Colorado Drag Racing Pictures Wanted

you are correct. 40 + years screws up the memory

Thanks Pete

 

i worked at "widner's" in the early 70's when dan got the rear engine car, had alot of problem's with the car, years later saw it sitting at "kaiser's" shop in denver. i ran a TAD in the eighty's out of colorado springs called the 'MOUNTAIN FLYER" .

 

There are three drag strips....you forgot the oldest continuously running drag strip in the USA....
Julesburg,Colorado....it is the oldest one still running at the same location!!

 

I knew Bill and Mike Ranney personally, and somewhere I have pictures of their funny car, but they are garage pics, unfortunately I never got a pic of it racing. They're on old 35mm film. I don't know if they will download well, but if you still want them, I'll try.
Email: [email protected]

 

1 out of five ain't bad.

 

What kind of Assassination pictures are you looking for?
Roger Guzman is my general Manager at work....

 

If I was you, I would ask Roger what type of pictures he has or has access to.
Then I would scan every last one of them. Then I would see if I could get him tho tell as much as I could about each car he drove or wrenched on. I would then post on this thread or even start a thread about Roger.
I would bet he would be shocked how much interest there is in his old rides.

 

Is the strip in Grand Junction still around? I ran there in the mid-'70s, as did my brother and brother-in-law. They had a silver '68 Barracuda S 340 4-speed and a triple black '69 Dart Swinger 340. I ran a couple of POS Chevys that I had. If that is still around, that would make four tracks operational in Colorado.

The track is off US Hwy 50 at the Palisade cutoff. Eight miles from Grand Junction and 32 miles from Delta.

 

GJ track is still up and running. Not much of a track, but better than nothing. They do a "hangover nationals" meet on Jan 1 of each year along with a summer series.

 

OK.....Who wants to drive the altered in the right lane?

 

great shot^^^^^

 

Lets' do one more

 

Anyone remember "Ralph Smith" and his green 57 Chevy? Or "Warren" and his yellow "Devin." I use to race a blue 71 SST Javelin out at "Century 21" and will post a pic if I can dig one up. Those were some good times indeed!
Here is a couple of the "57 Devin."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B31p4x2fk-A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbxCkCqbHw4&feature=related

 

I second that! Roger used to bring his Assassination funny cars to my home track in the 70s a couple times a summer for match races. Great Funny Car and a nice guy.

 

Roger has some of the most beautiful race cars in the country.
John Pugh did the paint on his later cars.
I always liked his 70 Cuda that John Dekker drove

I used to have his Corvair F/C that Art Ward drove, I still have Art's fire suit

 

I'd still like to find a picture or two of Frank Estes in his "East Evans Fina" orange F/MP 55 Chevy and his brother Jim's plum colored blown CC/GAS 56 Chevy wagon.
Both cars ran in 69 at Thunder Road and CDR

 

Rasputin was Rick Pierce's '56 or '57 Corvette and the Assisination MG was called "Pegasus" after Rick and Peggy got it. I lived like 3 or 4 doors down from them in Aurora.

Brian

 

I believe this car is from Colorado.
These shots are from Thunder Valley Dragways in Marion, SD, in the area of 1982 or so,
Division 5 bracket finals...

 

"Yep" its from Colorado!

 

Anybody add any information on this rig?

 

let see how good you are by identifying these 2 gentlemen.

 

Guys:
I haven"t gone through this entire thread but I hope everybody has not forgotten about he ion Horse top fuel car. It dominated fuel racing at high altitude. Richins and Pierman (Dan and Al) were a Real threat at all altitudes. I helped them at bakersfield in the 60s and they weed bad.

 

probably totally wrong but my guess is,Roger Guzman and Rob Williams.

 

The guy on the left is Roger Guzman. He sold me the $7.00 t shirt at Thunder Valley Dragways in Marion, South Dakota

Damn those were good times..

And no.............the shirt doesn't fit anymore..........many Grain Belts later!

 

ok, you did fine on that test. I only knew which was Roger Guzman, I'll take your word on the other guy.

I think I have that same t-shirt somewhere...

Mine doesn't fit anymore either.

Must be all this good South Dakota living.

How about this one? I see the radio station is still in business in Denver, Colorado.
http://www.kbpi.com/main.html

 

I remember seeing this car run but don't know the name. I see it says someone? & Conway on the roof.

Again, some good times at Thunder Valley. Funny Cars came to town a few times a year and the guard rails were back in the grass where they belonged.

 

A buddy and i are looking for the old drag car that was driven by Art Ward and owned by Rodger Guzman called the "Assassination".. We are looking to see who might know were this car is and if it might be for sale.. This car is a early 60s Chevy Corvair funny car, so if anyone has any info please replay on here or you can email me at [email protected].... Thanks for your time..

 

That was Brian Conway from the Denver area, the car was Nelson Lengle's "Sno Town Shaker" Nitro F/C from Lakewood Co.
Brian quit driving funny cars to start driving a Jet Dragster

 

Here is a shot of Gene Goethe's Cuda "Jungle Fever" Funny Car at Bandimere in 87
Dave Greer was doing the driving....... we just lost Dave to cancer about a month ago.

 

As much as I hate to bring you bad news... The Assassination Corvair no longer exist.
I bought the car from a guy in Denver, Alan Daum from Boulder bought the car from me, Alan raced it for several years as a bracket car then Alan sold it to a guy in Ft Morgan, I bought it back from him and took it to Illinois.... I later put it up for sale and sold it to a guy named Jim Nelson in Alton IL... he totally parted it out, selling most everything at swap meets, the body ended up going to a landfill........... I know... what a shame.