Nitro Revival 5 aka Sensory Overload/Ode to Nitro

Back in February my good friend John Cerchio (War Path N/FC) called to tell me he made reservations at the host hotel for NR 5 and there was room for me if I’d like to go. After checking with my wife (“Go, you only live once!”) I called back to say “I’m in!”



Once I committed, I called Rob Huckstadt of Nostalgia Drag World and told him I was going, could he secure media credentials, and of course he did. So, right away I started to compose the story in my head. I figured it would be easy; some superlatives, cars that were there, notable people, and done. So again, I started with different openings but never wrote anything down. I just kept visioning how it would be. I’m not going to go into why Nitro Revival was started in the first place. Anyone who follows the nostalgia scene knows why. Needless to say Steve Gibbs knew what to do to make a better experience and overall a better event. Yes, it started out slowly; first at Barona, then to Laguna Seca, and finally a home at Irwindale Raceway. By all accounts NR 4 was an overwhelming success.


I saw Steve at Bruce Larson’s Drag Fest the week after the event and then again in January of this year at an indoor car show in Pa. Both times I briefly talked to him and complimented him on a job well done. Little did I know then that I would be going to the event. So now, looking back on Nitro Revival 5, I’m trying to figure out how to convey my experience to you dear readers. After all of the thinking about it, I’ve decided to turn it into a daily diary.


Thursday, November 3 

We (my wife and I) left our home in Breezy Point New York and headed to Newark airport where I would meet up with the rest of the group who would be going. They included John, Paul Ciribassi, and Warren Bader. We all met promptly at 7 A M for the 8:10 A M flight via Jet Blue airlines. The nonstop flight was uneventful, thank the good Lord. Since we landed and got our rental car relatively early we decided to do something before checking in. We decided to check out the Lions Museum since it was fairly close to the hotel (26 mi). While on the way we called to find out what the hours were only to find out it was closed. Okay, turn around and head back towards the hotel in what was rather horrible L A traffic. And I thought I had it bad in New York! Upon arriving at the hotel we circled the parking lot to see what cars might already be there. There was a very long trailer with a red cab and I knew right away that my friends Rick and Terri Osburn were there with their 38 Special 38 Chevy pickup gasser/wheelstander. So I jumped out of the car to greet them and do some bench racing. I met gasser great Gene Schwartz who would be match racing Rick at the event with his 50 Chevy gasser. Once we checked in, we went to the front desk and asked where we could get a good dinner. We were directed to a local barbeque joint in Monrovia and we chowed down. Upon our return to the hotel, I spotted Larry Reyes in the bar area and we had a great conversation about the Hawaiian and Super Cuda funny cars and the glory days in general. Then it was off to bed as it had been a long and tiring day.


Friday, November 4 

We all met for breakfast early and made our way to a nearby Ihop thanks to Siri. After a good breakfast we headed out to Irwindale Raceway. Friday, the admission is free because it’s setup day for all of the participants. The weather was perfect; sunny and warm as it would be for the rest of the weekend. The first car we saw upon entering was the fully restored Gas Ronda 70 Mach 1 Mustang funny car. What a beauty! After shooting it, we parted ways as I had to find Don Ewald to secure my media pass. After introducing myself he gave the media pass to me and I was on my way. I guess I was overwhelmed by what I was seeing. Dragsters, fuel altereds, and funny cars that I’d only read about in Drag Racing Magazine, Super Stock & Drag Illustrated, and Drag News (to name a few) were right before my eyes. The cars weren’t allowed to fire up because Friday is not a noise day. As the cars emerged from their trailers, they were cleaned and positioned in their appropriate spaces. It became one giant car show dedicated to the glory days of drag racing.


Everywhere I looked was history; the late Tom Hoover’s Tom Hanna built dragster( stunning doesn’t come close to describing it), the Billy Lynch dragster, John Weibe, the Surfers, Doug Thorley’s Corvair, Don Garlits’ Swamp Rat III, Creitz & Donovan, Mike Kuhl, Flaming Frank Pedregon’s fuel coupe, Hustler VI, Tommy Ivo’s injected Buick, Holy Toledo Jeep, Newhouse Special, Magicar, the Spaghetti Benders, Bivens & Fisher Checkmate, Custom Body Challenger, and at least 8 fuel altereds. Being from the east coast I could count the number of fuel altereds I’ve seen on my left hand. In one row were the Stone T, Burkholder Brothers Fiat, Groundshakers Jr, Magnificent 7, Beaver Hunter II, and the Rat Trap to name a few. My head was spinning! There are over 30 gassers on the grounds including Rick Osburn’s 38 Special and Gene Schwartz’s Chevy as well as the gassers that were on display only. Gassers on display only included Rocky Pirrone’s knock out Big John Mazmanian Willys, The SWC Swindler A Willys, Bob Panella’s Panella Trucking Anglia and Willys pickup and the Kroona Anglia. Quite honestly there were too many cars to list without leaving one out. Actually there were 4 cars on the grounds that I ever saw in person; the Custom Body Challenger at Indy in 1973, Billy Lynch’s AA/FD (upon completion and shipped to Billy’s shop in 2007), Bradford’s Fiat AA/FA and the Rat Trap AA/FA at the 2013 New England Hot Rod Reunion. The rest that I saw was just history unravelling right before my eyes. Thanks to my good friend Ross Howard (Custom Body Challenger) who became a famous driver spotter, pointed out Herm Peterson, Vance Hunt, Frank Bradley, and Tommy Ivo to name a few who I met and got to talk to. By my estimate, I shot about 1000 photos from the time I got there to the time I left after sunset. The day was capped off with a dinner by event sponsor In-N-Out Burger. A voucher purchased for $10 (donated to charity) got you the famous Double-Double Burger, fries, and beverage of your choice. Considering prices in California, it was a pretty good deal. After dinner, there was a bench racing session around a pickup in the parking lot capped off with more bench racing at the hotel, and then off to bed.


