After winning the 1969 Trans-Am Championship for Chevrolet, Roger Penske sent shockwaves through the racing world by signing a lucrative deal with fledgling AMC. If anyone could make a winner out of their boxy Javelin they reasoned, it was “The Captain” and his talented chauffer Mark Donohue.

Introduced in 1967, team Javelin participated in the series under the direction of Chicago based racer Ronnie Kaplan. “A” list drivers including Peter Revson and George Follmer had piloted the patriotically painted beasts and though they were competitive, they hadn’t won any races. By the dawn of the 1970 season, AMC brass was ready to see that change. Defending series champion Donohue would drive the primary car and Revson would return (after a stint with Ford) to wheel a sister car.

Chaparral creator Jim Hall took over the Chevrolet effort. He planned to make his return to the driver’s seat after a debilitating crash in his Can-Am car two years prior. Trans-Am veteran Ed Leslie was his second.

The strongest threat to capture the title however was expected to be fielded by Ford. In ’69 there were two factory supported Mustang teams; Bud Moore’s and Carroll Shelby’s. When the season ended, Moore’s team received the nod. Three school bus yellow Boss 302’s appeared at the Laguna Seca Opener; one for legendary team leader Parnelli Jones, another for the capable Follmer and a third as a backup.

But wait, there’s more! 1970 was the year that all the manufacturers decided to come out to play! Dan Gurney brought a pair of nasty Hemi Cudas- One for him and one for his protégé Swede Savage. Sam Posey appeared with a lime green Dodge Challenger and even Pontiac was represented by Jerry Titus and his all new Firebird. If you were a muscle car guy and you liked road racing, this season was unprecedented. The entry list looked promising and the paddock was abuzz with enthusiasts that were pulling for one marque or another.

After the dust settled from qualifying, “PJ” was awarded the pole but Donohue would start alongside in the new Javelin. They were followed by Follmer (Mustang) and Gurney (Hemi Cuda) in row two. Row three: Posey (Challenger) and Leslie (Camaro). Row four: Titus (Firebird) and Savage (Hemi Cuda). Rounding out the top ten were local driver Milt Minter in the Ex-Penske Camaro (Now fielded by Roy Woods) and Hall in the new Camaro. Revson (Javelin) would tag the field after experiencing mechanical issues in qualifying.

At the drop of the green flag, Jones shot into the lead with Donohue in hot pursuit. Follmer seemed content to follow in the second Mustang. Hall was the race’s first casualty, retiring with transmission woes after completing just three circuits. For the first forty laps, Donohue remained within striking distance but eventually Jones began to stretch his legs. Likewise Follmer was never able to challenge for the runner-up spot. The real excitement was watching Revson’s charge through the field. He advanced as far as fifth but was then punted into the guardrail by Posey. Gurney fell out one lap later also due to a balky transmission. Finally, Leslie completed fifty nine laps before busting an axle.
Following Jones, Donohue and Follmer across the finish line was Savage in the Mopar and Minter’s Camaro (Minter would win a race at Donnybrooke later in the season, shoving Follmer out of the lead along the way). Posey was three laps down in sixth, then Titus in the Firebird. Eighth place was claimed by an independent, Craig Murray driving a two year old Camaro. Portlander Joe Chamberlain was next piloting his own Chevy and John Silva Jr. rounded out the top ten in yet another ’68 Camaro.
To be honest, the race was a little anti-climactic after the build-up but it did serve as a preview of things to come. Jones would go on to win the ’70 Championship for Ford and Donohue/Penske/AMC would have to wait another year to claim their title. The Hall Camaros would prove under powered and Gurney’s Hemi Cuda was fast but unreliable. Posey’s Challenger was capable of going the distance but not winning. Tragically, Jerry Titus was killed when he crashed his Firebird practicing for the Trans-Am race at Road America (WI). His seventh place finish at the Opener would remain the team’s best effort.

Years later at a Tran-Am revival, Follmer was chastised for rubbing fenders with another competitor. He explained to the aghast car owner, “This is how we used to do it!”

Photos by John McCuskey

The Northwest C-10 Club held a cruise in Enumclaw Washington back in April. A friend of mine who lives in Washington and is a C-10 fan attended the cruise and took some pics which he shared with me via email and we will share them with you here.

Steve Ingersoll tells me there were around 300 trucks on display. Some very cool Chevys and even a few Ford trucks too. Steve says there was a nice mix of very beautifully done trucks and lots of patinaed ones too. A great group of guys and some ladies too. The weather held off until about 2pm when it poured for about 30 minutes.
Kudos to Chris Fowler and his helpers. The cruise went off without a hitch.

Steve also shared that in his opinion the 1972 Chevy C-10 was the best pickup ever made. I know there a few of you out there that feel the same way. They are a good-looking truck.

