Anybody from Pomona remember this gasser?

a little more info from Royce...


Road Agents Car Club
Garey High School

Illegal street racing in Pomona, and surrounding areas, caused the Pomona Police Department to initiate a campaign of contacting local high schools for suggestions of how to curb such activity. Shortly thereafter, it was decided that the formation of car clubs, emphasizing safety, might help. Garey High School was the only local school that participated. The club was named the Road Agents Car Club. Soon after the club was formed, the Garey Auto Shop teacher, Royce Hunt purchased a 1940 Studebaker coupe that was in the early stages of being modified for drag racing. Over the next year or so, he, and a group of the Road Agents club members known as the Road Agents Racing Team, finished the project. Working after school and weekends, the racing team completed what is thought to be the first high school based NHRA legal race car. For the next few years, the car was entered in numerous class, ET bracket, and match racing events. The racing team entered the Ford Motorsports High School Drag Racing championships at Irwindale Raceway driving their own cars. The team finished in the top third of participants.. Ford Motor Company awarded the student who advanced the furthest for each high school, a Ford Motorsports racing jacket and a tool box, with tools, worth $200. Roger Cheatham was the winner from Garey High.

 

In response to 5W32’s last post re: the Road Agents: The posting was an excerpt from a document designed to locate and contact as many of the former members as possible to set up a meeting with 5W32 when he arrives in Pomona for the Winternationals. Actually, the birth of the Road Agents Car Club was sort of a replay of the birth of NHRA drag racing. The track at Pomona was created in an attempt, by the Pomona Police Department, Chief Parker, and a group of other individuals, to provide an outlet for young car enthusiasts who were engaging in illegal and unsafe drag racing on the So Cal streets. Boys will always be boys – right? NHRA held its first officially sanctioned drag race here in 1953. From that meager beginning, our beloved sport has grown to be the most extreme motor sport on earth.

 

i was contacted by Angel Nieves who worked with Wally Parks to establish an NHRA street legal racing program at Pomona , here is some of the information he passed on about the stude and how Royce and the students inspired him.

we are trying to find Betty because she might have old info from the school district and photos of the stude at the various tracks, does anyone know her or how to contact her?

Hello Steve, got you email. No I haven't got a contact of my friend. Her name was Betty. I been asking around. She got divorced 12 year ago. Might left Calif. I knew her ex-husband Richard , he was a Comp eliminator racer (D/Dragster, 1970s-1990s) and a co-Edison worker with my younger brother. Will still ask around. I know that she worked at Garey High in the 1970s and then at the Pomona School District administrator. Last time I saw her was 10 years ago. During our years working with the school districts, I was with Los Angeles Unified School District and she was with Pomona, went I see her at the drag strips, we always talked about the high schools auto shop drag car projects, the one at Garey High (Stude gasser), the one at Pioneer High in Santa Ana (?) with the white 57 Chevy. We talked about the high school bracket racing at old Irwindale Raceway and Orange County Intl Raceway and how important to have them. 20 years later than was still in my mine, all the local drag strips closed down by then (1983), except for Pomona Raceway which was only used for the Winternationals and the World Finals. Then in the early 1990s, I made my move to NHRA to bring back amature drag racing (using mufflers) for the family hobbyist and the high school youths. I had alot of "Homework" to do. Lots of people and friends said it NEVER happen. It did, on August 4 1994 and thru the year 2000. AND that blue high school Studebaker gasser was still in my mine all those years until last month when I saw your post on the HAMB!

If the weather is good, would like to meet everybody and you at Pomona Winternationals.

 

Pretty cool Steve , too bad it wasn't a 37 Chev . Just kidding , the Stude is awesome . Nice to see an old race car on the way back to the track .
Good luck in your quest
Doug

 

this is the road agents racing team sign on the side of the tow van and a still shot from irwindale

 

I just got home from a day with 5W32 and his son at the Winternationals. WHAT A BLAST !!! Due to rain, (I HATES RAIN {he quotes, sounding like Yosemite Sam}), we spent yesterday touring the manufacturing facility of another gearhead car collector freak in Rancho Cucamonga, who also has a ’40 Studey coupe, along with numerous other collector cars, motor cycles, parts etc., making his stuff literally "a pile." That too, was a blast. His pile goes from room, to room, to room, etc., in a very large building.

The purpose for all this fun was to meet the new owner of Great Balls O’ Fire to make a determination as to whether he was “good enough” for my old girl – sort of like “Dad” meeting the daughter’s new boy friend. Well -“Guess What”- he sure as hell passed Old Pops’ careful scrutiny and interrogation! I am certain that he will make her a happy girl! I just hope she jacks up his testosterone level as much as she did mine.

