Len Imborgno - Jim Skelly - Performance Preserves - Page 2

TOM KASCH · 06-22-2007, 05:58 PM

I was class r/u at the 74 sportsnationals & springnationals in ss/ha and didn't get to race.
was # 28 quilf. at the 77 P.H. R. meet in martin,mich out of 32 that got to run.
Also class r/u at the1976 sports and spring ss/ha
1977 gators ss/ha
1978 sports and spring ss/ha
1979 indy ss/na
1980 gators ss/na
did not get to run any of these.

did win class in ss 1 time 1975 summernationals ss/ha
only time I got to run on Sunday in ss

3300FWD

Bob Don · 06-22-2007, 11:27 PM

Bruce - I have a few low qualifiers from 1980 -

Winternationals, Super Stock - Rick Johnston SS/NA 11.88 (-.51)

Grandnationals, Super Stock - Joe Scott SS/KA 11.39 (-.21)

US Nationals, Super Stock - Ray Pacquet SS/C 9.98 (-.21)
Stock - Don McElroy G/SA 11.98 (-.31)

Fallnationals, Super Stock - Buck Kinney SS/KA 11.36 (-.25)
Stock - Pete Kost L/SA 12.54 (-.47)

World Finals, Super Stock - Rick Johnston SS/NA 12.07 (-.32)
Stock - Al Provost O/SA 13.21 (-.25)

As you can see, back in the day, it was a lot tougher to run the number. Just being under was an accomplishment. Hope these help.

Bob Don

(BTW Tom - I won class at Summernats and got to run on Sunday. I also made the show at the Grandnationals and made the semi's in Stk)

FlyingW · 06-23-2007, 12:34 AM

We need to find someone on here that maybe know's who the National Dragster staff from those day's maybe thay could help. I did just find a cool pic of my dad standing next to he 69 Smothers brothers car with Dick smothers.............or maybe all pitch in and take out an ad in national dragster for any info????????? Let not lose history

Jeremy Waibel
K&N B/SA 69 camaro
2231

Bruce Fulper · 06-23-2007, 11:12 PM

Well, hopefully Len or Jim will chime in and give us a tip.
Thanks for the stats Don. Cool stuff. Low qualirfier - .021 under.
I know times have changed - but in todays world I wouldn't go to the track until I fixed the car if it'd only go .021 under !

I had to work five years just to get the car to go 1.00 + under in order to think I had a chance to run at Indy. I saw a few of guys go home that year without making the top 128. Even with the easy indexs. Hey Jack, what do you think about the current indexs?

(duck!)

The world is a grindstone and life is your nose.

T Janes · 06-24-2007, 08:20 AM

Things have changed a lot since the sixities and seventies. When Dave Kempton won Jr Stock at Indy in 1966 There were only 17 cars in the eliminator 5 rounds. The 1968 Winternationals had a 28 car field f, Stock Eliminator 5 rounds

Bruce Fulper · 06-24-2007, 03:13 PM

I only got to see the local Top Stock Eliminator run offs at my local track, Dragway 42, and I do remember that there were only the Class winners running each other and usually not too many of them. Back when I was a piece of dirt on a flys foot my brother let me drive in the TSE. Cause, he wasn't racing his regular race car. It was broke. So being the race junkie he entered his stock 69 Mach 1 in H/SA (351) and somehow won Class.
When it came time to T/S Elim he asked me if I wanted to drive. This was the summer of '69.

I was stunned. Really? He laughed and said sure. You're going to get beat no matter what. I didn't know anything about indexs yet. Found out. I got the head start on some 10 second Dart that passed me by the 60 foot mark.

I was fifteen at the time. I have a pic of that run too.
Have to go find it.....

The world is the grindstone and life is your nose.

Len Imbrogno · 06-24-2007, 03:51 PM

Bowtie Bomber,
National Dragster would be our best bet in searching for old data from the 60's and 70's. Guys like associate editor, John Jodauga, a former racer himself, would be a good person to speak with. John, has a wealth of knowledge about the old days and probably knows where to find it. Back then everything was hand calculated and written, prior to the computer era, and a lot of the data has most likely disappeared. We can also ask Phil Burgess, editor of National Dragster.
Bomber, you said that Dragway 42 was your old home track. What years did you race there? I raced there back in 1967 with my B/S Chevelle prior to going into the service. Fun days, gone but not forgotten!