It was a dark and stormy morning. Well, actually, it was slightly raining in Albany. I was on my way to a swap meet in Vancouver WA. My friend, Stephen Veltman, invited me to this swap meet a few days before. After about two years of no swap meets, cruise-ins or car shows I said yes, I would go, rain or shine. The swap meet at Vancouver Bolt and Supply, Inc. has been going for 13 years. It’s put on by Gordy Rivenburg, Mark Brislawn and Jack Corley. This turned out to be the biggest swap meet they have had, filled the entire parking lot and some of the streets around it.

Stephen and I were there to sell some of his treasures. The weather was good, cloudy, sunshine, no rain and a happy group of people. Everyone had a smile. Like me, it was the first swap meet in a long time.

I have never been to a swap meet that had a flyover. The Oregon Air National Guard must have been practicing. You could hear them take off and see them go straight up between the clouds. The F-16 Fighters were loud and proud! Not only were the jets loud, but the cars that cruised by were, too. There were some beautiful hot rods, rat rods, trucks, and muscle cars.

Now, back to the swap meet. As I said, talking to the people, everyone was happy.

There were no complaints as they were buying things and having a great time. It seemed that everyone that went out the front gate had a new treasure to take home.
As I walked around, checking out all the cool stuff, one booth caught my eye. “Paul’s Used Cars”. He had a couple of tables of diecast cars and large scale plastic models. I talked to Paul Mackie about his display. He said he has been building models since the 1960s. His first model was a Revell- ‘57 Ford Ranch Wagon. Paul is still building models. His latest project is a Revell- ‘49 Mercury Woodie. Not only does he build the models, but he pinstripes and does graphics on them. Some of his top pinstripe jobs were a 1956 Ford pickup, “Old Gold”, an award winner from the Portland Roadster Show in the ‘80s and is in the Roadster Show Hall of Fame. For those of you who are too young to know or older and would like to forget the Bhagwan Shri Rajneesh who had a religious compound in Eastern Oregon in the ‘80s, Paul pinstriped his Rolls Royces. He also pinstriped a custom ambulance for the president of Mexico. I can’t draw a straight line. If you want to see his fantastic work go online to artworksbymackie.com.
While walking around some more I ran into Marty Strode. We talked for a while then his friend showed up to talk. Marty builds Track-T roadsters. These cars can be driven on the street or in Vintage Dirt Track Racing.

I also talked to Gordy Rivenburg, one of the men who put this swap meet on. We talked about circle track racing back in the ‘60s and ‘70s in Southern Oregon at Medford Posse Grounds Speedway. Boy, did that bring back memories. It turns out we knew some of the same people racing at that time.

Not only were there booths with “stuff” for sale, but a few cars on display. What caught my eye was a beautiful Black ‘32 Ford Coupe. There was also a green ‘32 Ford panel wagon and talking to the owner, he said it was the original unrestored body. He had changed the old for a modern engine and drivetrain. The owner said it has “Original Rust” not like some cars where they have painted the car to look like it’s old and rusty.

At the end of the day, someone in a chopped Ford coupe rumbled by. What a way to finish the day, and it was a great day. It was time to head out. Stephen had sold some of his stuff, I met some new car guys and it never rained. There were a lot of happy car guys!

Cascade High School held its annual car show on Saturday, May 8, 2021. Cascade High School is located a few miles out of Turner, Oregon. Like many of the shows we choose to attend, this one is a benefit for kids. In this case all of the money from the show goes to support annual senior’s all night alcohol/drug free graduation party. A lot of credit goes to the students in helping to stage the show. They were in evidence guiding the cars into the proper parking spaces, answering questions throughout the day, and most importantly, creating the awards. Each of the trophies awarded at the end of the show were custom made and signed by the student who made it. A work of art.

Located in a rural area of the Willamette Valley, the show still got great attendance. There were over two hundred and thirty cars that showed up and registered for the show. Cars were parked around three sides of the school two or three rows deep. Classic rock and roll music was rolling out of the speakers and floating over the venue. It was apparent that there was a lot of pent-up energy around getting cars out of the garage, on the road and showing them off. In addition, there was obviously a lot of interest in viewing the cars as well. The show area was crowded with spectators all day long and the food vendors had a hard time keeping up with demand. On a perfect afternoon people were enjoying being outside, seeing old friends and making new ones. One topic of constant conversation was “I hope this is the first of many shows this year.

The Cascade Show welcomes cars of all makes and models and all years. And the cars reflected that inclusion. Everything from a 1911 Ford to a brand new Corvette. Classics, muscle cars, foreign cars, trucks, hot rods, rat rods and everything in between. There was even a motorized Radio Flyer Wagon and a motorized bumper car, much to the delight of the kids and the young at heart. As with many car shows, half the fun is finding the rare and unusual vehicles. There is also the process of checking out the accompaniments that many owners bring to the show, such things as a custom spare tire cover, period correct attire to drive a Model T and the many varieties of show signs that assist spectators to know what they are looking at, where it came from and who owns it.