We are all, including some of the old Road Agents Racing Team, going to the NHRA Museum tomorrow morning to button up some videotaping for a (shhh) “secret project” and then heading back to the strip for the finals. Our next face to face meeting, if things go as planned, will be in Bakersfield for the Old Timers Reunion on October to continue with - the “secret project.”

Final thought: Far more “real race cars” have doors, than don’t!

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I've been digging this thread almost from the start. Its pretty cool that you get to see your car resurrected after all these years. Not many of us get that option. Is 5W32 going to let you drive it?

 

OahuEli,
First, some of the fun and games today (Sunday). 5W32 and his son met me, the last president of the Road Agents and his brother inlaw (old school buddy and club member) at the Wally Parks NHRA Museum today. The plan was to work a little more on the "secret project" then go to the finals at the strip. We had a great time relateing and laughing about old memories of racing in the past and the car. I sadly told the group that I would not be returning to the strip because my wife and I went to dinner last night and apparently got someting bad in the food, thus making last night a nightmare. I was still very "queezy" and simply wanted to go home and try to get some sleep. After I got a bit of rest, I watched the finals I had recorded on ESPN 2 in my nice soft WARM recliner. A whole lot nicer than freezing my butt off like yesterday.

Although I have never felt comfortable driving other peoples' toys (fearful of blowing something up), I would really like to drive my old friend again. However, as I used to see the age of 71 approaching through the windshield, I now see it rapidly shrinking away in the rear view mirror. With that in mind, and accepting the reality that my reflexes have measurably diminished over the last 40 years (the last time I drove the old girl), and my ability to make snap decisions is a bit suspect (I told the group that my brain was not yet like Swiss cheese, but that it had degenerated from extra sharp cheddar to just regular cheddar cheese), I think I will be more than happy to just start her up and hit the pedal a couple of times to see if it still tickles my butt like it used to (never had much padding in the seat).

 

wow, my son and i just got back from the 2011 Pomona Winternationals. it was awesome to hook up with "old pops" and the club members, some great stories were drug up from the past as well as more missing details of the car. now i have alot of work to do before October for the Bakersfeild Hot Rod Reunion. it will be cool to see the smile on old pops face when he sits behind the wheel and blips the throttle once again.

 

I dig this thread SO much! It makes me want to get back in touch w/ pals from my ol' power mechanics class.

 

Too cool, right on man!

 

-finally got the interior ,carpet,seats and seat belts all complete.

-redid the eelco gas pedal and linkage

 

did a rear license plate light and finished the 7 gal moo fuel tank yesterday

 

A fantastic thread!

 

new master cyl. hinged cover

 

new race studs installed today

 

heres the road agents logo made into a decal

 

5W32,

The old logo looks great on the car. The Road Agents who showed for the Winternationals are ready to go for screened t-shirts and screened or embroidered jackets. We feel that a lot more club members may reappear if we dangled the retro-decals, shirts and jackets in front of them. What do you think?

Sorry you could not go with us when we went classic Studebaker hunting in Pomona last week.

 

fantastic thread, a TOTAL stoke for us old gasser fans...any chance you'll have this out for the Old Times at Mission this year?

 

This thread is just way too cool!!!

 

mr galore, nice truck ...i have seen you driving around! if we get the engine parts issues sorted out it should be running very soon ..... had to return the Engle car( factory irregularities) , also JE pistons (supplied 2 faulty pistons ), can't wait to give it a blast down the Mission 1/4 !!

 

Just an awesome story.......... I wish I had an auto shop teacher like chief imagineer when I was in high school. And 5w32 thanks for keeping history alive.

 

The current principal is up to speed in progressive teaching. He may have political ambitions.

 

awesome thread!

 

i did not realize till today just how addictive the gasser thing is....theres going to be another vintage gasser in the garage soon! another history search coming! photos soon......

 

i think i'll take one of the embroidered jackets!and will proudly wear it to all of the friday night cruze's here!

 

Awesome story!! I hope to make it up to the October meet to see this in person.! I love Studebakers! My pops and I have 4 between us. 3 pu's and his 53 hardtop. He had a 39 champion coupe for 10yrs but sold it about 3-4yrs ago. I would love to build a 39 sedan gasser style!

 

post #206 plans have had to change, no more "new" gasser coming to the garage ....my daughter announced she is giving birth to my grandson in august! maybe he will be a stude freak like me as a kid! my son sure is!

 

Congratulations 5w32 !! My 6th (biological) grandchild (boy) was born a week ago. Also have 2 step grandkids. As Garrison Keiler would say, "the children are all 'above average'" and provide a lot of joy. Vickye and I tell our kids that the grandchildren are our "revenge."

Have requests for quotes out for Road Agents t shirts and jackets. Have a few inquiries from former Garey High students who follow the thread.

 

thanks, Evan is excited to be an uncle! we would like 2 road agents jackets as well, i wonder if they make a baby size!