Not open to the public, but here is a rare video look at some of the cars they have collected over the years.
httpvh://youtu.be/RvVmDsWnMOk
On the web: GM Heritage Center
On July 7th, there were two races held on the same day at Pacific Raceways. One in the morning and the second in the evening.
Chris was running his Chevelle in Super Pro and Paul was driving Torri’s Pontiac in Sportsman. We FINALLY had great weather for a race!
On Saturday at PR the fastest door cars (WCSA) in the Northwest were running AND Bracketstars was hosting the Wild West Car Show also on Saturday. It was a full day at PR!
Paul won the first race today in Sportsman, and Chris lost a very close one to Jason Beggerly in the first round of Super Pro with a winning margin of only .0088 seconds!! Then it was on to the second race of the day!
2nd Race as it unfolded:
It’s 9:36 P.M., and both Paul & Chris are heading into the 4th round!! Great day for the team!
9:45 P.M. – Chris won the 4th round and Paul broke out in the 4th round. Chris is still in the hunt in Super Pro!
10:35 pm – Chris broke out in the 5th round (semi-finals) cutting a great .010 light against Al Chinn. A GREAT day for the racing team! Pam & I are extremely proud of our sons! – Roger
Paul’s review:
It was a very successful day for Edwards & Young Racing as going into this race we deemed it the new start of the 2012 racing for us, especially considering this was a double header with 2 races in a day. Both Chris & Paul had a great day, we were knocking on the door in almost getting both cars into the Bracketstars winner circle at the same time!
Race #1:
Chris went out in the 1st round losing by a miniscule .0088 to Jason Beggerly whom is a very successful Super Street racer along with his father Steve Beggerly. We were feeling a little snake bitten after this round as Chris has lost most of his races by less than .010 but felt we were slowly creeping up on getting the round wins.
Paul went 6 rounds and won the race, had a .010 light in the semis & followed it up with a .011 light in the finals. This was his 3rd finals in the last year, fortunately he kept his undefeated streak going in final rounds!
Race #2:
Chris made it to the 5th rd before losing to Al Chinn as Chris had a great .010 light but the car just went too quick. Al is one of the best Super Pro racers in Div 6 as he is a multi Pacific Raceways track champion and once again is in the top 3 for the 2012 season. We are extremely happy with the way Chris has been driving and we feel there will be more round wins to come for this season.
Paul made it to the 4th round before losing to Jason Biscay as he also went to quick in a double breakout race, Jason had a better light in taking the win. Jason is also a very good driver as he has multiple Wally’s to his credit so don’t feel too bad in the loss.
The great efforts on the part of both Chris & Paul moved them both up substantially in the points races, Paul should be in the top 4-5 in Sportsman after this race. We want to give a sincere thanks to Joe Loch, Barry Hobson, Robert Strohm and many others for their help & guidance this weekend along with good ol’ Dad whom wasn’t able to attend but was helping us with his input & data over the phone.
Finally, we want to say thanks to the hardworking crew at Pacific Raceways, you guys/gals rock as you all worked your tails off in the heat keeping the track in great condition!
Go Team PACIFIC RACEWAYS!!!!
Related article:
Auto Max USA Drag Points and Results – Pacific Raceways – July 9, 2012
We had the opportunity to see Gordie Bonin run his Pacemaker Funny Car at SIR through the years when TF & FC ran at the local divisional races and at the Fall Nationals when they were hosted here.
Jerry Verhuel was his wrench and together they were very successful and fan favorites here in Seattle. Jerry was truly a mechanic that enjoyed talking with those of us in the Sportsman ranks before he passed away losing his personal battle against cancer. Jerry also dabbled with using supercharged automotive power in the unlimited hydros.
httpvh://youtu.be/G6_8kB4SJcw
“240 GORDIE” REFLECTS ON HIS DRAG RACING CAREER – CompetitionPlus – December 7, 2009
I ran across this old photo today taken by Jeff Dykes at the top end of the track @ SIR (Pacific Raceways) in 1997. The car had our old hood scoop on it then that worked as well as our Aero-type scoop. – Roger
Speaking of being bored, I scanned a couple slides from around 1973 of the Fallnationals at SIR for nostalgia:
Going back even further in the archives, I found this slide of our ’57 at Puyallup in approximately 1973:
Here’s a shot of our 1st Modified Production short block. It was 292 cubic inches (+.060 283) with JE 11:5 pistons, Crankshaft Company fully counterweighted crankshaft, Howard 5.7″ aluminum rods, Racer Brown R-66 roller cam, 2.02 straight-plug FI heads, and Harland-Sharp roller rockers. We’ve come a long way since then!