Saturday, November 5

At this point we added ace photographer Keith Hudak to our group. Being that Saturday is the main day of the event, we got there as early as we could. Honestly, it was impossible to adequately see all that was going on. This day was a “noise” day and was it ever! There were fire ups all day long and I found myself zig-zagging up and down the rows shooting it all. Meanwhile there’s a full field of gassers, A/FX, and exhibition cars making passes. As you enter the place, you are greeted with a massive car show. Also inside is a rather large Hot Wheels track where kids could bring their best cars to race for a $100 prize.

And then there’s the Autograph Tent. There had to be at least 40 of drag racing’s best assembled there to dole out their signatures. Just some in attendance were Herm Peterson, Rob Bruins, Don Prudhomme, Roland Leong, a spry 101 years young Ed Iskenderian, Richard Tharp, Dan Richins, Bruce Wheeler, Charlie Allen, John Force, Wild Bill Shrewsberry, and Kenny Youngblood. That area was packed! In fact the whole place was mobbed!


A bit later on, the Greater San Gabriel Racers Recognition Awards were given out at the track. Racers who received awards were; Gas Ronda, Bill Schultz, Doc Conroy, Jim London, Stan Adams, Charlie Allen, Don Ratican, Don Gaide, and the late Kenny Safford. The last three were collectively known as the “Sour Sisters” a name bestowed upon them by Tommy Ivo. Special “Spirit of Nitro recognition awards were also given to Nitro Revival volunteers Toby Denham and Tommy Naccarato. Congratulations to all!


All this leads up to the evening’s featured event; the “Line of Fire” cacklefest. It was simply sensory overload. Flames, noise, and nitro! What’s not to like? I got some great advice from new pal photographer Dan Kaplan about positioning myself so I wouldn’t get overwhelmed with nitro fumes. Sage advice but I still got a very healthy (or unhealthy depending how you look at it) dose. The cars were started two at a time beginning at the Christmas Tree and ending at the 1/8 mile mark at the end of the track. Once all the cars were lit and running it was hard to keep track what car was producing the most flames. So much cackling but I did witness Cindy Gibbs literally dancing from one end of the track to the other while all this was going on. She was clearly in the nitro zone! Just as it was ending, a display of fireworks closed out the event for the day. Off we went with event sponsor Good Vibrations representative Pete Mauriello to a dining establishment called the “Chicken Coop” in Whittier for a good dinner. Then home to the hotel with more bench racing and on to bed. But wait, there’s more!


Sunday November 6

Things wouldn’t be starting for us till around 1 P M at the track when all of the cars on the premises would fire up at once. So after a rousing breakfast at McDonalds, we agreed to go to the NHRA Museum in Pomona, a great place with lots of drag racing history that just added to all the rest of the history we were already witnessing. In one room of the museum, there was a lot of commotion so I decided to see what was going on. It was a model car contest! Two really good builds that caught my eye were large scale models of Garlits’ Jocko streamliner and Mickey Thompson’s Monocoque Mustang.


So now comes the crazy part of the trip. Since we were so close to the Fairplex, we decided to go see the track. A track we’d only seen in magazines or on television when either the Winternationals or Finals are held. We really wanted to get some photos with the mountains in the background. We pulled up to the entrance and told the attendant our intention was only to get a few photos and leave. But you know what they say about plans. As we travelled on the road to the track, we found ourselves adjacent to the suites and starting area. There was an opening so we went through it and promptly found ourselves on the track. So naturally we all got out and started taking pictures. At this time it’s good to note that we are now 1 week away from the NHRA Finals where champions will be crowned. I did mention to the group that to get the iconic photos of the track with the mountains in the background, we needed to go to the 1000’ mark and shoot facing up the track. We all go back to the car and since we were there, might as well make a pass and we did just that. This would make the second pass I’ve ever made on a dragstrip this year (or ever in my 56 years attending the drags); the first being at South Mountain Dragway in owner Mike Natoli’s pickup at the end of a Vintage Drags event held there in April of this year. Two passes in 1 year almost 3000 miles apart. At the 1000’ mark we got out yet again and took more photos. That’s just about when I noticed a white pickup heading our way coming up the track behind us. The driver then stops where we are shooting and says something pretty much like “What the f&#k is going on here?” We tell him but he’s having none of it. Well it turns out he’s a head honcho with NHRA and he’s tasked with getting the track ready for the finals. He also added that the track surface was recently painted in all the appropriate areas with red, blue, and yellow lines and just how did we get over here without running over them? Clearly the areas were dry but he was still not having any of it. It was then that I sensed we were in escalating trouble so I went up to him and explained that were in town for NR 5 and just wanted to see the place, get a few pictures and leave. He calmed down somewhat and saw that we meant no harm and said “YES-JUST-GO!” Whew, dodged a bullet right there. But ya know there was an opening after all, and why wouldn’t, oh never mind.


We proceeded back to Irwindale to continue our great time at NR 5. I got to see more cackling, racing, and meet more people. By the time we got back, we missed the big fire up because we had to find an In-N-Out to get lunch and a few t-shirts (thanks again Siri). When we got back everyone was loading up the cars for the various trips home. My base of operations was Ross Howard’s trailer where I was able to put all my camera gear and swag. Ross, as I mentioned before owns the Custom Body Challenger. He was getting ready to load the car back in the trailer so I went to gather my stuff. Ross then asked me if I had a good day. My response was “You asked me that 3 years ago at the Amelia Island Concours d’ Elegance (very long story) and do you remember what I said?” He did. He asked his helper for the event Larry “The Okie Smoker” Brown to raise the body because a “little kid wanted to sit in it”.


