modern and innovative" crap. Everything from the modified front nose & hood design to an interior loaded with useless features. When the vehicle finally debut in 2001, consumers already hated it and went on to be a total flop.

The same type of concepts happen in the high performance and racing world - humans get involved and we screw things up. People think they know better, or some bit of unproven thought becomes gospel. Innovation gets put by the wayside and mediocrity sets in. And the folks who screw it up have a blind eye to it until it's too late or it's way after-the-fact. A classic example of this is the first death of the muscle car beginning in 1972. Enter the people who thought they knew better - the EPA. Before we go down this rabbit hole, I want to reiterate that I love modern technology when it comes to high performance. And yes, there's only so much air we can all breathe and I want farms, wildlife, and the forests to be around for generations to come. But unfortunately back in '72, the federal government was force fed a boat-load of fear along with statistics. Back then, the EPA howled about global cooling (not warming like they clamored 25 years later or climate change as it's known today) and we're all going to die; how the automobile of the consumer was the cause of almost all smog-related problems (not corporations and their factories) and we're all going to die; and the fact that there was only 20 years worth of oil left in Mother Earth (also not true) and we won't need cars anyways - and we'll all be dead. As a result, the feds gave the EPA a blank-check green light to force mandates down the automotive manufacturers throats in very short order which left them scrabbling year after year for quick fixes and make shift solutions instead of creative problem solving. That creativeness wouldn't kick in for at least 15 years.

The first targets were the fire-breathing big blocks like the 426 Hemi and 440 Six Pack, Ford's Cobra Jet motors, and any 450+ cube mill from GM. According to the automotive insurance industry, these engines and muscle cars in general were the root of all evil, so it was as good a place as any to start. Besides - now you've two huge organizations breathing down Detroit's neck. The problem was, vehicles optioned with these potent engines made up such a small percentage of the total amount of vehicles manufactured in a given year that it didn't make a difference. Since that idea didn't work, the solution was to kill all big block engines in passenger cars in general. When that didn't make a difference by 1974, enter the ever-revolving emissions changes. Everything from catalytic converters to lean-burn ignitions. We've come a long way in 40+ years. High performance is red hot and it will fly with all the safety and emissions mandates the feds can throw at it. Keep the faith, people - because we won't know how good we had it until it's all gone.

Drag racing experienced huge changes in the early 70's, but the feds had nothing to do with it. The NHRA has struggled at various times throughout it's lifetime with inner politics that is for the most part monetarily driven. When money gets involved, humans screw things up. Innovation goes out the window and doing what's popular becomes king. Case in point - when the Mopar faithful got screwed especially in Pro Stock racing. Don't get me wrong; I'm a huge fan of Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, "Dyno Don" Nicholson, Malcolm Durham, Shirley Shahan and many others from the GM, Ford, and AMC camps. We have to remember it was not the drivers or teams fault - it was the NHRA brass. In a nutshell, by the end of 1970, the NHRA grew tired of the dominance by Chrysler, their 426 Hemi engine and the skilled drivers who wheeled them. For 1971, enter the term "handicap" - in other words, extra weight was added to the vehicles that had the Hemi between their fenders in order to even things out. When that didn't work and Mopar teams kept winning, more changes came about for 1972. Remember back then, Pro Stock contained one key

ingredient - stock. In other words, if a driver wanted to compete with a certain automobile, the engine they ran had to be offered by the manufacturer in that particular model, either as standard or optional equipment. That went out the window for 1972 - at least for the Ford and Chevy camps. Ever see Chevy or Ford offer a small block V-8 in a Vega or Pinto from the factory? Neither have we, but that didn't matter to the NHRA. The smallest car the Mopar camps were allowed to run were Plymouth Dusters and Dodge Demons. Over the years, up to 1975, Chrysler and other teams tried every innovation they could to make their cars more competitive and to win. As soon as they did, more changes to the rules came down. Conspiracy? Hardly. The simple fact has been told over and over - the NHRA knew the majority of the fans in the stands by the early 70's were Chevy and Ford aficionados. The fans pay the admission, which pays the bills, and they want to see Chevy's and Ford's win. And that's what they got.

NASCAR experienced the same thing - by the end of 1970, Chevy fans grew tired of the Mopar / Ford battle (never mind GM still had it's own racing ban in effect since 1963), so NASCAR tipped the scales in their favor. It's the main reason why the Chrysler winged race cars disappeared along with the aero-nose Ford Torino's. Innovation and creativity took a back seat, the factory teams opted out of a no-win situation, and sponsorship money for the first time took over. It would take several years, but by the mid-70's, GM vehicles and drivers started winning the lions share of races. And NASCAR, as we know it, lost it soul.

It may sound like I'm picking on the Chevy or GM people (and the Ford folks a little) - when in fact I'm not. I can see the fans point of view. It's like watching your hometown sports team lose season after season not because of talent, but because of poor choices made by management or the higher-ups. I like to see hard work, creativity, and innovation win the battle - not a bunch of whining or the threat of money. Unfortunately, because it worked in the past, it has become common place in far too many aspects of our lives today.

Time to pause and prioritize, people. Until next time, peace out.
Dave