All of the pictures on this page were taken by Roger
Phillips,
I am very grateful to him
for the opportunity of reproducing them
here.
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All of the pictures on this page were taken by Roger
Phillips, |
(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO SEE A LARGER VERSION)
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When Roger Phillips first began searching through his old drag racing slides and negatives (writes Andy Barrack) word soon came back that he’d found a collection of pictures he’d taken at Lions in 1971. “Would we like to have them?” he asked, adding “. . . some of them are rather thin” (photographer’s-speak for under-exposed). Knowing these photos would never have been seen before (they were never used by Custom
Car magazine), knowing their historical importance (the name Lions is to drag racing what Ebbets Field is to baseball), and knowing this would be a first for The Acceleration Archive, we almost pulled Roger’s arm out of its socket in our exuberance to get the photos to the nearest scanner. |
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Making an afternoon pass was Tom Hoover’s White Bear Dodge sponsored by Jerry Perkl’s Dodge dealership up at White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Hoover had switched from racing Top Fuel at the start of the '70s and would race several funnies before adopting the Showtime moniker with which he became synonymous among both English and American fans. Hoover was well
equipped with Keith Black power and a Woody Gilmore chassis but did not make the field at this Lions meet. |
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1971 was the year of The Big Change in Top Fuel design when the class, led by Garlits’ example, went from slingshots to the rear engine configuration. Kuhl and Olson made that change back in July but the transition was not without its own learning curve and K&O, like some others, tried running without a rear wing. Kuhl & Olson didn’t qualify at Lions yet
their set up wasn’t entirely unsuccessful - three months later Olson won the ’72 Winternationals with the exact same car - but by the end of ’72 a rear wing was de rigueur in Top Fuel and performance and safety in drag racing made another leap forward. |
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With that high angled body Joe Winter’s flopper has all the signs of being a fuel altered shrouded in a funny car shell, but in fact it was simply a new Mustang body on his previously Cuda-cloaked car, that evidently didn’t fit too well. In contrast the Braskett & Burgin funny was low and sleek, and with its Lil John Buttera chassis, Chevy Vega body decorated
in Tom Hanna tin and Kirby & Youngblood paint, and 426 engine built by Dave Braskett, the flopper was Funny Car vintage 1971 personified. Two months after this meet Joe Winter and Braskett & Burgin would collide at Lions when Gary Burgin pulled a wheelie, crossed the centre line and ended being shunted upside down over the barriers by Winter. Both drivers escaped unscathed but while Burgin went on to greater things Winter hung up his helmet and disappeared from the scene. |
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After crashing and burning their previous Funny in Canada a few months earlier whilst match racing Tom Hoover, the King Camaro team of Dan Geare, Fred Totten and Dean LaPole were back at Lions with a new car. Eschewing the usual KB/Pink/Buttera/Gilmore options the King Camaro used a Mike Lieby chassis with 454 Chevy engine built by Geare. Not only was he
using a rat motor but Geare had built his own injector system, added two plugs to each cylinder, reshaped the combustion chambers and invented an early sensor system on the headers. Such innovation and the noise it created has made it a legend in Funny Car folklore. |
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Knowing famed Lions Chief Starter, Larry Sutton, also found time to race when not officiating on the startline, it was natural to assume this was he in his ‘Joint Venture’ dragster, but we were able to get in touch with Larry and he has pointed out this was after his stint in the car, and it would be Dave Hage behind the wheel in this shot. When Lions closed Larry went on to work at Irwindale and OCIR and race - when startline duties allowed - a new Joint Venture, this time rear engined and running in Pro Comp. |
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Okay, the sun has gone down, the floodlights are on and the hotdog stand is waiting for business. As the early arrivals in the stands stuff their hands in the pockets to keep warm Gary Densham and Johnny ‘Gringo’ Wright in “Time Machine II” were out trying to qualify. Judging from the long sequence of photos Roger Phillips shot of Densham, the Pinto was giving
some cause for concern amongst his crew and Lions officials. Maybe it was new car teething problems? Whatever the trouble neither he nor Wright made the eliminations. |
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Dave Bowman in California |
Charlie Proite in Telstar . . . |
or Eddie Paulding in Whine Maker |
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The early California Stud (the rear engine Vega follow-up being more famous) was actually Gas Rhonda’s old Mustang. And while Eddie Pauling was already onto Whine Maker #4 by 1971, he’d actually done a volte-face compared to Bowman having already tried the rear engine option (Whine Maker #2) and was back in a conventional funny. Other non-qualifiers on this Lions November night ’71 included . . . |
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Lil John Lombardo . . . |
Gene Snow in Rumbunctious . . |
Rick Ramsey in California Charger . . . |
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Glassman, Alford & Potter with George Schrieber driving. Butters & Gerdard with Mike Clancy driving and Mason and Kay with Don Ewald driving . . . |
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When you see a photo of a sit-up-straight T-bodied dragster competing in Top Fuel you just know there has to be another story here to tell. Thankfully Troy Cagle recognised the rail straight away and sent us another fascinating tale. |
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Even with the best will in the world, and assistance from the experts, some Top Fuel cars at the 17th Anniversary meet remain unidentified. As author Don Montgomery observed, with no name and no number only friends and relatives would have known who these dragsters were, and this in part is why Funny Cars became the more popular class in the early '70s. The incoming rear engine Top Fuel design did allow more space for names and sponsors (as Garlits was quick to point out) but the funnies had got a march on the fuelers in this respect and with their extravagant paint jobs, flamboyant names and long smokey burnouts, the floppers were out-doing the fuelers in terms of showmanship and spectator appeal. |