The body was lifted and Larry showed me how to contort my body so I could just drop into the seat. Something I was unable to comprehend just 3 years earlier at Amelia Island. The butterfly steering wheel was replaced and the body was lowered and I was one with the car. It was all documented for me by Don Ewald and Dave Kommel. A perfect end to a perfect event.


Monday November 7

Up very early for the drive to LAX to drop off the rental and get to the airport and wait for the flight home.

Thanks go to in no special order;


Steve and Cindy Gibbs and all of their volunteers who put on a spectacular event. Clearly the bar has been raised to new heights as this is THE event to attend.


Don Ewald

Rob Huckstadt

Tommy Naccarato

Ross Howard and Larry Brown


Any and all that I encountered throughout the event who took the time to talk to me and answer all of my many questions.

Is Nitro Revival 6 on the horizon? Stay tuned. 

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Part 2: PREPARING FOR PRO MODIFIED; LIFE BEGINS AT 200 MPH

April 23, 2025
After the 88 season and winning the IHRA Inaugural Heads up Quick 8 at Darlington, and UDRA season Championship, I decided to update Zeke for 89. Rick Jones who had opened a new Chassis Shop in Galesburg IL., Offered to do my changes as a sponsorship. First came removing needless wt. and cosmetic devices. Head lights removed and replaced with course screens. Dash and extra seat removed. And so forth. All the changes were legal for IHRA Top Sportsman, UDRA Outlaw Pro Stock, and match race bookings. Added was an escape hatch, mainly to relieve burn out smoke. But also became great fan and media attraction. I would sit in it and pose for pictures and on return roads that went by the stands. Rick also built a huge adjustable rear spoiler that worked wonders. Rick also added a few bars around my head to appease NHRA track rules to get a current NHRA certification chassis sticker. Rick also made a cute small hatch in trunk lid to access the nitrous bottle valve. A secret weapon I acquired by chance was a new light weight McCloud duel disc clutch my good friend (retired with crash injuries) Chuck Aronson sent me to try. Red at McCloud even knowing Ram Clutches was my clutch sponsor, was good enough to give a basic setup. The result was amazing. We had clutch management so defined with that RJ huge spoiler; when spoiler was moved up a click; the clutch would slip a bit from more rear down force as if some counter weight was removed. I won many races using that tactic. Many could not believe how I got down those nighttime dewed slippery drag strips. When the clutch needed service, I sent it to Pat Norcia at Ram and they did a great job. I managed to go on and make my mark as a professional Outlaw circuit and match racer. There are so many events and incidents devoted to my Zephyr we called Zeke. To tell it all about 1987, 1988 and 1989 alone, it would take 50,000 words to chip the tip of the per-verbial storied iceberg. Zeke served so well I shall still try to build it a monument of words. Here I will start by telling a few highlights. I had told in previous article about the history making final at the UDRA annual Spring National at Byron Dragway in 87. We won several races that year and we were second in UDRA season points. Bill Kuhlman was number one. 1988 I won the first ever IHRA heads up Quick 8. Won several UDRA events including the Word Series and a dramatic final against Gary Duckworth capping the 88 UDRA Season Championship. Plus Fun Ford events were frequently booking me along with other match races. At the 88 UDRA annual awards banquet at Pheasant Run in St. Charles, IL. Bill Kuhlmann and his wife Beth and I and my wife Linda were sitting at the big round VIP table. We filled it with Trophies and awards. At the afterglow promoter Duane Nickels was talked into providing a Super Circuit of nitrous door cars. With Ron Colson and Bill Kuhlmann and myself proposing it. After much conversation and whiskey the USSC was born that night. Duane hesitated his decision wondering who would star. Ron Colson pushed Bill and I forward toward Duane saying to him, “Right here in front of you are two of the biggest Stars. I am sure they can get Robbie Vandergriff and they can help find more peers.” DRAG RACE HISTORY WAS BEING MADE. The 89 season was a mixed bag of adventure, successes and failures and tragedies. The successes we relished. The failures we all learned from. The tragic death of Walter Henry at Atco that October we all mourned. 89 at Darlington was for me was my first failure that season. Being the winner of the Quick last year and being a first round loser in 89 was hard to take. At Darlington in 89 My crew and I had to struggle with defective pistons and excessive wind blowing course sand on the track jamming my throttle plates. We finally loaded up and headed home to get ready for the trip to Puerto Rico. Wild Bill Kuhlmann had tagged me as his match race partner at San Juan Dragway on Easter Sunday. Puerto Rico was a fun deal. It would take a chapter to tell about it. I just wish my Linda Lou could have been with me. She would not miss those days teaching at Mid County High School. About that same time Linda convinced me to close my customer business, use my shop for a headquarters, and drag race full time. She told me I better read what the media is saying about me. Linda told me I need to decide to pursue building engines, or drag race. And under her breath she said “It better be drag racing!” “OK then!” My future son in law Doug Fennell saved the day that spring. We