Sandwiched between on July 28, hopefully on soft bread (I’m killin’ myself!), will be the Second Annual Bixby Knolls Car Show and 40th Anniversary Doug Kruse PDA meet (doorslammers stay home!) held in North Long Beach’s Bixby Knolls district. For those who aren't aware, this district was home to Gary Gabelich and has a park renamed after the popular purple plumer. Last year event attendees were faced with 100+ degree temps and tons of humidity. Let's hope this year is blessed with cooler temps. On the age thing, I’m just funnin’ with you guys. At 44 I ain’t no spring chicken myself, pops.
So do any of you remember when I was on my “why isn’t the 426 legal in nostalgia top fuel” phase? How about when Bobby Hansen, Robert Reehl and I actually built a car and had a meeting with Ray Alley and Danny Gracia from NHRA to find out why the Goodguys wouldn’t allow it in competition? Oh, sorry, I guess you’re new here. Well, three years later we have a West Coast nostalgia top fueler with the devil’s own 42666 between the frame rails. I’m not going to beat any more dead horses about why this should have happened a long time ago, especially when Garlits ran one as early as 1964 (per his own account). However, it’s happening now! (Everyone don your turtleneck and beret and play along...)
Cue the bongos, Maynard!
The pipe is a 2002 Stirling deal. The paint is some crazy dark and dramatic beatnik do-up with stuff that makes you sit and nod, snap your fingers and sit and nod some more. Cool, Daddio. The principles that edged this straightline projectile into fruition are Mike Patterson, the cat who eschews the big city for small town hi-jinks, Bill Bothello, another
straightline junkie who actually runs a race plant when not pettin’ the 426 fancy.
The brothers grim are Mike and Gary Compston, the do-rags doing the motor doings. The crew is a put-together relic from seasons past that have seen enough runs a quarter mile at a time to make even Pulde blink. But only once.While the bongos play the outro to this little jam session, I need to spell it out to the pit that someone sits behind the devil’s own demise machine (the dreaded motor that Goodguys left along the road to hopefully be forgotten). While the SOHC 427 Ford, the modern day Keith Black Oldsmobile, and the (too collectible to be run but some guy thinks it’s cool to blow up) Mickey Thompson Pontiac, were deemed legal. You still with me, brethren? Who sits behind this apocalyptic apparition at the gates of Hell? Maybe the gates of Famoso? Only nostalgia drag racing's First Lady, Mendy Fry. That’s right, the same Mendy Fry who ran a 5.80 in Lee Jennings and Karl Scheele’s Chevy-powered nostalgia top fueler (Hansen Chassis, shameless plug) last season.
Let's switch to uncool mode so I can give you some facts, which are what most of you relate me to. Uncool. This deal is still in test mode. They have run a best of 1.05 60’ with lots of other stuff going on that has kept them from making a full lap. I have been told that testing will continue and this is a serious deal. Obviously I am very interested in this operation. We wish all involved nothing but success and we need to let Mendy know that it’s no big deal to sit behind a late model.
There you go kids, lots of great stuff going on this summer. Let's also pass along some get well wishes to Geno Gastellum who is on the mend at Cedar Sinai after major surgery last week. Geno has been a longtime fixture in NHRA and on the nostalgia circuits and is best known as nostalgia’s parking day guru, pit control and starting line “fire in the hole!” cryer. Lots of folks have been dropping in to help his recovery along and when it fits, I’ll let my boys pop in to jump on the bed and chase the nurses around. Get well, Geno!