And here’s the car back in those early days in F/MP trim when it was ground-towed [UGH!] :
April 15th was the last outing for us at Pacific Raceways before the track was closed to resurface the lanes to the 330-mark for the upcoming NHRA Northwest Nationals in August.
’71 Chevelle Wagon, Super Pro:
Chris ran 10.383 @ 717 feet density altitude off the trailer, 10.376 @ 1195 feet density altitude, and a 10.396 @ 1119 feet density altitude during the day testing both lanes. The car was running very well this day putting up consecutive solid numbers. We got the rear suspension working well again with the new 9″ Ford rearend.
Unfortunately Chris turned the tree red with a negative .005 reaction time against Doug Arthur, but recorded his best 60′ time of the day in the first round with a 1.397. The track just got better as the day went along and kudos to the crew at Pacific Raceways for a job well done on the new surface! – Roger
’66 Pontiac Tempest – Sportsman:
This weekend was truly The Race aka Close but No Cigar!
Both Chris & I were feeling pretty upbeat after our qualifying runs as we both had some pretty decent lights & were running pretty consistent ET wise. Then the 1st round came along and put a damper on an otherwise good day for us as we both lost by ridiculously close margins.
Chris faced Doug Arthur whom now own’s Barry Hobson’s old Chevy Beretta that runs in the mid 7’s, Doug is a tough customer as he is usually deadly on the tree & consistent ET wise so that is what we expected from him this time. Chris redlighted by .005 and only went .01 off of his dial while Doug cut a abnormally late light & broke out by a tenth, ouch!
Paul faced Dustin Ward’s Dad whom also is a tough customer and Paul had a .037 light but unfortunately just didn’t drive the finish line very well which gave the race back by .0028, ouch again!
We are both a little frustrated as to how things are going thus far this year as it seems like there are no freebies coming our way but we will have to put it out of our minds & stay positive as things will get better. – Paul
’57 Chev – Pro Bracket:
The last time our ’57 Chev went down the track was July 17, 2010. We hope to have that back out in the near future making a few passes and having a good time! – Roger
The 1884 De Dion Bouton et Trepardoux Dos-a-Dos Steam Runabout, the oldest running car, fetches $4.2M at RM Auction in Hershey, Pennsylvania in Oct 2011.
Below is a video of the car cruising in England:
httpvh://youtu.be/riO3UUC9qo0
Auction video:
httpvh://youtu.be/j9myS-6Kg4s
We are saddened to learn that fellow local racer, Gary Putman, has passed away. Here’s Gary’s obituary from the Seattle Times:
Gary Robert PUTMAN April 21, 1954 ~ May 3, 2012 Gary was born and grew up in Van Wert, Ohio. After graduating from high school, he spent several years touring the US and Canada, camping, hiking, fishing, paying his way with short term work and freelance auto repair. He settled in Seattle in 1978. Gary continued to be an active outdoorsman, adding boating, motorcycle riding, and drag racing to the activities he enjoyed over the years. He worked 33 years at West Side Import Repair in West Seattle, first as a mechanic and then as owner-operator, until illness forced him to close the business in May 2011. Gary was always willing to lend a hand and share knowledge; he is the last of his family, but will be mightily missed by his many friends. A gift to your favorite charity or to cancer research would be an appropriate memorial. – Published in The Seattle Times on May 7, 2012
This from our August 2004 archives, and how I wish to remember Gary, when he was racing and having a great time. R.I.P. Gary, you will never be forgotten and thanks for the memories… Roger
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We also offer our congratulations to Gary Putman with his Chevy-powered Pontiac, making it to the final round this evening and narrowly missing the win! With this outing, Gary is basically assured a spot on Pacific Raceway’s Pro-bracket team to represent PR at Mission this season! That’s two years in a row that Gary has made the team with the 400 small-block designed by us.
