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Round 2: Featuring
Barry Setzer Vega, Trojan Horse, Alabamian Vega, Moby Dick, Brand
X Mustang, Therwhanger & Burkhart Vega, Detroit Tiger, Tim Kushi,
S-W-C, Jerry Caminito, Bryan Raines, Jim Maybeck, and Diamond Jim
Annin.
 One
of the most feared F/Cs of the early to mid-70s was the Ed Pink
tuned Barry Setzer Vega driven initially by Kelly Brown, Don Schumacher
for a short stint and later Pat Foster during the car's "killer"
years. Always a threat, the car seemed to qualify well, was always
in the hunt for low et and top speed of the meet, but wasn't usually
around come finals time. First NHRA national event win came at
the 73 Gatornationals although car did win coveted OCIR 5th Annual
Manufacturers Funny Car Championship in 71, setting low ET along
the way at 6.70 with Foster driving. Pictured blue version of
the car (which debuted about the same time Jungle Jim switched
from blue to red... both changes thanks to Circus in NJ) replaced
the more familiar red car in the mid-70s, was campaigned by Tommy
Grove who dropped a Ford SOHC motor into the car in late 75!
(Photo by
Ted Pappacena)
 The
Doheny and Fullerton Trojan Horse was one of the prettiest... and
quickest F/Cs of 1972. Shown here at the 72 NHRA Summernationals,
the car recorded a then-quickest 6.42/228 in the first round of
eliminations. Fullerton became NHRA World Champion the same year
by winning the World Finals at Amarillo. Fullerton started the
decade wheeling the Galpin Ford SOHC powered Maverick, adopted
the Trojan Horse name with a 71 Mustang. He continued to campaign
the Trojan Horse line throughout the 70s, closed the decade with
a "new generation" Mustang shell in 79. Rare Fullerton
"Horses" include a short lived rear engined "Stang"
in early 73, a Trojan Horse 2 campaigned by Dale Pulde in the
early 70s and Fullerton wheeling M/Ts seldom seen "yellow"
car as a stablemate to the "blue" and "red"
cars as a Boss 429 test bed to the others SOHC powerplants in 69.
(JW Last Photo)
 Division 1 and 2 met
in this 1974 edition of Billy Holt's "Alabamian"
shoed by ex-Virginian driver Pee Wee Wallace. Alabamian name started
on a red Vette F/C driven by Gary Fowler and Clayton Harris. Like
most Vette bodied floppers of the period it was lost to an accident
(finish line fire) in late 1970. Blue Vega followed driven by
Wayne Mahaffey which was a regular on the Southern Match-Race
circuit and in Division 2 competition. Other Alabamian efforts
in the 70s included a multi-hued Vega, then a rear-engined Vega
panel wagon (that was destroyed on its first outing), and this
Satellite bodied car that ventured north and won the Div 1 F/C
title in 1974. Wallace went on to shoe the "Black
Stang" in 75 before returning to his "Virginian"
roots in 76. (Photo from Kendall Handout courtesy of Jim White)
 From the "land of ten thousand
lakes" came Jerry Boldenow and the Moby Dick Corvette. This
car was one of the first 'Vette bodied cars that appeared to overcome
the "Corvette" jinx that had racers shying away from
the seemingly aerodynamic body due to the "demolition derby"
reputation that seemed to follow the breed (notable exception
was So Cal's Gene Conway in the early 70s). Boldenow ran Top Fuel
cars from 1964 through 1972, then return in 1976 with this flopper.
Car was involved in what may have been history's first all Vette
final round at the 77 IHRA Summernationals where Boldenow lost
to McEwen's Vette 6.28 to 6.47. Ezra
Boggs, who had been working with Bob Pickett on the US Marines
car, bought the Vette in late 77, campaigned it through 84. He
reports that T-shirt and hat sales supported the car during those
years but the car finally needed updating and he was forced to
retire due to a lack of corporate backing. (Photo
courtesy of Don Ewald, some info courtesy of Ezra Boggs)
 The Ramchargers powered Sien & Lankford Brand X Mustang was from
San Antonio, Texas... was preceded by a Hardy built Camaro effort
that later went on to become the "Mexican Revolution"
of Johnny
Valdez. Journalist Jon Asher
drove the pictured car for a 1972 series in Super Stock &
Drag Illustrated magazine about licensing in a funny car. Following
a couple shakedown passes, Asher managed a best of 8.09/183 at
OCIR, then followed up at Gainesville with a best of 7.47/192... and
a fire in the lights. At the end of 1973, rumored McDonalds sponsorship
failed to materialize and the team retired. Cecil Lankford made
a brief return in 75 with Brand X, confined activities to Texas.
