Retrospect: Drag Racing History - Bill Jenkins' 1968 Pro Stock Camaro - 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.

Retrospect: Drag Racing History - Sox & Martin's 1970 Pro Stock Hemi Cuda - Ronnie Sox and Buddy Martin ran one of the strongest teams in drag racing. With Ronnie at the wheel, Buddy managing the business, and Jake King building the Mopar 426 Hemi engines, the team was at times UNSTOPPABLE! Grumpy may have slapped a 1-2-3 punch on the team in the beginning of the first season of Pro Stock in 1972, but after that, it was a Mopar show with the Blond Bomber from Bermingham scooping up most of the national even wins and tons of match race wins. - KST

Mopar Missile - For Mopar racers in 1972, Plymouth Dusters and Dodge Demons were the body of choice. The Mopar Missile had all the hot tricks of the day and then some. Particularly exotic were the dual-plug Hemi engines. The 426 Hemi looks intimidating enough, but with 16 spark plug wires snaking around the engine, it looked like TROUBLE to Chevy and Ford racers.

Grumpy’s Vega had to REALLY huff to out-charge the Hemi Mopars.
- KST

Darrell Alerman's Pro Stock Dodge - If you want to see the real Darrell Alderman Pro Stock Hemi Dodge, you'll have to go to "Big Daddy" Don Garlit's' Drag Racing Museum in Florida. Darrell is a three-time National Hot Rod Association Champion - 1990, 1991 and 1994. - KST

Jin Feurer's Pro Stock Zepher - “Animal Jim” Feurer is one of drag racings most colorful characters. If Jim is at the track, you CAN’T miss him. between his wild hair, Flintstone pants, and sunglasses, he’s an original.

Jim has been racing Fords and Mercurys since the early ‘60, but his most famous ride was his bright orange Mercury Zephyr, “Zeke.” Jim’s cars served him well over the years, earning him with 6 World Championships.
- KST

Fast Eddie Schartman's 1972 Pro Stock Maverick- Before Pintos became the car of choice for Ford Pro Stock racers in '72, racers such as "Fast Eddie" Schartman, and "Dyno Don" Nicholson raced Ford Mavericks. Eddie’s bright yellow and blue checkerboard car also had gold-plated bumpers and fenton wheels. This was one classy Pro Stock Ford. - KST

Bob Glidden's pro Stock Ford Fairmont - Pro Stock racer Bob Glidden earned his status the hard way, he worked his butt off for years! His 1978 Pro Stock Ford Fairmont was a remarkable race car. Built in just two weeks with Chassis builder Don Hardy, Glidden’s Ford holds the NHRA record of Most Consecutive Wins, having won 25 straight rounds!

Back in the olden days, NHRA used weight breaks in an attempt to level the playing field in Pro Stock. Glidden determined that the long wheelbase, boxy Fairmont had the clear advantage and he played it to the hilt.

In 1978 Glidden won the NHRA's Grandnational, U.S. Nationals, Fall Nationals, World Finals, and Beech Bend WCS race, claiming his third Winston championship in the process. When the car was retired at the end of the season, it was undefeated!

For many years Bob Glidden has the distinction of having won more NHRA wins than anyone else in drag racing with 76 victories to his credit. An AMAZING feat! - KST

Bob Glidden's Pro Stock Ford Probe - In 1988 Bob Glidden retired his dominating Ford Thunderbird in favor of a new, sleek Ford Probe. The T-Bird had given Glidden 19 national wins! The new Probe promptly set the new NHRA National Record with a 7.227 et. Glidden went on to win 9 national events in ‘89 and scooped up his 10th and final NHRA Winston Finals win.

It was such a hectic and fierce year that Glidden later made the following statement, "You know what's incredible and sad?" said Glidden. "Without question, [1989] was by far our best year, but I don't think we really even noticed that, or had an opportunity to enjoy it.”

In 1994 Bob suffered a heart attack and now lives a much quieter and calmer life style. He also plays a lot of golf now. It should be noted that Bob Glidden’s success was a result of a total commitment from his family that included his wife Etta, and his sons Billy and Rusty. - KST

Maskin & Kanners Pro Stock American Motors Hornet X - The Maskin & Kanners Pro Stock Hornet X was a solid mid-8-second car. The slick little AMC machine dusted off just about everyone in Pro Stock at one time or another. Most people completely underestimated the potential of the American Motors powerplant. This Pro Stock AMC car was the ultimate underdog. - KST

Warren Johnson's Pro Stock Olds Cutlas - Warren Johnson started drag racing in the late ‘60s and progressed into the Pro Stock ranks by the early ‘70s. Over the years Johnson has had a string of successful Camaro Pro Stockers before landing a sweet sponsorship deal with GM Performance Parts. GM kept switching the brand and models of cars for Warren. Through the ‘80s Johnson raced Oldsmobiles and later in the ‘90s raced Pontiac bodied cars.

