Dean "Skeats" Russell purchased this car brand new from Lane Motors and then had Lane Motors has a sponsor for many years running C/SA and was the National Record Holder for a number years. I believe he still owns the car today. Skeats and his dad owned a tire shop in Norwalk, Ct. for many years. Jimbo
The Buick was raced by Russ Matthews if I remember correctly, he ran all over the country when most racers stayed close to home. He came to the Phenix City divisional in about '68 or so. To me he seemed up in age for a racer at that time but probably not any older than a lot of the current S/SS racers.
That Buick had to have been close to 5,000 pounds. There couldn't have been too many heavier stockers.
That's an intriguing question. With the help of Wikipedia plus the helpful site at www.classracerinfo.com added to my own stock of old information I was able to piece together the following: 1. The presence of the "ventiports" on the front fender suggest that "Big Daddy's" Buick was an Invicta model. 2. If so, it probably was equipped with the then-new 401" nail head motor rated at 280 horsepower because that was the only engine available in the Invicta. (There weren't that many 400+ cubic inch combinations available in 1960.) 3. NHRA no longer offers classification information on the 1960 Buick but the oldest available information (for a 1962 Invicta convertible) shows it probably would have fallen only a few pounds over the 15# per horsepower break for G/SA and that would have made it a natural choice for a dominant class car. It would have weighed roughly 4220#. 4. Russ Matthews held the G/SA speed record at 93.16 set at Alton, Illinois in 1964. (A 327 Chevy Bel Air held the ET record at 14.82.) 5. In 1966, he was then in H/SA and he held the speed record at 95.44 set at Half Moon Bay, CA. (A different Chevy held the ET record at about 14.45). I consider it to be significant that both Matthews and John Blackstock (the 1966 ET record holder) had set those marks at Half Moon Bay although Blackstock was from Illinois and Matthews was from Indiana. Even in those primitive times racers were willing to travel in order to find good air! Anyone who frequently traversed the continent during the mid-1960s would be quick to point out that the roads lacked a lot of being what they are today and the tow vehicles were even less refined. There is a good chance that both of those guys drove their cars from the mid-west to race at Half Moon Bay. You remember the drill, drive in, uncork the headers, unload the tool box, bolt on the slicks, go racing!
Just see some of the earlier Lyon's Dragstrip Stock Eliminator cars (think 1958 Chevrolet). I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
^^^I have NO idea why I spelled it that way (???)^^^. Course you're right. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Shown under a later sponsorship, This is Harvey Tilton's '62 409. Original partner was George Supinski. As run in '64..
Actually there is, or was a Lyons Raceway in Lyons Indiana. It is now called Wagler Motorsports Park.
I have a simple/dumb question for you guys: I know stock means available from the factory, but as time progressed could you use "modern" stiff from the dealer in your older model car? Like if you had a '57 Chevy, could you run a 327 in Stock or would that bump you into Modified Production or Gas class? Did the factory parts you used have to be available for/before the model-year of the car you out them in?
Shorty-In Stock you have to run an engine combination that was available that year i.e. in '57 you could run up to the FI 283-a 327 would put you in M/P or Gas depending on your car and mods you did to it.Things got real carried away for a time but you got the idea what was "allowed." Doug Schriener Pennock,Minn.
Due to the age of the cars and engines now a LOT of new replacement parts are allowed because people can't find originals. NHRA tries, and fails in my opinion, to specify new parts that are as close to the originals as they can be. But you can see that is not working because once the newer parts are allowed EVERYONE with hopes of winning immediately goes out and starts using the newer parts even if they have the older original parts.