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70s
Funny Cars: Round 49
Text by Danny White
Gene Altizer had one
of the toughest injected nitro funny cars of the early seventies. Altizer almost
won the prestigious Super Stock Nationals against the blown nitro machines. It
was said that Altizer so upset Jungle Jim Liberman that Liberman refused to race
him. Altizer's Nova was in fact bought from Jungle himself. The Logghe Bros.
built car could run consistent sevens with ease (Photo courtesy of Big Bob
Snyder; info from Draglist files)
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Gary Crane came from
his native Alberta, Canada, home to race funny cars in wild, wide-open Southern
California funny scene in the late sixties. Crane built the Travelin Javelin,
which featured a cast iron Keith Black Chrysler Hemi backed by a Torqueflite.
The car’s wild paint job was different on each side of the racecar. Gary and
fellow Canadian Dale Armstrong drove the car. Though never a big winner, the
little Rambler was popular with the fans. The car was later sold to another
Canadian who continues to race the car as the Travelin Javelin with an injected
nitro Chevrolet. (Photo courtesy of Mike Ditty; info from Draglist files)
Ed Lee was the driver
of the Leader Automotive funny car, a machine featured in the last round under
new owner Ed Sargent. George DeLorean, brother of John DeLorean, owned the full
size Pontiac. (Photo from Gerry Kalenjecki; info courtesy of Dennis Doubleday
and Draglist files)
Julius Hughes was a
famous drag racer from Atlanta, Georgia. Julius had raced blown gas altereds and
Top Fuelers before buying Tom McEwen's Barracuda. The Atlanta Speed Shop Zotfish
Barracuda was powered by Hughes built 392 Chrysler Hemi. Julius Hughes, J. Ed
Horton, and Scottie Scott all drove the car in NHRA divisional action plus local
match races. The known best times for the car were low-eights in the 190 MPH
range. The name of the car came from the B.C. cartoon anteater character whose
"ZOT!" spelled doom for many ants. (Photo courtesy of the Danny &
Donna Watkins; info from Draglist files)
The Smith Bros. and
Fetrow Minnesota Cuda was one of the first funny cars out of the Land of 10,000
Lakes. Bob Fetrow had raced gas dragsters in the sixties and he built the
Plymouth in his shop. Don Smith drove the Cuda to a known best of 7.59, 196 in
1971. (Photo courtesy of Jack Gates; info from Eric Gates and Draglist files)
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Different teams ran
funny cars named Super Vega. For Frank Huff, this version was a progression of a
couple different funny cars beginning with the Super Camaro. Huff and his
partner, fellow driver Clare Sanders, raced the Super Camaro, and then built the
first Super Vega. Sanders left the partnership and Huff continued racing the
Chevy powered car on his own throughout the 1971 season. In 1972 Frank built a
new Super Vega and added new partner Jack Brown. The car was new and unlettered
at the time the photo was taken; note the snow on the ground in the background
and the no burnout sign. Huff raced the last Super Vega before taking over the
Foster's King Cobra Mustang. (Photo courtesy of Big Bob Snyder; info from Dennis
Doubleday and Draglist files)
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Some funny cars in
the seventies did not have a long life span and this Dodge Charger was one of
them. The team of Crossley & King was more famous for racing dragsters in
the sixties, but like other teams, decided to try their hand at racing a funny
car. Bill Crossley, the former owner of the Crusader fueler, and driver Wayne
King built this Mr. Ed bodied Charger. The Hemi powered machine crashed at
Irwindale on its first time out. The team did not rebuild the car and Wayne King
went on to field successful Pro Comp dragsters to end his racing career. (Photo
courtesy of Howard Hagen; info from Draglist files)
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Bryan Raines raced a
blown gas 27 roadster in the Open Gas Supercharged class that ran at many
Southern California tracks. Raines got his first funny ride in Nick Harmon's
California Shaker Mustang and progressed to this Vega. Bryan teamed with Doug
Finlay and Bruce Belfiore to race the Steve Plueger built machine. Doug Finlay
tuned the car to a known best of 6.26, 236.79 best clocking on Donovan power.
The team split up and Raines went to drive his own cars and for others. (L&M
Photo courtesy of Bob Plumer and Drag Race Memories; info from Draglist files)
Famed journalist Bret
Kepner identified this forgotten Monza as Ivan Thompson's Topeka, Kansas
machine. Ivan was a Chevy Top Fuel racer who enjoyed some success on the AHRA
tour. Thompson built the Monza in 1979 with cast iron Chevy power. Bret said the
Monza ran 7.10s on nitro before switching to alcohol and then retiring. (Photo
courtesy of Jim White; info from Bret Kepner and Draglist files)
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Dodger Glenn was one
of the most liked funny racers of his era and racers and fans alike were crushed
when he unfortunately lost his life in an accident at Maple Grove in 1978. Glenn
had raced Top Fuelers before taking over the driver’s seat of Jim Fox's
Frantic Ford Mustang in 1973. The team of Fox, Freddy Frey, and Dodger Glenn was
one of the toughest on the East Coast in the mid to late 1970s. In 1978, Dodger
raced on his own after Fox and Frey retired. Glenn built a new Frantic Ford
Mustang II, but the body was destroyed in a wheelstand at Englishtown and was
replaced by this Arrow. The known best for the Frantic Arrow was 6.38 at 239.
(Photo courtesy of Bob Plumer and Drag Race Memories submitted by Bobby Frey;
info from Bob Plumer and Draglist files)
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