March 31, 2016:
A tribute to our great friend, neighbor & racing partner, Tom Edwards, never forgotten and you’ll see the evolution of Chris’ Chevelle…
Tom was much more than a racing partner, he was a part of the Young family! He was in effect, an Uncle to my children, often came to our BBQ’s, holiday dinners, Super Bowl parties, birthdays, camp outs that he shared with us. We all greatly miss him, but he is with us every time we go down the track. And he went wild when the Seattle Sonics won the NBA championship! Tom was also an avid trading card collector and enjoyed going target shooting with us. Tom worked as a machinist for Boeing until his death.
R.I.P. dear friend, we miss you!
Roger – Edwards & Young Racing
Miss him too.
In 1992 I drove Tom’s Chevelle at SIR in what was Heavy Bracket, the same as Sportsman today.
It had a mild Edwards & Young 350 with a Edelbrock Torquer manifold and 800 cfm Holley carb. It ran 12.0’s with a TH-350 and the old 12-bolt rear and was a foot-brake car.
That was my best year driving winning three races and runner-up four times in one season.
In 1993 we put the Chevelle in mothballs to mini-tub the ’57 and put a 9″ Ford Strange rear end in the ’57. After Tom’s untimely death in 2000 we pulled the Chevelle out of mothballs and that began the many improvements to make the car what it is today.
As you can see, the Chevelle has a LONG history with the family. Tom drove his car when it was running in the 13’s. He purchased it from Dave Dooley who was the original owner. The car was originally purchased from Gene Fiedler’s Chevrolet here in West Seattle as a family car. This wagon was built in Canada.
Thus the long ties we have with the Chevelle, and why Chris continues to campaign what has become a rare breed at the track. Not many G-models running the 1320 today!
When Chris had the Ford housing built by Bill Scribner to replace our bent 12-bolt housing, I donated my spare Strange 3rd member to the cause. And we installed large-pinion 4.71 gears for the wagon.
Since that time we have learned the car really likes 4.88 gears that we had in the 12-bolt. We might make that change for 2017.
Today, Tom’s Mom & Dad stopped by our house. We haven’t seen them in years, and they were both in tears when they learned that their departed son, Tom, was still part of our racing team, now and forever.
The Young family does not forget our departed loved ones. They are part of who we are today. And they live on as long as we remember them!