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70s
Funny Cars: Round 51
Text
by Danny White
Dave Robinson ran
this Chevy powered A/FC Vega under the Kelly Chadwick banner. Robinson had a
Camaro before this Vega also under Chadwick's name. Robinson drove Jim
Robbins’s match bash Chevy II in the sixties. Robinson ran mostly in Texas
occasionally running out of state against his fellow Texans in match races. The
Vega ran sevens with the injected nitro combination. In 1974 the Vega was
repainted as the Chaparral Vega and got a blown alcohol engine. (Handout photo
courtesy of Jim White; info from Draglist files)
The team of Haywood
& Thomas bought the ex-Boss Bird from Arnie Beswick in 1972. The team put a
Chevy in the car and renamed it the Bad News to run on the UDRA circuit. Don
Haywood did the driving for the team. The Bad News team continued to use Arnie's
name to help get bookings. Don Haywood would race alcohol funny cars into the
late eighties with the Haywood & Near team. (Photo by Norm Newgord, courtesy
of Gary Newgord; info from Draglist files)
This Vega Wagon was
not the first car that Indiana based racer Norm Day ran under another racers
name, Day had ran the former Mazmanian & Thompson Opel Cadet under Jr.
Thompson’s banner in AA/GS action on the UDRA circuit and match races. Day had
Ken Cox build the Vandal Wagon with Chrysler Hemi power. The wild little Vega
could run in the seven-second range with a 7.37 190 best. (Handout photo, info
from Draglist files)
Terry Pringle ran
series of former Gene Snow cars in A/FC and BB/FC through out the 1970's. This
Dodge Challenger was built by famed Logghe Bros. shop in Michigan. The car
featured a Keith Black built Hemi for power. This version of the Rambunctious
ran sevens and was very tough to beat in local Texas action. Pringle continued
to race Snow's cars until 1977. (Handout photo courtesy of Jim White; info from
Draglist)
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Frank Cook &
Chuck Landers took the Drag-On name from Jim Robb’s after Mart Higginbotham
retired from drag racing. Jim Robbs ran Racing Fuels Incorporated in Dallas,
Texas and had backed the Higginbotham ran Drag-On Vega from 71-73. The Vega was
handed over to Frank Cook and Chuck Landers, who were racing an A/FD on the
local Jr. Fuel circuit. The team raced both the funny car in match races and the
Haley-Settles-Wood car in NHRA action. The Drag-On Vega became of the quickest
& fastest A/FC of the 70's with a 7.10 203 run. Cook & Landers later
took over the Drag-On name from Robbs and became a Texas legend before retiring
from drag racing. (Handout photo courtesy of Bob Alberty Jr.; info from Draglist
files)
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Frank Harris had run
an AA/GS Opel with the famed Stone, Woods, & Cooke banner to help get
bookings. In 1973 Harris built this Vega to run East Coast Fuel Funny Car
Circuit with a blown alcohol Chrysler Hemi. It was said Harris paid a percentage
fee to the S, W & C team to use the name. (Photo courtesy of Ultragraphics;
info from Draglist files)
In 1973 and into 1974
Jeg Coughlin had one of the toughest fuel funny car team. In 74 Coughlin split
the team up and converted the funny car over to alcohol. The driver Dale Emery
and crew Dee Gant and Fred Miller all ended working on the Beadle & Schmidt
Blue Max team. Coughlin had major success with the car as he took over the
driving chores running a 6.75 209 best. (Photo courtesy of Rick Oldfield; info
from Draglist files)
In 1977 funny car
racer Al Hanna put together a three car team, in addition to Hanna's AA/FC there
was also a Top Fueler and this BB/FC ran by Americo Carranca. While the nitro
cars toured outside of the New England area the BB/FC was mainly seen in local
racing action. The Mustang II ran sevens at best before the end of the 77
season. In 1978 the team split up and Carranca built the Captain America funny
car. (Unknown photographer; info from Draglist files)
Norm Day built a new
funny car in 1976 with sleek low-riding Cuda built by Ken Cox. Day got
permission from Don Garlits to use his name on the new car. This proved to be
Day's most successful car running a 6.95 205 best with a 512 Donovan Hemi. Day
raced the car in all the sanctioning bodies of the day with success in all.
(Photo courtesy of Ray-Mar Photos; info from Draglist files)
Bob Floch became the
next racer to use the Stone-Woods-Cooke banner in the late seventies. Floch had
been a crewmember on "Jungle Jim's" funny car before building this
BB/FC. Bullet Bob as he called himself got the beautiful Vega to run sevens at
best in match race action. Floch retired from racing until returning in the late
80's with the Bullet Bob TA/FC and as of 2008 is running an AA/FA in match
races. (Photo courtesy of Mike Sopko and www.quartermileclassics.com/
; info from Draglist files)
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