All in all a great start to the summer.

Terry ThompsonCascade High School held its annual car show on Saturday, May 8, 2021. Cascade High School is located a few miles out of Turner, Oregon. Like many of the shows we choose to attend, this one is a benefit for kids. In this case all of the money from the show goes to support annual senior’s all night alcohol/drug free graduation party. A lot of credit goes to the students in helping to stage the show. They were in evidence guiding the cars into the proper parking spaces, answering questions throughout the day, and most importantly, creating the awards. Each of the trophies awarded at the end of the show were custom made and signed by the student who made it. A work of art.

Located in a rural area of the Willamette Valley, the show still got great attendance. There were over two hundred and thirty cars that showed up and registered for the show. Cars were parked around three sides of the school two or three rows deep. Classic rock and roll music was rolling out of the speakers and floating over the venue. It was apparent that there was a lot of pent-up energy around getting cars out of the garage, on the road and showing them off. In addition, there was obviously a lot of interest in viewing the cars as well. The show area was crowded with spectators all day long and the food vendors had a hard time keeping up with demand. On a perfect afternoon people were enjoying being outside, seeing old friends and making new ones. One topic of constant conversation was “I hope this is the first of many shows this year.

The Cascade Show welcomes cars of all makes and models and all years. And the cars reflected that inclusion. Everything from a 1911 Ford to a brand new Corvette. Classics, muscle cars, foreign cars, trucks, hot rods, rat rods and everything in between. There was even a motorized Radio Flyer Wagon and a motorized bumper car, much to the delight of the kids and the young at heart. As with many car shows, half the fun is finding the rare and unusual vehicles. There is also the process of checking out the accompaniments that many owners bring to the show, such things as a custom spare tire cover, period correct attire to drive a Model T and the many varieties of show signs that assist spectators to know what they are looking at, where it came from and who owns it.

All in all a great start to the summer.

In 1978, Bobby Byars, who was raised in Wasco and now resides outside of Fossil, purchased the 1948 Anglia, which was an English model of Ford, from a couple of guys in Portland.

“They found it sitting in a field,” Byars says of the car. “It was basically rusting away.”

The car was advertised in the Oregonian classified section and Byars went to take a look.

“I was looking for a van to buy and saw the ad. I was drawn to it as soon as I saw the car.”

Byars worked on the car and souped it up. Working odd jobs, Byars spent his earnings to improve the car. He dropped the engine from his 1966 Corvette into the Anglia and pushed the English model Ford to 600 horsepower. Byars removed the back seats to make room for the engine and firewall.

Soon Bobby had it ready to race at the drag events in Woodburn.
It was 1979 and arriving in Woodburn to race the first time, Byars was told that he couldn’t compete because he didn’t have a helmet or fireproof suit. “I had a motorcycle helmet and a leather jacket and they said that was good enough,” he says with a laugh. “I didn’t know anything about this fireproof stuff.”

Initially, Bobby says that people at the track were skeptical about the car. It did not fit the mold of a racecar. Those skeptics went quiet after watching Hot Licks race. The vehicle soon became a crowd favorite.

Later in 1979, Bobby and Hot Licks were pitted against a dragster that was winning every race. Byars said that he beat the dragster and that the crowd went nuts. Soon, Hot Licks was the car to beat and had a cult following. “I beat everybody,” Byars says as he flips through newspaper clips in a scrapbook.

Bobby became a fixture at the Woodburn drag strip and Hot Licks was the top gas racer for several years. Bobby joined the Woodburn Thrifty Auto Drag Team.

Soon, Byars began to look for even faster cars. He gravitated towards so-called “funny cars” that have fiberglass bodies and run on alcohol. He decided to sell Hot Licks and to upgrade to a funny car in 1984. Byars took Hot Licks to San Francisco and sold her to a friend of a friend.
After doing so, he began to regret it. So began a 36 year quest to find Hot Licks and to bring her home.

Occasionally, he would hear rumors. There were only 800 models of the Anglia manufactured and so it was very unique. Also, the name “Hot Licks” that was painted on the side of the vehicle in gold leaf paint endured and people knew of the car. Still, he didn’t know where it had ended up.

Beginning in the mid-90s, Byars says that he began an earnest search for Hot Licks with a dream of owning it again. He heard that it was in Arizona. With help from his daughter, he found the owner but was unable to pay the asking amount. Byars told the owner that if he was ever thinking of selling it, to give him a call. The owner never did so and sold the car.

Byars again lost track of the car and again searched for Hot Licks by scouring internet classifieds and racing websites.

Finally, Bobby tracked the car down. It was in Pennsylvania. The new owner had done additional upgrades to the car, including a new frame. But again, the car was sold before Bobby could get to it. Byars learned that the new owner was in Boca Raton, Florida and that he too had made additional upgrades to the vehicle. The car was then sold again in 2005 but Bobby couldn’t find it for several years.