were heading to the East Coast for the first ever USSC race and my truck started missing. We were only about to Champagne, IL. on I 74. Doug Fennell was on his way to see my daughter Jackie at Butler University in Indianapolis. Doug saw us pulled over and stopped. I told him to get to a pay phone and call my shop. It was only 4 PM. I told him to tell my employee Roger Holsclaw to clear the center stall. We turned around and made it back. Got the truck fixed and were back on the road in an hour. We made it to Buds’ Creek in time. The USSC (UNITED STATE SUPER CIRCUIT) was huge success! The first one in spring of 89 at Buds Creek Maryland was packed with fans. The pits and stands were so full of fans and media, we could Harley get ready. Car loads were still coming in during the finals. I was still driving my trusty 79 Mercury Zephyr we called Zeke. The engine was my original Boss 675 inch Ford Hemi we called the Monolith. I still had the original NOS single stage fogger, but I was still stuck with a fresh set of the bogus pistons I ran at Puerto Rico and the best couple from Darlington for spares. The piston problem was the skirts were too narrow and thin. I had sent samples and blueprints and explained on the phone how to make them. The new owners of BRC did not adhere to my directions to ditch cut the inside of the skirts and make them wide. I had to tune down the nitrous so the piston skirts would not collapse as they did at Darlington. The only good was, the damage showed which cylinders were strongest and helped later to tune the nitrous oxide deployment. At the 1989 inaugural USSC At Bud’s Creek Md. I ended up in the final with Robbie Vandergriff again. Just like the Quick 8 at Darlington I won in 88. I knew Robbie would be tough wanting revenge. This time we had better track conditions. I threw caution to the wind and tuned the NOS foggers for kill! Robbie and I did side by side huge burnouts. During our final run we did not play any staging games. Rob had lane choice by 1 hundredth of a second. Rob and I after wild side by side burnouts slowly backed up to stage. We both lit the first bulb almost simultaneously. Robbie being the gentle man he is, lit the second bulb first. I rechecked my line lock and skidded forward. My starting line chip we had bumped from 6,000 rpm to 6500. With the raratatat from our MSD rev limiters we were both staged. The three yellow lights flashed on. Robbie and had almost the same reaction times. His was better by .0015. I learned later. We were side by side the full quarter mile. According to announcer Bret Kepner, Robbie and I change the lead three times. Robbie’s retribution was served. He had won. The margin was only .001. My fault for no cutting a better light. But oh man, what a race. I was runner up and won the wheel stand and burnout contests. The next day, Sunday, the USSC made their way to English Town, New Jersey. This was to be a day time race. Sadly, the BRC weak skirted pistons collapsed badly, casing a rod to kick out. Sliding in my own oil, I damn near ran into Wally Bell at the finish line. I was not the only wounded racer. To provide 8 cars for round 1, a dark horse, Mike Ashley was employed. Amazingly Mike won the event out doing us all. Mike became a regular valuable asset to the USSC. I did again win the wheel Stand and Burnout contest. We all stayed Monday for the magazine pictures and interviews. All present but Norm Wizner and his 57 Mega Ford. He had a match race booking. “So it goes.” I went on to win my share of finals in UDRA and USSC. The most notable were the wins at Great Lakes WI. Capping the UDRA Championship again, and wining enough points in USSC to be Season RU in that circuit. I also won two UDRA “three peats” at Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio, and the Cordova World Series plus setting several records. Here I must tell about the bizarre tragedy of my friend Walter Henry. October of 89 Atco, NJ. Hosted the season end IHRA division event. Along with it, since our outlaw cars were getting so popular and IHRA being bugged about providing a professional class for us in 1990 ,they advertised a 16 car invitational. And with a decent payout. We still did not settle on a class name yet. More than 16 cars showed up. Sadly the event cost my friend Walter Henry’s life. It is ironic. Walter had flown 51 chopper missions in Viet Naum. And got killed by a score board barrier while drag racing. My good friend Wild Bill Kuhlman won the event. Me? My engine was hurt. My monolith engine swallowed an exhaust valve during the last qualifier. Prompted by Atco Dragway track owner Joe Sway I ran first round for history. With only 7 cylinders. The next weekend was Walter’s funeral. Unfortunately Carolyn Melendy, Norm Wizner, Charles Carpenter, and I were booked into Suffolk, Va. We reasoned Walter would be ok with us. We did honor him at that foursome match race. We also all honored our match race contract, and got full pay. I had one more match race obligation and the 89 season was done for me. I had couple more bookings I could have done. But I and my equipment were used up. Rick Jones offered to build me a 1990 Probe. NEXT WE WILL “ PROBE” INTO THE FUTURE! Watch for part 3 on www.nostalgiadragworld.com and www.animaljimracing.com for more of my Pro Mod adventures. May God be with ya all? As the late announcer and Dragway manager would Bob Fink would say, “I luv yuz all!” Animal Jim. a.k.a. Sam Foyer. Contact me on FB messenger or call 309.238.8556 .

McKinney Corp Continues as The Official Fabrication Source of Chaos Drag Racing Brand

