Wed, 14 May 2003, 10:53 AM Jungle” and Shirley, What More Could You Want?

By Bob Frey Photo copyright 2003

Rendering of Shirley's Terminator 3

The 34^th running of the K & N Filters Supernationals at Englishtown this week will continue one of the longest running traditions in NHRA history. The national event in central New Jersey has been a fixture for many years (34, dah!!) and it has provided fans with some of great memories and some of the most spectacular and memorable racing in the sport’s history. Of course I happened to like the race when it was held in July and it was 99 degrees with matching humidity, but then, that’s just me. Although you have to admit that the race did have a real personality back then, didn’t’ it? Anyway, with this year’s race comes the return of Shirley Muldowney to one of her favorite tracks along with the appearance of a “Jungle” Jim Liberman tribute car that will be driven by Bob Gilbertson. And to everyone who has called, written or e-mailed me, yes, “Jungle” Pam will be in front of the car backing it up. And if we’re lucky, really lucky, she’ll check for an oil leak or two before the runs. You youngsters can ask your dad to explain that one to you….Did you know that in his entire career, the only two final rounds that “Jungle” Jim ever reached both came at Englishtown?  And, believe it or not, he’s probably more well-known for the race that he lost than the one he won, because it was in the final round at the 1974 event where “JJ” did his famous wheel stand, a wheelie that cost him the race against Al Segrini. In 1975 “Jungle” won the race in his red car when he beat Tom Prock in the final round. And now here’s a (very) little known fact about Mr. Liberman.  Did you  know that “Jungle” actually did a bigger wheel stand at the ’75 race than he did the year before? Well he did, only this one came in qualifying and because there weren’t that many people there for the early rounds of qualifying, not many folks saw it, but it was higher and longer than the one that helped make him a legend a year earlier. There, now you know. And how about  this, on the way to his final round in 1974, did you know that “Jungle” beat Don Schumacher, whose son will race this weekend, and Tommy Grove, whose son-in-law (Doug Herbert) will also race this weekend. And on his way to the 1975 win, he beat Raymond Beadle, Paul Smith, whose son will race this weekend, and Tom Prock, whose son will tune Gary Densham’s car this weekend.…. The only other time “Jungle” had any representation in a final round was at the 1969 Winternationals when Clare Sanders drove the Chevy Nova to a win over Ray Alley. Yes, that Ray Alley!!

"Jungle" does a burnout.

As if an appearance by the “Jungle” tribute car isn’t enough, the E’town fans will also get their last glimpse of Shirley Muldowney as she continues on her final tour. Shirley, who has been a regular fixture at the Jersey track for years on the match-race circuit, should be one of the real favorites this weekend.  Did you know that Shirley only won the Summernationals (now the Supernationals) one time, and that was in 1977 when she beat Jeb Allen. Still, after watching “Big Daddy” Don Garlits qualify and electrify the crowd in Atlanta, let’s all wish Shirley the best this weekend, because if she’s in the field on Sunday it will be a more entertaining race for all of us….This race has given us some memorable moments as I mentioned, like Jim Bucher’s win in a Chevrolet powered Top Fuel car in 1975 (his only win), Clayton Harris’ win in 1973 over Bucher (Clayton’s only win), Tom McEwen’s win (his last) in 1991, and Bob Glidden’s win in 1995 (his last national event win). Throw in some of the great sportsman moments like the 1985 final round between Frank Manzo and Bob Newberry, (when Frank won and Bob exploded), Bill Walsh’s win in 1983 over Bruce Horner (one of the only times a race was won without having a driver ever cross the finish line), and Judi Boertman’s 1971win over her husband, Dave, in the first ever husband-wife final round in NHRA history. There are so many more great moments in the stories running of this race and that’s why the real drag racing fans can’t wait to see what happens this weekend in New Jersey.