One day, Bobby was poking around the internet “just having fun and looking at old cars.” Bobby says that he had saved some money up and was thinking of buying a hotrod. “And then, there was Hot Licks, for sale in New York.”

Bobby made contact with the owner, a man named Doug who lives in upstate New York. “He had been looking for me after he did research on Hot Licks,” Bobby said, clearly touched by this gesture. “He had spelled my name wrong – with an “E” in Byars. He found an obituary and thought I was dead.”

Doug and Bobby began talking on the phone and earlier this year, Bobby went to New York to get Hot Licks. Doug was happy that the car was back with its original owner after 36 years. The car was shipped to Bobby and arrived just before Thanksgiving.

Byars says that the car has been significantly upgraded since he first purchased it. “Each owner did something to improve it,” he says.
The car still has the 454 Chevy engine but also has a 671 blower. With 800 horsepower, it may struggle to idle in a parade.

When asked if he will hotrod it again, Bobby says that he is looking forward to having the car in car shows, but with a coy smile he adds “it does like to go.”

Byars, who says he has “always been a hotrodder,” was raised in the culture of fast cars. “My dad had a ’62 Ferrari,” he says with a wide smile. “He took me everywhere and did road races. I got to see Mario Andretti, Dan Gurney and all of those guys.”

1962 is an important year for Byars, and not just for the nostalgia of his father’s Ferrari. It was also in 1962 that he met Theresa. “She was my first crush,” Byars says. But soon after meeting, Theresa moved with her family to Montana.

Theresa later returned to Wasco and finished high school there. Bobby and Theresa would see each other at class reunions and soon, Bobby’s sister began tugging on Theresa’s sleeve. The couple was married three years ago.

The couple plans to spend their retirement travelling around to see their grandkids and great-grandkids, and to take them to car shows with Hot Licks.

“It was a miracle that we got together. It’s been one miracle after another,” Byars says.

The Times-Journal is a weekly newspaper that has been in publication since 1886. To learn more, visit us online at timesjournal1886.com or email us at timesjournal1886@gmail.com

Stephen Allen, Editor of The Times-Journal in Condon, Oregon

Supermodifieds have always been the most unique short track cars around. They are front engine, rear engine, side engine, with 2 wd or 4 wd. You name it, and it has been tried. The car built by Ken Reece was completely different. Ken is a great welder, builder and fabricator. He is also a dreamer. Ken has always had a love for circle track racing, go-carts, midgets, sprints, supers and Indy cars.

Ken wanted to build a car that would run on the outside groove of a pavement oval. With all the other supers hugging the bottom groove his car could go right around them on the outside, like a sprint car riding the rim.

In 1979 Ken started building his car. Three wheels on the outside, the front and back tires for steering and the center one for power. The opposite side was where the tire on the inside was also for power. The engine was a 494 cubic inch ZL-1 aluminum Chevy out of an old McLaren Can Am car. With fuel injection the engine produced 850 hp. The power train from the engine is direct drive to a quick change rear end sending power to the two center tires.

The frame was hand built out of aluminum and aircraft tubing. Ken built the frame without any blueprints or drawings. The car was built to be the lightest weight possible. The total weight of the car was a little over 1,300 pounds.

The brake system was disc brakes with drilled rotors with aluminum hubs. The cooling system was a triangular shaped radiator that was almost horizontal. Fresh air for the radiator came through fins in the nose of the car.

Steering was from the front and rear tires. They would turn in opposite directions when you turned the steering wheel. For example, with power steering when you turned left, the front wheel would turn left and the rear wheel would turn right.

Traction was provided by Goodyear racing tires that are 20 inches wide. To top it all off, the body was hand made out of .020 inch thickness aluminum. Hand formed with a fin coming off the rear of the car. The car had no spoilers or wings.

Now came the necessary testing. Ken asked his good friend, Tim Richmond, to give it a go. Tim was an excellent driver both in NASCAR and Indy cars. First testing was at Honda TRC testing facilities. Here there is a track that is a half mile circle with no straights. The car was so fast that the G forces loosened the strap on Tim’s helmet. The car ran very smoothly. Another part of the testing facilities is a 7 and half mile oval. After changing the gears in the quick change Tim hit the big track. After 4 laps and not going over 7,000 rpm the car was clocked at over 200 mph. Back in 1979 that was rare, only a couple of Indy and NASCAR cars that went that fast.

The next stop was Sandusky Speedway, a half mile high banked oval. With very few adjustments Tim took the car out and broke the track record. It is still an unofficial record even to this day. Ken and Tim were ready to tackle Oswego Speedway, but word got out about how fast Ken’s car was and before the start of the racing season the governing body changed the rules to be a little more specific: no rear engine cars, and “the supermodified must have four wheels- left front, right front, left rear, right rear”.

