Super Gas

SGBARACUDA and hotmopr said how I feel. I raced S/G in the late '70s up until about'85 with a full round tube chassis Corvette. I had a high dollar 331 Pro Stock engine in it (very identical to what Jenkins ran) with a Doug Nash 5-speed. It was a 4-link. It was the most expensive race car I ever built and raced. When it started (S/G), it was fun. You got to race a car just like yours heads up, like those great early days of modified. There were no throttle stops, delay boxes, 2-steps and most automatic cars were TH 400s, not powerglides. I tried to organize a Super Gas racers organization to better position us financially. I owned an advertising agency at the time and so had the money and resources to put it together with all the collateral materials: membership cards, T-shirts, radio promo tapes, etc. I contacted everyone I knew in the Tampa Bay area with a S/G car and they were enthsiastically "in". I set up a banquet meeting at Richard Earl's Suncoast Performance Shop and every body showed up and it looked like all was set. The deal was to guarantee a track owner 8 cars that could run 9.90s in heads up match racing. The track would guarantee a specific payout to the owners of the 8 cars and it didn't matter who won. It just doesn't make sense to go out with a car you have $40,000 invested in (in 1978 dollars) to win $50.....and to make it worse....have to pay to get in!!! Do you see pro football players "paying to play"? Hell no, they make the money. Well, I got 8 people comitted to do it at Sunshine Dragstrip in Clearwater with Art Malone. I showed up and so did 2 other cars. The rest were a no show and left me there looking like a fool. Malone said, "Pat, where are the cars? We promoted this with radio ads and posters every where and the place is packed with people demanding to see the show." The announcer explained what had happened and the crowd booed us. We did agree that the 3 of us would match race for the crowd and we did. Art Malone was not obligated to pay because we were in violation of the contract. That was the end of that. I continued to race at Sunshine and Bradenton. I ran the Snowbirds and the Gatornationals and made trips into Georgia. My trouble was always breaking out. The Vette did 1.20 60-ft times. It would go faster that 9.90 with the brakes locked up crossing the finish line. I took the tunnel ram off and put on a single box stock 750 and it still went 9.46 and 146 mph without lifting. I hated the electronics, box controlled air shifted powerglides, etc. I never won a dime with that car because of breakouts. It got to where it wasn't fun anymore. I sold it and went into street rods. That car is still racing today down in Bradenton. It did have one moment of glory, however. Steve Reyes, the photographer for Popular Hotrodding, came to my house to take some pictures of the Vette. My old friend, Barry Grant, (Demon Carburetors) was there too. The car was featured on the cover of the June '82 issue and the story featured a full color center spread. S/G racing has become very expensive and there are some really great drivers. You are right when say the rich guys have the advantage. I guess I'm just an old dinosaur who wants racing to be like the old days...two matched cars, heads up, no breakout, no electronics! Back when we used to do it, the starting line was packed and the black guys were betting fists full of money. Those were the good old days. F-that nitrous stuff too.
Pat