 |
|||||||||||||
|
The Return of the Boss Although this may get an argument from my open-wheeled drag racing friends, I firmly believe that the growth of drag racing is largely the result of the involvement of Detroit’s "Big 3." Ford, Chrysler, GM, and even AMC provided equipment, exposure, and, of course, money, to the sport and its participants to promote their products. This involvement continued at a torrid pace throughout the mid sixties/early seventies, and much has been written regarding the factory "wars." Without this influx of support, the sport as we know it may have never reached the stature and respect that it has at this time.
The factories, particularly Ford and Chrysler, directly sponsored many of the racers that we now regard as legends. And of all the superstar racers of the day perhaps none before or since have ever reached the legendary status of the Burlington, North Carolina team of Ronnie Sox & Buddy Martin, along with their head wrench, Jake King. Having made himself a local legend in 1962 and 1963 with 409 and Z-11 Chevrolets, Sox teamed up with another local racer, business-smart Martin, and continued carving a name for themselves. The team became Ford factory contract racers for Lincoln-Mercury in 1964 with the results being a continuation of their winning ways. This led to a 1964 NHRA World Championship for Mercury with their A/FX Comet. a
d v e r t i s e m e n t Signing a deal with Chrysler in 1965, the pair began a relationship with the Pentastar that would launch them into superstardom, as far as drag racing fans would be concerned. With Martin’s business skills, and Sox’ driving prowess - "The best four speed driver that ever drove, in my opinion," said Tom Hoover, the Chrysler engineer that designed the Hemi - S&M developed a legendary following that continues today.
Throughout 1965, Sox was the scourge of the match race circuit, with his altered wheelbase "Paper Tiger" remaining almost unbeatable. He was also very successful with the "legal" NHRA Hemi Belvedere, and in 1966 was one of the few who could challenge the flip-top Comets with his long nosed "Baccaruda." In ‘67 it was back to legal type Super Stock cars, and in ‘68 the red, white, and blue North Carolina-based Hemi Cuda was the one to beat among Chrysler’s finest. Having gotten with Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins and "Dyno Don" Nicholson to race heads-up as "outlaw" Super Stockers during down times in 1969, they were instrumental in proposing and organizing a new, heads up doorslammer class for 1970. When NHRA introduced Pro Stock, S&M were dominant, with a series of Cudas and Dusters that would maintain a stranglehold on the new eliminator until NHRA, in its infinite wisdom, would legislate the Hemi out of competitiveness. a
d v e r t i s e m e n t Among the other top-notch Chrysler cars that competed with Sox for supremacy was the New Jersey-based "Mr. 5&50" Plymouths of one Jack Werst. A member of his crew, Fred Rastagno, was one of the many competitors who admired their Tarheel colleagues, and witnessed many of the S&M successes. NHRA politics took their course, and the years that would follow would find many of the players of the era onto other endeavors in their grown up lives. Buddy Martin had formed a number of non related businesses, Sox was golfing and semi retired, Jack Werst went into private business, and Rastagno went into a jewelry business, dabbling in classic Mopars and Harley Davidson motorcycles. After being out of racing for some years, however, Rastagno made the decision to dig up another old MoPar and do some drag racing again. Paging through trade publications to find a suitable plaything, he came upon a Duster advertised in Auto Trader. The ad had been placed by a third party and indicated that the "Shades of the Past" Plymouth may just possibly have been an old Sox & Martin Pro Stocker. Upon speaking with the owner, Fred made a beeline from his home near Philadelphia to rural Asheboro, NC, with the intention of bring the car back north with him. "I did all right," said Fred of the transaction. "The owner accepted a custom Harley and some jewelry in trade, and I did not have to spend a whole lot of cash". a
d v e r t i s e m e n t Built in 72, by S&M’s own Dave Christie, and later updated to a 73, it was built originally much along the lines of the ‘68 Hemi A bodies, with leaf springs and torsion bars. It is believed that this one is the only A body built by S&M themselves for Pro Stock, although they would have several later Dusters built by other builders such as Don Hardy. By the way, it is also known that one of the Hardy cars also still exists, but differs slightly in appearance, and that one was used primarily for match race duty. Fred’s version was built on the jig next to the Herb McCandless team Demon, and is the one that was featured on the cover of Super Stock and Drag Illustrated.
On delivery to Rastagno, the car was completely period correct, down to the original Lenco transmission. After racing the car a couple of times, however, "Hemi Fred", as he is known, became concerned that racing a stick Hemi in a thirty year-old chassis might conceivably end in disaster. That concern led to the decision to shelve the Lenco in favor of a new style Powerglide, similar to what would be used in a modern Super Gas or Super Comp car. "I really became concerned about dropping the hammer at 7g with that Lenco and that old chassis," Rastagno related. "It has been updated, but you never know, and I certainly did not want to risk the car." The rear end is an extremely rare, magnesium Dana rear that was produced by the famous Ramchargers, and were state of the art in the day. Although still in possession of the original Pro Stock Hemi that came with the car, the motor under the hood today is very much a product of modern times. The aluminum Indy block, with new Indy Legend heads, displaces 572 cubic inches, and is loaded with all the latest technology. It still appears very much the same as the original, with the tunnel ram and twin Holley Dominators, but that’s where the similarity ends. "I could tell you what’s in the motor," Fred said laughingly, "but then I would have to kill you." The ultimate goal in Rastagno’s mind, however, is to have a regular nostalgia Pro Stock type circuit, where vintage Pro Stockers could match race, heads up, just like in the old days. Unfortunately, there simply do not seem to be many of these cars around these days, unlike Nostalgia SS, which is rife with entries. a
d v e r t i s e m e n t The only cars that are known to be around and period correct now are Rich LaMont’s WIBG Pro Stock AMC Gremlin, a clone Ford Mustang from Virginia and a Vega from down south somewhere of which details are unknown. At a recent NHRA event, Bill Jenkins’ "Grumpy’s Toy" Vega was on display, and Fred proposed that the two get together and match race, thus resurrecting one of the fiercest rivalries in drag racing history. "I have talked to the owner, but he does not seem to want to race it," Rastagno said. "If he did, though, those matches would be way cool!"
The car is displayed and raced often, and the reaction of the crowd is unbelievable. The memories the piece rekindles quite often lead to emotional tears welling up in the eyes of those who see it. Comments such as "the first pro stocker I ever saw run," and "I helped unload that car back in the day" are among the most heard comments wherever the car appears. How does it run? Recently at Atco Dragway in New Jersey, the Duster carded an 8.78, backed it up with an 8.88 at over 151 mph. The third pass resulted in the wheelstand you see here, and its return to earth caused some cosmetic damage that has since been repaired. There is no doubt that it will run quicker, much quicker, as the bugs are worked out. It is fully expected that there are low, low eight second time slips in the not too distant future. Hopefully, other Pro Stocks of the era will
surface as well, as match races between several of these cars would indeed
be worth the price of admission. Our sport continues to grow into the
twenty first century, but the movement to reach for the past continues to
be a vibrant, growing part of the drag racing scene. This famous Duster,
and the reaction to its reappearance is just another indication of the
interest remaining in the roots of our sport.
|
|||||||||||||
© Competitionplus 2004
|
|