Bill Doner had brought in a front-line field of funny cars just to see how the race fans would respond back in 1972 at the Seafair Funny Car Championships.

He had a plan to give the patrons more nitro cars in one exciting evening than they had ever seen anywhere. He could see that this “growing program” was gaining momentum and that it had a bright future. He wanted to establish its future right here, right now, on this very day. It was the big test of “give them what they want and lots of it”.

The whole extravaganza was a huge risk, but if it all worked the future for SIR would be bright. No question, he was putting it all on the line that night.

Part 3 - THE EARTH, EAST OF KENT, WA., IS READY TO TREMBLE

 

Bill Doner had brought in a front-line field of funny cars just to see how the race fans would respond back in 1972 at the Seafair Funny Car Championships.

He had a plan to give the patrons more nitro cars in one exciting evening than they had ever seen anywhere. He could see that this “growing program” was gaining momentum and that it had a bright future. He wanted to establish its future right here, right now, on this very day. It was the big test of “give them what they want and lots of it”.

The whole extravaganza was a huge risk, but if it all worked the future for SIR would be bright. No question, he was putting it all on the line that night.

Each nitro car would run three rounds of qualifying, more than any single-night event in the country, and then the two quickest cars would return for a final late in the evening. With the 16 alcohol cars added in 1972, the whole evening was to be a marathon of “ground pounding”. The Seafair Funny Car Championships must have run well into the evening….round after round, pair after pair. By all reports, it was more than fantastic.

No doubt, this event was pleasing to the huge throng in attendance with hours and hours of funny cars, but with the perfect final coming up nobody would have ever considered leaving. If you were there for all those thundering hours you just had to wait and see how this final came out.

The impressive look of the “fiberglass forest” filled the SIR staging lanes all evening long.

Doner had them on the edge of their seats with his high-energy, hyped lingo over the pa.
system. He was in his element as the intensity was leading up to the final and he was unrelenting. With the huge crowd “shoe-horned” into SIR he knew that a confirmation had taken place on the future of this event and this final would be an exclamation point; kind of like the cherry on top of a cupcake, an added and tasty bonus.

An excellent final would move the excitement level into the ozone and lock in the sparkling new 64 funny car event, coming the next year, well into the future. His plan was to spring it on everyone at the end of the final, at the height of the crescendo. It would complete the perfect closing.

The qualifying and results are a little sketchy. After a lot of research, here they are:

Beebe was quickest at 6.49; McCulloch was second at 6.55, local standout Twig Zeigler
was right there in third at 6.62, and Richard Tharp was positioned in the No. 4 slot at a 6.64.

The format called for the first and second quickest cars after the three rounds of qualifying to meet for the late evening final. Call it a Chicago-style program with a Seattle twist….more rounds of qualifying; more ground pounding than anywhere, period.

Interesting enough, Big Jim Dunn, in his unique rear-motored funny car, ran a respectable
6.78.

After this massive amount of ground pounding that evening, it came down to McCulloch versus Beebe for a giant final….one versus two…the “script” couldn’t have come out any better. It had the making of a perfect final. Both Whipple and McCulloch wanted this win
so very badly and would give it everything they had to get the win. The two quickest cars on the property were ready to do battle for the championship showdown. A confrontation between former partners added extra appeal to this final stanza of the evening.

Putting a halt to the current dominance of the Whipple-tuned machine was, no doubt, in McCulloch’s mind. Ace was driven to stop the winning streak of Whipple’s right here.

With the crowd on the edge of their seats, and the championship final being broadcast live on KJR, the local giant rock and roll station, the excitement was beyond compare.

 

If for some reason, you were not there on this historic evening and you were tuned to KJR, where the avid race fans were getting ready for the hydros the next day, you would have been introduced to the sounds and fury of nitro funny cars. It was hype beyond compare.

 

 

IN PART 4 - 64 FUNNY CARS - NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME FOR AN ON-THE-EDGE-OF-THE-SEAT-FINAL

PART 1 - JIM ROCKSTAD REMEMBERS SEATTLE'S 64 FUNNY CARS
PART 2 - JIM ROCKSTAD REMEMBERS SEATTLE'S 64 FUNNY CARS

 

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