No real inspiration from anyone in particular. Showed up in '98 I think as a spectator. We thought "Cool! A 'car show' at the drag strip and no lawn chairs, judging, dust mops, dash plaques or trophies." :beer
Long story in bullet items: Always been a car guy, '54 Ford with a 429, 396 supercharged '57 Chev, 392 Chrysler in a '40 Willys yada yada yada. Exposed to stock stuff and met the Portland crowd through Casey. Attended events and towed. Didn't see the fun in comiserating date codes, part numbers and paint marks to death. Had the Willys at the '92 and '93 Dan & Bob track rental. Was told don't come back without a muscle car for '94 Building a 540 cube 4 speed '55 Chev commiserating over the cost of paint. A friend Denny Holly said look at this '62 Vette down the road, if you don't like it after a year you won't loose money. Sold the '55, bought a '61 Vette attended P/S in '97 and was hooked. So I guess it would be Denny. Did the '64 and '58 planning the '63. The '58 made me remember that I didn't see the fun in commiserating date codes, part numbers and paint marks to death. :laugh: The '63 is still planned though, too much fun too many friends.:beer
Was at the GS Nationals in '85 when they had the Super Car Showdown at the same time. Didn't really understand what was going on. Fast forward to Muscle Car Review of the first PSMDR at Stanton and went what did I miss?? Been going ever since with the GSX in '96 and the '68 GS since then. Probably Dave Hemker is my inspiration, Buick 4 speed convertible, Silver Bullet. Now I've inspired Annie Oakley, by taking her down the track at Stanton in the 4speed convertible 3 years ago! Right Kid?
:TU: :TU: I'll blame Dave first - for getting me to spectate in '04. Then some crazy woman shoves a helmet at me and says "let's go"!! That was awesome!! And then Dave clues me in on Test & Tunes. If I had known years ago that for $15 you could spend the whole day beating the snot out of all things mechanical - maybe I wouldn't have had that :beer problem!
That :beer problem goes with the territory! It's part of the deal, why do you think they make the stuff, for people like us!
Like mother, like daughter! Roberta and Dave Hemker are my hero's. I spectated the first year and then had to get involved. Great fun with great people!
My son and I went to the 2003 races and have been hooked ever since. We both couldn't believe that people would actually run their cars the way you guys and gals did. Now folks say that but me! I would have to say that everyone that ran their car that year was my inspiration, and continue to be. Bob
The Pure stock bug got me in the eighties watching Jim Mino mow down the heavywieghts with his little firebird. I could sit and watch those tapes(musclecar showdown??)for hours on end. I'd replay his pass just to hear the powershifts at 6plus rpm. Fast forward to the late 90's and the buzz is all about these 2 guys in western ontario finishing 1-2 in pure stock racing! I had to meet these guys.They were the buzz in our parts. I couldn't believe how cordial they were! First class gentlemen! When I told them that I was thinking of building a car to compete,they stepped right up and offered all the help that I needed. Thanks JJ and Pete! Thanks Dan Jensen! Your # was my tech line! The participants/friends I've met during my first year racing has truly made this the best "car" experience I've ever been a part of.
Frank Remlinger, I hadn't been recruited that hard since my high school football days. I'm glad he did though, it's been a blast.
LOL :laugh: DROP AND GIVE ME 20, HODGES, AND THEN GIVE ME TWO LAPS AROUND THE FIELD! I discovered the PSMCDR back in 2001 thru word of mouth and the internet. No real inspirations, but a number of guys were always there with an answer to my rookie questions: Casey, Dave Dudek, Joel Nystrom, and Mike Wowk. But, then meeting a growing group of people who have become good friends has made it always a pleasure to return every year and keeps my interest in the hobby. Guys like Hodges, the Palmas, Ted Harbit, the Cannon boyz, Lon, Darren, Mark Barker, Ty, Donny, Paul, Dave H., and Stefina make it a blast to be at the track. :TU: :TU:
John Glasgo. He's my hero:grin:After that I would say Lee Holnsworth (sp?) He had a 70 w30 that he would drive from southern Ohio to race at Chuck Greens "Supercar Showdown".
