Thu, 22 May 2003, 07:15 PM 40 Years and Still Going Strong!!

By Bob Frey Photo copyright 2003 Auto Imagery, Inc.

Moats in one of his early cars.

If you walk through the pits at any Division 5 race this season, or at some of the national events, you’ll probably see a lot of people wearing shirts honoring Vern Moats’ 40^th anniversary in drag racing. The venerable driver of the Kendall GT1 alcohol funny car really has been doing this for forty years and he’s been doing it very well. “I began racing back in 1964 and I’ve been doing it continually every year since,” Vern told me. What he has been doing is racing and winning. He’s won 16 national events in thirty-nine final round appearances. He’s won the Division 5 championship an amazing 15 times and he’s been on the sportsman all star team almost as many times. His first national event final round came in Atlanta in 1983 and his most recent visit to the money round came about two years ago in Brainerd. In between he’s raced and beaten most of the top names in the alky class and he’s survived a couple of very serious accidents and a heart attack. Through it all he remains one of the most gracious men in the sport and one of its fiercest competitors. “I could quit but what would I do then?” he asked. Good question, Vern.

When Mr. Moats began his drag racing career he was driving a modified production car, but most of us know him from his work in the alcohol funny car ranks, and while his success and longevity have been spectacular, so have his accidents. “I had a really bad one in Gainesville back in 1981,” he said. “I broke both arms when the car went over the wall and it looked like I was done.” The incident, which happened early in the year, did keep Vern out of action for the rest of the season, but in ’82 he was back racing and winning again. “I guess I wanted to see if I could survive just racing, so I decided to give it a try after the accident.” I’d have to say that he made a pretty good decision. In 1984, Vern basically decided to go racing fulltime, and the guy who had been running a tow truck business for the past two decades took his show on the road. Over the next eight years he went to over twenty national event final rounds and he added a win at the NHRA Sportsnationals to his list of accomplishments. Then another crash at Denver in 1999, one that would have ended the career of most racers, put Vernon the sidelines again. “That was a bad one,” he said, referring to the time when he ran off the end of the track at high speed. “That was scary.” And that, Vern, was an understatement.

Moats working on the car.

One of the keys to Vern’s success has been the relationships that he has formed over the years, especially with engine builder Brad Anderson. “I’ve probably been with Brad longer than anyone,” he said. “I started using his stuff in 1976 and I’ve used it ever since.” The relationship began at the World Finals that year when Vern found himself a little over-matched with some of the other racers. “Ken Veney and Brad had these 8:71 blowers on their cars and I had a 6:71 and was still running pretty good, but I knew I needed more if I wanted to run with them. So I contacted Brad.” The rest, as they say…

Among the many high spots in Vern’s career is his Indy win in 1983.  “We really ran good that year and any time you can win Indy it’s pretty special.” He continued to run well the next year, recording some of the quickest and fastest times in the history of the class, and he became the first driver in the alcohol funny car ranks to run in the 6.30 range. “It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come. We used to run the cars at about 9,100 rpm’s and now we’re turning them at about 9,600. Heck, some guys even take them to 10,000. Me, I can’t run it past 9,600.” When I asked him why, was there a mechanical reason for that, he said that it wasn’t mechanical, it was financial.” That’s real hard on parts and my budget just can’t take it.” Which brings up another point, how has he been able to get and retain sponsors every year when a lot of his peers can’t?”  “I got involved with Kendall my first year and they’ve stayed with me ever since. I’ve been with them longer than Garlits,” he added.  He has also had help from Mopar, the Grand Casino and Superwinch over the years and he has given them all a great return on their investments. “It sure makes it easier to race when you have good financial help.”

It also makes it easier when you have good medical help. As if the accidents weren’t enough, Vern also suffered a heart attack back in 1992, another setback that looked like it might end his racing career. “The doctor told me that he knew that I had enough sense not to race after the operation,” Vern said with a smile. Well, apparently not, because just five weeks after the operation he was back behind the wheel competing at the national event in Brainerd, Minnesota. Through all of the setbacks, Vern has continued to race with a couple of his long time friends. “Dave Allison was with me in the early ‘70’s when we raced the Moats & Allison cars. He quit after a while but he came back to help me out a couple of years ago. He’s a really good guy.” Bob Massey, another guy who had his name on the side of the car, had a garage right next to Vern’s and had been working on his cars since about 1984. “He can do everything from engines to suspensions and body work. He can build it, fix it, whatever it takes.” Everything but drive it, I assume, since that chore has always belonged to Vern.

While most drivers would be thinking about retirement at his age, which Vern says is “somewhere in the 60’s,” Vern is thinking about winning. His car is still very competitive and, after all, drag racing has been such a big part of his life for the past forty years. “Carl Moyer offered me a job selling cars and I think I’d be good at that, but I’m not quite ready to give it up,” Vern said. And for that, drag racing fans all over the country should be thankful. For the past forty years Vern Moats has been one of the best representatives of the sport and the way he’s going, he’s got at least a few good years left. So the next time that you’re walking through the pit area, stop by Vern’s trailer and say “hi” and thank him for all the great memories over the years. And don’t forget to get one of those t-shirts.