Update: As of August 15th, Gary was #5 in the PR points standings this season!
Gary of Westside Imports recorded his first 10-second pass in his Pontiac at Bremerton Raceway on April 11, 2004. Gary runs a 400 Chev low compression, small-block designed by Young Racing Engines.
Gary recorded a 10.977 @ 122.46 mph with a 1.515 sixty-foot time after freshening the engine over the winter after 200 trouble-free passes and installing lower rear gears. The following weekend Gary recorded a even quicker 10.94 pass at Pacific Raceways after averaging 11.20’s @ 118 mph last season.
After a slight jetting change, On the morning of April 25th at PR, Gary ran a 10.83 @ 123+ mph in good air!
Update: Gary finished #5 in the Pro-bracket points at Pacific Raceways this season.
Congratulations to Gary!
Drag Strip Improvements Begin this Weekend – Pacific Raceways – May 3, 2012
Drag Strip Improvements Continue – No Racing This Week – Pacific Raceways – May 9, 2012
Drag Strip Update: Penhall to Oversee Final Finish – Pacific Raceways – May 26, 2012
Updated Pacific Raceways Drag Racing Schedule, courtesy of PR. – June 2, 2012
Wes recently asked:
Thanks for your website! I love it!
I own a ’66 Tempest and I am modifying it to get a 12 second mile this summer. Our cars look very much alike!
The engine is being built as we speak. I wanted to know what you did for your suspension. I am having trouble getting big tires to fit without air shocks.
Thanks,
Wes
Chris responds:
Wes,
We use the Mickey Thompson ET Street #3755, it measures 28×12.50 and has a tread width of 9.9 in. You have to flatten the wheel lip on the inside of the quarter panel and do some slight hammering to the inner wheel house. You also have to use the Center Line wheel that has a width of 8.5 in and a 4-7/8 back space if memory serves.
We use the 55.5 in rear end and a 1/4 wheel spacer. We also use a airbag in the right rear spring to limit body roll on launch along with the Jegs upper and lower control arms. Also use the Competition Engineering adjustable shocks. Hope this helps!
Thanks,
This was an absolutely beautiful day here in the Northwest with Mt. Rainier fully visible in all her magnificent glory. The air conditions were excellent and the track was equally good for the first round of eliminations.
Paul drove his Dodge Dakota to the semi-final round in Sportsman starting out the 2012 season in fine fashion, and Torri won her very first round in competition in her ’66 Tempest and set new records for the Pontiac recording a best of 12.362 @ 107.97 mph. She later went even faster at 108.80 mph but her E.T. fell off slightly.
Update: Paul is currently in 3rd place in Sportsman with 60 points after the first race of the 2012 season.
Chris recorded his quickest run to date at Pacific Raceways in the first round of eliminations of Super Pro when he ran a 10.331 @ 127.50 MPH on a 10.40 dial-in. It would have been virtually impossible to win this round as Jess Dale put together a .002 package cutting a .002 light and running a 8.700 on a 8.70 dial !
The Chevelle grew legs in the first round after recording a 10.394 and 10.404 respectfully during time runs. The 10.33 was an unexpected surprise, but we’re very happy with how the car is working.
httpvh://youtu.be/JQ-pJ4xzWu4
April 6th 2012:
Pacific Raceways now has their 2012 Points System & Payouts posted. Read the details here.
Pro Stock legend Bill ‘Grumpy’ Jenkins dies – NHRA – March 29, 2012
NHRA Bill Jenkins Memorial Video:
Farewell to the grumpy one by Phil Burgess – NHRA – March 30, 2012
“…I’m going to go out on a limb and risk offending some of the many drag racing legends whom I call friends, but I’m going to say that I feel that, strictly on a historic perspective, the loss of Jenkins is the biggest one the sport has ever suffered…”
Bill Jenkins, 81, Drag Racing Driver and Innovator, Dies – New York Times – April 3, 2012
Video submitted by Butch on June 21, 2012:
httpvh://youtu.be/Ai3cnc-77ZE