There are men that are geniuses who build cars that are better than others. Then they race and are so much faster than their competitors and for some reason they get banned. Ken dismantled his 3-1 car using what parts he could for a sprint car and crushed the original car. I wish Ken could have raced his creation, but, to be banned before it is even raced is just not right.

Sporty car racing began on the Monterey Peninsula in 1950. The Pebble Beach road races ran on the Del Monte Forest Course for five years. The event was enormously popular and by 1955, the crowd of spectators had grown too large for the picturesque venue. A group of local businessmen calling themselves “SCRAMP” (Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula) negotiated a lease with the Department of Defense to use a portion of Ford Ord’s vast property. A nine turn, 1.9 mile permanent course was constructed and operational by 1957. Only amateur races were held initially but when the venue turned professional, luring the biggest names in the sport, enthusiasts showed up in droves.

San Josean Gene Burgess was a sporty car guy and in 1965 he grabbed his eldest son, “Duff” and endeavored to spend a day at the races. Their outing was so successful that the following October, Gene chauffeured all three of his sons and their friends (ranging in age from nine to thirteen) to the inaugural Canadian American Challenge Cup races at Laguna Seca Raceway. I was lucky enough to be included and the experience changed my life.

I don’t remember too many specifics from 1966. We watched the action from a hillside in the infield and were a pretty good distance from the track. I do remember watching the two white, high-winged Chaparrals pace the field (It was the only time that ever happened). I remember a lime green car owned by Dan Blocker of Hoss Cartwright fame. I remember a yellow car sponsored by Ronald Reagan for Governor! I remember a woman on horseback dressed like Lady Godiva (promoting…something) working the crowd. I remember taking a bath when I got home because I was filthy! As I lay in the bathtub, my ears were still ringing! And I was in love with auto racing.

Due to popular demand, Gene escorted us again in 1967 but this time we attended on Saturday rather than Sunday (race day). My buddy Drew thinks we drove down in the family wagon- a powder blue early sixties Plymouth Valiant. I remember that we parked inside turn two which was the fastest part of the course and only a flimsy green cyclone fence obscured our view of the action. I remember the early morning practice session when Jim Hall crested the hill in his Chaparral. My brother Scott (Duff’s guest) called it out and in unison we all turned to look. It was so iconic, elegant, beautiful and my brother’s favorite. I fell in love with the new entry of New Zealander Bruce McLaren, a more aerodynamic, wedge-shaped racer painted a brilliant yellow orange. McLaren’s car was quick too; he qualified fastest and won his first Can-Am the next day- leading Hall by a country mile.

I968 was last year Gene provided transport for the crew- it had been an amazing run for which I will forever be grateful. We again attended on Saturday which was the smart choice as it rained from flag to flag on Sunday. ’68 was the year Canadian John Cannon won in an upset (I told that story in the Dec. ’20 issue of R&RNW entitled: One for the Little Guys). I was oblivious to Cannon’s effort watching the practice and qualifying sessions that year however as by now, I was a devoted Bruce McLaren fan. He didn’t disappoint either putting his latest creation on the pole. I distinctly remember watching the final session from the famous “Corkscrew” that year as forty big bore machines jousted to improve their starting berth or simply earn a spot in the field. The racing was frenetic, wheels slipping off course kicking up plumes of dust, and the engines twisted into submission. When the checkered flag fell, we panted our approval. Heady stuff!

A new kid named “Mike” moved onto my street about this time and he too was a race fan. His father was a member of the Mustang club and they attended the pony car races (Trans-Am series) at Laguna as well as Sears Point. I received an invite to my first race at Sears Point in September of 1969 but they declined to include me in their plans to attend the Can-Am at Laguna three weekends later. Naturally I was devastated but Mike was thoughtful enough to buy me the official program. 1969 was a year of total domination by Team McLaren. They won all eleven races that year and Laguna was no exception.

I vowed not to miss another Monterey Grand Prix and began working on my own father in 1970. As he had no interest in racing, it was an uphill battle. I’m sure guilt played a big role in my strategy and I think my mom actually helped my cause in the end. Ultimately my dad agreed to take Drew and I down. I think we took his Olds 442 and parked inside turn two- not a bad spot if you’re stuck in one place. Not only did my dad refuse to walk around but he sat in the car all day! He read the program, dozed, whatever, we didn’t care. We were happy just to be there. Dad read an article in the program about Jim Hall’s “sucker car” and predicted it would win. It probably would have but it blew its engine in the final warm up session and spun off course right in front of us. My hero Bruce McLaren had died testing their new car in the off season and that left the team in the capable hands of fellow kiwi Denny Hulme. He won the race that day but was chased all afternoon by Brit Jackie Oliver in the Ti22- a lightweight new entry built largely of titanium.

