Wed, 3 Feb 2010, 01:42 PM More Than Just A Race

By Bob Frey Photo copyright 2010 Auto Imagery, Inc.

Dixon from last year's Winternationals

The first race of the year is always a special time for drag race fans. Since I was a kid, the Winternationals has been one of the races that I always look forward to with great anticipation. Long ago, I had to wait weeks before I knew the results, and that was when my National DRAGSTER finally arrived in the mail. I would go through it page by page, checking the results first, looking at the pictures next and then going back to read the event coverage. When I was done I knew everything that had happened at the race. It was, for a young drag racing fan, the next best thing to being there. Now, with the ESPN coverage and the up to the minute results that you can find on DragRaceCentral.com, you know the results almost as soon as they happen. Still, after all these years, I am looking forward to going to Pomona for a variety of reasons. First, it will be good to be a productive member of society again. By that I mean that I've enjoyed my time at home but it's time to get back to work. Next, it's always great to see the new cars and the new teams and see which ones get off to a good start. In that regards there are always some real surprises, like last year when Larry Dixon and Tim Wilkerson both failed to make the starting lineup. While it didn't affect them much in the long run, it wasn't the way either of them wanted to begin the year. And history is littered with drivers who came in with big hopes and left with those hopes dashed at Pomona. It's things like that, though, that make this such an exciting time for fans and teams alike.

This year I am looking forward to the Winternationals for more than the usual reasons. Of course the race itself should be great and there are a lot of teams that I will be watching with special interest. Among them will be Larry Morgan and his new Ford Pro Stock car, but more on that later. This year's race will be, as I'm sure you all know, the 50^th running of the Winternationals, that is if you don't count the 1960 race in Florida, but that's another story altogether. As such, there are a lot, and I mean a lot of really special things that are going to take place. Among them is the special Golden 50 Corral that will feature some of the top cars in the history of this great event. If the car display were the only thing going on at the track next weekend it would be worth the trip to Pomona. So many cars that have been such a big part of the history of this event will be on display and it's bound to be a huge focal point of the event. I've checked over the list and I don't know which car or cars I am most anxious to see. Don Garlits will have a couple of cars on display as will Don Prudhomme. "Big Daddy" will be at the event, and, despite what you may have heard or read, I have a feeling that the "Snake" will make an appearance. One thing that will be there is Don's "Hot Wheels" car hauler, and that is, itself, worth the price of admission. There will be vintage Funny Cars, like one of "Jungle" Jim Liberman's cars, classic gas dragsters like the legendary "Freight Train," and some of the great supercharged gassers of all time. You'll also find a bunch of AA/FA cars in the display area and, since they are such a great part of the history of this sport, they will be a welcome addition to the car show (that's what I'm calling it)..After looking at the entire list of cars that will be in the Corral, it's hard to pick one that I would say is my

Garlits' Swamp Rat V

favorite, although it may be that "Smirnoff" Top Fuel car. Daryl Greenamyer, who owned the car, will also be in Pomona and that will be one of the few times that he has been at the drags in recent years. I saw that car at the 1967 Nationals in Indy and I thought it was absolutely the most beautiful car that I had ever seen. It still may be..One of the other cars that I have always enjoyed, mainly because when I used to read those old National DRAGSTERs that I was talking about, is the classic "Ventura Motors" car of Hugh Tucker. The great lines, the classic silhouette and the phenomenal performance of that car made it one of my favorites, and it still is. Did you know that Hugh won the 1962 and 1963 Winternationals with that Oldsmobile-powered roadster? By the time he entered the 1966 Winternationals Hugh had installed a Chrysler motor. Regardless of the engine combination the result was the same, and Hugh won his third Winternationals' title in 1966. Just for good measure Hugh went to the finals again in 1967 only this time he lost to Ed Kohler who was driving

Freight Train

another one of the cars that will be in the Golden 50 Corral, the Kohler Brothers Anglia. Did you know that at the '67 race the Kohler Brothers ran the car in AA/A rather than in their usual A/GS class? And among those in that Super Eliminator field that year were Willie Borsch, Bill Lawton in the Tasca Ford, Don Nicholson and Gene Snow.I could go on and on about the cars that will be on display but all I can say is that I wouldn't want to be one of the judges who narrows the selection down to the final fifty. Good luck with that..OK, so one last note about the Corral. I spoke with Don Grotheer the other day and he said that he is really looking forward to coming to Pomona. Don, who was one of the great Mopar team drivers in the late 1960's and early 1970's, won the Super Stock Eliminator title at the 1969 Winternationals and then went to the finals again in Pro Stock in 1972. Always a gentleman and a great racer, it will be good to see Don back at the track where he belongs.

