History SUNDAY SUNDAY at Aquasco Speedway

You're welcome, Clik. Thanks for posting it- my father had a '62 Impala in the same color back when he was in high school. He's got pictures of it from when he got the bright idea to put a set of cheater slicks on the car and take a trip up to the mountains, then got caught in a storm. The drive back home was pretty hairy. The car got stolen some years later and he never got it back.

 

Thanks for posting the pic, that car is beautiful.

 

According to the owner gold was a rare color for those cars that year. He said he thought less than 70.

 

Henry Knauf from Northern Virginia
AHRA B/Stock Record Holder
1963 AHRA Summernationals Class Champion

Anybody else got some more photos???

 

It’s funny- I asked my father about this last night, because at the time he had the car he was working with my Grandfather painting cars at Lustine's and at the time he would change colors on his vehicles on a regular basis, but he said his '62 was an original Anniversary Edition- the paint color was actually called "Anniversary Gold", and they had a cream colored interior. He only knew of one other one other anniversary edition Impala in the area- which was a twin to his car, called the A-Go-Go.

He used the see that car at the DC Armory shows back then every year, and even talked with the owner about putting both cars in the show side by side, but that never came about. From what he remembers the A-Go-Go originally had a 327, but the owner later switched to a 409. And at the time it ran Cragar SS wheels.

Thanks again for sharing, Clik.

 

Great story, thanks for posting it.

 

Anyone else have any stories or pictures from this Golden Era of drag racing in the D.C. and Mid-Atlantic area?

 

You're right "Anniversary Gold" was a special paint, and it was available only in 1962, cause that year was the "50th" anniversary of Chevrolet. (50th is the golden anniversary) I have seen the 409 powered A-Go-Go at a nostalgia meet at 75-80 dragway a while back. It was a beauty. Also, had an interesting "mechanical" line lock devise. I have seen one other original anniversary gold Impala ('62 of course) that would park along the streets of Baker Park in Frederick, MD, when I worked there in the 70s. Chevy had another gold in '62 called Autumn Gold Metallic, but it was dull by comparison. I had a '62 in that color and it was not very good, had an olive tint to it. The Anniversary Gold is indeed rare, and very beautiful.

 

Thanks, DYNO360, for adding some memories to this thread................Don.

 

The first time I went to Aquasco was the summer of '61. I remember seeing '60 and '61 Chevys and some '61 Fords. One of the Fords was named "Sick Jean". Most of them were running factory, 3 deuce intakes. Sometimes they would put the 3-2s on their roofs of their cars in the pits so everyone could see that they had the hot set up.
And speaking of three twos, I remember a Pontiac from Delaware, I think it was driven by Harold Ramsey. Boy could he shift a 4 speed, as good as Ronnie Sox. One time after making a timed run with a four barrel in his Pontiac, (I think it was a '61 Catalina), he parked his car near the starting line in the grass so everyone could see him work on his car. In a short period of time, he changed the manifold over to a 3-2 set up and made another run. I think it was faster. What a guy, a great shifter, plus a top mechanic.
One of the Chevys, a blue '61 with the 348, 350 hp. was very fast. I think it was driven by Staysack (sp?) from Baltimore. He obviously had "worked" on the engine, but I think he had too much piston clearance. While staging the car at the starting line, the car would be engulfed in blue smoke, but once going it would run like a "raped ape"!
There were some fast Corvettes. I sorta remember the names "Tar Baby" and "Tomato Can". They were fast!
Best of all were the pre-war coupes. Of course there was "Jolly Dolly", (the name taken from a country song by Carl Smith called "Hey Joe", which was popular back then). There was a gold '34 Ford called the Tennessee Stud, a beautiful car. My favorite was Bud Sholenberger's black, '40 Ford with an Oldsmobile "Rocket" engine. There were other '40 Fords there too. Right now, I'm looking for pictures that I took back in '61. If I find them, I'll post them.

 

Dyno360 Keep the stories coming would love to see some pictures. Grew up a little to late ,but hang out with guys that went there.

 

Well I was around when I heard these adds on the radio and watched them on TV!

 

Thanks, guys, for adding to this thread. Great stuff! DYNO360, I had no idea that the "Jolly Dolly" moniker came from a country song of the day. Thanks again for posting your memories. They are priceless.....................Don.

 

Yea I remember those adds very well. I was at york with my dad and uncle in the late 60's. I just never made it to Aquasco.

 

DYNO360....If I recall correctly "Sick Jean" was driven by Haywood Miller. It was a red 61 Ford 390-375HP. There was also a black 61 Starliner driven by Garland Alston that was very fast. I met both of these fellows at Aquasco...JT

 

Here's part of the lyrics. "Hey Joe.
Where'd You Find That Pearly Girly
Where'd You Get That Jolly Dolly
How'd You Rate That Dish I Wish Was Mine"
Here's the you tube link:

 

Small world. I worked at York in the early 60's with Bill Holtz and Chub Lorah. I did "hot lane" starting and announcing with the late, Bill Bloom.

 

Yeah, love those Starliners, arguably the sleakest looking stocker of all time. Sadly, they only made them in '60 and '61. Today, they are a very rare find, compared to other '61 models.

 

Love that video, thanks for posting it. Just goes to show, you can learn something new every day if you pay attention. I'm a sucker for some pedal steel as well...............Don.

 

Very similar were the radio spots for York US 30 Drag-O-Way. Only they did the "Sunday, Sunday!" shout in a speeded up, "chipmunk" style voice. I loved it. In the background they used music from the movie, "The Rat Race" with Tony Curtis. Everytime I would hear it, it would get my heart pumpin'.