Kurt Johnson

Kurt Johnson comes into this race as the Pro Stock point’s leader and he’ll return to the scene of one of the great moments in sport’s history, the first 6-second run by a Pro Stocker that came in 1994. Did you know that even though he made that historic pass, Kurt didn’t win the race, Larry Morgan did? Of course Kenny Bernstein didn’t win Gainesville the year he went 300, either. Kurt and his dad, Warren, have to be considered the favorites coming into this race. Did you know that between the two of them, they have won six of the last nine NHRA national events, and at least one of them has been in the finals at eight of those races? For his part, Warren won the first race of his career at Englishtown when he soared to victory in 1982, of course those of us who are old enough to remember it also recall him soaring off the end of the track and on to Pension road in 1976.  Did you know that Warren has more first round losses (8) at Englishtown than he does final round appearances (5)? And Kurt, even with that great performance in 1994, not only didn’t win that race but he didn’t win a single race in ’94 and that’s the only year in his pro career that he went winless….In addition to the first “six” and Warren’s first win, there are a lot of other firsts and lasts that happened at this race. Did you know that Bruce Allen won his first race in 1978 (Modified Eliminator), while Terry Adams won his last round of competition (1999). Chuck Etchells won his first race (1990) and Cruz Pedregon won his last national event (2000), Billy Meyer ran 254 miles per hour in 1982 and that was the first time that a Funny Car beat a Top Fuel car for top speed of the meet, while a Ford won the race in 1995 and that was the last time that a blue oval car visited the winner’s circle. When Don Nicholson won the race in 1971 it was the first time that a Ford won an NHRA Pro Stock race and when Bob Glidden won the Pro Stock Challenge (now the King Demon Crown) in 1996 it was the last big win of his career. Tony Pedregon qualified #1 for the first time in his career at the 1996 race and Antron Brown won here in 2002 and that’s the last time that he won a race. Kenji Okazaki won the race in 1997 and that was the first time that a driver from outside of North America had won an NHRA pro class, and  Don Garlits won the race in 1985 and that was both his first and last win at Englishtown. Of course “Big” did have that spectacular blow-over at the 1986 race (July 12th to be precise) and then he came back the next year but he failed to make the show. By the way, two of my very favorite “who was in the other lane” incidents occurred here, including Don’s blow-over and Kurt’s six-second run, so I ask you, do you know who was in the other lane? I’ll tell you at the end of the column.

Todd and Jay

Sportsman action is always great at Englishtown and this year should be no exception with the Frank Manzo-Bob Newberry rivalry taking center stage. Of course lots of the Lucas Oil teams will be in Indianapolis competing at the Division 3 event, but I’m sure that we’ll still have some great action between the pro rounds. Todd Veney, whose dad Ken won this race four times, will be driving for Jay Blake in the “Follow A Dream” TA/FC and we wish them the best. Jay’s such an inspirational guy and it will be fun to watch him as he teams up with the young Mr. Veney. Ken, by the way, provided us with another first at Englishtown when he won the race in a Ford-powered Pro Comp dragster in 1977 (beating Scott Weney). He also won it in ’76 beating Jeg Coughlin Sr., and in 1981 when he stopped Frank Manzo. Throw in a ’75 victory over Glenn Lazzar and you have a pretty good track record, so to speak, in New Jersey for the Veney family. Well at least for Ken. If Todd could win the race he’ll be part of that ever growing contingent of fathers (or mothers) and their children who have won NHRA national events. When National Dragster ran the list after Craig Marshall’s win in Bristol they had it at 35 families who had accomplished the feat, but by now the number is more like 45 and it may still be climbing. You just forget a lot of those folks who won only one race, at least I do!!

Last year's King Demon final round.

As mentioned, the “King Demon Crown” will be contested this weekend and it will include four former winners, (WJ, KJ, Jim Yates and Jeg Coughlin), along with three rookies, Greg Anderson, Allen Johnson and Mark Whisnant, while Ron Krisher will make his third “Crown” appearance to round out the field. While they will all be good matches the round one encounter between Kurt Johnson and Jeg Coughlin looks especially attractive to me. With all of the talk about red lights this year, did you know that in the first year of the Pro Stock Challenge there were four fouls in the first two rounds alone? And of the initial eight competitors in that 1985 challenge, only Warren Johnson and Bruce Allen are still actively racing. While the special Pro Stock challenge is reserved for the best eight qualifiers from the year before, there have been some real surprises in the field over the past 18 years. You expect the Glidden’s, Johnson’s, Coughlin’s and Allen’s of the world to be in the race, but did you know that the field has also included Morris Johnson, David Hutchens, Lee Dean, Pete Williams and Kenny Delco among others? Really. Can Fernando Cuadra be far behind?

Now, for the answer…in the other lane when “Big Daddy” Don Garlits has his blow over in 1986 was a young Top Fuel driver by the name of Darrell Gwynn, while Jerry Haas had the best seat in the house to watch Kurt Johnson rip off his six-second pass in 1994.