In 1971 my brother Scotty and I endeavored to make the trip. We stuffed my Kawasaki mini bike in the trunk and headed south. What transpired that day has become my favorite childhood memory of my late brother and me. We stopped to have breakfast at a restaurant on the peninsula and just happened to choose the same spot as the Ti22 Team. Their racer was on an open trailer out front and I couldn’t get over how small it was- like the coolest toy ever! When we arrived at the track we unloaded the mini bike and away we went. We went everywhere that day, exploring each vantage point and nobody said “Boo!” to us. That year Peter Revson began driving for McLaren and crossed the finish line trailing smoke. Jackie Stewart gave chase in the factory Lola.

1972 was the year Roger Penske’s Porsche 917 team came to the fore. They were the first cars to topple the McLaren dynasty and I wasn’t happy about it. Painted in the L&M cigarette livery, I didn’t like those cars and didn’t push to attend that year (I regret it now). As predicted, the Porsches finished first and second while both Team McLaren cars failed to go the distance. Somehow I still acquired a program.

By 1973 I was a sophomore in high school and finally could drive myself to Laguna Seca! So Drew and I piled into my 1961 Beetle with two other pals and we were off to the races. Making the journey was a rite of passage, really. For the first time there was no factory McLaren team to root for. Penske returned with a new Porsche 917, “the 30T” and painted in Sunoco colors, it was the most beautiful racecar I’d ever seen. Beautiful and dominate, with Mark Donohue behind the wheel, nobody could run with him. We had a great day- Little did we know we were watching the end of an era. The Can-Am series fell apart the following season and didn’t return to Laguna Seca.

Again I thank Gene Burgess for the indoctrination and my late father and brother for enabling me. The original Can-Am series has become legend and over the years I have met few that can claim to have seen it with their own eyes.

He and his brother Richard began racing at San Jose Speedway in 1956- the same year I was born. The Hardtops were before my time. The guys were racing Super Modifieds when I first visited the Speedway in 1968.

Yarimie was driving the “Triple Deuce”, a car that had local history and had been raced competitively by Al Toland, Ken Shirley and Kenny Van Blargen. It was the first race car I’d ever seen with a three digit number and had playing cards painted on the airfoil. I thought that was cool and he became a favorite right away. He was a good guy to root for because he typically qualified well and rarely crashed. He would win a heat race from time to time and usually made the Feature.

1970 found Yarimie piloting #56 (the ex-Steve Chambers #8). This was a cool little hot rod and a step up to a more competitive mount for Larry. He ended the season with no less than five heat race wins, two Semi Mains, one Trophy Dash and four “A” Main top fives. Traditionally Yarimie wasn’t a points chaser but this would prove to be his most consistent season, garnering a twelfth in the overall standings. Sadly, ’71 would prove much more challenging.

While Yarimie struggled just to make the program, fellow veteran Ed Hopper and racing partner Dick Cinelli introduced a lightweight new Super that was competitive right out of the box. The new #54 had a unique rounded off coupe body that included little triangular windows on either side of the cockpit. (It was so popular in fact, that the Speedway used line art of the racer in their weekly display ads.) The car elevated Hopper to a potential winner and he finished out the season second in points. When Yarimie and his team had the opportunity to purchase the car, they jumped on it.

In 1972 a replica of the San Jose Speedway was constructed in the central valley. The new Madera raceway was the same length as San Jose (1/3 mile) but had less banking. Yarimie and his crew participate with their new racer (christened the Eaton Bros. Chevy) in the Copper Classic then held in Salt Lake City and drove all night to make Madera’s Sunday Opener. Yarimie arrived just in time to qualify but easily made it into the program. In front of five thousand enthusiastic fans, Yarimie ran down local favorite Lloyd Beard, taking the lead on the sixth canto. On June 25th 1972, after fourteen years of competition, Yarimie claimed his first victory and $465 in prize money. He would finish second the following weekend at the same venue.

Opening day 1973 back in San Jose found Yarimie in Tony Casho’s potent #44. He finished second behind legendary Howard Kaeding in his heat, placed third in the Trophy Dash, fifth in the Final heat and won the Feature outright. It was a satisfying win for Casho as well as Yarimie and paid $610. Unfortunately, the accomplishment was overshadowed by a last lap spectacular involving Kaeding and Nick Ringo-neither driver was injured. Most that were in attendance that day recall the smash up (captured by numerous photographers) rather than Yarimie’s second career win.

In the years that followed, Yarimie continued to campaign the ex-Hopper car with varying success. The livery changed (from blue with flames over the nose to gold) and the numbers changed (from #92 to #5 to #4) but Yarimie never won another Feature.

By 1978 the Speedway had closed and Super Modified racing moved to the dirt track at the fairgrounds. Like many, Yarimie did his best to convert his asphalt car for dirt competition. At the biggest race of the season, the Johnny Key (8/5/78), Yarimie transferred out of the Semi Main to start at the back of the Feature. In the one hundred lap grind, he strong-armed his straight axle car to a respectable seventh. He was paid $310 for his night’s work and at the end of the season was crowned Semi Main Champion. As far as I can tell, at forty four years of age he retired from racing. I wouldn’t meet Larry face to face for another sixteen years.

