Article on George Williams

[mopar68]

Originally Posted by art leong

The 71 Charger was an original Hemi car And had quite a past. We could never get a straight answer about that car from the Chrysler guys. But it was less than 3000 pounds with a steel headed hemi. And no baggage.
That car grossed over $100,000 street racing.

Whoa! That is light and that is heavy $! Those 1971 B-bodies w/HEMI hovered around the 3900 lbs. mark in stock form. Remove the street stuff, etc. and I can see maybe 3400-3500 lbs. but 3000 lbs. is a freak!

NHRA never factored our combo It was always 440 hp. We quit because of the acid ported heads. It was use them or get outrun, or quit We chose to quit.

I don't blame you; I'd do the same. I didn't know acid porting went that far back.

M68

[mopar68]

Originally Posted by art leong

Ray was killed in a motorcycle accident in Florida a few years ago.

I didn't know that. That's a real pity.

M68

[mopar68]

Originally Posted by John DiBartolomeo

This might be long and I apologize for it, but below is the story referenced on George Williams and written by Richard Brady in the May '10 edition (debuted in February) of Drag Racing Action.

As I’m sure you’ll all aware of, we’re coming up on the 50th edition of the NHRA Winternationals held at Pomona. And I’m quite sure some of you reading this have some sort of memory about this event. As a photographer let’s just say I have more than a few.
Going to Pomona each year was the start of my season as a traveling drag racing photographer. When I say travel, I mean it quite literally because until recently I drove to every event I attended each year. Going to Pomona was no exception, though I do recall flying there maybe twice.

For years I had read about the race, but I was serving in the Navy so it wasn’t until 1973 when I was finally able to get to the event. Lucky for me, I was friends with the eventual runner-up in Stock Eliminator that year, losing to Les Young. You might be thinking gee, “that’s neat,” but you need to know just how special this was.

George Williams, was running a Z/S Vega panel wagon then, complete with a four cylinder engine. I don’t recall the actual numbers but I know he didn’t miss the win by much. Being there to see it made the trip much more special. That was also the year of the Dons, as Don Garlits won Top Fuel, Don Schumacher in Funny Car and Don Nicholson beat Don Carlton in Pro Stock. This is just one of many memories from this track.

There also were years that I jumped in with George on one of his trips to Pomona, sharing the ride and costs. One trip he and I both recall with fondness (?) is 1978 when a blizzard hit the state of Indiana where he and I lived. Indiana can be a real mess during the winter if a good storm sets in. I shoveled snow for three days (sometimes three and four times a day) just to be sure my car could get over to his place. He was over there doing the same thing. Not only did he have to be sure his truck could get out, but he had to shovel out the trailer to be able to load up the race car also. I’ve never been one to just call the police for advice, but this was one time I asked the highway patrol if the interstate we were going to use could get us south so we could eventually link up with any interstate heading west. Obviously they couldn’t guarantee our success, but we made it and it was certainly an experience!

I had lived in the Midwest states which always have winter snow. When there is a real blizzard it’s truly unbelievable what you see when you’re the first out and trying to travel somewhere. I’ve seen cars buried in snow banks and 18 wheelers either abandoned or just left sitting any which way. The interstate truly looked weird. We were able to keep moving (not at full speed), but eventually we got out of the snow and slush and were on our way, arriving several days later in Pomona!

Once there our choice of motels placed us just off Holt Avenue in some dive that seemed to reflect being built in the 30’s or 40’s! Of course we were trying to save money so no matter how uncomfortable we might be - it was cheap. I seem to recall an army of ants crawling from the closet up a wall next to the television and disappearing in a crack in the ceiling. Then there was this tom cat that showed up at our doorstep every single night when we got back from the track. I fed him some scraps, but I got the bright idea that we had to stop and get some cat food (this, at a time in my life when I could hardly afford to feed myself). Due to the unusual weather that year, I think we were out there for three weeks trying to get the race done and in the books.

