Thanks Bill.Don't recall him. I worked on a few short track stock cars in the Chicago area-- my boss at Simonsen's was a short track stock car racer., But I was a drag racer at heart and didn't pay a lot of attention to what the oval racers were doing. Power was what intriggued me, and nothing was (or is) as powerful as a drag engine. We made around three thousand horsepower in my day. They make around seven thousand horsepower today. Paul -------------- Original message ---------------------- From: "William Robb" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sweet story, sweet car, and a sweet picture of it. > You ever run into a guy named Dave MacDonald? He drove Nascar back around > the same time, but was a real track monkey also. > > William Robb > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Paul Stenquist" > Subject: PESO: Sort of. My first love. > > > > Thirty-two years ago I packed a negative away in a big cardboard box > > and tried to forget it. It was a picture of my first love: a 235 mph > > monster of a Corvette funny car that was in real danger of ruining my > > marriage and maybe my life. > > > > In those carefree years between college and responsibility I worked > > as a crew chief for a professional drag racing team. I had grown up > > with a wrench in my hand. My grandfather was a mechanic, and I built > > my first race car, a Pontiac-powered '34 Ford when I was fifteen, > > followed by a little digger at eighteen. During college I worked > > building racing engines at Simonsen's in Chicago. By the time I > > graduated, I could build motors in my sleep, and a local racing team > > recruited me to wrench their car. I loved being alone in the shop > > with a fresh engine, turning it and listening to the new piston rings > > scrape the freshly honed cylinder walls. Feeling the drag on the > > wrench that was locked onto the front pulley. Checking cylinder > > leakdown and working hour after hour to get it to three percent. I > > fell in love with the smell of nitro and tire smoke, and the thrill > > of watching something I put together streak to over 200 mph in around > > six seconds. Burning that motor down, only to build another one for > > the next race. It was an incredible rush. In the interim I discovered > > women, fell in love all over again and got married, but the race car > > remained my focus. Seventy hours a week. From Miami to Maine, Texas > > to Indiana, Minnesota, North Dakota, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Toronto. > > We toured the continent, made some money and had the time of our > > lives. We were on the radio: Sunday, Sunday, Screaming Yellow Fever, > > the world's fastest Corvette. And at 6.35, 237 mph, we were just > > that. And my wife was at home. She wanted no part of it, so it just > > didn't work. And I gave it up, and put the negative in a box along > > with the memories and the addiction. > > > > Over the years I forgot where that negative was, but today, while > > looking for something else, I rdiscovered it. The track photographer > > at US 30 dragstrip in Gary, Indiana shot the pic at a Wednesday night > > event thirty-two and a half years ago. I think he used a C2 Mamiya > > TLR. His name was Sundberg. I know because his name is written on the > > envelope that holds the negative. I just now scanned it and made > > myself a 13 x 19 print for the wall. I can look at it now without > > wishing I was back there. > > > > It's here: http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6849463&size=lg > > > > Paul > > > > -- > > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > > [email protected] > > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and > > follow the directions. > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions.
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