Thu, 31 Oct 2002, 08:07 PM Once A Ford Fan, Always A Ford Fan!!

By Bob Frey Photo copyright 2002 Auto Imagery, Inc.

Bob Pott

When Bob Pott was sixteen years old, he raced his first car, a 1937 Ford Flathead and then after High School he had a 1957 Ford Custom with a 312 cubic inch engine in it. That was almost thirty-four years ago and guess what, Bob is still racing and he ’s still racing a Ford. The car that he races today is a 1988 Mustang that runs in the NHRA’s L/Stock class, and it’s a bit quicker than the ’57 and it doesn’t have much in common with his first car other than the fact that it’s a Ford.

Bob Pott is typical of a lot of racers today, that is, he started years ago, never strayed too far from the sport and he has always stayed with his first love, in this case, a Ford. He has also stayed with his first love, Penny, his wife of thirty-seven years. "She and his three daughters has supported me through thick and thin and I couldn’t have done any of this without her and the girls," Bob said. He was quick to add that he also gets some real support from his daughter, Shannon, and her husband Eric. "At the track, Shannon and Eric are my pit crew and my biggest fans. Without them, it would be really tough to compete at this level. I’m really fortunate that my family is always there and ready to do whatever it takes to compete."

In 1959, when Bob raced that classic ’57 Ford, drag racing was still in its early stages of development, and so was Bob’s racing career. "I started with that 312 motor and gradually stepped it up to a 406 and then a 427 cubic inch motor," he said. "And those cars included some of the Ford tri-power setups as well as the big tunnel port engine. They were pretty quick for their time." One of the quickest cars that Bob ran was a 1968 notchback Ford Mustang with a 427 cubic inch motor with the tunnel port setup. "I went to that combination around 1970 and had some pretty good success with it, especially out in this part of the country," the Arizona native said. While a car with that combination may be sound a little strange to some folks, for those who remember the old AHRA classes, Bob ran it in the B/Hot Rod class as a Formula 1 car, the two-four barrel carburetor class, and he recorded some times as quick as 10.20 at speeds over 135 mph. "I don’t know how you could prove it today, but for years, I had one of the fastest Fords in Arizona," he said with a smile.

Penny, Bob, Shannon and Eric

Like most racers, after reaching one level of success, Bob wanted to go even faster and that led him to his next car, another Ford that featured a state-of-the-art overhead cam "SOHC" Holman and Moody Ford engine. "I remember that it cost $1,000, and that was a lot of money back then," Bob said. "I put it in the ’68 car and it was just too much, we broke axles, input shafts, transmissions, you name it and we broke it." Undaunted, Bob built a tube chassis car, used the same body panels from the ’68 Mustang and set off to race in the highly competitive Modified Eliminator in "B" and "C" altered. "It had everything you could put on a car, ladder bars, a Lenco, the whole works, and it ran around 8.90 at 150 miles per hour. It was pretty quick." Later on, Bob competed in the AHRA Pro Stock class and he actually qualified for a couple of races. "We eventually got beat by some of the big guys with more money, but it was fun." Bob was quick to thank a couple of pretty good racers who helped him back in those days, guys named Don Nicholson and Earl Wade. "The car got too elaborate and we needed help, so I went in to their shop in Orange County and they couldn’t be nicer. I see Don every now and then and he is still one of the nicest guys in the sport."

After racing for a few years, Bob put his career on hold to concentrate on raising his family, which includes Shannon, Kelly and Lauren, his three daughters, and to work at his job as an environmental health and safety supervisor with Cal Energy Operating Company, but he knew that he’d eventually go back to the track. He started taking Dennis Alveyto the races when he was fifteen and they are still real good friend today and he races a B/SA Mustang. "I got this car that I have today about eight years ago, and I actually bought it for a friend, but then he said that he didn’t want it, so I kept it. It was in good shape. It was slow, but in good shape." Today, with the help of a lot of friends, the little, yellow L/Stock car is a regular fixture at the Division 7 events and most of the national races on the west coast. It has a Jerico four speed, Comp Cam, MSD ignition, McLeod clutch, Strange rear end and a roll bar and cage built by fellow Ford lover, Don Bevers. "Basically, my daughter, Shannon, her husband, Eric and I built the car and it’ s a lot of fun to drive. Bill Nelson, another Arizona racer, has also been instrumental with the management system on the car," Bob said.

When I asked Bob why he likes Fords, he told me that when he was in high school he bought a 1937 Ford and all of the Chevy guys laughed at him. "When I told them that my Ford was faster than their Chevrolets, and then showed them, they shut up." Then he added that he has a 1992 Mustang that he drives on the street everyday. "It has a 302 motor, and has 560,000 miles on it and I’ve never had the heads off it. That’s why I like Fords, because they’re tough and they last." And, if you follow Bob’s career, they’re pretty fast, too. Bob said that he still has the ’68 Mustang with the OHC engine in it and that he hopes to update it, "make it gorgeous again," and run some of the specialty Ford shows with it. He’d also like to get to the point where he can field another car with his daughter, Shannon and son-in law Eric driving. "I’m very blessed that my family supports me in this and I think Shannon would make a good driver." Of course, like her dad, she’ll drive a Ford, because once you’re a Ford fan, you’re always a Ford fan!!

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