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ROUND
ONE: Featuring
Jungle Jim Liberman, Dave Benjamin, Joe Jacono, Lew Arrington,
Jim Dunn, Mike Burkhart, the Sundance Monza, Ira Hollensbe, Tom the Mongoose McEwen, Gene Snow, Billy Meyer, the Bad
Habit Pinto, and the Cassidy Brothers.
Any
look back at 70s F/Cs has got to begin with "Jungle Jim"
Liberman from West Chester, PA. One of the top all time crowd
pleasers and showman in drag racing, Jungle's demand was such
that at one time he had to field 3 funny cars scattered all over
the country to cover his bookings. While not remembered as a frequent
national event winner, the first "official" NHRA F/C
win (69 Winternationals) was recorded by Clare Sanders driving
JJ's #2 car. JJ's only NHRA national event victory came at the
75 Summernationals (although JJ did win numerous AHRA flopper
shows). Super Stock & Drag Illustrated said of him "He
never won a World Championship. He would often arrive late at
booked-in races. He would give track owners heart failure... but
he would fill the stands with fans from coast to coast... they
adored the harmonica playing kid from Pennsylvania." (Photo
courtesy of Drag Racing Memories)
Another
"character" from the 70s, Dave "Nasty" Benjamin
ran altereds and his early F/C efforts from his chassis shop in
Albuquerque, NM. Benjamin alternated between racing F/Cs and AA/FAs
during the 70s... first funny car effort was Corvette in 72. This
car, photographed at the 78 AHRA Winternationals, was destroyed
on it's maiden outing. Benjamin later took over the cockpit of
Nelson Lengle's "Sno-Town Shaker" entry to finish out
the 78 season then fielded his own floppers through the 80s and
90s. Benjamin was one of the sport's unheralded innovators introducing
3 valve heads, one of the first dual fuel pump system (80), etc.
"Nasty" took his last funny car ride as an owner at
the 99 AHRA World Finals at Spokane... is currently doing occasional
driving chores in the "Impulse" F/C. (JW Last photo). For more on Dave
see http://www.draglist.com/stories/SOD%20May%202000/SOD-053100.htm
Delaware's
"Joltin Joe" Jacono, circa 1973, ran an East Coast schedule
with his popular funny cars. Following T/F efforts in the 60s,
Jacono's first flopper was an SOHC powered ex-Tasca "Brief
Encounter" Mustang in 1970 which burned before it had a chance
to be sorted out. He followed up with an ex-Big John Mazmanian
"Brief Encounter" Cuda in 71-72 and ultimately this
Woody Gilmore chassised "Rollin Stoned" entry. Cartoon
character on car was a parody of Jacono's Caveman nickname. Despite
his limited schedule Jacono was competitive as evidenced by his
second place finish in 73 NED WCS flopper points race. Car was
campaigned mostly on a "match race" basis through 1976.
Arguably biggest win came at the 75 NHRA National Open at Cecil
County over Bill Leavitt. (Photo courtesy of Drag Racing Memories)
One of funny cars "founding
fathers," Lew Arrington moved to PA in the late 60s with
his Firebird flopper to set up shop with his popular series of
"Brutus" funny cars. Firebird shell gave way to Mustang
body in 71... neat trick on first Mustang was fitting 392 powerplant
with Boss 429 valve covers to round out the Ford look. Pictured
is Arrington's 72 Mustang at Englishtown, NJ... design on hood/roof
represented nitro molecules. Car started the season a brilliant
orange but due to a paint problem faded as the season continued... later
burned to the ground at Epping NH. Arrington's last nitro ride
was at the wheel of the Brutus Charger (ex-Nichols & Oxner)
that ran out the Fred Forkner's Delaware stables. Arrington later
sold the "Brutus" name to Roy Harris who carried it
into the 80s. Arrington became one of the charter Rocket F/C pilots
with his swoopy "Capt America" Mustang in the mid-70s
and was joined in the RF/C ranks by former F/C drivers Fred Goeske
and Sam Miller. (JW Last Photo)
West Coast campaigner
and Top Fuel transplant, Jim Dunn ventured East with his killer
"budget" F/C for the first time in the summer of 71
using bookings for the car to pay for a family vacation. Dunn
later campaigned the most successful of the limited number of
rear engine funny cars that cropped up in the early 70s; a 'Cuda
bodied car that once doubled as a T/F car at the same meet with
a different body and was the only rear engined flopper to win
a NHRA national event; the 72 Supernationals. Conventional Satellite
bodied Dunn & Reath entry followed the RE Cuda, debuted in
Jan 74 at Irwindale, was later lost in 75 fire at OCIR. Dunn closed
out the decade at the wheel of the "Fireman's Quickie"
Firebird that took R/U at the final OCIR Manufacturers race of
the decade to Raymond Beadle. (Maple Grove Raceway, 1971, Frank
Thomas photo)
In an age before aerodynamics
and wind tunnels, some funny cars bodies resembled bricks on steroids.
Small tricks like the pictured canard wings made a brief appearance
before being outlawed by NHRA. This is Big Mike Burkhart at the 72 Funny Car
Nationals at York US 30. Well nicknamed, Burkhart weighed in at
approx. 340 lbs. He ran a well recognized line of Doran Chevrolet
sponsored floppers dating from the mid-60s to the early 70s. Hired
team drivers in the 70s included Charlie Therwhanger, Mart Higginbotham,
Raymond Beadle, David Ray, Richard Tharp (wheeling Big Mike's
only non-GM bodied car, a Plymouth Satellite), Dale Emery (who
had a well photographed collision with the guardrail at Indy in
77) and "Flash Gordon" Mineo. (JW Last photo)
Dennis
Fowler's Sundance Monza, shown here facing off against Dick Custy's
Monza at St. Louis, hailed from Alaska but was campaigned out
of Phoenix. Fowlers resume included fielding the first T/F in
Alaska in the 60s, a Pro Stock Dart in the early 70s, then a partnership
with Don Green on the Rat Trap Satellite which ultimately became
the first Sundance flopper in 74 with Tripp Shumake at the helm.