Len Imbrogno
NHRA Director of Sportsman Racing

Bruce Fulper · 06-24-2007, 10:11 PM

Len:
My first trip to Dragway 42 was opening day 1965. Wasn't that some place? I was so smitten I didn't think life could EVER be any better than watching those cars. While stuck to the fence, and you remember that the fence came up pretty close at the starting line back then ,a '58 Vette pulled out of the lanes and started his dry hops, and when it finally staged I lost my mind. On the rear quater panel it said, "Fulper's Auto Parts."

I watched it run then ran back to my brothers pit to tell him. I bet I looked like that kid from "A Christmas Story." Ralphie, when he was telling Santa Clause he wanted that BB gun....

Turned out to be a racer from Vermillion Ohio that my cousins, that I didn't know, who had a gas station, sponsored.

So, there's no doubt in my mind I watched you run. Cause I watched every run. And I could remember ET's for years. Were you there in 1970?

Bruce Fulper
7421

The world is the grindstone and life is your nose.

Bruce Fulper · 06-24-2007, 10:27 PM

Here's that run. Need a magnify glass to see what class that Dart was running. Just remembered...there 'twern't no 60 foot clocks back then. doh! He still motored around me like Jacks wagon beatin' the Matador in Belle Rose...
Had the date wrong too. Thought it was in '69 - pic says '71.
I do have a pic of my first run in my own car at '42. And it definately was in '69. Hey Red ! Now you know why I like those '69 Mustangs.

The world is the grindstone and life is your nose.

Neil Smedley · 06-24-2007, 10:29 PM

Bruce... I raced there in 1967 when that track was the headquarters for the short lived NASCAR sanction.... I too was in awe of the high caliber Ohio cars......especially a 1960 Pontiac called `Ol Rumble Guts`....363 hp and a 4 speed, owned and driven by Ron Hutter......Ron had a little dyno shop in Chardon, OH......I was so impressed with his car that I took my `50 Olds stocker to him......That guy worked on my car all day for $ 40......After about a dozen dyno pulls and trying a number of different things, he managed to pull 4 tenths out of it.....To this day he ranks very high on my hero list.........

06-22-2007, 11:27 PM	#12
Bob Don VIP Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Greater Boston Posts: 1,495 Likes: 1,114 Liked 900 Times in 191 Posts	Bruce - I have a few low qualifiers from 1980 - Winternationals, Super Stock - Rick Johnston SS/NA 11.88 (-.51) Grandnationals, Super Stock - Joe Scott SS/KA 11.39 (-.21) US Nationals, Super Stock - Ray Pacquet SS/C 9.98 (-.21) Stock - Don McElroy G/SA 11.98 (-.31) Fallnationals, Super Stock - Buck Kinney SS/KA 11.36 (-.25) Stock - Pete Kost L/SA 12.54 (-.47) World Finals, Super Stock - Rick Johnston SS/NA 12.07 (-.32) Stock - Al Provost O/SA 13.21 (-.25) As you can see, back in the day, it was a lot tougher to run the number. Just being under was an accomplishment. Hope these help. Bob Don (BTW Tom - I won class at Summernats and got to run on Sunday. I also made the show at the Grandnationals and made the semi's in Stk) __________________ Bob Don 128 SS

06-24-2007, 03:51 PM	#17
Len Imbrogno Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 40 Likes: 1 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Bowtie Bomber, National Dragster would be our best bet in searching for old data from the 60's and 70's. Guys like associate editor, John Jodauga, a former racer himself, would be a good person to speak with. John, has a wealth of knowledge about the old days and probably knows where to find it. Back then everything was hand calculated and written, prior to the computer era, and a lot of the data has most likely disappeared. We can also ask Phil Burgess, editor of National Dragster. Bomber, you said that Dragway 42 was your old home track. What years did you race there? I raced there back in 1967 with my B/S Chevelle prior to going into the service. Fun days, gone but not forgotten! Len Imbrogno NHRA Director of Sportsman Racing __________________ Len Imbrogno

06-22-2007, 05:58 PM	#11
TOM KASCH VIP Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: TOLEDO,OHIO Posts: 1,735 Likes: 0 Liked 241 Times in 100 Posts	I was class r/u at the 74 sportsnationals & springnationals in ss/ha and didn't get to race. was # 28 quilf. at the 77 P.H. R. meet in martin,mich out of 32 that got to run. Also class r/u at the1976 sports and spring ss/ha 1977 gators ss/ha 1978 sports and spring ss/ha 1979 indy ss/na 1980 gators ss/na did not get to run any of these. did win class in ss 1 time 1975 summernationals ss/ha only time I got to run on Sunday in ss 3300FWD