Noel you need to remove the "(now retired ?)" next to the '68 Goat. We all know it has at least one more outing. Mark
I have to agree with Jim on this and say that my first racing experience was GREAT, and also say that Casey had a little to do with my interest growing along with the rest of the guys that bust my chops on this site :moonu:
:TU: The Studebaker gang was inspired by the unusual and unlikely combination of Bob Boden and Ted Harbit. I saw a reference to an event called The Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race in an early-1998 issue of Muscle Car Review. A phone number in Michigan was listed to call for more information. I called and a guy named Bob Boden answered. I'd never met him and neither of us had any idea who the other guy was, but we talked for well over an hour in that first conversation! Bob explained to me what their event was all about. I, in turn, asked if we could bring a Studebaker. Bob Boden was taken aback but very receptive to the idea if, in fact, Studebaker had built such a car. I assured him they indeed had, and Bob was familiar enough with Studebaker Avantis having a supercharged engine option that he realized it must have been possible to order that engine in lighter-weight "Larks." Indeed it was; over 1,500 people did order Avanti engines (both supercharged and non-supercharged) in "non-Avantis" during Studebaker's 1963 and early 1964 model years. A subsequent phone call to my cousin George Krem followed. George still owned the Bermuda Brown, Avanti R3-engined 1964 Studebaker Lark Challenger 2-door we together cloned (an unknown term at the time as it relates to automobiles) in early 1965, when I was 19 and he was 22...George having bought the car new, with a 289 Studebaker V-8 in it, in August 1964. I was with him when we together found and picked out that Challenger. George and I agreed that this Pure Stock Drags event would be an ideal place to release the frustrations of 40 years of people not recognizing Studebaker having built muscle cars in the muscle car era. But George said he felt inadequate to drive, and did I want to. I said, "Nope, but we both know who should!" :Brow: A third phone call was made to the most famous Studebaker drag racer of all time, our mutual friend Ted Harbit. Ted was a little reluctant (but not much!) to drive the Challenger because he had not driven a 4-speed car in drag race competition for exactly 25 years at that time. In September 1998, we gathered up George's 1964 Lark and Ted and showed up Friday morning at The 1998 Pure Stock Musclecar Drag Race. We were greated warmly by Bob and his co-conspirator, Dan Jensen. Muscle Car Review Editor Tom Shaw was at the 1998 event, as was MCR writer Dale Amy. The next day, having seen the car run the mid-13s its first year out, Tom was visibly impressed. He was taken with the car and immediately commissioned Dale Amy to shoot photos at the end of the day Saturday, and prepare an article for Muscle Car Review. Dale's article appeared in the May 1999 MCR, in which Dale christened the car "The Plain Brown Wrapper." The name stuck and the rest is history, for which we thank Bob Boden for being so open-minded during my initial call to him in April 1998. We've met and made literally dozens of good friends at The Pure Stock Drags and look forward to many more years of participation...and Ted Harbit will be 72 years of age in May 2007! :3gears: Bob Palma Technical Editor The Studebaker Drivers Club's Turning Wheels
GREAT story Bob !! I had no idea that Dale Amy gave y'all the moniker of "The Plain Brown Wrapper". I just thought that it was a "Stude Thang" ....... :beer
:beer Nope, Casey; not "a Stude thang." Dale Amy is to be credited: See Page 32 of the May 1999 Muscle Car Review; that's where it first appeared...appropriately enough in Big Brown Letters, too! Cheers. Bob :TU:
Bob , That is one cool story. Bob Boden is one heckava good guy! His knowledge and enthusiasm for this style of racing is beyond words! It was a great day when the Bob and Dan invented the internet...errr um ,I mean, hatched their racing brainchild!ou: As an AM guy,I can really appreciate the Stude guys pain. I will admit that you guys really opened my eyes! Lastly, the Plain Brown Wrapper nickname ,is pure (stock) genius! It can stand alone by just looking at pictures,but takes on a whole new meaning,once you've heard it run! Congrats too ,to Ted Harbit!:beer Rich C.
:TU: Rich: Many thanks for your kind words. I really wish the AMC guys would more thoroughly embrace The Pure Stock Drags and bring cars to run! AMC has so many good, fast musclecars: Scramblers (like the one in your post, I note; is it yours?), 390 AMXs, Hornet SC/360s like the ones that ran last year, etc, etc. FYI: From about 1970-1974, my daily driver was a 290 V-8 1967 Rogue convertible...and from roughly 1975-1984, I stored, preserved, and kept operational an early-production, bone-dry, yellow/black/black El Paso TX 1968 Rebel SST convertible with factory 343/4-bbl/4-speed. I sold it at a Kenosha AMC National Meet circa 1984 and saw it nicely restored by the buyer only a year later, back in Indianapolis! So get those AMC guys off the dime, Rich: we independents are in this together!! <GG> :3gears: BP
Bob, Thankfully and finally ,the AM contingency is growing by the day. Can I also add that the Studebaker showing was one of my personal inspirations! After years of drooling ,I finally got off my half moons and got to the race this last year ,with my red AMX ,inspired by many but especially you guys(the independant thing and all). It doesn't surprise me that you've owned those really cool AM cars before,being of independant mind.What a nice array you listed. I'd be proud to own either of those cars!:TU: The avitar pic. is of my son Trevor (9yrs. old) who is the next generation of PS racer. He's been to many events with me ,including this years ,which to date has been the best one ,because we got to participate. Rich C.
