Crime Dog's Classic Funny Car snaps..

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Of course, no Funny Car album could be considered complete without a shot of the "Goose". This is the '78 winner, an absolutely gorgeous car. I hear that this car is being restored. The Mongoose nearly didn't come to Indy in '78 due to the death of his Son Jamie just days before. A very emotional win for a class act. Ed McCulloch's Revellution Dart. the Ace has six US Nationals titles including one top fuel win, making him one of four drivers to win titles in both Top Fuel and Funny Car. Can you name the other three? Two are pretty easy, its the fourth one that might give you trouble, is also the most recent to have added a second title. Unlike the other three the fourth one is the only one to not have won multiple titles in at least one of the classes.Give UP? Prudhomme was the first to do it, then Kenny Bernstien, the ACE and Jim Head. This one must be from 1976 because of the Olympia Beer decals on the window panels. I like to look at the people in the pics to try and get a feel for what must have been going on. Something must have been running near here because alot of people have there fingers in their ears. Ear plugs weren't very common in those days, and you usually wore a headset type of device to protect your ears if you wore anything at all, but they were very clumsy and uncomfortable. Dale Pulde's War Eagle Trans Am.
Condit Brothers Plymouth Arrow Detroit Tiger Monza funny car Prudhomme's Army Arrow 1977. (race winner) Big Jim Dunn's Fireman's Quickie funny car The Hawaiian Corvette, probably '78/'79 as well, Avanti antenna sponsorship. (CB Radios!)

the Yellow Showtime Corvette of Tom Hoover Can't ID the year, but sometime late 70's early 80's.

Ken Veney in the pits at the '75/'76 US Nationals. Thats Veney with his hand on the blower drive and the blue hat. I'm not sure what the flex hose attached to the bell housing is for, unless they used it to remove clutch dust. Don't remember them doing that

alcohol Pro Comp BB/FC of Monroeville Indiana's Don Gerardot. Red and silver car is from '77

Dale Pulde's War Eagle Firebird

Gene Snow's Snowman, Snow was first alternate in '77 and made it into the show when Dale Emery crashed "Big"Mike Burkharts Camaro on a Qualifing pass

a Better shot of the side of the Bernstein Chelsea King, if you compare these two pictures, I think you'll come to the same conclusion I did; these are not from the same year. The second picture has the car sans decals. Although it is possible its the same year just different days.

Kenny Berstein's Chelsea Street Pub Arrow

The late Leroy Goldstein was the Tuner on these cars and told Bernstein they were missing out on some valuable contingency money, to which Kenny replied that he expected alot more than a few hundred dollars for displaying decals. Anyway, probably from the '78 US Nationals.

Tim Grose's Alka Seltzer car. I've never seen another picture of this car anywhere. I have no idea what year or any other thing about this car. Maybe someone else can ad some info on this car. I do know it was a nitro car and the picture was taken at IRP Labor day week-end.

Radici and Wise Vega

Billy Meyer's SMI RIO Air Citation. Looks alot like an Arrow don't cha' think? Guessing '78/'79

This is another shot of the Billy Meyer Citation. He is generally credited with creating the modern transporter. Pretty crude stuff by todays standards.

the All "Blue" Blue Max Arrow. I think from '78. most of these years are guesses, so if anyone has a more difinitive time frame, I'd like to hear it. I think Slixx just announced this decal set.

one of my all time favorite F/C's = Jerry Boldenow's Moby Dick Corvette. Erza Boggs was also associated with this car, but later. Steve Gold owned this car when Boldenow drove it and clicked off a 6.15/236+ at the '76 US Nationals.

Powers Steel Camaro, Tripp Shumake drove this car at the '77 US Nationals. Denny Savage would have a turn in it later and this same car was rebodied as a Corvette a season or two later.