March 26, 2025
Lafayette, IN. 25 March 2025 – Throughout the course of a racing season, Funny Car Chaos, Nitro Chaos, and Fuel Altered Chaos see various types of racing vehicles from the old to new with a myriad of combinations. For all those teams racing in Chaos, having an official fabrication source to go to for all their needs to make race day is a great asset. For the third year in a row, McKinney Corp will continue its partnership as the official fabrication source of the Chaos brand and its three series, while also retaining the title sponsorship of the Nitro Chaos “A” Field competition. Murf McKinney, a former Funny Car racer himself, who established McKinney Corp in 1981 building Funny Cars believes for the Chaos racer, McKinney Corp is a “one stop shop.” At McKinney Corp a customer can order a custom item as small as a tab for their own chassis build or an entire new chassis with all the modern amenities ready to race. There are several examples of Chaos racers using McKinney Corp products in planned competition in 2025. “We’re looking for the do-it-yourselfer, the guy who does modifications himself, ”Mr. McKinney said. “We’ve got all the hardware to do the job.” An example of a do-it-yourselfer is Ken Singleton. Singleton captured three Funny Car Chaos Championships in a row as a driver, while also earning his first FCC championship as a tuner in 2024 with Shayne Lawson driving the Man ’O War II Funny Car which is a McKinney chassis. Ken is currently building a new car for a first time FCC competitor which will be decked out with components from McKinney Corp such as fuel tanks, oil tanks, seat pan, and more upon completion. Another new ride that is ready for all the Chaos racing available in 2025 is with Chuck Loftin Performance. Chuck Loftin had many issues in 2023 with his Nitro Psycho Funny Car. Often consulting with Murf McKinney on adjustments, the car that he was competing with was unresponsive to changes or would respond in a way that wasn’t normal to a well-built chassis. Chuck decided, “Well, let’s just build a new car!” The Texas diesel mechanic will be rolling into 2025 with a new chassis tailored to him along with a renovated Trans Am flopper body. Chuck is the best prepared he has ever been to compete at a high level in Chaos this season as he is equipped for both Funny Car and Fuel Altered trims. The McKinney Corp brand is one that through Chaos has been showcased well beyond just marketing. Within Chaos competition there are many McKinney Corp cars that showcase the dependability and excellence of a Murf built car. Colin Thomas, with his “Twisted Sister” Mustang Funny Car campaigns a chassis that was originally built in 1989 for the late great Roland Leong. You also have the “Made in America” team of Tom Furches, the 2023 Funny Car Chaos Champion, with a chassis dating back to the early 1990s. Even the most recent champion in FCC, Shayne Lawson, pilots a McKinney chassis that was originally built for Jay Payne around 2016. If it’s old, or if it’s new, a McKinney component or chassis will stand the test of time even in the highly competitive ranks of Chaos. Murf McKinney and his McKinney Corp have been at the forefront of the industry for what will be 45 years in 2026. During that time many brands in drag racing have come and gone all the while seeking marketing partners for their endeavors. When asked if the Chaos brand has delivered on its return on investment, McKinney Corp founder, Murf Mckinney responded with an emphatic “yes!” The partnership with Chaos is deeper for Murf than just a matter of business. “The thing that stands out is that people came with their families to go racing, it wasn’t a lot of fly-in people,” McKinney reminisced of his visit to Chaos In The Cornfield at Eddyville Raceway Park which was a combined Funny Car Chaos and Nitro Chaos event. “It just appeared to me that Chris [Graves – series owner and promoter] really was trying to interact with the spectator, like when they warmed up the cars down-the-line instead of just one car randomly warming up here or there.” For the racers and teams in Chaos, with McKinney Corp as the Official Fabrication Source, they have the go to place for all their component and chassis needs. As Chaos continues to grow, McKinney Corp is pleased to be associated with a grass-roots effort that is passionate concerning the sport of drag racing in every facet from the stands to the action on the strip. The motorsports division is ready to assist with your needs from front to back including body and tin mounting, roll cage adjustments, steering and rear end alignment and all the things you will need to get on the track and safely compete at your peak performance. ABOUT MCKINNEY CORP McKinney Corp. was founded by Murf McKinney and two brothers in 1981 to build Funny Cars for the sport of Drag Racing. Over the years, after solidifying a name synonymous with excellence and winning, the company has grown to become a self-sufficient manufacturing and research and development center. What started as a motorsports company has diversified into commercial machining and fabricating as well, staffed by a growing number of employees and equipped with state-of-the-art CNC machinery. In addition to Motorsports, we are also currently serving the following industries: Recreation - Medical - Marine - Aviation - Agriculture - Transportation - Academic, and more.  Contact McKinney Corp by visiting www.mckinneycorp.com or call directly at 1.800.542.3088

Front Engine Dragsters

February 26, 2025
Dragsters in the 1950’s and in the 1960’s were truly unique, as in, each one was somewhat different from all the others. We use to have front engine dragsters, rear engine dragsters, dual engine dragsters, three engine dragsters and even four engine dragsters. Some of the dragsters had four-wheel drive. Some of the multi-engine dragsters had engines mounted side-by-side, some mounted in-line. There were even some that were mounted sideways. Some had full bodies, some had partial bodies and some no bodies at all. As far as engines, we had dragsters with Ford engines, Chevy engines, Pontiac engines, Chrysler engines, Buick, DeSoto, Cadillac, Packard, Lincoln, GMC, Oldsmobile, you name it. I don’t think you could name an automotive engine that wasn’t mounted in a dragster at one time or the other. We even had dragsters with aircraft engines. In the early 1950’s when drag racing was still something new, the media called the dragsters “rail jobs”. This was because the early dragsters were not much more than a car with an engine mounted in frame rails. Get a car, remove the body, fenders pretty much everything else, and you had a “rail job”. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that before we had 18-wheeler “transporters” with tool cabinets that cost more than a house, we had single axle open trailers and a tool box we could carry with one hand. Our “transporter” was usually a trailer hitch on the of the family station wagon or pick-up truck. It was a different time, but it was our roots and it is our heritage.