Monza followed in 75, was shoed by Tripp Shumake and Russell Long
at various times. This car graced the cover of the final issue
of Drag Racing USA in June 1975... Sundance entries were "part
time" regulars on the Coke Cavalcade circuit in the mid-late
70s. Arrow bodied Russell Long driven Sundance flopper followed
to close out the 70s. (Photo by Don Eckert)
St
Louis, Missouri's Ira Hollensbe's seldom seen "Super Star"
Cuda in patriotic bicentennial colors, Englishtown 1971. Near
identically painted Mustang replaced the Cuda in 72, a couple
more mainstream appearing Vegas followed the Mustang. Hollensbe
continued to run "Super Star" floppers through the mid-70s,
was "Florida State Funny Car Champ" in 75. Unfortunately
he all but disappeared after suffering a disastrous fire during
qualifying for the 76 Gatornationals with Vega bodied F/C following
a 6.58/218, good for 15th position in the show. First alternate
Ed McCulloch took Hollensbe's place in the field. (JW Last photo)
Needing
no intro is Tom "the Mongoo$e" McEwen. As teammate to
"the Snake" on the Hot Wheels/Wildlife Racing Team in
the early 70s, McEwen didn't having the winning record Prudhomme
did, but arguably as big or bigger fan base. McEwen's biggest
win came at the 78 NHRA Nationals over Prudhomme with a then career
best 6.05/235.
McEwen's
1st NHRA win came at 73 Supernationals, ending a long winless streak... a win that almost didn't occur after McEwen qualified
as 1st alternate, got in show on break rule! And in 75 McEwen
was the AHRA Funny Car World Champion. McEwen is generally noted
as the father of the nostalgia flopper trend with his 57 Chevy
F/C in the 80's. (Photo by Dave Milcarek)
Gene Snow campaigned
F/Cs throughout the 70s and was the NHRA and AHRA World Champ
in 1970. This car, a 1972 Charger, started his "Snowman"
years which lasted through the mid-70s. Companion car to this
one was a Jake Johnston driven Snowman Charger with the colors
flip-flopped which concentrated on match racing while Snow chased
national events. Additionally, Terry Pringle ran a Charger for
Snow in the injected nitro flopper ranks and Chip Woodall shoed
Snow's T/F effort. By the 73 Snow was down to a one car effort
with a Vega and then an Arrow bodied F/C that closed out the 70s.
After floppers, Snow continued to run T/F cars off and on through
the 80s. Snow's legacy to the flopper ranks was research &
development in the late 60s of the clutch-equipped drivetrain
at a time when automatic transmissions were the norm. (Photo from
72 Gene Snow Handout, courtesy of Jim White)
The man who really ignited the "big transporter truck"
phenomena (started by Dick Harrell), Billy Meyer is shown in the
sports first Mustang II bodied F/C, circa 1974. Pictured car carried
Meyer to his first national event victory at the IHRA Springnationals... first
NHRA national event win at the 77 Fallnationals in Seattle. Meyer
burst on to the scene from "nowhere" in 72 (after being
teamed with Grover Rogers in TX, 70-72) at age 18 by winning
the OCIR Manufacturers Race in his "Motivation" Mustang.
In 75 Meyer sold everything, got involved with Bill Fredericks
in an LSR attempt intended to break Gary Gabelich's 622 MPH mark
that never made it to the Salt Flats. He rebounded in 76 with
a Camaro bodied "SMI Motivator" funny car. Although
Meyer didn't "officially" get into the 5 Second Club,
he did record a 5.99 at NED's Annual Grande American Championship
in 78. Showing no favorites to any manufacturer, Meyer closed
out the decade wheeling the "Aqua Slide 'n' Dive Special"
(original sponsor on the LSR car) Arrow bodied flopper. (Handout
courtesy of Jim White)
The Bad Habit Pinto
was out of Hill Enterprises in PA. Driven by Bob Parmer, the car
traced it's lineage back to the Bad Habit Fiat AA/FA that terrorized
touring western AA/FA pros in the 71/72 seasons and was the first
AA/FA in the 6s in Aug 71 at Maple Grove, PA. Pinto was preceded
by ex-Jake Johnson/Gene Snow Charger for a short period in 73
while the team waited for the Pinto to be completed. Bad Habit
floppers never quite lived up to the AA/FA's legacy... in fact
in the 73 Summernationals Souvenir edition of National Dragster
"Tricky Tipster" said Parmer "Would like same "Bad
Habits" as AA/Fuel Altered had!" and listed him at 100-1
odds to win. (Photo by Ted Pappacena)
East
Coast regulars Cassidy Bros ventured West with this Donovan powered
Monza in 78 for the Pro Winternationals at the now defunct Beeline
Dragway outside Phoenix. Cassidy's ran a BB/FC Cuda and one of
the few Grand Am bodied floppers in the mid-70s before stepping
up to the nitro ranks. The brothers were on a bit of a hot streak
coming into this race having won the 77 Div 1 flopper title as
well as the last two Division 2 "Rebel Winter Series",
the Turkey Trot National Open and the Snowbird National Open.
However, they lost in the first round at the above pictured event.
Corvette body replaced Monza in 79. (JW Last photo)
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