WTF. These are about as far from NHRA Junior Stock as you could get--just a couple of custom 58 Chebbys getting ready to make a pass somewhere. Roo
Any old stocker pictures are OK with me. I can only stand so many pics of 55-57 Chevys. Just because they are not lettered up does not make them any less welcome here !
Looks like several cars that ran at the old track my dad raced at and it was an NHRA track. Not every one ran a purpose built car in the early days. These two look like they are just lowered but mild customizing was allowed.
WTF? Well they look like stockers to me. Maybe photoshop a few decals on them and somebody will be happy. Tiresome.
Member "Junior Stock" already pointed this out in one of the posts above. Loudbang responded to "JS"pointing out the error. We get it you don't like the guy nor his posts but you really are becoming annoying to the point of spoiling the thread for others.
I believe LB is right on this one. Just think of the 56 as background. There actually was an M/G class later on, for 6 cylinder cars. I don't believe this is the case here, though.
I'm looking for a couple hints from the 1962 NHRA nationals. Don Cope won I/S=w/p=19.00-20.99 in a "Ford" with 16.69 at 79.85mph. A "Ford", wow, that really narrows it down. I guessed a new 1962 Fairlane with the hot new small block 221cid belting out 145hp. One of VERY few Fords in the lower classes so very curious. Any ideas? Another: Roberta Leighton - first female NHRA class winner! She won J/S=w/p=21.00 at the same meet with 18.36 at 75.28mph. She drove a "Chevy Camino". No year given or engine of course. Any ideas there?? NHRA lists the El Camino for 1959 and 1960 but no other years (at least in today's guides). But for those years nothing fits the J/S=21.00-24.99 class. And finally: "Little Lucky" Jim Hogan won F/SA=w/p=15.00-15.59 in a "Chevy". I could guess a common combo but really have no idea.
Werby, Not sure of the exact details because I didn't become involved in Stock Eliminator until the 1963 season but I did know Roberta Leighton in later years. If memory serves correctly, Roberta was the sister (or a similarly close relative) of long-time Division 7 Director, Bernie Partridge. They raced in the "high desert" region around Inyokern and Ridgecrest (north of Lancaster along US395). Some years later, after the "purge" she raced a 396, '65 Impala SS convertible in SS/MA. It had a "stars and stripes" paint motif and we knew her as "Red, White, and Roberta." As her career wound down, Roberta worked for a number of years as the "pit parking lady" who wrangled Sportsman racers into their assigned pit spots before regional and national events along the west coast. With regard to your original question, I suspect that the answer lies in the classification of a 1960 El Camino, 283, 170 horsepower, with Automatic. At different times through the years, sticks ran heads-up against automatics in slower classes and "J" was near the bottom in the early years. That combination breaks at 20.94 using today's weights and horsepower ratings so it's conceivable that she could have entered the car in that class, given her status within NHRA. Sometimes things were done without an apparently logical basis. For example, if the car was equipped with factory A/C, she might have petitioned to have the shipping weight adjusted. Later, we went through similar mental gymnastics in classifying cars that were equipped with factory installed T-tops. Occasionally changes were made, on-the-run, in the tech line. There are a goodly number of anomalies to be found in the archives so that's only a guess. On the Ford combination and the F/SA question, your guess is as good as mine. Neither of those names rings a bell with me. There were lots of combinations and drag racers are an innovative bunch. Almost every combination, no matter how unlikely, has probably been tried at some time or another over the decades. Hope this is helpful and apologetic if it's not. c
My 1962 NHRA rulebook shows J/S as 21.50 to 24.99 lbs per advertised horsepower. The NHRA Red Book Classification Guide shows the 283/170 with P/G as 21.56 when it was still rated at 170. The 20.94 factor was after the engine was re-rated to 175. That means Roberta's 1960 El Camino with a 283/170 and a P/G fell in the top of the J/S class. In 1962 there was no separation of stick and automatic from H/S down through L/S.
Should have known you'd have the explanation, Travis! Thanks for clearing that up and thanks for hanging onto the paperwork that can shine light on things that happened almost sixty years ago! c
Thanks Kentuckian, I had never really looked that close at those lower classes in the guide - didn't realize the automatics could run in the lower stick classes. Probably so few cars down there NHRA just left the stick&auto classes combined? Anyway here is what I have so far - thanks to Tom Kasch on Classracer too for scrounging the original sheets. Here is my "guesswork" at the car models and engines. Comments welcome of course. The "Pontiac" in C/SA has 3 very possible combos that fit: 60 Cat 9p wagon 389/363 SD * 60 Ventura 389/333 * 61 Bonneville 389/318 I guessed the Ventura, figuring they were more common cars, and the 389/333 would be easy to make with just a cam swap. Perzan ran the wagon combo later (Big Bruiser) and it ran much better. So the Bennett car is still a guess.
I suspect that the C/SA may have been Don Bennett who was a line mechanic at Community Pontiac in Whittier, CA. Don, who passed away within the past couple of years, was a die-hard Pontiac racer and a regular at the Sunday drags at Pomona. I don't remember what model he drove in '62 but he would most likely have had the lightest body with biggest motor that was streetable. If he was at the '62 Nationals, he probably drove the car to the race.
posted by rudestude here:https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...tch-race-photos.1101449/page-18#post-12697697 Don't see many of these. C/SA maybe one with a supercharger?? posted by 1947knuck in the same thread
Fred Anderson was part of a three car (all 57 Chevy) team that included the Patrick brothers' "In Bomber" and Don Stephenson's "Tension" and in fact Fred drove the Patrick car to the H/S victory and also was runner up in Stock Elim at the 68 Nationals Roo