MY PRO MOD DAYS. AND HOW PRO MODIFIED CAME TO BE! PART 1

By Jim Feurer • February 24, 2025
Success claims many fathers. I want to say here and now. My stories are true as best as my 84 year old brain can muster. My still acute memory and the ability to prove what I tell may be the reason God delegated me to live this long. To tell true stories and try to set my drag racing history correct. THANK YOU GOD!  Let’s go back to 1986. My mountain motor days. My best friend and arch rival, Wild Bill Kuhlmann and I were jaded with our careers. We needed something new and with better pay. Bill and I set up a private meeting Dec of 86, at the Holiday Inn in Springfield, IL. That was midpoint distance for Bill and me. Bill was from Wentzville, Mo. Me Jim Feurer (Known better in drag racing as ANIMAL JIM.) from Lacon, Illinois.. Bill and I brought all our press clippings, resume etc. We decided we could not afford to run NHRA or IHRA Pro Stock. AHRA was long gone. So it was circuit race or match race for low budget professional drag racers. Bill and I even considered UDRA Funny Cars, and went to their annual UDRA Funny Car meeting. No way. Too much equipment changes. We needed more bookings and for more money. To achieve that we needed to orchestrate something new. We both decided it had to be with door cars. One big thing Bill and I had was an overload of PANACHE. (RECKLESS COURAGE) This was very infectious to fans, media and promotors and even sponsors. I have always believed, that overload of panache Bill and I shared was a natural born attribute. “How about 200 mph match race touring team of Pro Stock bookings?” Bill and I hit on that idea simultaneously. We then called around to various heavy duty promoters, race car journalist, and finally our own agent Duane Nickels’ of the famed Nickels and Associates. Duane thought our idea was great. But he said, “Before we advertise 200 mph Pro Stocks, someone has to do it first.” Then we realized no door car anywhere had ever hit 200 drag racing door slammers yet! OOPS! Some IHRA Mountain Motor guys had broken into the 190. mph mark. What an opportunity. To be the first to run 200 mph in a door car. After our meeting, I lost focus due to family matters, caring for my invalid old parents. I am not blaming them. It is what should be done. Linda’s mother was also failing. We lived 45 miles from each. My parents had no insurance. We finally tapped out. Their church even helped. I had forgotten all about a 200 mph touring team. Bill knew of my problems. So he did not bug me. My friend and former sponsor and owner of NOS (Nitrous Oxide Systems) Mike thermos did call me a couple times that winter offering to sponsor me again and was confident with my 675” Engine and the new NOS fogger nitrous system I could go 200 .Linda and I had so much family problems Mike’s offer fell on deaf ears. But Wild Bill Kuhlmann did not lose focus of our dream. Unknown to me Bill Kuhlmann was methodically transforming his current pro stock Camaro into a one purpose machine. It was to be the first door car to break 200 mph in a quarter mile. By the time February came, IHRA plus some fans and colleges asked if I was going to race Pro Stock at the IHRA Darlington Winter Nationals in March as usual. I told my wife Linda Lou. She said, “Send in your entry. This is business. That first race brings lot of promoters looking for match race talent. It always produces some bookings for us.” So I entered Pro Stock as usual. When my crew Al and Douglas Schmitt, and Ed Fogelsonger were sitting in line at Darlington with our rig waiting for the gate for professional entries to open, I looked over at the Top Sportsman pits. Low and behold. There in the grassy area sat the Wild Bill Kuhlmann 87 Camaro, sporting a huge rear spoiler, new huge hood scoop with Sonny Leonard decals. Plus huge NOS decals all over the body. Top Sportsman was only a high level bracket class. But Nitrous and other modifications were legal. It instantly it hit me. Bill was going to go 200 in Top Sportsmen. A lesser class. But with softer rules. Not Pro Stock rules. TS still is a door car class. Silly me. I never thought of that. Bill did not disappoint. He went 202+ March 14, 1987. And smoking the ties from mid track to finish. Talk about panache! WOW! As much as I admired Bill’s success, I got a sick feeling in my gut. Nitrous was legal in UDRA Pro Stock. I will have to run Bill in that venue and match races. I had no choice. I needed to conform. Hello NOS again! My next race was a month later. The annual UDRA Spring Nationals at Byron IL. Dragway. To some that event, the Outlaw Pro Stock final became legendary. Byron then was NHRA sanctioned and also hosting an NHRA Div. 3 Event. Which meant all racers and cars had to be inspected by NHRA tech. My car along with most Pro Stock cars needed a new even larger bar once again under the driver side rocker panel mandated by NHRA for 1987. I pointed out that last year we added a new size bigger bar alongside the excising one, so both bars creating a duplex would be stronger than that the new rule. The NHRA tech official did not buy that. I responded with “You best brush up with your physics and common sense!” I was so upset, I threatened to load up and leave. My friends UDRA Event director Ron Colson and Super Stock Magazine Editor Jeff Burk talked me into staying. The NHRA waved the new rule till next event. Those two friends went to bat for me. So I stayed. This would be my first time with nitrous on my Kaase 675” Monolith Engine. Bill and I made history qualifying. Both of us ran couple tenths quicker than rest of the field. Wild Bill and I qualified one and two swapping record setting numbers and went through that field of entries like poop through a goose. Bill ended number one qualifier and me a close number two. And we ended up facing each other in the finals. By this time I decided to use the nitrous sooner than hitting it in third gear. I planned to use it when shifting to second. I did feel I could win and perhaps go 200. We both did humongous long burnouts. While backing up I had a miss. I think I broke an exhaust rocker arm stand. (So much for trying to win.) Al backed me up and I stage anyway hoping Bll would red light , get loose, shake the tires, or break. Bill and I played no staging games. Bill made a perfect run. I followed trying the nitrous to no avail. Never the less. History was made that day. That final has become a legend. Pictures are all over face book. Bill and I went on be in 9 UDRA finals that season. We were always one and two swapping records and wins. This event was the start of something big. I don’t think anyone knew how big. Bill had kicked the door open breaking 200 at Darlington that March. The Pro Modified seed was planted. Part two I will tell about four of my Pro Mod rides. 1989 to 2001 and about the modifications and updates of Zeke, plus my three purpose built Pro Modified cars’. The modifications and updates of my 79 Pro Stock Zephyr we call Zeke were done by me and Rick Jones 1989/90. 2. The Rick Jones Amazing Psychotic Probe 90 and 91. 3. The fabulous Jerry Haas WunderBird Thunderbird Super Coupe 1992 to 1996. 4. The sleek chopped top Tim McCamis Ballistic Thunderbird Super Coupe. 1999 to 2002.

