 REMEMBERING
CLAYTON
Great point about Clayton Harris in (Burk's) latest editorial.
It would be nice for once to see someone get in a Hall of Fame without
ass kissing, but for dedication to the sport and out of the box thinking
and innovation. Thanks for the great point in the editorial. I don't
always agree with what you write, but it's nice to see someone thinking.
Your random thoughts are usually pretty good.
Matt Davis
A NOTE FROM MRS. HARRIS
Jeff, I don't remember if we have ever met, but I am Clayton's
wife Eulene, and as you know lost him and our youngest daughter Meagen
in the plane crash.
I wanted to say thank you for the comment you made concerning
Clayton not being recognized for the love and work and support he did
for drag racing for so many years.
People who really knew him, knew what a genius he was,
and what a gentleman he was. I believe he never got the kudos from NHRA
that he deserved because he was usually involved with low budget teams,
and NHRA looks for the glitz instead of the guts. Tuning Holcomb to
#3 in the 4's with the deficit that they had to work with, should say
it all.
Thank you for remembering him.
Eulene Harris
SAFETY FIRST
Jok -- excellent article. Unfortunately it is almost impossible
to convince the future Darwin Award winners that they need to pay more
attention to in-car safety items and their proper use.
I would add one more thing to your list: people who insist
on removing foam from fuel cells. The false rumor, which is believed
by quite a few people is that alcohol eats the foam and clogs the fuel
system. This is total baloney but many still think this to be true.
Racers should be forced to watch film of the early 70's
Indy 500 when Swede Savage wrecked, his fuel tank (no foam or fuel cells
at the time split, caught fire and burned him to a crisp. The lack of
injuries due to fire in race cars these days is a direct result of fuel
cells with foam in them. I remember the good old days when many drivers
in all forms of motorsports were fried from leaking and/or exploding
fuel tanks after a wreck. I hope not to witness this ever again.
Ron Burke
"KEEP THOSE BELTS TIGHT"
You're right on the money with every point in your article
on safety. By the way, I got my license at Frank Hawley's school and
one of the first things he taught was to pull the shoulder belts tight...so
tight, they made you groan. I've never forgot that. The other major
point that he taught was to go to the end of any new track, look at
the return roads, sand trap, etc. and develop an emergency plan, before
you approach at 150+ mph.
I'm looking forward to your article on insurance.
Eric Larson
LEARNED ABOUT SAFETY FIRST HAND
You are right on target when you talk about the need for
the racers to respect the safety equipment which they are required to
purchase and place in their vehicles. Unfortunately, I have seen first
hand what benefit it is to use the safety equipment properly. My son
at age 16 was driving my Super Comp dragster at a bracket race in our
area. Right about the 1000-ft. mark the A-arm broke on the right front
of the car which made the front dip down and the left rear start coming
around. When the left rear contacted the concrete wall, it turned the
car perpendicular to the track and he barrel rolled twelve times. The
car was bouncing high enough each time it hit the top of the roll cage
that he bounced between the mile per hour lights and the finish line
lights not hitting any of them. It was devastating to watch.
We not only have one Super Comp car, but we have two.
Therefore, I spend a lot of time being the crew member and not the driver.
My husband was two cars behind my son when my son raced down the track
and crashed. When I got to the end of the track to check on my son,
I knew he was OK for several reasons. Ever since they learned to drive
Jr. dragsters, they were taught basic safety techniques. Such as control
of the car. In addition they were taught that in a dragster or a roadster
with a butterfly type steering wheel if the car becomes uncontrollable
and begins to roll, let go of the steering wheel, cross your arms and
hold on to your shoulder restraints to keep your fingers and hands from
being broken in the steering wheel.
No one in our family gets in the driver's seat of a race
car that the seat belts and arm restraints are not tightened as far
as they can possibly be. No safety equipment is ever modified, and all
of it is worn as suggested by the manufacturer of such equipment.
One of the other reasons that I knew he was OK was that
he was cursing so loudly I could hear him (even though he was upside
down in the dragster past the finish line) when I got to the 1000-ft.
mark of the race track. The only thing he wanted to do was get out of
that car. Unfortunately, he did suffer two broken arms and several layers
of the skin between his wrist and elbow on his right arm was scrapped
off; those were minor injuries compared to someone who would not have
had the sense to use or use properly the safety equipment required to
be in the cars. His injuries were more from the small amount of movement
he had in the car, his left forearm was broken when it hit the reverse
lockout button on the shifter, and the right arm was broken, the best
we can determine, by the parachute lever. The only thing we can think
of on the skin scrape on his arm is where the aluminum body started
coming loose from the chassis and may have come into the car and scraped
on his arm each time the car rolled. However, there were scrap marks
on his fire suit sleeve, but there were not cuts all the way through
the material.
