Author Topic: Favorite Independent Trans-Am Driver ???  (Read 15297 times)

satman

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Favorite Independent Trans-Am Driver ???
« on: March 31, 2014, 11:56:14 PM »
      With the majority of the teams racing in the Trans-Am series being independents I think not enough credit has been given to the unsung heroes who soldiered on in inferior cars, prepared by underfunded teams for little or no compensation
 
     Perhaps our members could reveal their favorite Drivers and why... In deference to my two drivers Robert Barg and Dick Hoffman who did more with less than anyone I know and in all fairness to  others I will go outside my own team for my choice and pick one of the most exciting drivers ever to race in the Trans Am.

I will not divulge this drivers name but a very big clue is the car he drove pictured below ...............

1968RSZ28

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Re: Favorite Independent Trans-Am Driver ???
« Reply #1 on: April 01, 2014, 12:39:49 AM »
I will not divulge this drivers name but a very big clue is the car he drove pictured below ...............

That's Bob Tullius driving the Gray Ghost, a 1964 Pontiac Tempest.   :)

Paul

satman

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Re: Favorite Independent Trans-Am Driver ???
« Reply #2 on: April 01, 2014, 01:01:35 AM »
Right you are Paul ................. Some people might not realize that the car started life as a daily driver, with over 80,000 miles on the odometer when they turned it into a race car ....

Jon Mello

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Re: Favorite Independent Trans-Am Driver ???
« Reply #3 on: April 01, 2014, 03:00:07 AM »
Al, Bob Tullius is kind of a cheater pick because he was also a factory driver for Dodge earlier and sort of a quasi-factory driver for Javelin in '69. He even was in consideration for one of the Mopar factory contracts for 1970. I always liked him. He was a real character. Below my younger brother and I are getting autographs from Bob, Kas Kastner and (I think) Carl Swanson at the '71 Road America Trans-Am. I'm on the far left.
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satman

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Re: Favorite Independent Trans-Am Driver ???
« Reply #4 on: April 01, 2014, 03:32:32 AM »
Jon that's a really neat photo ...... You make a valid point but watching Bob drive the wheels off that 6 year old grocery getter was almost unbelievable ........... Does this mean I am disqualified ??? 

Jon Mello

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Re: Favorite Independent Trans-Am Driver ???
« Reply #5 on: April 01, 2014, 03:38:39 AM »
Al, you're not disqualified but you have to start from the back row on the grid.  ;D

Pick again.
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satman

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Re: Favorite Independent Trans-Am Driver ???
« Reply #6 on: April 01, 2014, 01:57:43 PM »
        Jon no problem for me I am used to that ................... My alternate driver will be Rusty Jowett, in my opinion a bit of a spoiled brat but none the less a very steady driver.

Jon Mello

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Re: Favorite Independent Trans-Am Driver ???
« Reply #7 on: April 02, 2014, 12:19:51 AM »
Al, Rusty had a very good record as an independent. So did Craig Fisher in '68 when he was running the Firebird and in the early '70s, Warren Agor and Mo Carter did very well as independents. I think I like Dick Guldstrand both for his driving ability and his outgoing and fun-loving personality. I'm also biased and partial to the former driver of my Camaro, Johnny Moore.
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satman

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Re: Favorite Independent Trans-Am Driver ???
« Reply #8 on: April 02, 2014, 02:25:01 AM »
  Jon, That is a pretty stout group of drivers you have there....... Mo Carter was probably the biggest character on your list, Sam Posey once wrote in a magazine article that he looked like a bank manager till he got behind the wheel then he turned into an animal . One of my crew went on to work for Mo and told me about a race out west where Mo had a coolant leak and drove the car till the $20,000 ZL1 aluminum block melted rather come in for water....... In my opinion Mo was a charter member of the more money than brains club.

69Z28-RS

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Re: Favorite Independent Trans-Am Driver ???
« Reply #9 on: April 02, 2014, 02:49:28 AM »
I'm *partial* to my two engineer friends who both ran '69 Z28's (and other cars) in T/A and IMSA later....   Bob Christianson (R.A.C.E.), and Bob Mitchell.   Both both new '69 Z28s and converted them immediately for SCCA racing, and ran in several eastern and southern TA races.
09C 69Z28-RS, 72 B 720 cowl console rosewood tint
69 Corvette, '60 Corvette, '72 Corvette
90 ZR1 red/red #246, 90 ZR1 white/gray #2466
72 El Camino, '55-'56-'57 Nomads, '55-'57 B/A Sedan

Jon Mello

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Re: Favorite Independent Trans-Am Driver ???
« Reply #10 on: April 02, 2014, 03:07:47 AM »
Al, classic shot of Mo. Thanks for posting. He's probably still got the gas pedal nailed to the floor.

