Thu, 16 Sep 2010, 08:36 PM Smile, You're On Candid Camera

By Bob Frey Photo copyright 2010 Auto Imagery, Inc.

Bishop's '59 Biscayne. Photo by Dave Bishop

My first year at the U.S. Nationals was 1967 and I remember it like it was yesterday. I know that I've said that before, but it's true. I think every fan and every racer remembers the first time they came to Indy. Even Tony Stewart, the NASCAR star, who was at this year's U.S. Nationals, admitted to a certain amount of awe when he came through the staging lanes with Tony Schumacher. "When you turn that corner, and see the track and those grandstands it really is a special feeling," he said. "And then he added, "And I don't know how Tony (Schumacher) does it, that is, stay focused." Well, if a two-time NASCAR champ is talking like that you can imagine what it's like for a sportsman racer. This year close to 900 racers competed in Indy and, in the end, only a dozen made it to the winner's circle. For some it was a return trip, for others it was their first. In fact, for some, it was not only their first Indy win it was their first NHRA national event win. I've never been in that position but I have to imagine that it's a great feeling. Of course if I want to know what it's like all I have to do is ask Tim Bishop.

Tim and Dave Bishop

Tim Bishop is part of a team that has been around drag racing for over forty years. Along with his cousin, the well-known photographer and publisher of the East Coast Drag News, Dave Bishop, they have been coming to Indy since 1965. "We brought our first car here that year," Dave said. "It was a 1959 Chevrolet Biscayne, complete with those big fins and all. It had a 283-engine with a two-barrel carburetor." After racing that for a few years they "stepped up" to J/S, and they did that with a 1957 Chevy Bel Air. "We got our first class win in 1969," Tim said. "I still have that car and we would like to get it back together to take on the nostalgia circuit." From there they progressed to a classic Chevrolet Z-28 with a 302-engine that ran in E/S, and true to form, Tim still has that car, too. Another "Z" car followed that before Tim got his current ride, a 1997 Pontiac Firehawk. "And every car we have ever had was a stick shift car," Dave added.

Tim at Indy in 1969.

Originally the two were 50/50 partners, at least that's they way Dave tells the story. "Then I went off to college and he kept racing," Dave said. "While he was away I used to work at the Hobby Horse Store that his family had. I worked there for about nine years," Tim added. Today, when he's not racing, Tim works his 1,500 acre farm and tends to a couple of service stations that he owns. "The farming keeps me very busy. We farm corn and soybeans. I say that drag racing and farming are a lot alike. I can't do either one in the rain and when it's nice I have to do both of them." As you can imagine, Tim doesn't have a lot of extra time on his hands. "Right after the finals in Indy we went to the winner's circle and we didn't get out of there until after 8 o'clock." Once he packed up and headed home, along with his crew chief, Jerry Ketterman, Tim said the phone never stopped ringing. "It was amazing how many people called and are still calling. It's really been a great experience."

Bishop vs. Brad Burton in Indy final.

For a guy who once came to Indy, parked in the drive-in movie theater lot and slept in his camper, the 2010 U.S. Nationals is a race that he'll never forget. "I've met a lot of nice people over the years and the support they've given me has been really special." And when asked about the group of racers that he ran at Indy, Tim just said, "Hey, when it comes to racing it's just me, my dial-in and the Christmas tree. I can honestly say that I was never worried." He might have been if he had looked at the ladder before eliminations. "I did know who I had in the first two rounds, but I couldn't get on the computer where we were to find out any more." As it turned out he had some of the big hitters in the eliminator bracket on his side of the ladder. Among those aforementioned hitters were former Indy and World Champion Kevin Helms in round 3, and that worked out well for Tim. "It was a heads-up run and I had the quicker car, but he beat me pretty good off the line and I just did run him down." Next up was the always tough Billy Leber in round 4, and then former Division champ Gary Emmons in round 5, former everything-champion Dan Fletcher in round 6, and finally, 2010 point's leader Brad Burton. Now that's winning in style. "To win Indy is really special, to beat the guys I did makes it even sweeter and to win it with a stick car is the best." The fact that Tim had one of the quickest cars in the field was a real plus, too. "I love playing the game of cat and mouse and I love being the cat."

Tim Bishop

Tim has owned the car that he races for over a decade and it has a lot of history. "Wayne Scraba, who used to write tech articles for National DRAGSTER, owned the car before I did. I bought it as a roller from him." He then got in touch with Bub Whitaker who did the engine and Rob Youngblood who built the clutch. "I met Rob years ago when I went to Arizona. I won a national corn growers contest and the convention was in Phoenix the same weekend as the NHRA national event. I met Rob, saw him do some big wheelstands with his car and told him he better settle it down. He told me that he loved standing his car up and on the next run he flipped it over." Tim's Pontiac is powered by an LT-1 350 cubic inch engine, and as so many of the new cars are, is fuel-injected. "I've had a lot of help with parts on it and it has all the good stuff in it. It's a good, fast car and it's fun to drive." Following the race, as he waited for his turn in the winner's circle, wishing that cousin Dave was there to take some pictures, Tim found out just how big his win was. "Jeff Taylor and Jeg Coughlin came over and I thought they were going to talk to Jimmy DeFrank, after all, Jeff does his engines. But they came over to me and said how cool it was to see a stick car like mine get the win. And Jeggie said that to beat the guys I did was the way to win Indy. To have a couple of guys like that congratulate me was something special."

While the excitement may have died down, the calls and e-mails haven't. "I've heard from people I haven't heard from in years," Tim said. "But I've still got to work the farm and we have a lot of acres that need tending to." With that in mind Tim won't race at this week's event in North Carolina. "There will be time for racing, but right now I've got to stay home." And while he's there, he can look at some of Dave's pictures from past Indy races and admire the trophy he got from this one.

"Special thanks go to Maryland Performance Center in Frederick, Maryland who does the chassis dyno tuning, Kooks Headers, Hard Blok and Royal Purple Motor Oil."