Sunday, March 9, 2008

PISTON POPPER CAR CLUB

 
Hi,
 
My name is Gay Huber.  I married Les Cloake of the Piston Popper Car Club in 1960 and we have lot's of great memories to share if anyone is interested.
 
Founding/early members of The Piston Poppers were Aurele Colette, Frank Pedder, Don Meehan, Roy Kirkey, Hugh Hamelin, Russell Boudreau, Steve Zabed to name a few.
 
We were pioneers on the hot rodding scene and both worked at Napierville Drage strip which was owned and run by the Piston Poppers during the early 60's to mide 70's.
 
Les is not computer literate so any questions and communications are done via moi!
 
Bye
 
Gay
 

53 comments:

les__f MSN said...

Hello Carolyncloakehanslie1940 ( Gay & Les) .you bet we'd be interested in any old story's & especillay any old photographs you have hanging around,....Old Memories are a big part of Verdun Connections aside from also finding some of your old friends or friends of friends etc etc    Welcome to the site,.and jump into any conversation or topic ,with you have a notin to.          Piston Poppers would neat to hear more about,.                                                    Have Fun & Remember Verdun

les__f MSN said...

Is this an affiliate of your old club ? Piston Poppers,........ http://www.pistonpoppers.net/   maybe some of these membbers attended some of your events too    checkout their site if you like,  looks like a neat group ,.been around awhile,.and just love cars ( who doesn't ).......   HF&RV

les__f MSN said...

Here we go ./better yet,.....  Piston Poppers from Verdun Quebec..........................        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7HZwpuz6qk   Click on the link,......crank up your speakers,........and       Have Fun & Remember Verdun,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,                       This is a very cool compilation...............

les__f MSN said...

That previous video compilation on YouTube was compliments of a Frankie Pedder,..............he has quite a few Vids' on there,. Have a look at this page:   http://www.youtube.com/user/frankiepedder   ...................Hope this inspires a lot more of the old Car Buffs to find some old Verdun Pictures ......................     HF&RV

carolyncloakehanslie1940 MSN said...

No, the Montreal Piston Poppers are not affiliated with the Indiana club. They may have attended some of our events such as the drags at Napierville, Sanair or Pont Rouge or perhaps the Rod & Custom shows we put on but we are not aware of any such liason.   Les & Zippers    

les__f MSN said...

Thanks carolyncloakehanslie1940  ( Gay & Les)    I did go through their site ,and I didn't see any affiliation,.just coincidence,.but did you watch the YouTube Video ,.by Frank Vedder ( I think it was) He had a lot of good old photographs ,compiled & music dubbed in,.it was a neat Video   Do you know Bob Aubertin ? He announced a lot of the races at Napierreville in the very late 60's early 70's......I am pretty sure he also had a job with Ford Motor Co.  as he had a Demo & I beleive the company paid for the tickets in those days ( or something like that) but he always had good music playing from the tower btwn runs........  Napierreville ,Sanair,.....always Fun in the Sun in the Summertime,........ reminds me that aside from the major snowfall back there ,most of the car enthusiasts will be chomping at the bit,for the start of the Spring Racing ( wasn't there an NHRA sanctioned Spring Nationals ,.that made the rounds and did come to Napierreville??............I know SanAir always ahad the NHRA signs in high profile,........but tat long ago,...maybe things are different back there no,..... Do you guys still live in Labelle Province,.....or ????  Thanks for the response.....& input ,.                    HF&RV

carolyncloakehanslie1940 MSN said...

Hi Back, We absolutely knew Bob Aubertin. He worked in the tower as an announcer and Roy Kirkey and myself manned the timing clocks and Frank Pedder was the guy that handed out the times at the end of the strip.  We hosted tons of NHRA races, mostly at Napierville) and Cha Cha Muldowney frequently came to the strip when she was just starting out. Her car was a modified Corvette. We also had the Swamp Rat driven by Don Garlitts at the strip as well as The US Mule and tons of others (have to go back into the memory banks to dredge up some of the other biggies that ran at the strip).   Les and I will be doing some homework and we will post some neat stuff on this site.   Ciao,   Les and Fatso

les__f MSN said...

