CLASS RACER FORUM - Tribute to Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins

I just finished listening to the tribute to Bill Jenkins on the Drag Racers Reunion Radio a few minutes ago and there was a story told on that show that I thought I would pass along hear. For the ones hear who knew and raced with Jenkins you will completely relate to this story. To the ones who did not know him you might look under your old race car and be able to relate to this story. All of the players in this story I do not remember all of their names and am not leaving them out intentionally.

There was a manufacturer's show back some 50 years ago which Jenkins, along with many others attended. Following the event Bill and the Owner of a big racing business back in those days found themselves sitting on bars stools in this local establishment. Enjoying a couple of adult beverages and admiring the scenery. Bill says we need to come up with something that we could sell that would make us a lot of money to keep us in good booze and beautiful women. He took out a napkin and started to sketch this long tube of steel. On one end he drew this little cone he called a "snubber". Bill says we use the "J-Bolts" to wrap around the axle and extend out to this plate on the front. When the racer lets out the clutch these J-bolts will lift the front of the car. As the bar closed, Bill friend took the napkin, folded it up and put it in his coat pocket. Some days later as he was taking his coat to the dry cleaners he found that fold napkin. He carried it to work and gave it to the technical people at his business and they built a set of those steel bars and painted them bright yellow. They sent them to Bill Jenkins and he put them on his race car. Those bars from that sketch on a napkin became what everyone in drag racing knows as "Lakewood Traction Bars".