(JW Last Photo)
 Chevy
shoe Charlie Therwhanger is pictured in the 73 edition of Mike
Burkhart's Hemi powered Vega. The season prior Therwhanger campaigned
his own Chevy powered Hombre Vega after spending the 71 season
and several seasons prior at the wheel of Burkhart owned Camaros. Therwhanger also did short stints in Kelly Chadwick's funny car
and the King Camaro as well as MT's Grand AM. Therwhanger concentrated
on match racing and booked in shows, had a reputation of making
Bowtie powered floppers fly when most had made the switch to Hemi
motivation. Therwhanger later retired and went on the manage Amarillo
Dragway in the late 70s along with Lubbock, TX., funny car pilot
(and ex-Texas Tech football star) Roger Freeman. (Photo courtesy
of Don Eckert)
 Poncho Rendon and Tom Prock's Detroit
Tiger Monza makes a burnout before a late afternoon qualifying
pass at the 1978 AHRA Winternationals at Tucson Dragway. Prock's
resume included Al Bergler's "Motown Shaker" and several
seasons at the wheel of Phil Castronovo's Custom Body cars while
Rendon owned several Top Fuel cars and the "Desperado"
'Cuda F/C in 75 before they teamed on the Monza in 77. Monza was replaced by
an Arrow in 79 which went on to become Al Segrini's first "Super
Brut" flopper in 1980. (JW
Last Photo)
 Tim
Kushi's "Yankee Sizzler" Monza evolved from the Flynn
& Kushi "Yankee Peddler" Dodge Charger series of
the early 70s and the "Damn Yankee" Challengers campaigned
by Kushi solo through the mid-70s. Pictured 78 Monza version of
the Sizzler was involved in a finish line collision with TV Tommy
Ivo's Arrow at New England Dragway that destroyed both cars. According
to Super Stock & Drag Illustrated magazine (March 79) that
mishap firmed up Ivo's decision to race a jet dragster. Following
the mishap, Kushi returned with a Plymouth Sapporo (AKA Dodge
Challenger) in 1979. Kushi was a Div 1 "mainstay" throughout
the 70s! (Photo courtesy of Dave Milcarek)
 Transplants
from the 60s Gasser wars and an original member of the F/C "Coke
Cavalcade of Stars" circuit, the Stone, Woods & Cooke
Swindler IV Mustang is pictured at OCIR in 73. By this early 70s
effort all that remained of the original SW&C team was Tim
Woods as Fred Stone had retired and Doug Cook had moved on to
wrench for Big John Mazmanian's F/C. Kenny Safford shoed early
SW&C efforts on the Coke circuit in late 60s, Dee Keaton did
a short stint after. Pictured car was preceded by the popular
"Tinkerbell" SW&C Pinto in 71 initially driven by
"Mighty Mike" Van Sant, but later handled by Gary Scow.
Van Sant returned to shoe the SW&C Swindler III Mustang entry
which was destroyed in 72, then took over the reins of this car
which was debuted at Lions Last Drag Race. Car later became Van
Sant's first "Invader" Mustang. (Photo courtesy of Jim
White)
 Jerry Caminito came out of a 5 year retirement
in 79 to field this Holeshot Arrow. The car was a beautiful example
of the long line of Holeshot cars dating as far back as a flip-top
Comet in the late 60s. Other efforts included a SOHC powered Holeshot
Mustang in the early 70s. Caminito concentrated efforts mostly
on the East Coast match race circuit, was one of the few independent
flopper racers still campaigning in the 80s and 90s. (Photo courtesy
of Jerry Caminito)
 Low buck SoCal campaigner
Bryan Raines rarely ventured "east"... was photographed
at the 78 Pro Winternationals at Beeline Dragway in Arizona where
he qualified into the 16 car field, but went out in the 2nd round
falling to John Collins "Audio Express" ex-Mongoose
Duster. Raines campaigned various floppers throughout the 70s
and into the early 80s, sometimes "solo" and sometimes
with "teammates" but never seemed to appear with the
same ride two seasons in a row. (JW Last Photo)
 Jim
Maybeck's patriotic "Screaming Eagle" Vega, circa 1972.
Powered by a Donovan 417 rolling on a Lindblad Chassis, car's nose
was noted for it's "Buy US Savings Bonds" spoiler and
American flag painted grille. Always a Chevy man, Maybeck's previous
efforts included the "Patriot" and "Screaming Eagle"
Corvairs and a Chevy powered "Screaming Eagle" Camaro
in 70-71. Cars were east coast divisional and match race regulars... pictured
Vega showed up for sale in a May 73 issue of National Dragster;
ad stated name could be acquired with car. Car was purchased by
Greg Gorman who ran it under the "Screaming Eagle" name
for two years before selling it to finance construction of a new
"Screaming Eagle" Firebird BB/FC. (Photo from Maybeck
Handout, 1972)
"Diamond Jim" Annin's sanitary Dodge
Challenger, circa 1970. Mike Snively drove the Race Car Engineering
chassised, Keith Black powered SoCal terror. Always in the hunt,
car won
1970 Division 7 F/C crown. Car was sold at 71 Winternationals,
pair returned with T/F car for 72 season, became first T/F car
"officially" in the Fives the same year. Annin came
to the asphalt from boats and his boat business kept the team
close to home, precluded heavy match race or national event competition
schedule. (Photo courtesy
of Drag Racing Memories)
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