Tom Hoover's Showtime Corvette. Not sure of the year, '78 maybe. I hadn't realized how many Corvettes there were until I started looking at these pictures again, Hoover later had a yellow Corvette, but the picture I have of it won't scan. It comes out looking like a late 70's LSD trip. I'm NOT speaking from experience! Here are a couple of the Super Shops Arrow. These are oddly enough from two different years taken at about the same angle. Strange. The first one has Foster testing the nitro mix from 1978. the second one has the crew appearing to be attaching some ballast to the front of the car at the US Nationals 1979. This is Johnny Loper's Mustang/Charger/Whatisit? from about 79 or 80. Eddie Pauling did a stint in this car, but I think the late Tripp Shumake was in it this year. Dewayne Shafer ID'd the Blonde as Tripp's Widow Susie. Loper did and does have a performance shop in the Phoenix Area. Don Gerardot's yellow car is from '78. Note the difference in the bodies.
the Custom Body car of Phil Castronova. the Utica Flash had hung up the fire suit by then and another east coast guy, Al Segrini was the pilot. Segrini may be better remembered for his stint in the Fabrege Brut and also spent some time behind the wheel of the Black Magic car. Thats Segrini to the far left in the blue shirt and the Jersey Gloves. I can't ID the rest of the crew or the year, but my guess is 79/80. I think that maybe Castronova in the check shirt, but only a guess. I always thought this was the Super Shop Arrow, but I'm not so sure anymore, anyway, I sent it because I thought it was a nice photo of a "state of the art" Fuel motor in its time. Note the Crewman filling the water port Ya Gotta love this one! The Snake hard at work on the motor, all the time still wearing his firesuit pants and boots. I've never had the pleasure of slipping on a fire suit, but one can only imagine how hot that must have been, knowing how warm Labor day in Central Indiana can be. John White's Houston Husler Mustang II out of Texas. Fairly decent runner in its day.Neat little race car.Check out the burn marks from the headers just below the N in John. John Lombarbo's Mustang II. Lombardo would go on to win the '85 US Nationals in the "red" Blue Max
Gordie Bonin's Bubble Up Firebird. This car is the 1979 Us Nationals Funny Car Champion. Bonin got the nickname "Two-Forty-Gordie" for his penchant for clicking off 240 MPH pass' when 225-230 were the norm. Bonin faced Kosty Ivanof in the finals and soloed when Ivanof couldn't keep the Boston Shaker Corvette lit. Bonin recorded a then, national MPH record of 245.90 mph in the solo final. This picture must have been taken late Monday as the Pits are thinning out and the trash is really pilling up This is Gary Burgin's Orange Baron Mustang, circa 78/80. Burgin won the US Nationals in 1976 in the Mustang II that is shown elsewhere on this site. Burgin also had a Chevy Monza bodied Baron that went to the Semi-Finals in '77 only to have the Chute deploy at about the 500' mark against eventual runner up Richard Rogers in Jim Green's Green Elephant This just a picture of the mural on the hood of the Goose's 78 Vette. Roland Leongs Kings Hawaiian Dodge. Can't make out the name above the window, guessing Ron Colson, but take your pick, nearly everyone who ever had a license to drive a Funny Car was in this car. I'm guessing 80/81. unknown driver/car combo. It obviously is a division 7 car, under the magnifying glass it appears it might be Bruce Sarver but that is only a guess. No idea what year either. Any info about this car would be appreciated.
Here is another car that met a violent demise the Pandemonium Challenger. I think Fuzz Miller was the driver, don't know if this was his own effort or if someone else owned it. The car ran out of Division 4. I have been told this car was lost doing a guard rail dance at Columbus Ohio. Another pic of the Pandemonium car, I can still remember seeing the crew giving it a bath and thinking how odd that it was, everyone else was scurring around their race car making last minute adjustments and here are these guys washing their car like it was a Saturday Afternoon in the driveway. Never seen that before or since. Ken Thornburg's Centurion. A division 3 car out of Columbus Ohio I am told, this car had a nasty go around with the guardrail at Gainsville a couple of years later and was destroyed. This is Greg Brewton's Corvette. Haven't seen any other pictures of this car and don't know much about it other than it is a division 4 car, but anyone could tell you that. It always struck me as being an uninspired, unimaginative paint job, but I think time has distorted the color on this image, so it may not have been as bland as it looks. One thing strikes me about this car, NO Contengency decals. Tom Hoovers Monza. I was told that this was the ex-Prudhomme car, but as I remember it, Hoover actually acquired the Prudhomme Vega, however, there is no reason to believe this could not be the same car, re-skinned as a Monza. Prudhomme got rid of the Vega almost immediately after delivery because he felt it was to heavy. Indy 77/78/79.
I like this picture, don't know why, just do. Prudhomme and I am guessing Pat Foster in the Damn Yankee Vega. By the looks of the crowd, I'd say its early round of Monday eliminations 1976 Ken Veney and Wilfred Boutilier. a Pair of Legends from the old Pro Comp Class. 1976 probably Dale Armstrong's "Alcoholic" Satellite BB/FC. I always liked those old Satelitte Funny Cars. This one is probably from '75 US Nationals. Armstrong won Indy in this car in'75, won Indy in 74 in a 23-T Altered, and '77 in a Dragster! The only other racer to win more than one Pro Comp title at Indy was Billy Williams. The class ran as Pro Comp From '74 to '80 when they split the Funny Cars and Dragsters into seperate classes. Dale Armstrong's "Alcoholic" Satelite BB/FC. 1975 Pro Comp Champion US Nationals Another shot of one of my Favorite Funny Cars, Jerry Boldenow's Moby Dick Corvette. Post Burn-out 1976 US Nationals

....Not everything runs on Nitro, here is a shot of "Wild" Wilfred Boutetier's BB/FC Vega on the return road. I think '75/'76 because I believe he was running the Mustang II in '77

Blue Max Mustang II on the return road, (I can't believe I got the car in the middle of the picture and didn't cut the top or one end off) I can't tell for sure, but it looks like Beadle and "Waterbed" Fred Miller on the back of the "Dually" Can't id the third guy. I think this is from '76. Beadle won the '75 US Nationals and again in '81 in the Horizon. he was also the car owner in '85 when Lombardo won.

This is more a picture of the tow vehicle than the funny car, I think its Wildfred Boutilier's Mustang II. I just thought the ramp truck was neat and decided to send it to you, do what you want with it, but it makes for a neat contrast from todays mega haulers.

Gordie Bonin far lane, Sush Matsubara near lane. '76 US Nationals. Bonin would win the '79 Nationals ~ That Monza remains one of my favorite paint jobs on the old Revell Sponsored cars.

Every once in awile I get lucky and catch a decent one. This is Gary Burgin doing a burnout at the 1976 US Nationals. Burgin Pulled off the upset beating Prudhomme in the finals. The US Nationals has produced its share of surprises and this one was no exception.

This one is from what appears to be the final round of Funny car, Prudhomme post burnout 1976. Note the Olympia Beer decals.

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Sunday, December 07, 2008 09:33:01 PM

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