MUSCLE CAR AND CORVETTE NATIONALS 2024

February 4, 2025
PHOTOS by RICHARD JAESCHKE WWW.HOTRODONLINE.COM

MOUNTAIN MOTOR MADNESS!

By “Animal” Jim Feurer • January 3, 2025
For 1984 , I switched from SB Nitrous Cleveland to a humongous 675 CI Mountain Motor we dubbed the “Monolith”. ( I have to explain hear and now, “Motor” is not the proper name. “Engine” is. But “Mountain Motor” has a better limerick cadence to it than “Mountain Engine”. Look up definition of “Motor” and “Engine”. Or how about “Elephant Engine”? Too clumsy! My engineer mentor Bob Olmsted would flip in his grave, if he read this. Never called an engine a motor around (Bob! ) RIP BOB! This 675 Jon Kaase Engine sported Allen Root special Aluminum Block 11.2 Deck Ht. Steel Chrome Mollie Sleeves with O rings. Bore was 4.635 , steel BRC crank ,Arias pistons and Venolia aluminum rods, with 5” stroke X 0.7854 x 8 =675. Had AR Aluminum Hemi Heads. Worked over by Jon. AR Tunnel Ram worked over with two Holley 1100 dominators and MSD Crank Trigger Ign. Dynoed 1150 HP @ 7,000 RPM. Jon called me all excited about the results. Winter of 83/84. Cost was $25,000! Remember-This was 40 years ago! That engine also included a special .800+lift cam and 2.500” diam. Intake and 2.00” exhaust valves. All 16 were Manley Titanium valves of course. Funny story: Shortly after Jon called, some dude called from Chicago area telling me he developed a Ford Cammer using Gilmer belts instead of timing chains. He wanted to team up with me putting his Cammer in Zeke. Then, before I could respond he insulted my persona telling me I would have to cleanup, starting with cutting my hair. Then!!! I responded. I told him about my Kaase 675 Boss Hemi, and Jon calling with results. I added, “As for my grooming .I would not cut my hair for my mother, let alone for you! You insulting joker!” And I hung up. I do not recall a name. Once I did trim my hair a bit. Promoters, media and fans did not like that. Especially the late great Bill Bader. And my little girl cried when she saw my hair trimmed. 2. First time out with the “Monolith” 675 was not successful. One problem was the new fiberglass doors. That big engine had so much torque it would twist Zeke out of shape launching the driver door. It would fly off. It happened twice in a row. I had orange duct tape, and had my crew chief Cliff Sturm tape me in next run. Door stayed put. But had to wait for Cliff to come untape me at top end. Tech would have had a cow if they knew. (At US 30, perhaps not) Another problem was starter was not strong enough for that engine. I could see some other matters would need looking after with that much power. So we loaded up and went home. I never experienced so much brute power. At my shop at home we cured the starter problem by connecting another battery and solenoid to create 24 volts just when cranking, and included a MSD retard with momentary toggle switch. And just a cheap rebuilt starter worked great. Until two years later and went to a dry sump system, and had to use a mini starter do to different pan. Amazingly that Hamburger mini starter and MSD retard and 12 volts worked fine. For the next three years, 1984,85,86 and first race in 87 we ran pure Mountain Motor Pro Stock , mostly in UDRA and Match Races . We did ok, winning several UDRA events, and went rounds at a couple IHRA Nationals. One of my most memorable IHRA Mountain Motor runs was Aug. of 85 at Norwalk, Oh. I had Bob Glidden first round. I took a shot at the tree and cut a spectacular .002 light. I was way ahead of Bob. Then by fourth gear I saw that Thunder Bird nose appear. We went through the traps side by side. Bob got the win light by .001. While waiting for our tow vehicles, Bob came over and asked if I had a pretty good run. I said it was good. When I got my time ticket I realized I had run a career best et. But, so did Bob. He had won by .001. However, during my 3 year pure Mountain Motor Pro Stock effort, as I told earlier, I won several UDRA , match, and special events. 3. One of my favorite wins was August 10th. 1986. I had the unbeatable Bob Olsen in the final. I was still driving my trusty Mercury Zephyr with the Monolith 675 engine. This event was The Annual Pro Stock/Funny Car Open at Byron, Il. Rules? Ha! It was “Run what you Brung! And you better Bring Enough!” I went to finals, caught a great light and beat that Steward and Olsen Pontiac by a fender. Then another big change happened. My friend, Wild Bill Kuhlmann, In March of 77 put A NOS Fogger System on his new Sonny 632 bb Chevy. Bill entered Top Sportsman. Nitrous was legal there. Bill’s motive was to be the first ever door car to go 200 ! Which I witnessed him doing so at IHRA Nationals at Darlington SC. OH! OH! Nitrous was also legal in UDRA, No one had ever taken advantage of it with a killer mountain motor till Bill. Bill Kuhlmann had gone ahead with his dream we both shared and discussed back in December. While I was side tracked with other matters. I had no choice. I had to go same direction to compete from then on. UDRA was my main arena. So hello NOS. My old friend. My Kaase/Allen Root, 675 Ford Boss Hemi loved it! It sure did! We estimated we went from 1200 hp to1700hp with just a basic single NOS Fogger system. And basic tune up. Just hitting the Nos during second gear on, would net 5 tenths quicker and 10 mph. It felt like a powerful passing gear. We won many races and the U DRA Outlaw Pro Stock Championships 88 and 89. I consider 87,88, and 89 , The formative days o Pro Modified. Wild Bill had kicked that door wade open! I ran our next car the same way. By then, we were running Pro Modified. The 90 Probe was one of the first cars purpose built for Pro Modified. Built and sponsored by Rick Jones. Officially it was the first Ford door car to go 200 mph. 4. I was still using old engines, the Kaase Monolith 675 Ford Boss hemi and the Jim Ehlen 666 we called Damian! And it ran high 6 second runs, still on a basic same Fogger system. But I was now hitting nitrous right after the launch. Better late than never, August of 91 we put a new Kaase 698” beast in the Probe. We won a third championship with Probe with the USSC. That made 5 championships for me altogether. In 92, came the fabulous Haas Thunderbird Super Coupe we named Wunder Bird! We set many records and won many races. With son in law Doug Fennell’s awesome design and paint job, it won IHRA Best Appearing/Engineering two years in a row. Which was unheard of. With this car we used nitrous on the launch, and a second system @ .5 second timer , producing 1800/2000 hp. Running 6 sec/200 +mph runs at will. Ronnie Sox, Wane Torkelson and I, swapped records of quickest Ford door slammers on the earth for several years. Well, it seems I am getting ahead of myself. My next chapter about my Pro Modified years will be my next article.  Written by ANIMAL JIM FEURER. MAY GOD KEEP YA ALL.

