Cars and Stars at the NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion
by Ed Miles
Photos
There were numerous notable drag racing cars present at Bowling Green. and while unable to mention them all, here are a few which seemed to draw the attention of the throngs of people present.
On display, " in your face" in the hotel lobby was the bright yellow "More Aggravation" fuel coupe, and although a recreation, it was beautiful. Raymond Godman from Memphis, Tennessee brought his Tennessee Bo-Weevil funny car, fuel dragster, and fuel roadster. Don Garlits brought his recreated "Swamp Rat VIII" from the museum in Ocala, Florida, and Barbara Hamilton also was on hand with her beautiful blue Willys gasser, an original car with amazingly the original paint !
One of the most interesting and historical cars present was the "Chizler" along with its creator Chris, " The Golden Greek" Karamesines, who started racing in 1952 and still races his modern rear-engined top fuel dragster in selected venues today. He is the oldest licensed Top Fuel driver and say he still enjoys nailing the throttle , in his words, " it keep you young". This particular car made drag racing history in 1960, at Alton, Illinois, with a pass of 204.54 mph. That was unheard of in those day and in fact for years to come. In recognition of this historic event, the car was enshrined in Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry in the mid-60s, and then in the 80s was moved to the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing in Ocala, Florida, where it remained until Ron Johnson of www.cacklefest.com sponsored it to be restored by Alex Mikkelsen at American Roadster in Placentia , California, and it was on hand, to be cranked up by none other than 'the Greek" himself, at the festivities at Bowling Green. Karamesines had a broad smile on his face and said this was the first time he had been in this car since the mid 60's. This is the kind of things that happen yearly at this event.
Another notable car with Georgia roots was on hand after being rescued from an Oklahoma barn and making it debut appearance was Greg Sullivan's "Strip Teaser", presently by Cory Lee. The car, originally owned by Bob Thomas (and driven by Howard Neal) of Ellijay, Georgia, is a 1965 Falcon AFX , restored with its red, white and blue paint job, with a reclining nude woman painted on the door , along with the expression "If she's paid, she'll go". The car sports a Ford 427 High Riser side oiler, Hilborn Injectors, and a four speed top-loader transmission. The car had been sold several times and ended up in Oklahoma covered with brown paint, and in the process of sanding down to be refinished, the original red, white, and blue colors started being uncovered. Thankfully work ceased until the history of the car could be traced and verified, and we have the end project to enjoy.
Last but not least a couple of Georgia cars were category winners in the Soffseal Show and Shine competition. In the custom category was the 1955 Chevrolet Bel-Air brought by Tony and Amy Spenser of Gaffney, Georgia. In the Muscle Car category the winner was the 1967 Chevelle belonging to Tim Childers of Cumming, Georgia. Congratulations to these along with the other winners of hundreds of beautiful cars.
Of course, the personal stars on hand for the event were to many to list, but among the honorees were of course,Barbara Hamilton, the Grand Marshall of the event, who for the record was the first woman licensed by NHRA to drive a supercharged vehicle, (to give some perspective, Shirley Muldowney was the fifth). Of particular significance in my opinion was the fact that not only was Barbara the driver, but she also built the engines, after of course, she finished her day job as a secretary. In addition, I found it amazing the she and her partner and friend, Nancy Leonello, flat-towed the Willys all the way across the country behind a 1965 Impala to compete with the big boys in California. Two 20 year old women with a race car in tow headed to California would turn some heads today....so imagine what that was like in the mid-60s !
Other honorees were Jim Farr and Bill Rowll , commonly known as "Short Round and Dauber" who have painted countless race cars , motorcycles,and hot rods for over forty years. Their paint designs and techniques are unsurpassed in their craft.
Also honored were brothers Gene and Ron Logghe, who originally started racing sports cars and drag cars, but moved to chassis builders after being approached in the 60s from Ford and Mercury to develop something to help compete against the altered wheelbased Chrysler funny cars. What they came up with was first tube framed flip top funny cars which were campaigned by Don Nicholson, Eddie Schartman, and Jack Chrisman, and that basic design is still in use in today's funny cars.