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Talking of floppers and fuelers, these photos showing Gary Cochran racing Smokey Joe Lee, and Tom McEwen racing the Gas House Gang had us both mystified and intrigued. No mention of these match races were made in the reports of the day, but Larry Sutton came to the rescue with the following information “Lions’ manager CJ Hart would do ‘weird’ things; it was a case of “I’ll give you a 100 bucks to race so-and-so to help the show and the fans”. These one-off deals would also help the racers as Don Ewald confirms, “I got several of them, pocketing an extra $25 in Jr Fuel and $100 in Top Fuel. It was rare and it was usually for guys who didn’t qualify or who went out early, but CJ was cool like that.” It should be pointed out that Steve Evans had taken over as manager from CJ Hart by the time of the 17th Anniversary meet, but whoever was in charge, Lions’ reputation for looking after the racers and fans alike was in good hands. |
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As Troy Cagle has mentioned, November 13th 1971 was the competition debut of 17 year old Jeb Allen. Yes Jeb was born the same year Lions opened. With father Guy Allen looking on, Jeb clocked a 6.59 in qualifying which put him in eighth position; an impressive start to an impressive drag racing career for the kid from Bellflower High School. |
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Even in 1971 they had nostalgia racers! Ike Iacono’s Tune Up & Brake Center dragster was Hot Rod cover car back in 1959. |
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Qualifying over, it was time for some pre-race ceremonies (vinyl-booted, hot-pants-wearing, cape-bedecked race queens sat on top of a stars‘n’striped AMC Gremlin X? How 1971 is that!!) Talking to Roger Phillips and Custom Car’s original drag racing reporter Mike Lintern about Lions, their memories are now faded but the one thing they both remember vividly was the pre-eliminations ceremony. “The dragsters were on the rollers, the crowd stood hands on heart while the national anthem was played, then as soon as the music stopped, the first two cars burst into life and the racing began. It was very impressive, very well orchestrated.” recalls Roger. “Yes, give the Yanks credit, they certainly knew how to put on a show.” added Mike. So finally we can move onto the eliminations. In Top Fuel John Wiebe was #1 qualifier with a 6.46 and beat Frank Bradley with a 6.56/221 vs 6.84/225. Unfortunately we have no photo for this opening race. |
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In a battle of the new rear engine dragsters, James Warren then beat Dwight Salisbury 6.50/223 to a 6.69/227. |
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With flashbulbs a poppin’, alas Jeb Allen’s youthful inexperience was waylaid by veteran Larry Dixon’s steely reactions and the Praying Mantis was a victim to a massive Astrolo Special holeshot - 6.72/230 beating a wasted 6.59/218. |
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Glad of a second bite of the cherry, Gary Cochran’s 6.65/204 trounced John Mitchell’s 6.78/210 and sent the Howard Cam Special home early. |
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The semi-finals saw two close races, in more sense than one. Wiebe beat James Warren, 6.54/223 to a 6.60/222. And then Gary Cochran got out on Dixon but drifted close to the centre line leaving Dixon the choice between backing off, or getting cosy with the guardrail. Dixon took the last option and used a long way round 6.74/226 to beat a shutting off 6.78/184. We have no photo of the final but it was a one-sided affair as Dixon was immediately in trouble and John Wiebe basically took a solo, 6.75/226 to a cruise-thru 10.99. It is interesting to note that Wiebe did not unveil the much anticipated Donovan 417 motor at Lions - although news of its impending debut was rife - and instead relied upon his trusty 392 to win the event. The first purpose-built drag racing engine would have to wait another week before making its landmark appearance at the Supernationals. Drag racing - if you’ll excuse the catachresis [incorrect use of words - Ed] - was about to turn another corner. |
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So on to the Funny Car eliminations. |
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Hawaiian born Stan Shiroma in the Zeller Bros’ Midnight Skulker then beat Jim Dunn, 6.87/215 to an early shut off 7.03/162. The Zellar Bros, along with other names mentioned here - Burgin, Lombardo and Densham - all came up through the ranks of the gas roadsters before racing funny cars. The '60s gassers were a veritable breeding ground for the funny car racers of the '70s. |
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Michigan-born but California-based Bill Leavitt beat Ron O’Donnell, Quickie Too’s 1958 392 Chrysler-motored Mustang running 6.81/208 to beat a 6.72/217 for the 1970 426 powered Damn Yankee. |
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Jake Johnston faired a lot better than his boss as Jake was #1 qualifier with a 6.62/218mph, while Gene Snow didn’t even make the show. The ‘other’ Gene Snow car used a 6.61/217 to beat Tom McEwen’s 6.87/215. The Mongoose then had a bad fire, burning off the chutes and using up the shut down area to bring the car to a halt. There would be a lot of hard work to repair the Hot Wheels Duster in time for Ontario. |
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In the final four, Jake Johnston ended Stan Shiroma’s night, 6.81/205 to a 7.07/189. |
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And Ron O’Donnell, subbing for Rowe, ended up with a re-match against Bill Leavitt and this time won, 6.69/211 to a shutting off 8.48/106, putting the first round loser into the final against Johnston. |
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But O’Donnell’s good fortune ended in the final as Johnston reeled off another six-six (6.62/218) to a losing 6.82/196. As always full credit and appreciation to Roger Phillips for the photographs and Alan Currans for putting the page together and hosting it. Andy Barrack |
All material on this site is copyright
and should not be reproduced without permission
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First posted 4 November 2011 |
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