This Is For Mark Yacavone!
 

I Think this was at the '86 Sports Nats in Bowling Green!
Attachment 61088

Re: This Is For Mark Yacavone!
 

Thanks , Bill

Probably should be in the Nostalgia section,...or the Has Been file

Re: This Is For Mark Yacavone!
 

Hey Mark, I'm just curious. How many different makes & models have you driven in a race ? :confused:

Note: I'm sure nobody will be surprised if I say I love that McKinney Bird ! :)

Re: This Is For Mark Yacavone!
 

Oh well, not counting street racing in my teens and 20's..still a lot.
I'll start a list and just include Divs and Nats. This might take a while. Bear with me.

Re: This Is For Mark Yacavone!
 

Good morning Mark,
I've seen your name pop up many times over the past, and i'm curious as well as to how many cars you've raced. I'd also like to hear if there was a favorite car for what ever reason. Also when the cars and rules were more rudimentary and nice examples were easier to get, was it any easier to build a particular car?
Somehow I've had a tendency to hold on to my toys for a while. That may or may not be a good thing - just me. If you have the time I'd really like to see that list.

Respectfully
Henry Kunz 1534 H/SA

Re: This Is For Mark Yacavone!
 

I saw Mark race in one of the Bob Johnson cars at Connecticut Dragway when I was a little boy.

Re: This Is For Mark Yacavone!
 

Even the rednecks from Texas have followed Mark's racing career!

Re: This Is For Mark Yacavone!
 

hi
is this the same Mark that raced at Connecticut dragway? i was friends with the fitts's and raced a green dart in pro
gary castagna

Re: This Is For Mark Yacavone!
 

Growing up in Ct., I remember those Bob Johnson cars. Always ran good. More of those cars in the parking lot, than on the track back then, lol.
I remember the Fitts`, as well, very successful.

Re: This Is For Mark Yacavone!
 

I'll start this list off and pause for one of my favorites, for now.

63 Pontiac GP, J/S .G/S. No NHRA but first towed race car.

61 Corvette, (Joe Santangelo's ) L/SA 283

1959 Impala conv. ( mine and Joe's) 283 FI O/SA

61 Impala SS/X 283

69 Chevelle wagon (Joe's ) SS/PA

68 Chevy II (Bob Johnson's) 350 SS/JA

70 Camaro (Johnson's) SS/FA

71 ? Mustang (Johnson's trade in) 351 C D/S ?

66 Impala 4 dr. 283 SS/R .
I built this car after seeing Jimmy Parker's at Gainesville.
It looked great on paper. Apparently everybody else thought this too.
Joe DeLorenzo (unofficial team captain) came up with some old 283 Forgedtrue Jr Stock pistons. I had John Hoffman cut a narrow top ring groove for a 2 ringer with 4 grooves. Tony Feil did the heads and block. Added a TM 1 box stock intake and one of Mark's Cam Dynamics flat tappets. Full size 12 bolt , and a slick shifted 2.52 Muncie from Joe D. A brand new 4 GC for $ 32.50 ! No roll bar required

First week out, it ran 12.89 on a 13.00 record at Ct, which was a slow track.
A few weeks later some good ol' boys down at Suffolk battled the record down to 12.70.. Now I had to get to work. By mid year, I could barely run on the new record and managed a few wins, locally.

Dwight Cox won Indy with a 2 dr. HT, lowering the record some more.
For 1974, I decided to modernize this combo with a roller cam, prepped crank and rods, etc.
Now, being able to safely run on the record, I won a bunch of eliminators in the Northeast..CD, Lebanon, Island, Dover, Atco , Englishtown.

This all was in reach for a working, single guy, with an open homemade trailer at that time, if you knew the right people.
NHRA put an end to this in 75 with the "par" system so I had to go another direction, but easily one of my favorite cars.
To be continued...

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