Another chassis builder recognized was Mike Spitzer, who along with his brother debuted a rear engined dragster in 1971 which set an NHRA record and lay the groundwork for a company that has built more that 3500 race cars. Mike has built sportsman and competition , alcohol and junior dragsters, in addition to land speed record cars , spinning off a business of all types of chassis components. In the most recent years he has won many awards for his work in street rods and custom cars.
Another honoree was Bobby Langley, a Texas drag racer known for his long line of Scorpion dragsters which were known for their distinctive look in addition to accent pinstriping and the crew in matching uniforms which were all sewn by Bobby's devoted wife, Ruth.
The Justice Brothers Reunion Spotlight Award went to over fifteen top fuel motorcycle races who contacted, assembled and on hand to be recognized through the hard work of Frank Spittle. These oft-forgotten daredevils surely deserve their place in the spotlight and in drag racing history.
Last but certainly not least, an honoree who was unable to attend because of ill health was Malcolm Durham. A native of North Carolina began his career with a '57 Chevy and later moved to the Washington D.C. area , affiliated with a Chevrolet dealer, got one of the 427 Z11 Impalas and later when Chevrolet withdrew from race support, dropped the 427 into a '64 Chevelle and went to match racing up and down the east coast under the name "Strip Blazer", amassing an incredible record of winning 90 per cent of his matches from March through October of 1964, this is amazing since this was against the Ford Thunderbolts and the Might Mopar machines of that east coast region. During the late sixties he went on to funny cars before retiring from the Pro Stock ranks in 1984, a solid Bow-Tie guy from beginning to end. To say Malcolm Durham was a giant for the sport is not an exaggeration, he was a giant in stature and in his racing achievements , a true gentleman in a sometimes rowdy sport, but in addition he was a true pioneer racing throughout the then segregated south, doing it without any affirmative action or diversity programs, but merely through hard work and dedication while leaving a legacy of class and dignity. Malcolm's award was received by his son, Bernard who thankfully got it into his dad's hands before he died less than a week later, however considering Malcolm's life and the example he left, it was only a token of the awards and rewards that he had laid up in heaven.
Thanks to theses sources for facts contributing to this article: The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, The Pacific Communications Group, and the Bowling Green Daily News.
Photos
There were numerous notable drag racing cars present at Bowling Green. and while unable to mention them all, here are a few which seemed to draw the attention of the throngs of people present.
On display, " in your face" in the hotel lobby was the bright yellow "More Aggravation" fuel coupe, and although a recreation, it was beautiful. Raymond Godman from Memphis, Tennessee brought his Tennessee Bo-Weevil funny car, fuel dragster, and fuel roadster. Don Garlits brought his recreated "Swamp Rat VIII" from the museum in Ocala, Florida, and Barbara Hamilton also was on hand with her beautiful blue Willys gasser, an original car with amazingly the original paint !
One of the most interesting and historical cars present was the "Chizler" along with its creator Chris, " The Golden Greek" Karamesines, who started racing in 1952 and still races his modern rear-engined top fuel dragster in selected venues today. He is the oldest licensed Top Fuel driver and say he still enjoys nailing the throttle , in his words, " it keep you young". This particular car made drag racing history in 1960, at Alton, Illinois, with a pass of 204.54 mph. That was unheard of in those day and in fact for years to come. In recognition of this historic event, the car was enshrined in Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry in the mid-60s, and then in the 80s was moved to the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing in Ocala, Florida, where it remained until Ron Johnson of www.cacklefest.com sponsored it to be restored by Alex Mikkelsen at American Roadster in Placentia , California, and it was on hand, to be cranked up by none other than 'the Greek" himself, at the festivities at Bowling Green. Karamesines had a broad smile on his face and said this was the first time he had been in this car since the mid 60's. This is the kind of things that happen yearly at this event.
Another notable car with Georgia roots was on hand after being rescued from an Oklahoma barn and making it debut appearance was Greg Sullivan's "Strip Teaser", presently by Cory Lee. The car, originally owned by Bob Thomas (and driven by Howard Neal) of Ellijay, Georgia, is a 1965 Falcon AFX , restored with its red, white and blue paint job, with a reclining nude woman painted on the door , along with the expression "If she's paid, she'll go". The car sports a Ford 427 High Riser side oiler, Hilborn Injectors, and a four speed top-loader transmission. The car had been sold several times and ended up in Oklahoma covered with brown paint, and in the process of sanding down to be refinished, the original red, white, and blue colors started being uncovered. Thankfully work ceased until the history of the car could be traced and verified, and we have the end project to enjoy.
