Lew Arrington Jr., a Funny Car pioneer, passed away on February 24 of heart disease. The former match race icon was 69.

Arrington’s career spanned back to 1957 where he competed at San Fernando Raceway. He later built a reputation with Pontiac GTOs in the mid-1960s and moved on to Ford and Mopar entries carrying the famous “Brutus” moniker.

Arrington enjoyed a brief career as the first licensed rocket Funny Car driver before retiring before retiring in 1979.

Arrington is survived by his son, Lew III, a crewmember on John Force's Funny Car