The History of the Hill-Boys' 1953 Studebaker Champion”

By HEMI-ROID • June 4, 2024
The year was 1961, and Don Hill bought the 1953 Studebaker as a parts car to his street 53 Studebaker. After pilfering all the parts Don needed off the Studebaker, one sunny summer day in 1963 Don and the family were having a picnic at their house in Ballwin Missouri. Don’s brother Jack Hill was there and the two of them were playing horseshoes and Jack made a bet with Don that if he threw the next horseshoe as a ringer Don would have to sell the Studebaker parts car for $25.00. Well Jack did just that and handed over the $25.00 to his older brother Don. You see Don and Jack Hill were not just brothers, they were also a team together as the Hill-Boys racing team out of the Midwest. After the second world war, the two of them started racing an open wheel stock car. The Hill-Boys were known coast to coast on dirt tracks and later, asphalt tracks as fierce competitors. It was their way of life. In 1963 by now they both were not racing open wheel cars anymore and Jack had the need to play around with the 1953 Studebaker that he had just bought from Don. Jack decided to put a 392 Chrysler Hemi with two four barrels, 727 torque flight transmission that all was put into the stock Studebaker chassis. Custom headers, Olds rear-end, ladder bars and a 4-point roll cage were added. The car was now ready to race, and the year was 1964. After a few runs the Studebaker took a back seat to work. Just a few years earlier Jack started a company called Precision Rebuilders which is still in operation today. In 1972 Jack gave the car to his son Mike Hill on his 16th birthday. The car sat around for a few years and in 1979 Don’s son Butch Hill and Mike became partners/owners in the Studebaker. In 1990 Butch decided to sell out to Mike to build a 1939 Ford Coupe so they could go racing together. In the late 80s during a race in Wentzville, Mo at MAR raceway, the Studebaker was having trouble creating real horsepower. Don Garlits was at this race and took a liking to the car and within one hour after sitting down with Big Daddy he spelled out all the tricks to make the Hemi perform like it should. In 1992 the car was chopped. Later in 92 Jack Hill lost his battle with cancer. In 1994 both Mike and Butch willed their cars to one another to make sure they stay in the Hill family. In 1995 Golden Hawk fins were added to the car. 1997 came along a new paint scheme from red to the Blue/Purple with flames. In 2006 the car was awarded Dupont’s paint of the year. In 2007 Don Hill lost his life to a stroke and in 2009 Mike Hill lost his 4-year battle with cancer. In 2012 Butch Hill willed the Studebaker to his children Cameron and Caitlin Hill to once again keep it in the family. Today Butch Hill is still racing the car in the Nostalgia Drag Racing League (NDRL). And the car is considered the World’s quickest all steel 1953 Studebaker. The car weighs 3,200 pounds and is still running a 392 Hemi. Although it does not run a steel block anymore, the aluminum Donovan motor from the 60s puts out 1,100 hp and 1,092-foot pounds of torque. Sitting on top of that Donovan is a 671 blower with a 4 port Hilborn injection running on alcohol. The car is still running a 727-torque flight, Ford 9” rear end with 4.10 gears and believe it or not, it is still running the same latter bars that were built in 1963.  No electronics other than a trans button. Even though this car looks like it is a fiberglass car going 250 mph setting still. This car is truly old school in its body and power plant. The body is original Studebaker steel even down to the door hinges and steel chrome bumpers. .

NITRO CHAOS RETURNS TO ILLINOIS

May 6, 2024
By this point of the 2024 season, you can rest assured a heated points battle will be underway and it will all conclude with a return for the CHAOS brand to Midstate Dragway, formally Central Illinois Dragway, in Havana, Illinois for the Nitro Chaos Championship Finals, September 20-21st. CID was one of the original host tracks for Funny Car Chaos dating back to 2018 and after recent ownership and management changes, is very excited to welcome the CHAOS back to Havana to crown the 2024 Nitro Chaos Champion! This will be the largest gathering of nitro burning drag racing machines in track history, we assure you that.

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By Dan Ricks

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