Last but not least a couple of Georgia cars were category winners in the Soffseal Show and Shine competition. In the custom category was the 1955 Chevrolet Bel-Air brought by Tony and Amy Spenser of Gaffney, Georgia. In the Muscle Car category the winner was the 1967 Chevelle belonging to Tim Childers of Cumming, Georgia. Congratulations to these along with the other winners of hundreds of beautiful cars.
Of course, the personal stars on hand for the event were to many to list, but among the honorees were of course,Barbara Hamilton, the Grand Marshall of the event, who for the record was the first woman licensed by NHRA to drive a supercharged vehicle, (to give some perspective, Shirley Muldowney was the fifth). Of particular significance in my opinion was the fact that not only was Barbara the driver, but she also built the engines, after of course, she finished her day job as a secretary. In addition, I found it amazing the she and her partner and friend, Nancy Leonello, flat-towed the Willys all the way across the country behind a 1965 Impala to compete with the big boys in California. Two 20 year old women with a race car in tow headed to California would turn some heads today....so imagine what that was like in the mid-60s !
Other honorees were Jim Farr and Bill Rowll , commonly known as "Short Round and Dauber" who have painted countless race cars , motorcycles,and hot rods for over forty years. Their paint designs and techniques are unsurpassed in their craft.
Also honored were brothers Gene and Ron Logghe, who originally started racing sports cars and drag cars, but moved to chassis builders after being approached in the 60s from Ford and Mercury to develop something to help compete against the altered wheelbased Chrysler funny cars. What they came up with was first tube framed flip top funny cars which were campaigned by Don Nicholson, Eddie Schartman, and Jack Chrisman, and that basic design is still in use in today's funny cars.
Another chassis builder recognized was Mike Spitzer, who along with his brother debuted a rear engined dragster in 1971 which set an NHRA record and lay the groundwork for a company that has built more that 3500 race cars. Mike has built sportsman and competition , alcohol and junior dragsters, in addition to land speed record cars , spinning off a business of all types of chassis components. In the most recent years he has won many awards for his work in street rods and custom cars.
Another honoree was Bobby Langley, a Texas drag racer known for his long line of Scorpion dragsters which were known for their distinctive look in addition to accent pinstriping and the crew in matching uniforms which were all sewn by Bobby's devoted wife, Ruth.
The Justice Brothers Reunion Spotlight Award went to over fifteen top fuel motorcycle races who contacted, assembled and on hand to be recognized through the hard work of Frank Spittle. These oft-forgotten daredevils surely deserve their place in the spotlight and in drag racing history.
Last but certainly not least, an honoree who was unable to attend because of ill health was Malcolm Durham. A native of North Carolina began his career with a '57 Chevy and later moved to the Washington D.C. area , affiliated with a Chevrolet dealer, got one of the 427 Z11 Impalas and later when Chevrolet withdrew from race support, dropped the 427 into a '64 Chevelle and went to match racing up and down the east coast under the name "Strip Blazer", amassing an incredible record of winning 90 per cent of his matches from March through October of 1964, this is amazing since this was against the Ford Thunderbolts and the Might Mopar machines of that east coast region. During the late sixties he went on to funny cars before retiring from the Pro Stock ranks in 1984, a solid Bow-Tie guy from beginning to end. To say Malcolm Durham was a giant for the sport is not an exaggeration, he was a giant in stature and in his racing achievements , a true gentleman in a sometimes rowdy sport, but in addition he was a true pioneer racing throughout the then segregated south, doing it without any affirmative action or diversity programs, but merely through hard work and dedication while leaving a legacy of class and dignity. Malcolm's award was received by his son, Bernard who thankfully got it into his dad's hands before he died less than a week later, however considering Malcolm's life and the example he left, it was only a token of the awards and rewards that he had laid up in heaven.
Thanks to theses sources for facts contributing to this article: The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, The Pacific Communications Group, and the Bowling Green Daily News.
posted by David @ 8:46 PM
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