Hey Gary, I think one or both of the Bob's you mention ran at Sebring back in the early '70s. If you have contact with them, can you ask if they ran dry sump oiling at Daytona or Sebring in that '71-'72 timeframe that has been asked about in this thread... http://www.camaros.org/forum/index.php?topic=11961.0;all

Thank you!
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69Z28-RS

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Re: Favorite Independent Trans-Am Driver ???
« Reply #11 on: April 02, 2014, 03:55:26 AM »
I sent Bob Christianson an email; no longer sure how to contact Bob Mitchell... but I can dig around a little..
09C 69Z28-RS, 72 B 720 cowl console rosewood tint
69 Corvette, '60 Corvette, '72 Corvette
90 ZR1 red/red #246, 90 ZR1 white/gray #2466
72 El Camino, '55-'56-'57 Nomads, '55-'57 B/A Sedan

Jon Mello

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Re: Favorite Independent Trans-Am Driver ???
« Reply #12 on: April 02, 2014, 01:22:59 PM »
Great! Thanks for doing that.
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JoeC

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Re: Favorite Independent Trans-Am Driver ???
« Reply #13 on: April 02, 2014, 02:33:08 PM »
many great drivers mentioned

I would like to throw in Don Yenko since I am a big fan of his

he ran about 6 TA races in 1969,  didn't do very well however he won the
Citrus 250 NASCAR Grand Touring at Daytona Speed week 1969.

 NASCAR held the first ever 250 race featuring the TRANS AM cars and the NASCAR GT cars. They ran on a 3.81 mile road course using turns 3 and 4 of the high banked oval. All types of  drivers entered from USAC, NASCAR, and SCCA, including some big names such as Parnelli Jones, Bob Tullius, and Peter Gregg. Don Y was fastest qualifier and sat on the pole.

Parnelli was fast in his new Mustang but had some problems.

After Don took the checker flag he stopped and  picked up his pit crew.  They climbed on his Camaro and all drove to Victory Lane. This is from a race report in Stock Car Racing magazine May 69.

 In the text they state the car is a 1969 Camaro but its Don's blue and white 68 Camaro racecar in the pictures.
It was a big win for a private team since Don was not a regular in NASCAR GT and not a top team in TA

1 1 Don Yenko 11 1969 Chevrolet Camaro 67 4,500 running
2 5 Rusty Jowett 1968 Chevrolet Camaro 66 2,700 running
3 23 Larry Wallace 1968 Chevrolet Camaro 64 1,850
4 14 Seiichi Suzuki 1968 Mercury Cougar 64 1,000
5 18 Peter Gregg 1968 Porsche 911 63 800
6 10 Bob Tullius 94 1969 AMC Javelin 62 700
7 Wilbur Pickett 1967 Porsche 911 61 650
8 3 Larry Bock 1968 Chevrolet Camaro 60 600
9 Al Straub 1969 Ford Mustang 59 550
10 15 Jack Ryan 1967 Porsche 911 59 500
11 16 C.B. Gwyn 1968 Mercury Cougar 59 450
12 25 William Lowell 1968 Ford Mustang 58 400
13 8 Richard Childress 1968 Chevrolet Camaro 57 350
14 26 T.C. Hunt 1968 Chevrolet Camaro 56 300
15 24 Les Covey 1968 Chevrolet Camaro 54 250
16 Dennis Wherrell 1967 Alfa Romeo 52 200
17 27 Bill Hemby 1968 Chevrolet Camaro 51 190
18 29 Frank Sessoms 1968 Chevrolet Camaro 50 180
19 17 Ken Rush 1968 Chevrolet Camaro 49 170
20 13 Billy Yuma 1968 Chevrolet Camaro 49 160
 6 Don White 3 1969 AMC Javelin 22 head gasket
 2 Parnelli Jones 1969 Ford Mustang transmission
 4 John Martin 4 1969 AMC Javelin push rod
 7 Lloyd Ruby 1969 Chevrolet Camaro engine
 9 Joie Chitwood Jr. 1969 Chevrolet Camaro
 11 Charlie Blanton 1969 Chevrolet Camaro
 12 Jim Paschal 27 1969 AMC Javelin oil pressure
 19 Jim Murphy 1968 Chevrolet Camaro
 20 Buck Baker 1967 Chevrolet Camaro
 21 Ernie Shaw 1968 Ford Mustang
 22 Ed Hinchcliff 1968 Ford Mustang
 28 Richard Crebs 1967 Alfa Romeo
 30 Bobby Mausgrover 1967 Plymouth Barracuda
 31 Joe Childress 1968 Chevrolet Camaro
 32 Ed Hessert 1969 AMC Javelin
 33 Johnny Lawrence 1969 Fiat

Jon, did you ask Warren D. about the dry slump? He worked on Yenko's ZL1 powered 69 Camaro they ran at Sebring in 69&70

oldtransamdriver

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Re: Favorite Independent Trans-Am Driver ???
« Reply #14 on: April 03, 2014, 07:52:51 PM »
Here are 2 more guys to add to this list - Warren Tope and Paul Nichter.

Robert Barg