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History 57 Chev Poppycock crash at Wichita in 71.

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by seesko, Aug 15, 2009.

  1. Anyone here present that summer night in 1971 at Wichita International Raceway?
    I was waiting to make my first trip down the drag strip in my new 66 Mustang. I had befriended a guy with a red 69 Boss 429. He was giving me the lowdown on staging and and the Christmas tree. I was 17 and ready to go drag racing.
    As I was waiting a really nice '57 Chevy named Poppycock was making a run. About 2/3's thru his run the car rolled. I was stunned. :eek: All the emergency vehicles got down there. The driver was able to walk to the ambulance. I had heard later he died on the way to the hospital. I've forgotten his name thru the years.
    Needless to say, I didn't race that night. Itwas a sobering introduction to drag racing. I raced plenty of times through the years. Met the guy with the 429 13 years later through a mutual friend. Even got to go for a ride in the Boss. That crap about them not being fast was just that, Crap. :D
    What a memory.
     
  2. jrsiron
    Joined: Sep 10, 2006
    Posts: 120

    jrsiron
    Member

    I was there. I think his name was Bob Castle.
     
  3. skunx1964
    Joined: Aug 21, 2008
    Posts: 1,455

    skunx1964
    Member

  4. That was it!! I had heard his name that night but couldn't remember it. That was a sad night :(. I don't think it was required, at that time, to wear a helmet for cars that ran slower than a certain ET. After that it was. Thanks.
     

  5. RICKY MCGREGOR
    Joined: Sep 16, 2006
    Posts: 148

    RICKY MCGREGOR
    Member
    from wichita ks

    I can still remember it.
     
  6. Tom davison
    Joined: Mar 15, 2008
    Posts: 6,042

    Tom davison
    Member
    from Phoenix AZ

    Does anyone in Wichita remember a young local guy who raced an altered, I think. He had grey hair barely in his twenties, supposedly from driving this hairy altered. I believe he also died in a racing accident back in the 60's.
     
  7. speedtool
    Joined: Oct 15, 2005
    Posts: 2,540

    speedtool
    BANNED

    This was before I was driving.
    Where is Jim Marlett?
    He might remember this stuff!
     
  8. lippy
    Joined: Sep 27, 2006
    Posts: 6,825

    lippy
    Member
    from Ks

    Remember the old Coca-Cola funnycar circuit that came through there? We were there with John Collins (ex Mongoose duster) and ran 229 there one night. I think 1st round was the Houston oiler car or something. One run I went down to the finish line and snuck over beside the track off the return road. I crouched down at the finish line and John went by me with flames over the roof.:D:cool::cool::cool: remember the piss poor, (if at all) lights in the shutoff area? When they came down the return road and picked me up on the way back to the pits I asked him...Did you see me at the finish line? he said..yeah, did you see me flip you off when I went by? :p:D:D I said, I thought you had a booger. :D Man that track was junk!:p
     
  9. The shut down area was pretty scary. Espeially on a bike at 110. Sure a lot of great racing there. I always loved the all H-D drags. Some Harley guy would run make a 13 or 14 second run and they'd go nuts.
     
  10. The Boss was plenty fast. Ford underated the HP for some unknown reason.
    I wasn't there for that crash but I remember folks talking about it in my circles and I was living @ the lake of the ozarks at the time. Man that was a lifetime ago wasn't it?
     
  11. It's hard to believe how much water goes under the bridge sometimes.:eek:
    The Boss 302's were rated low too. Insurance reasons I think.
    I think that 429 was running in the 10's back then.
     
  12. Camarokid76
    Joined: Feb 28, 2012
    Posts: 2

    Camarokid76
    Member

    The drivers name was Bob Cassil, not castle. Bob is a legend here in Newton. He was one of the first people to find the problems that plagued the fuel injection system on the 57 chevy! His 2 sons didn't fall far from the tree. Bill is the older son, and manages a drag strip in Iowa call the Tri-Cities raceway. Tracy has a 66 Nova that races in NHRA Stock class. Al though he doesn't drive it, it is currently a record holder in his class (H/Stock i think) The drivers first name is Tim, out of Salina. The Poppycock sat in our local salvage yard for years, Bare shell and 1 door, until it was crushed.
     
  13. Camarokid76
    Joined: Feb 28, 2012
    Posts: 2

    Camarokid76
    Member

    Was the guy with Boss 429 out of Newton. There was one here that was red in color. and ran like a raped ape!!! This guy was so picky about this car, he wrote down everything he did to it. From oil changes, to tire inflation!
     
  14. slammed58buick
    Joined: Mar 14, 2005
    Posts: 274

    slammed58buick
    Member

    I remember my grandfather talking about that guy. His name was Gary Decker and his dad owned a construction company in Wichita. One of my grandfathers favorite stories about him took place at Great Bend, KS. They were there racing and he had engine problems. That night, Gary, pulled the motor out of his car and tore it apart in his hotel room at the Holiday Inn. The manager came back to the room and went crazy. Gary's dad replied "bill me for it, we have an engine to rebuild." You are correct that he died in an accident, but it wasn't a racing accident. His dad bought him a small Pontiac in early 60's with a 4-cylinder in it, he and his dad pulled the 4-clyinder out of it and dropped a v-8 in its place. Later on he was driving the car fast down Kellogg and lost control and hit a bridge. It killed him almost instantly. My grandfather remembers it pretty well.
     