Can't wait to hear & see of some of that old stuff,.........   If I Remember rightly it was 'Chrondex' ( or something like that,was the timing stuff they used) and How many times did we see a car end up in the field,.by overshooting the last runoff,.. Saw Cha-Cha there,.....saw big Daddy,.....saw the Snake (Don Prud.....)   as well as soem of te local SS cars Francois Chalifoux (sp?) The old Funny Cars of those days were great,........too  had a BB 402 Beaumont , built by Claude Primeau Speed Shop in St Isidore,.and they would Run your car a couple of times,and provide proper slicks etc etc....  I still have the whole complete power train from those days ,it came out of a 1969 SS Chevelle,.and after .30 more over,it went into my 64 Beaumont 2dr post......... that car I had sent out West here,& then put the whole deal into a 1965 Beaumont (which then made it legit to run in a stock class..........otherwise veing the foolish kid I was I had no idea that a BigBlock in a '64 made it a Modified Production,.and puts you up against guys with way more Do-Re-Mi,.than this little kid had...........hahahahaha  but fun was had by all.......including the 'gendarme ' of the day in Lasalle trying to find a few of us........hahahahahah  Btw : Bob Aubertin's Dad could drive too,.....(& shift very smoothly) You must have watched Alan & Lorne Ceasar ,with their old '53 ish Chevy ( I think it was)......... Also do you Remember an Indian guy named  Dean (again I think that was it) but he built 55 ish Chev's that could pull the wheels,..........He could be found at Bert's evry so often,...( from Caugnawagna ( as it was called in those days) ,.seemed like an OK character............. Should be fun to see some old pictures,.......... So you guys were the peole all us kids envied...........hahahaha I think there's still an old ( as I mentioned ) Chrondex Time Chit around somewhere......     Ok enough car stuff,...........gotta get back to finding some old VerdunStuff too..................hahahahaha                 HF&RV

the lad MSN said...

Les   Not sure if you remember or maybe you were out west by then..but we used to hang out at  a speed shop in Ville Emard   Mammoth Racing..they raced a B Gas Challenger....did the States alot with it..showed at the car show at Bonaventure.. Buddy of mine had his 340 overhauled and put in the window for the winter..340 double 740 holly carbs high rise manifold.   Man it was nice.. the whole thing....Now if anyone out there remembers Mammoth let me know..   We used to have these large rear window decals in the cars..but you could see thru them easy..looked like a giant M   Lad

les__f MSN said...

I remember several spped shops,.....and one that comes to mind was up on Sherbrooke St,........and it was called  Kar-belt with a Big #1 sign for their Logo,...............  it was sort of a 'newage type of joint ' at the time,.where they took the orders and subbed out the actual work,......  I think I have an old sticker on one of my old toolbox's ....hahahah  I never throw anything out .Yikes ,.much to the old lady's dismay ( You see ,how it works is this,.....(My Stuff JUNK,......her old stuff Priceless) hahahahahahah ............................... I also have some old pictures taken at the Place Bonaventure car shows ,that you mentioned The name Mammoth sounds familiar ,.....but I wasn't a Mopar guy,.so it may only be power of suggestion making me try to Remember them,.............Have you got any old photos hanging around from then,..? It would be neat to see them.........                                                                                         HF&RV

les__f MSN said...

Ahhh I knew I'd find something relative to Kar-Belt (later as they say ,Karbelt Speed & Custom)....here's soemuseless info I've found so far....................................................... In 1963, unable to find any Quebec retailers willing to sell performance parts, KARBELT opened Quebec's very first Speed and Custom shop. Doing so, the company became instrumental in the development of automotive performance in Quebec and then on into the Eastern Provinces, opening many Speed Shops in the years that followed. .........that was an excerpt from the blurb on the KArbelt site http://www.karbelt.com/about_karbelt-history.html ....and of course here's the Home Page for them too !!!!   http://www.karbelt.com/index.html   Have Fun and Remember Verdun

les__f MSN said...

Hey FrankiePedder ,Welcome to the Verdun Connections,.....saw a few of your YouTube vids,.and appreciated your efforts,.Neat to see ,the old stuff... Nice Job..........  I posted links to them ,a few messages back in this thread. I also see that you've set your settings ,to recieve Msgs directly to your email address,.You may want to change that setting to (check msgs online only) as you can sometimes be inundated with emails as some days this site can be very busy, By checking online only ,all you have to do is just 'Sign In' and read away,...... but of course that's your choice....   Again Welcome to the site,and look forward to some of your re4counts of old Verdun / Montreal pictures & stories........                                                                           have fun & remember Verdun

maroonvet MSN said...

