MY LAST HURRAH!

Little did I know when I booked the match race for the annual Classic Nostalgia Legend event at Rt. 66 Speedway on August 16th, 2012; it would be the last good run for me and Zeke. Zeke is my legendary 3 time championship Pro Stock Zephyr from the 80s.

Route 66 Raceway drag strip in Joliet, IL. has held a nostalgia event called the Classic for several years. It usually featured a national drag racing legend. The legend this year was yours truly, Animal Jim Feurer. Me also working as a Raceway 66 tech official created a unique situation.

As my crew unloaded “Zeke”: (Name of my vintage race car) I was doing my job teching cars at the far end of the drag strip.

The Route 66 Classic held a nostalgia Run Tuff Eliminator category for bracket cars like ran at Oswego and US 30 in the 70s. RTE was a special 11.99 or quicker bracket race that qualified 16 cars for eliminations. The 16 cars chosen were ones that won the first round and ran closest to their chosen dial in while qualifying. The program would also feature nostalgia funny cars, pro stocks, gassers, altereds and super stocks. And as I mentioned before a drag race legend would be featured.

For this year’s event they chose me: Animal Jim, and Bill Neri to open the program with our match race. I was driving Zeke, my multi championship Mercury Zephyr I raced in the '80s. My match race partner for this event was my old nemesis, Bill Neri, and his just finished Warren Johnson tribute '75 Camaro. Bill and I were hired to make one match race run only.

The Warren Johnson tribute 1975 car was newly built to modern specs by Jerry Bickel. But. It did look like the '75 Camaro. It was a wolf etc. Along with a new Bickel car Bill had a new mountain motor.

I was truly concerned if we were evenly matched. My 33 year old pro stock vs a new Bickel top sportsman car? Oh well, the show must go on.



Part of the chosen legend persons duty was to choose the car and driver in the event who most represented that nostalgic period. That was no problem for me. I chose Rocky Ausec and his SOLID ROCK VINTAGE FUNNY CAR.

(Note. After the 2001 championship season I had sold my contemporary Pro Mod, the Ballistic Bird and retired from competition. Since then I booked Zeke couple times a year for vintage features through 2012. This Classic event Route 66 in would be my last hurrah!

Back to the Classic at 66.

The Classic program could not have gone better, at least for me. I was introduced to the crowd properly by Rt. 66 Director Randy Simpson. I was given a hot pink ball cap with ANIMAL JIM embossed on it. Then Randy asked me who I chose as the best nostalgia racer and I yelled Rocky Ausec and his SOLID ROCK FUNNY CAR. Everyone in the place yelled and applauded.

Bill Neri and I were to open the annual CLASSIC event with our one run match race. Bill strapped into his new Bickel Warren Johnson tribute Camaro, and I did likewise with Zeke. We fired up our 700” engines and pulled into the water box. When signaled Bill and I did side by side 1000 foot burnouts. We both backed up dramatically slow. Of course I had my escape hatch open with tire smoke billowing from both of us.

Then Bill and I blew the starter’s mind. We failed to tell him we were going to do vintage practice launches. We both went to the starting line and launched wheels up to half track. I even pulled second gear. Stopped and then backed up slowly again to stage. My crew chief Al Schmitt put me exactly where I needed to be.

Bill and I did not fool around lighting the pre stage and final stage lights. We went in, pedal on the floor with the machine gun rata-tat-tat singing from our MSD rev limiters.

Soon as I saw a glimmer of the pro start 3 simultaneous yellow bulbs, I let the clutch out, concentrating to keep my foot hard the throttle so the severe 6 G force launch did not pull my right leg up taking my foot off the throttle.

We stayed dead even till a thousand feet. When I pulled 4th. gear Zeke made its move. I beat Bill and his new Bickel Warren Johnson tribute car by half a fender. I apparently had overestimated my foe.

It was a very gratifying day. It should have been my last day! But no. I had agreed to match race Arnie Beswick two runs as we did several times before, the next Sat. night at the annual Cordova World Series of Drag Racing. Wife Linda told me not to do it. She was right. I went loaded for bear. It turned out to be nightmare that sickens me to recall. Perhaps it was divine intervention telling me it was time to retire from racing. So actually the Cordova World Series August 25th, 2012 was my last hurrah. Everything in our mortal world finally ends. Sadly not always the way we may like.

But hey! I always had the Route 66 2012 Classic and a career that was a Hell of a ride for 50 years garnering 6 championships, over 200 wins, and countless records and awards.

Epilog:

The very next week end was Labor Day. I was a guest at Great Lakes Dragaway and inducted into their Hall of Fame. So there you are. Racing is full of ups and downs. Everyone does not pack the gear to hack it. I and my peers did.

ANIMAL JIM FEURER March 2023.