2005 is Warren Johnson’s “School’s Out” Farewell Tour. He’ll be hanging up his helmet with a super impressive 88 career victories, the most wins by any Pro Stock driver in NHRA history. Warren’s nick name, “The professor” came from his scientific approach to racing. - KST

Bill Kuhlman's Pro Stock Camaro - Bill Kuhlman had a series of fierce Pro Stock-like Chevrolet race cars. Over the years Bill outfitted his cars with whatever would make them run fast and hard - nitrous oxide, alcohol, and later nitro. Kuhlman was always “out there” looking for an edge. - KST

Ted Spehar's Motown Missile pro Stock Dodge Challenger - Sox & Martin weren't the only drag racing team that received help from Chrysler. Not far from the Chrysler Engineering facilities, drag racer Ted Spehar "field tested" parts for the engineers that worked in the Chrysler Drag Racing R&D Group.

In 1971 Spehar built the "Motown Missile" Dodge Challenger. The car was so tricked out and well prepared that many competitors cried "foul" and assumed that the team was cheating! Spehar and his team would arrive at the track, unload the black and gold Challenger, make a qualifying run, and blow everyone into the weeds. Then, they'd take it easy till race time!

Once, just to keep everyone guessing, Ted attached clear plexiglass disks over the front wheels. The competition went nuts. They just KNEW it was something trick and probably illegal, when it was just plexiglass.

The ‘71 Motown Missile was at this point, more of a Super Stock or Modified Production car that what we usually think of as a Pro Stocker. Grumpy’s tube-frame Vega was still a year away. - KST

Motown Missile Pro Stock Plymouth Duster - This was the last of the “Missile” Pro Stockers. As illustrated here, Mike Fons ran 8.80s at the Turkey Trot Nationals in 1974. Pro Stock driver Don Carlton eventually bought the Missile and ran it with “Don Carlton” lettering in place of Motown Missile lettering.

Sox & Martin weren't the only drag racing team that received help from Chrysler. Not far from the Chrysler Engineering facilities, drag racer Ted Spehar "field tested" parts for the engineers that worked in the Chrysler Drag Racing R&D Group.

The Duster Missile was a tube chassis car, thanks to Grumpy Jenkins’ Vega. Grump may have created a slight advantage with his small-block Vega, but the big Hemi Mopars were like the dogs of war... always there... always within striking range. If Jenkins’ Vega could get knocked out of competition, then any one of a number of fierce Chrysler cars had an excellent chance of winning. - KST

Reher & Morrison's 1987 pro Stock Chevrolet Beretta - The racing team of David Reher, Buddy Morrison were one of a handful of other Pro Stock teams that consistently were contenders in the ‘80s and into the ‘90s. Chevy pro Stockers had seen a progression of Camaros, Vegas, and Monzas, depending on how the rules favored certain cars. When Chevrolet came out with the new Beretta, the Reher & Morrison team had the first Pro Stock version to his the strip.

This is what the car looked like at the ‘87 Summernationals. - KST

Reher & Morrison's Pro Stock Chevrolet Camaro - From 1980 to 1984, Lee Shepherd reached the finals in 44 of 56 NHRA racing events! Lee and the Reher & Morrison team had a string of super competitive Camaros from ‘78 to ‘84 when Shepherd was killed in a testing accident in Oklahoma. Not only was Lee Shepherd an outstanding driver but he had a nack for porting and polishing cylinder heads. Lee had won 4 straight Winston Championships and every race on the NHRA tour at least once, compiling a 173-47 record in NHRA competition.

He is still ranked fourth on the lists of all-time Pro Stock drivers. - KST

Sam Auxier's pro Stock Ford Mustang - Sam Auxier started drag racing with a 1963 427, 4-speed Galaxie and quickly moved into the A/FX class and later into Super Stock class and Pro Stock. During the late ‘60s Sam won the Cars Magazine Championships at Cecil County Drag-O-Way two times. In the early ‘70 Sam was a regular in the Super Stock and Pro Stock match race circuit with his Ford Mustangs.

By the mid-’70s Sam was into a Don Hardy tube chassis Pinto. He was also in development of the Doug Nash 5 speed transmission. - KST

Sox & Martin's Pro stock 1972 Plymouth Duster - Ronnie Sox and Buddy Martin ran one of the strongest teams in drag racing. With Ronnie at the wheel, Buddy managing the business, and Jake King building the Mopar 426 Hemi engines, the team was at times UNSTOPPABLE! - KST