  15. Butch M
    Joined: Oct 14, 2008
    Posts: 1,633

    Butch M
    Member

    I remember that 57 well
     
  16. 1968FED
    Joined: Sep 6, 2010
    Posts: 115

    1968FED
    Member
    from Goddard KS

    I was there, 15 years old, my Dad had taken to the races that night. I still remember watching the 57 go by on the wrecker or trailer after the accident.
     
  17. Kan Kustom
    Joined: Jul 20, 2009
    Posts: 2,739

    Kan Kustom
    Member

    Wow,I have thought of that car a million times.I stared at it every time I came into Newton. I raced almost every saturday night at Wichita back then but was not there the night he crashed. Just came across this thread and it brings back so many memories. Another guy I knew from here in Emporia, Kansas was killed at Wichita also.His name was Morris Bitler.He had a speed shop here in Emporia for years.When he was staging one of his front brakes froze up.He backed up a few times till it freed up.He should have put it away but he was the kind of guy who once gets excited theres no turning back. Through the traps the brake locked again and that was it.
     
  18. UNCLECHET
    Joined: Dec 3, 2002
    Posts: 1,209

    UNCLECHET
    Member

    I know a bunch of people that knew him. It's certainly still talked about and I've never heard anyone say anything bad about him. There was a 57 Chevy at the Chill car show that I think might have been his somewhere along the way. That was the story I got. Somewhere I've got a pic of it. I'll see if I can post it up.

    As far as the All Harley Drags I remember Pete Hill running a blown knuckle getting in the 8's, or Marion Owens too. 10s street bike times. I also saw Dave Campos summersault his twin engine drag bike at the big end. They hauled him to the hospital but he came back later to watch. I think he had a broken arm.
     
  19. UNCLECHET
    Joined: Dec 3, 2002
    Posts: 1,209

    UNCLECHET
    Member

    Well, I'm having some trouble finding the pix. And by the way I was talking late 70s to mid 80s for the Top Fuel Harley ETs. And I've drank a bunch of beer since then. They might have been faster. I just know it was awesome. Pete Hill machined the cylinders of his bike out of a railroad car axle.
     
  20. UNCLECHET
    Joined: Dec 3, 2002
    Posts: 1,209

    UNCLECHET
    Member

    Here ya' go.
     

    Attached Files:

  21. UNCLECHET
    Joined: Dec 3, 2002
    Posts: 1,209

    UNCLECHET
    Member

    Here's the engine. Really nice car.
     

    Attached Files:

  22. Kan Kustom
    Joined: Jul 20, 2009
    Posts: 2,739

    Kan Kustom
    Member

    Anyone have pictures of the Poppycock 57 ?
     
  23. I love these kind of stories. Even though I have nothing to add, it's fun to listen to folks as they remember a certain event from the past and then watch as others recall the same thing. Very cool. It always seems to be "local history" that shapes our lives. The activities and places shared with others brings us all together. OK, I'm getting a little sappy now. Cool story.
     
    alphabet soup likes this.
  24. Kan Kustom
    Joined: Jul 20, 2009
    Posts: 2,739

    Kan Kustom
    Member

    The guy that lettered Poppycock ,John Weibe`s top fuel rail and some of Garlit`s Swamp Rats did an intro about this here on the HAMB.Very cool story.Nobody answered his Intro and he hasn`t been back on here yet.I emailed him and hope he answers. His HAMB handle is Donavon Schmidt
     
  25. .........I think if you look again both you and I welcomed him earlier this morning.:eek:
     
  26. Kan Kustom
    Joined: Jul 20, 2009
    Posts: 2,739

    Kan Kustom
    Member

    Yes we did but he did his Intro quite awhile back.
     
    lothiandon1940 likes this.
  27. lawman
    Joined: Sep 19, 2006
    Posts: 2,665

    lawman
    Member

    These are great stories Guy's. Real life from years past.
     
  28. .....Good point. Looks like he hasn't even logged on since Sept. 15th. Hope it's just that he's been busy.:)
     
  29. Kan Kustom
    Joined: Jul 20, 2009
    Posts: 2,739

    Kan Kustom
    Member

    Thats what is so cool about this forum. Years ago we only knew what was and is happening localy.Now we know what each other did and are doing everywhere.
     
    lothiandon1940 likes this.
  30. biscaynes
    Joined: Mar 16, 2008
    Posts: 1,647

    biscaynes
    Member

    have this in my stash....
    appears to be at least '69, there's a '69 chevelle in the bkgrd

    [​IMG]
     
    lumpy 63 and kidcampbell71 like this.

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