Bill Jenkins, Shirley Muldowney, Bob Frey Don Garlits, John Force, Don Prudhomme and Bob Glidden

Another reason why I am looking forward to Pomona, besides the fact that it's twenty degrees in New Jersey today, is that there is going to be a nice little get together on Saturday night. Billed as the Legends Dinner it will take place after the racing has concluded on Saturday and will feature some of the top drivers of all time. Scheduled to appear are Don Garlits, Shirley Muldowney, Bill Jenkins, Bob Glidden, Kenny Bernstein, John Force, Joe Amato, Tony Schumacher and Larry Dixon. As of this time (Tuesday evening) there are just a few tickets left, a very few, for what promises to be a great evening. If the panel discussion we had at the SEMA show last year was any indication of what's to come, the Legends Dinner will be one event that you won't want to miss this year at Pomona. Tickets can be purchased by calling NHRA at 800-884-6472. Operators are standing by....As a little side note, I just got an e-mail from a gentleman who is writing a book about the "Grumpy" one, Mr. Jenkins. This fellow sat down and spent time with Bill and they went over all of the wins that Bill has been involved with either as a driver, crew chief or engine builder. Did you know that the total number of wins for Bill in those various capacities is over seventy? And that's not counting all of the AHRA wins because even Bill can't document all of them. Gee, with that much success I wonder why he's called "Grumpy?" Oh well..

Allen Johnson

I really think that the Pro Stock season may be one of the more exciting that we've seen in a while. With the new Dodge Avenger body styles and Larry Morgan's new Ford, which I expect will be competitive right away, it should be a lot of fun for the Pro Stock fans. Plus, if you can believe some of the numbers that I've heard about from the two Summit Racing cars, three if you count Ronnie Humphreys, they should return to form and make a serious run for the championship, too. Having said that, you can't discount Jeg Coughlin or the defending series champ, Mike Edwards. Did you know that Mike's very first Pro Stock race was the Winternationals in 1982? Mike qualified for the field but didn't show up for round number one. After that, Mike didn't race at the Winternationals again until 1996. Mike's best qualifying spot for the Winternationals was a number four start in 2001 and 2009. Anyone want to bet that he doesn't qualify higher than that this year?....Larry's Ford may be the most watched car at the race this year in the Pro Stock class. With the great history that Ford has in the class and at Pomona it will be interesting to see how well Larry does in his first race with a Ford. He is very excited about it and we may get a better indication of what kind of numbers he'll turn if he competes at Las Vegas this weekend. One thing we won't get is an idea how the Summit Racing cars will do because they have announced that they will skip Vegas and go right to California. Should be a very interesting weekend for Pro Stock. Make that a very interesting year.

Bartone vs. Gordon in '09 Winternationals final.

I know I usually focus on the pro classes in this column but I have to think that the alky classes will get, or should get, a lot of attention at Pomona this year. The battle for the championships in the two alky classes will begin and, for the first time since 2004, there won't be a Frank Manzo in the field. Did you know 2004 was the last time Frank didn't open the season at Pomona? Since 2005 he has been in the finals three times and won the season-opening race twice. But with his new deal, and the fact that he has been overseas for most of the off-season, it looks like Frank will not begin the season until the Gatornationals in Florida. That means the TAFC class is wide open at Pomona and someone is going to take an early lead in the points. Last year it was Tony Bartone and he's entered this year, too. Did you know that, in addition to his win last year, Tony also won the Winternationals in 1996 in the alky Funny Car class and in 2003 in Top Alcohol Dragster?... Speaking of which, the TAD class will also be fun to watch with several of last year's top

Whiteley vs. Demke in '09 Winternationals final.

ten drivers in attendance. Jim Whiteley (2^nd), Shawn Cowie (4^th) and Chris Demke (6^th) are all entered for the race which, as of now, is still one short of a full field. For Southern California not to turn out sixteen cars in the alky ranks would be a story in itself....Jim Whitely, who has come so close to winning the Lucas Oil World Championship the past two years, has one of the best cars in the country and he has a record that is really unbelievable. Did you know that he has entered twenty-nine races in the TAD class and he has been to the final round at ten of those races? And he won nine of them!! That is, as I said, unbelievable. Even if the fields just barely reach sixteen, the alky classes should be fun next week.

With all of the excitement surrounding the event, the 50^th annual Winternationals should be a great place to be next week. Race cars, show cars, a Cacklefest, dinners, legends, great new cars, new teams and a new battle for the championships should combine to make the first race of the year a lot of fun. Now if only the weatherman would cooperate and give us four days of bright, Southern California sunshine we could kick the 2010 Full Throttle Drag Racing season off with a bang. Let's hope....