If you ever have someone question you on your comments
about safety equipment, my family would be more than happy to share
our experience with them as well.
I know this is kind of a long story, but it does have
a happy ending. Even though he had this bad of an experience, he has
driven a dragster again. It is not necessarily his favorite pastime,
but he still comes to the races, occasionally drives, and always is
a great crew person and supporter.
Felecia Wallace
YOUNGBLOOD RULES!
The article on Kenny Youngblood sketching at the track
was awesome!! I loved the drawings. I envy anyone with the talent to
freehand draw/paint. Although his paintings are killer I would rather
have one of these types of sketches over any of them. Something about
him sketching stuff while walking around the track strikes me as the
coolest thing ever! Any chance on Youngblood making it to Bristol? (hint,
hint)
Blood Fan: Daron Gray
OUR FIRST LATVIAN PENPAL (unedited)
Hello!
I am from Latvia, my name is Ingus Evertovskis. We will
make drag race competitions there in Latvia. There was some competitions
some years ago, but these competitions wasn't good. Maybe You can send
by e-mail or by post information about DRAG RACING, about DRAG RACE
CIRCUITS or other.
With best regards to all drag racers in Your country!
Ingus Evertovskis
e-mail: dragracing@one.lv
EVERYBODY'S TALKIN' AT YA
While I do agree with (Jeff Burk) that they should have
somebody other than just "talking heads" in the broadcast booth, I think
you may want to go back and re-watch some of the "Super Chevy" shows
and "Mother's Car Show" broadcasts with Ted Jones, Kepner and Big. I
love Garlits, he is THE drag racing god, but...whoever had the bright
idea to put a mic in his hand and put him in front of a camera was seriously
delusional. Maybe it's because his mind is always working and he just
can't concentrate on anything not nitro powered, maybe it's because
he just hasn't had the right script, whatever, I just don't think I
could handle him in the booth. Can't speak to the Muldowney thing, have
never seen her in that situation.
Charlie Nichols
Imperial, CA
MORE ALCOHOL!
I think (Jeff Leonard) hit the nail on the head with this
one. I frequent New England Dragway, some of the biggest crowds they
get during the year are the Alky Funny shows. Just imagine if they could
run them twice a month, with other local tracks like Leb Valley and
Oxford Plains having a few shows too. Slowly regional name recognition
would follow and local heroes and villains would evolve. The problem
is it might take awhile to build the fan base, and someone's gonna have
to supply the cash until the folks start coming with regularity. Oh
well, it's a cool dream anyway.
James Morgan
CIVIC-MINDED IN CANADA
My hat goes off to Ian Tocher's loose yet definitive memories
of his first drag racing experiences. I too growing up in Ontario, Canada
can remember my first visit to a small little track in a rural farmland
called "Sunset Speedway". Sunset at the time was more inclined for those
local heroes as they would wheel their mid- to late-70's models around
a short dirt surface oval, (and I do mean short, even the distance another
Canadian icon travels in a circle - the Zamboni, cleared a bigger circular
path). Yet on this night, and tagging behind an older brother and his
cronies, luck would have it that a short strip of asphalt nearby was
to host, lets just say a not so legally sanctioned event, of local rivals
racing for bragging rights.
It was only that in my mid teenage years, that all the
hype surrounding the street racing scene caught my interest, among others
as well like the local police detachments, that I began to pay more
close attention to what exactly was fuelling the desires of those to
feel the need for straight line speed. So after saving some money and
turning eighteen what else does a young man do...but but invest in the
power being harnessed within of a 1985 Honda Civic...LX at that!
It was either the fastest or the most reckless Civic,
but I pushed it to the max...the max being into the ground within about
3 years.
I wish I could remember more about those days of driving
fast, groping girls, and feeling the wind through my hair...unfortunately
it took about 35 secs for the Honda to hit 65, groping a beer was more
fulfilling, and hell for those years I always had a buzz cut!
Man, I really didn't need to bogart for so long through
the 80's...wow even typing this my mind draws a bigger, foggier blank
about the 80's than Homer Simpson coming up with an original idea!
Good job, Ian, happy to know that you're enjoying what
brings so many race fans to their feet on a weekly basis...to see that
one drunk guy do a header down 30 or so rows of steps in the grandstands
when the cherries turn green !!!
Don "Hammerhed" Butwell Canada
GUESS OUR 'CHANGE OF ADDRESS CARD' GOT
LOST
Your story on "Garlits' Comeback Slightly Off Track" referred
to him as a Seffner, Florida resident. FYI, he has not lived in Seffner
for about a dozen years. Big's museum and residence are in Ocala, Florida,
about 1 hour north of Seffner. The original museum was in Seffner, though
it was never opened to the public. Big claimed high property taxes as
the reason for his move to Ocala.
Roger Hammon
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