 

Dyno,
Very interesting about the country song. Bob Bernardon was the owner of the Jolly Dolly 39 Chevy. It probably didn't hurt that his wife's name was "Dolly". Bob passed away in 2007 but Dolly is alive and well and still living in the same house Maryland. And so is the car, now owned and fully restored by one of Bernardon's good friends Charlie Gauthier.

 

Yeah, Jolly Dolly was in a class by itself. I remember seeing it a York US 30. A true Show & Go machine. It had chrome plated front suspension parts! Ran C/Gas, but at York ran D/Gas ???? Never could figure that out. I would lay on the ground in the staging lanes, when he made a run at night. The strip was actually a working airport and had lights on the ground at the edge of the runway. When he would shift into 2nd and 3rd, you could just barely see light under his front tires as he was making very small "wheel stands". What a car.
I saw it "restored", it was still beautiful as ever, but had a big block chevy in it.
One other memory. His car was so well liked, he often would come back (after a run) on the drag strip itself, instead of using the return road. When he got back near the starting line, you could hear him down shift the four speed, helping him slow down. Like I said, "in a class by itself".

 

Dyno360,

Go to the thread "Anyone out there have pics. of the "Jolly Dolly" 1939 Chevy Coupe Gasser". Or go to the top of the page where the little flag with the magnifying glass is, and search for Jolly Dolly. It has been completely restored back to "early 60's" version with Hilborn Injected smallblock etc. ........Very well done.

 

That's good news. When I saw it with the big block is was about 20 years ago, and I haven't seen the car since then. It's not my car, but I think it is best as a small block.

 

I've seen the car on numerous occasions in the last few years (inside Jalopyrama, Rodders Journal Pimlico Show and at the last reunion event at Old Dominion as well as the York US 30/ Musclecar Madness @ York Exposition Bldg.). It is still as beautiful and awe inspiring as it was so many decades ago. Great memories of watching it race.

 

Yes, Don, we were so privileged to have the Jolly Dolly grace the wooden floor of the Glen Burnie Armory during a past Jalopyrama. I believe it was 2006. That car has been my favorite hot rod since I first saw it run in the early '60s. I ran around with a bunch of blue oval guys at the time and it was particularly fulfilling to give them the business cuz the Jolly Dolly was beating everything in sight. Thanks to Dave for posting that beautiful pic of her above. I'm going to snag that one to add to my Jolly Dolly collection.

Although a GM man through and through, I always thot that '61 Starliner was one of best designs Ford ever had. I thot it was especially stunning in black with a red interior. A guy I went to school with had one in that color scheme and I was constantly marveled by it. I'm saddened to say that he was one brave American who didn't make it back from Vietnam. I don't know whatever happened to his car, and in the scheme of things, it doesn't really matter.

I remember another black Ford, a '62 with a 406, that ran at Aquasco and Capital. I don't remember who the driver was, but I believe the car was called, "Blackjack." Some here may have a better recollection of it, but the two things I remember were that it was pretty fast and it had some lettering on the back, "FYJIMO." Turns out it was a message to all those who were seeing his taillights as he crossed the finish line. It translated to F you jack, I'm movin' on! Strange the things one remembers.

 

Yeah, I remember "Black Jack". I loved the Fords and the Chevy stockers. I have been searching and searching for my old Aquasco pictures. Hope I find them soon, before I go bonkers.
There were also some fast Pontiacs. There was a guy in my town, who had been shot up in the Korean War. He had metal braces on his legs, but he could still drive a car. One day I was hanging around the Esso (now called Exxon) station after school (it was in the opposite direction from school than my house) and I was about 4 miles away from home and I needed a lift. This guy had a white '60 Pontiac 2 door with a 4 speed on the floor, and gave me a lift. It was first ride in a hot car (I didn't know it had 3 two bbls) and he pulled out of the gas station real easy and started to wind up 1st gear.
Instead of shifting to 2nd, he nailed it! When those 3-2s kicked in it sounded like a cannon went off! The '60 Pontiac had a slide rule speedometer. Everytime he shifted a gear, I swear it looked like the car jumped 10 mph! Needless, to say I was impressed and hooked on fast cars from that time on.
Another Pontiac guru was Albert (Al) Sadilac (sp?) He had a '40 Pontiac coupe with a 389 new engine with 6 two bbls, and did the wrenching on Gerald Thurston's '60 and '61 Pontiacs. Both cars were the fastest in town. Gerald ran Dave Strickler (driving his '61 Biscayne with a 409) at York US 30. It was a close race, but Strickler won. In 1962 a guy in town bought a red, factory lightweight Pontiac with the super duty engine. I didn't see it, but the guys said he raced it at Aquasco and blew a slick and the car slid through the finish line on its roof.

 

DYNO360 love the starliner Always had a soft spot for them. They look real good with a cammer stuck in them. Do you remember the starliner Diamond Jim Brady ran out of his dads dealer ship in front royal virginia fe powered. How about a 63 split window with big buck operation on the side. Raced by Guss and Rick Cook. They also had a beautiful 59 corvette candy blues and red insert with cookie crumbler wrote on it. B/MP. They ran out of there speed shop here in town.

 

Hey thanks for posting that flier. I had forgotten about this event. Went last yr. and it was a pretty nice affair.

 

Wow!, Well said and so true. I would love to see something like that come to fruition.