As photographer, the part which always strikes me is what you see when you first got to the track that made the place memorable: the big banner hanging right over the start line, Mt. Baldy and other mountains shining in the background with sometimes snow at the tops (if you were lucky and the sky wasn’t cloudy), plus the three story tower sitting to your right. These things were as important as the cars and stars of the event, making it a must race to attend each year.

What happened to the racer friend I went to Pomona with? He was again runner up in Stock Eliminator in 1978, beaten in the final by Jeff Powers. Other winners that year were Kelly Brown in Top Fuel, Don Prudhomme in Funny Car, and Bob Glidden in P/S.
Today, George continues to work at a Chevrolet dealership and amazingly still has the same Vega under covers in his garage. He didn’t get his first major event win until the next year when we both attended the 1979 Seattle race, but that’s another story I’ll have to… Remember When. -Richard Brady

Thanks for sharing the article, John. I had George confused with the owner of Swampy's Toy. Stuff like that happens if you haven't thought about some person, event, etc. in a loooooooooooonnnnnnnng time.

M68

[mopar68]

Originally Posted by art leong

The 71 Charger was an original Hemi car And had quite a past. We could never get a straight answer about that car from the Chrysler guys. But it was less than 3000 pounds with a steel headed hemi. And no baggage.
That car grossed over $100,000 street racing.

Looks to me like that is Ray behind the wheel.

More here:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/g...cussionid=1202

M68

[art leong]

Originally Posted by mopar68

Looks to me like that is Ray behind the wheel.

More here:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/g...cussionid=1202

M68

That was Ray and I'm holding the car You can tell it's winter by the coat I'm wearing.
That article originally printed in 1979, prompted Wally Parks to have a talk with us. It was probably the last time Tex (Ray) drove a street race.

[Robert Swartz]

Originally Posted by John DiBartolomeo

This might be long and I apologize for it, but below is the story referenced on George Williams and written by Richard Brady in the May '10 edition (debuted in February) of Drag Racing Action.

John,

Yes, that was indeed the article. Thank you for not only posting it here, the same for the magazine. That was nice to read about someone I once was familar with but have not seen for over 20 some odd years.

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by mopar68

Whoa! That is light and that is heavy $! Those 1971 B-bodies w/HEMI hovered around the 3900 lbs. mark in stock form. Remove the street stuff, etc. and I can see maybe 3400-3500 lbs. but 3000 lbs. is a freak!



I don't blame you; I'd do the same. I didn't know acid porting went that far back.

M68

Don't kid yourself.
A prominent Div 3 engine builder from back in the day, relayed the story to me, a few years ago, about how the cylinder heads were done on a late 60's World Champion Mopar.

[mopar68]

Originally Posted by art leong

That was Ray and I'm holding the car You can tell it's winter by the coat I'm wearing.
That article originally printed in 1979, prompted Wally Parks to have a talk with us. It was probably the last time Tex (Ray) drove a street race.

Artie,

That was my intitial thought (it was you).

M68

[mopar68]

Originally Posted by Mark Yacavone

Don't kid yourself.
A prominent Div 3 engine builder from back in the day, relayed the story to me, a few years ago, about how the cylinder heads were done on a late 60's World Champion Mopar.

Without naming the driver/team or car, was it a Dodge or Plymouth?

M68

[mopar68]

Originally Posted by art leong

The 71 Charger was an original Hemi car And had quite a past. We could never get a straight answer about that car from the Chrysler guys. But it was less than 3000 pounds with a steel headed hemi. And no baggage.
That car grossed over $100,000 street racing.

NHRA never factored our combo It was always 440 hp. We quit because of the acid ported heads. It was use them or get outrun, or quit We chose to quit.

Here ya go, Artie. I'm pretty sure this photo is from a 1974 issue of Raceway News...



M68

P.S. That's a pretty damn wide rear tire. What's it, like a N50 x 15?