In 1994 I was strolling through a small automotive swap meet in Auburn, CA. On one of the tables among the auto parts was a wooden planter made to look like a Sprint Car. I remembered the planters being sold at the Fairgrounds Speedway. “You get this down in San Jose?” I asked. The crusty older gentleman smiled and pushed the straw cowboy hat back on his forehead. “Yeah, I used to race in San Jose,” he replied quietly. “What’s your name,” I inquired. “Larry Yarimie,” he said offering his hand.

Within the blink of an eye I reverted back to my childhood. I became a ten-year-old “fan-boy” standing in front of one of my idols. I wanted to tell him that he’d won many races in the Hot Wheels I’d assigned to him…but I refrained. I did run home to retrieve my album of Super Modified photos. He spent twenty minutes or so going through it page by page, commenting. It was awesome. He was totally humble but I think he could tell that he had been (and still was) a hero to me.

After I’d moved to Oregon I met another former San Josean who had crewed for many of the “old guard.” He had known Yarimie and shared with me what he remembered. He said he thought Larry had been a truck driver by profession and wasn’t a wealthy man by any means. He thought he was a better racer than the stats would suggest. He thought Larry had lost a son in some sort of accident, he was shot. He didn’t know what the circumstances were, but the death had devastated Larry. “He never was the same after that,” he said.

I had sensed a profound sadness about Yarimie when I met him. Today I wish I’d told him about all the races he’d won on my bedroom carpet. I think it would have put a smile on his weary face.

NOTE — Most of the photographs for this article were provided by Loel Burt—a lifelong fan and friend of Larry Yarimie

After my story on the movie American Graffiti, I toyed with the idea of writing a second story—one about the sequel to American Graffiti, More American Graffiti. That movie was good, of course, just not as good as the original. So, where were you in ‘63, ‘64, ‘65, and ‘66? I was in Southern Oregon, not yet old enough to drive.

More American Graffiti was filmed in 1979, the year my son was born. It was not as big of a hit as its predecessor and only grossed 15 million dollars. Other movies that year grossed 10 times that much.

The movie was broken up into several stories. The stories covered drag racing, the Vietnam war and the protests, San Francisco and the hippie movement, and a rock and roll band. Well, let’s get to the story you and I would be most interested in: John Milner, drag racer. Milner’s yellow ‘32 coupe was more of a stage prop throughout the whole movie. The Milner character is a local drag racer with a home built fuel rail dragster. The big New Year’s Eve race is coming up with the “Factory Team” showing up, looking for a new driver. John Milner (Paul LeMat) looks to beat the Factory Team and win the championship and possibly a new driving job. So, here we are at the dragstrip. This was actually a real dragstrip, the Fremont Raceway in Fremont, CA. Now, I can say that I’ve been there. Back in the same time frame of the movie, the mid ‘60s, my Uncle Tom took me to my first drag race. We watched the early flip top body funny cars. It was great. Speaking of the original Fremont Raceway, how about the original starter, Chet Carter, was the starter for Fremont for 30 years. Also, the announcer in the movie was Steve Evans. In real life, he was an announcer and reporter covering the NHRA drag racing for TNN, ABC and NBC.

Now, let’s get down to the cars. Milner’s rail in real life was the Don Long top fuel dragster. The “Factory Team” car was one belonging to Pierre Poncia, who raced until 1971, right there at Fremont. Other cars that were involved were a custom body Corvette, a 1957 Chevy 210, a Willie’s straight front axle dragster, and several period correct slingshot dragsters. There were vintage shots with drivers wearing open face helmets and fire suits with respirators on each side of the face covers.

Almost all the same actors were in this movie except Richard Dreyfuss. Harrison Ford traded his four wheel vehicle, a ‘55 Chevy, for two wheels. He was a motorcycle cop for a quick scene. Oh, yeah, Ron Howard had hair. Speaking of Harrison Ford, that will lead us into trivia and bloopers for both American Graffiti and More American Graffiti. Harrison Ford initially turned down the American Graffiti movie because he was offered $485 a week. This is less than he earned as a carpenter at the time and not enough to support his family. When the offer was upped to $500, he accepted, and the rest is history. More bloopers from American Graffiti: Richard Dreyfuss’ Citroen is a 1972. A red Mustang is parked across from Mel’s Drive-in (in ‘62?). A white Toyota Corolla was at an intersection. A 1973 Olds Cutlass is also seen at an intersection. Toad’s (Charles Martin Smith) crashes his Vespa at Mel’s Drive-in. This was an actual accident that happened and was kept in the film.

More American Graffiti had its share of trivia as well. In the setting during the Vietnam War a protester burned his draft card with a Bic lighter. Bic lighters weren’t made until 1973. An orange Plymouth race car had a Chrysler Direct Connections Logo on the license plate. That logo was not made until 1972. At the track, the radio sign was showing its call letters KYA-FM. Back then it was an AM station. Cars at the track: there was a 1970 yellow Chevy Camaro and a black 1970 Chevy pickup. Also, someone was wearing a tee shirt with a ‘70s Camaro on it.

