Jenkins' 1968 Pro Stock
Camaro
Print #PS-42
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According the The Grump himself, from a dollars spent-to-dollars won perspective, this was his most successful racer ever. It was arguably his most popular car ever. Most notibly, this was the car that won the very first NHRA Pro Stock national event at the 1970 Winter Nationals in Pomona, California.
What eventually happened to the car is unclear, but there are a few replicas and a newly released, 1:24th scale die-cast version offered by RSC Collectibles.
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Jenkins' "Monster Mash '
55 Chevy
Print #PS-35
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In the early ‘60s, this plain-Jane looking ‘55 Chevy drove the tech officials nuts. Bill Jenkins was formally trained as a mechanical engineer and took that training and applied it to his racing interests. Jenkins’ Stock Eliminator racer was subjected to numerous inspections and tear-downs and was always found to legal.
Rumors had it that Bill had the car put into the crusher so that “secrets” would be preserved. The Grumpy one would never confirm or deny these stories.
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Jenkins' Pro Stock '66 Nova
Print #PS-37
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Bill Jenkins spent 1964 and ‘65 racing two very successful hemi-powered Dodges - the “Dodge Boys” ‘64 Dodge and the “Black Arrow” ‘65 Dodge. As would become Jenkins trademark over the years, he stunned everyone by switching over to a A/Stock 327 powered Chevy Nova! Grumpy became the ultimate Chevy underdog with his little small-block Nova running 7-inch cheater slicks and running 11.14 in the quarter-mile against the Hemi Mopars.
He took runner-up in A/Stock at the NHRA Spring Nationals, then second place in Top Stock Eliminator at the NHRA Nationals and the World Finals. The little Chevy was to become the first of many “Grumpy’s Toy” Chevy racers.
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Jenkins' Pro Stock
'68 Camaro
Print #PS-11
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In the beginning of the 1970 racing season Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins astounded everyone by winning three major events in just 15 days with his 2-year old Camaro. AND, 'Da Grump scooped up $30,000 cash in the process! In the history of drag racing, there has never been a more popular Chevrolet racer than Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins. His very popular "Grumpy's Toy" Chevy racers always wowed fans and kept the Mopar and Ford racers on their toes.
Grump's '68 Camaro was by far, his most successful car. Costing only about $8,000, the white Camaro beat up on everyone as a Super Stocker and later as a a Pro Stocker. Bill's '68 Camaro is in the drag racing history books as the car that won the very first "official" NHRA Pro Stock race at the Winternationals in 1970. |
"Grumpy's Toy IV"
1968 Camaro
Print #PS-10
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In the beginning of the 1970 racing season Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins astounded everyone by winning three major events in just 15 days with his 2-year old Camaro. AND, 'Da Grump scooped up $30,000 cash in the process! In the history of drag racing, there has never been a more popular Chevrolet racer than Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins. His very popular "Grumpy's Toy" Chevy racers always wowed fans and kept the Mopar and Ford racers on their toes.
Grump's '68 Camaro was by far, his most successful car. Costing only about $8,000, the white Camaro beat up on everyone as a Super Stocker and later as a a Pro Stocker. Bill's '68 Camaro is in the drag racing history books as the car that won the very first "official" NHRA Pro Stock race at the Winternationals in 1970.
Grump was famous for chomping a cigar while racing. After doing his burnouts, Bill would always open the driver’s door and “hang out” to make sure that he was backing up in the exact line of rubber he had just laid down during the burnout. Fans LOVED IT! Once in a match race at Atco Raceway I saw him do his second burnout with the door open... Willy Borsch-style!
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Retrospect - Grumpy Jenkins'
1968 Pro Stock Camaro
Print #DRH-11
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This was the first of a series of articles I wrote and illustrated for Super Stock & Drag Illustrated magazine in 1988 and 1989. Pro Stock racing was 18 years old at that point and had seen dramatic changes. Looking back, the cars were amazingly "stock."
In the beginning of the 1970 racing season Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins astounded everyone by winning three major events in just 15 days with his 2-year old Camaro. AND, 'Da Grump scooped up $30,000 cash in the process!
In the history of drag racing, there has never been a more popular Chevrolet racer than Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins. His very popular "Grumpy's Toy" Chevy racers always wowed fans and kept the Mopar and Ford racers on their toes.
Grump's '68 Camaro was by far, his most successful car. Costing only about $8,000, the white Camaro beat up on everyone as a Super Stocker and later as a a Pro Stocker. Bill's '68 Camaro is in the drag racing history books as the car that won the very first "official" NHRA Pro Stock race at the Winternationals in 1970.
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Grumpy's Toy VI '69 Camaro
Print #PS-43
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Grump’s ‘69 Camaro had several incarnations. The original setup was a Super Stock/C racer and used an all-aluminum 427 ZL-1 engine. Pro Stock was about a year away but match racing was all the rage. It didn’t take long before the Camaro grew a tunnel-ram manifold with two 4-bbl carbs, and an air-box scoop for match racing.
Jenkins best victory with the car was at the ‘69 Super Stock Nationals where he won the first heads-up Super Stock Enduro Eliminator title. Bill match raced and competed in national Pro Stock races with the car in ‘70 and ‘71. Eventually Jenkins used the car as a test-machine for his come -back secret weapon for 1972, his small-block, tube-framed ‘72 Vega.
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Click HERE
to read Steve Collison's
delightful Bench Racing story,
"Speed Shifting With Jenkins and Strickler."
For the Steve Collison Tribute,
Click HERE.
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