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Round
7: More Match Bashers
By
Danny White
Chuck Conway photos courtesy of Bob Gibson
We have previously
featured Phil Bonner and his Falcon. This photo shows one of the extra shows
that Match Bashers put on for the fans: the rosin dry hop followed by the open
door backup. Note that Bonner did this by himself – having a crewmember back
you up came later. Phil raced this little Falcon from sea to shining sea,
successfully making the transition from gas burning A/FX to full on nitro
burning match basher. (Chuck Conway photo courtesy of Bob Gibson; info
Draglist.com files)
Don Gay’s first entry
into match bash funny cars was this ‘65 GTO. Don got backing from his
father’s Pontiac dealership in Dickinson, Texas. James Osteen oversaw the
mechanical side of the Gay’s racing operation. The Gays became the top Pontiac
racers in the country, next to Arnie Beswick. Don Gay did not race this car on
fuel for long. Jay Howell built a new '66 GTO for Don and the ’65 was turned
over to Don’s brother Roy to drive. (Chuck Conway photo courtesy of Bob
Gibson; info from Draglist.com files)
Gene Snow’s first match
basher was this injected Dart. Snow had raced Super Stockers before making the
jump to injected nitro engines. T-Bar chassis did the first conversion of the
car, which included altering the wheelbase and gutting the car of dead weight.
Ted DeTar built the injected nitro Hemi engine. The car got Gene into the
nine-second range. Snow also put on wheelstanding exhibitions for fans when he
was not racing. (Chuck Conway photo courtesy of Bob Gibson; info from
Draglist.com files)
Kelly Chadwick had this
lightweight Chevy II built by Don Hardy in 1966. The little car replaced the
1965 Chevelle A/FX that Chadwick had match raced the previous year. The big
change from 1965 to 1966 was the addition of nitro. The car made it in the nines
with this setup. In 1967, the car was rebuilt into a longer wheelbased machine.
(Chuck Conway photo courtesy of Bob Gibson; info from Draglist.com files)
Snow and Chadwick are
backing up their altered wheelbased match bashers at “The Valley.” Green
Valley Raceway was the place for match racing in Texas. Gene and Kelly faced off
countless times over the years. The infamous “broiler” seats are in the
background. These stands were known for catching the sounds and smells of a
nitromethane engine like no other place on earth. The problem was that they also
radiated the Texas heat. The spectator side tower was torn down in the early
seventies. (Chuck Conway photo courtesy of Bob Gibson; info from Draglist.com
files)
Gene Snow is taking on an
outsider at the Valley. Pete Seaton brought the “Seaton’s Shaker” Chevelle
down from Michigan, with Del Heinart behind the wheel at this race. The Chevelle
ran low tens and high nines at best. The pictured 396 Chevy Chevelle was
replaced in 1966 by another Chevelle. Heinart and Seaton split up, and Heinart
later died in an accident. The Green Valley track owner can be seen at the left
holding the Brownie Camera. (Chuck Conway photo courtesy of Bob Gibson; info
from Bob Gibson and Draglist.com files)
Clester Andrews won many,
many races with this little Mustang. The car began life as a Holman & Moody
A/Factory Experimental machine. This was probably the best match basher in Texas
during the 1965 season. In order to keep up with the other racers, the Mustang
had to be updated. The car was gutted, windows were removed, the hood was taken
off, injectors were added, and the yellow stuff was poured into the tank
liberally. Times dropped from the tens to the nine-second zone overnight.
Andrews is seen racing here at Pel State Drag Strip in Opelousas, Louisiana, a
convertible airport/drag strip. The track tower (atop a panel truck) can be seen
behind the Mustang. Pel State was the site of several NHRA points races. (Chuck
Conway photo courtesy of Bob Gibson; info Draglist.com files) T
Chuck Grimsley was the
announcer at Wichita Drag Strip in Kansas. Tired of just watching the action,
Chuck decided to build a match basher. Grimsley had T-Bar Chassis build the car
and Ted DeTar build the engine. Pasadena Dodge out of Texas sponsored the Rebel
Rouser. This was probably the reason Grimsley was a regular at the Gay’s
Houston International Raceway. Chuck only raced the car for a short period.
Brent Hajek now has the restored machine in his collection. (Chuck Conway photo
courtesy of Bob Gibson; info Draglist.com files)
Fresh off his NHRA
Nationals victory, Gene Snow faces Joe Davis at the NHRA World Finals at Tulsa.
Snow’s Dodge Dart had been rebuilt by T-Bar and was much longer and lighter
than before. The Davis & Ingram “Colt 45” Mustang had been
converted from an AA/Altered to an early funny car. The “Colt 45” ran on gas
or low levels of nitro. Davis & Ingram eventually sold the Mustang to the
Oklahoma based Martin Bros., who ran the car with many updates into the early
seventies. (Chuck Conway photo courtesy of Bob Gibson; info from Draglist.com
files and Ezra Boggs)
Here is the “Kansas
Badman” himself, Ted DeTar. DeTar was a great engine builder as well as a
great racer. Ted raced this steel bodied machine out his shop, personally doing
the conversion from factory driver to full on race car. DeTar’s success on the
AHRA circuit earned him the number one ranking from AHRA’s Drag World
newspaper. Ted got the little orange car to run eights. DeTar built a new Ford
Torino, but sold it before getting any real track time. Ted later died as a
result of a racing accident in Florida. (Chuck Conway photo courtesy of Bob
Gibson; info from Steve DeTar)
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