06-23-2007, 12:34 AM	#13
FlyingW Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Frostproof, Fl. Posts: 450 Likes: 0 Liked 1 Time in 1 Post	We need to find someone on here that maybe know's who the National Dragster staff from those day's maybe thay could help. I did just find a cool pic of my dad standing next to he 69 Smothers brothers car with Dick smothers.............or maybe all pitch in and take out an ad in national dragster for any info????????? Let not lose history Jeremy Waibel K&N B/SA 69 camaro 2231

06-23-2007, 11:12 PM	#14
Bruce Fulper Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: So. Cal. Posts: 651 Likes: 4 Liked 54 Times in 33 Posts	Well, hopefully Len or Jim will chime in and give us a tip. Thanks for the stats Don. Cool stuff. Low qualirfier - .021 under. I know times have changed - but in todays world I wouldn't go to the track until I fixed the car if it'd only go .021 under ! I had to work five years just to get the car to go 1.00 + under in order to think I had a chance to run at Indy. I saw a few of guys go home that year without making the top 128. Even with the easy indexs. Hey Jack, what do you think about the current indexs? (duck!) The world is a grindstone and life is your nose.

06-24-2007, 08:20 AM	#15
T Janes Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Whittier Ca Posts: 18 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Things have changed a lot since the sixities and seventies. When Dave Kempton won Jr Stock at Indy in 1966 There were only 17 cars in the eliminator 5 rounds. The 1968 Winternationals had a 28 car field f, Stock Eliminator 5 rounds

06-24-2007, 03:13 PM	#16
Bruce Fulper Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: So. Cal. Posts: 651 Likes: 4 Liked 54 Times in 33 Posts	I only got to see the local Top Stock Eliminator run offs at my local track, Dragway 42, and I do remember that there were only the Class winners running each other and usually not too many of them. Back when I was a piece of dirt on a flys foot my brother let me drive in the TSE. Cause, he wasn't racing his regular race car. It was broke. So being the race junkie he entered his stock 69 Mach 1 in H/SA (351) and somehow won Class. When it came time to T/S Elim he asked me if I wanted to drive. This was the summer of '69. I was stunned. Really? He laughed and said sure. You're going to get beat no matter what. I didn't know anything about indexs yet. Found out. I got the head start on some 10 second Dart that passed me by the 60 foot mark. I was fifteen at the time. I have a pic of that run too. Have to go find it..... The world is the grindstone and life is your nose.

06-24-2007, 10:11 PM	#18
Bruce Fulper Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: So. Cal. Posts: 651 Likes: 4 Liked 54 Times in 33 Posts	Len: My first trip to Dragway 42 was opening day 1965. Wasn't that some place? I was so smitten I didn't think life could EVER be any better than watching those cars. While stuck to the fence, and you remember that the fence came up pretty close at the starting line back then ,a '58 Vette pulled out of the lanes and started his dry hops, and when it finally staged I lost my mind. On the rear quater panel it said, "Fulper's Auto Parts." I watched it run then ran back to my brothers pit to tell him. I bet I looked like that kid from "A Christmas Story." Ralphie, when he was telling Santa Clause he wanted that BB gun.... Turned out to be a racer from Vermillion Ohio that my cousins, that I didn't know, who had a gas station, sponsored. So, there's no doubt in my mind I watched you run. Cause I watched every run. And I could remember ET's for years. Were you there in 1970? Bruce Fulper 7421 The world is the grindstone and life is your nose.

06-24-2007, 10:27 PM	#19
Bruce Fulper Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: So. Cal. Posts: 651 Likes: 4 Liked 54 Times in 33 Posts	Here's that run. Need a magnify glass to see what class that Dart was running. Just remembered...there 'twern't no 60 foot clocks back then. doh! He still motored around me like Jacks wagon beatin' the Matador in Belle Rose... Had the date wrong too. Thought it was in '69 - pic says '71. I do have a pic of my first run in my own car at '42. And it definately was in '69. Hey Red ! Now you know why I like those '69 Mustangs. The world is the grindstone and life is your nose.

06-24-2007, 10:29 PM	#20
Neil Smedley Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 163 Likes: 32 Liked 22 Times in 7 Posts	Bruce... I raced there in 1967 when that track was the headquarters for the short lived NASCAR sanction.... I too was in awe of the high caliber Ohio cars......especially a 1960 Pontiac called `Ol Rumble Guts`....363 hp and a 4 speed, owned and driven by Ron Hutter......Ron had a little dyno shop in Chardon, OH......I was so impressed with his car that I took my `50 Olds stocker to him......That guy worked on my car all day for $ 40......After about a dozen dyno pulls and trying a number of different things, he managed to pull 4 tenths out of it.....To this day he ranks very high on my hero list.........