One thing I thought was interesting was that some of the scenes not at the track were split screen or multiple screens of the same picture, just like the movie Grand Prix.

Overall, the movie was good. I enjoyed the vintage slingshot dragsters and the music from when I was growing up in those years.

On the eve of the 1968 Monterey Grand Prix, Seattle’s Don Jensen kneeled in a smoke filled motel room. One hundred percent chance of rain was forecast for tomorrow’s race so he was cutting thick grooves in his tires. Somewhere nearby, Portlander Monte Shelton was seething. He had been promised a special set of tires for his closed cockpit Porsche Carrera 6 and his tire distributor had let him down. Now any advantage he may have had in his under-powered sports racer had vaporized.

Canadian John Cannon may have been in the worst frame of mind of all. He was broke and so he had agreed to sell his three year old McLaren to a group of enthusiasts for $7,000. They would take delivery at the conclusion of the series. The former pilot in the Royal Air Force had been trying for a decade to make it as a professional race car driver. He had won some races but mostly it had been a losing proposition. The McLaren’s small block Chevy engine was scabbed together with old parts and Cannon did well to qualify mid-pack against his high dollar, large displacement competition. In desperation he took a knife to his goggles, cutting slits to allow them to drain. If the race was to be run in a downpour, he would need to be able to see.

Then on race morning Cannon got a break. He had done some testing for Firestone and his friend on the tire truck had a set of rain tires for him. A formula car driver had ordered them for Saturday and they had gone unclaimed. Cannon mounted them on his car for the morning warmup session and noted a marked improvement. Perhaps even more encouraging were his goggles which worked like a charm.

Misfortune beset some competitors before the green flag was displayed. Second fastest qualifier Jim Hall’s winged Chaparral refused to fire. The new McKee of Charlie Hayes which was slated to start a couple rows ahead of Cannon; was also forced to scratch. The race was started in a deluge and there was an immediate reshuffling of positions as some of the front runners tip-toed around the course. Cannon, able to see, began passing cars in his sure-footed McLaren. Fast qualifier Bruce McLaren led the first lap followed by Peter Revson in a 427 Ford, McLaren teammate Denny Hulme and Mark Donohue in Roger Penske’s entry. Cannon had advanced to eighth and by the seventh lap had passed the foursome in front of him.

“It was just bloody incredible,” reflected McLaren after the race. “Cannon was driving as if the track was dry!” Dan Gurney report that when he saw Cannon pull alongside, he thought it was a hallucination.
There were other drivers that performed well in the wet. George Follmer, who had started the race on Firestone “intermediates,” clawed his way up to second before spinning off into the ice plant. Another Canadian George Eaton, piloting a car very similar to Cannon’s, started 18th and quickly advanced into the top ten.

By lap fifteen, Cannon had lapped all the cars up to eighth place. McLaren (who hung on to second in the early going) continued: “He could go around a whole pack of people in a corner and make it look routine. I couldn’t believe it.” Within a few more laps, Cannon had a thirty second lead over the marque’s namesake. Though he was undoubtedly enjoying himself, the same cannot be said for his competitors. “Everybody went off course at least once,” remembered Shelton. Drivers stopped in the pits for replacement goggles; some just pulled over to the side of the track to clean theirs.

By the thirty fifth lap Cannon had lapped the entire field and continued to pull away. Eaton meanwhile was up to fourth. “All Canadian drivers are good mudders,” he explained after the checkered flag “We dash about in the worst kinds of weather without really knowing any better.”
In the second half of race, Cannon’s dominance continued although there were a number of close calls. Hulme (a native of New Zealand who had also done his share of racing in the rain) advanced to second and Eaton ran third.

“My only problem,” Cannon related later, “was that we didn’t have very good pit equipment. We just had a blackboard and in the wet, it wasn’t very good. Then one lap I came around, there was a real pit board with information on it!” Turned out that Team McLaren rival, Jim Hall had taken over direction of Cannon’s race.

At the finish Cannon was one lap plus five seconds ahead of Hulme in the factory McLaren effort. Series rookie Eaton held on for the show position. In spite of the many off course excursions and fender crunches, twenty of the thirty starters completed the grind. Jensen finished five laps behind the winner in thirteenth but tied Hulme, Eaton and five others for the fourth fastest race lap. Sheldon was scored nineteenth-a full twelve laps behind Cannon.

Later that evening at the victory banquet, Cannon received a standing ovation from his fellow drivers (and a check for almost $20,000- a huge purse for that time).

“I’m going to get a tribe of Indians to do a rain dance at every race!” the jubilant winner chirped. And in 1968, no one would have had a problem with (him saying) that.