Just spent the day helping set a display for Performane World at TO International Centre, this is one big show with many speed shop participating as vendor, local car clubs competing for display or theme awards. and runs Friday to Sunday this weekend. Gord

les__f MSN said...

Gord I hope you & your wife don't have those beautiful Vettes out these days.................Yikes !!         I'll look up the show & see what I can find,.... I used to love the Place Bonaventure CAr Shows (way back when ) ....So I imagine this one your setting up is going to be a good one to see.............    Enjoy it,.Springs coming & all the local car meets & Show & Shines will be up and running again,,,,,,,,,   One thing about nice cars,there always Fun to be around.............                            HF&RV ps: take some pics if you can......we'd like to see them:  

les__f MSN said...

Performance Car Show website: http://www.performanceworldcarshow.com/   also linked through : http://www.internationalcentre.com/events/115   the internationalcentre site ,will show you all the upcoming events.....                                                                        HV&RV

les__f MSN said...

Sorry meant to add this info as well: Event Name Category Date Performance World Custom Car Show Consumer Show March 14 - 16, 2008 www.performanceworldcarshow.com  Admission:
Adults: (13+)   $20.00
Youths: (6-12) $ 5.00
Children 5 & under FREE!   March 14, 2008
From 10:00am to 10:00pm
March 15, 2008
From 10:00am to 10:00pm
March 16, 2008
From 10:00am to 6:00pm
Hall 1 Entrance ...........................for those of you close enough by ,to make it this weekend,.,.........besides it's St Patty's day weekend ,Go out and Have Fun .......Have a Cool one ,maybe a green beer ( or for those who don't imbibe,....have a green tea,it's good for you).......................................................HF&RV

les__f MSN said...

hahahaha  Don't think I ever would have qualified for that Handle.......& I don't draft well ( unless in a fine establishment,or under the stands at Napierville.......hahahaha Usually I'd be leading,..................( lol) ,...nope never met you, as far as I know,..........but it sounds like I'd like the way you drive.........hahahahah Welcome to the site,..can't wait to see somemore of your Vids (or links to them) and photos ......I'm sure you'll resurect some old friends from here,...... are you still in Labelle Province? ......I saw one of your YouTube vids ,with the Orange Julep in the background,....looks like you drew a good crowd......Nice work on the film too!!                                                                                    HF&RV  

les__f MSN said...

Ooops I just re-read your post,.and it looks like you were doing the drafting,......hahahahaha  That's what happens when I try to type & answer to quick..........Yikes,...  Still never met ya though,,,,                                                           hf&rv        Although the only thing I have now that goes from 0 - 200 in a few seconds is the Bathroom Scale.............hahahahah

les__f MSN said...

What about Tommy Mullins ,..is he still in Montreal? I think I have an old photo from Place Bonaventure Car Show ,around the early 70"s  maybe ,......I have  a bunch of shots from those shows ,.but just random car shots,(if I can find them)................... I'll have a look around.......              hf&rv

the lad MSN said...

Les   Did Tommy Mullins work at the Star...a buddy of mine worked there with him if it is. A car guy thru and thru...forgot what he drove  Malibu comes to mind but not sure.. If you see pictures from Bonaventure and find a black and gold colored 70 Challenger or if its black and white then you cant miss the design on it.. Best memory...getting in free to the show for the week-end as part of the team..polishing the car and answering questions...but the topper was speaking directly to the Penthouse of the Year who was at another booth...Her name I think was April Lund...anyway the photog who is posing her asks her to show her feet..she says that's a first..someone in the crowd pipes in and guess who..".thats because your feet are so small..".nice move on my part..she turns as well as everyone else and looks at me..meanwhile I can't find a hole big enough to crawl into. She flashes a big smile at the lad and says Thank You aren't you nice no one has ever said that to me before.Now the guys wanted me to invite her to our booth and I was going too but was overruled by the team owner.   Good Times   Lad     .                                                                                                                                          

bigfellow6633 MSN said...

Are you talking about the Montreal International Auto Show at the Bonaventure.  The one put on by MADA (Montreal Automobile Dealers Assoc.)? 

les__f MSN said...

Yes youtr right lad: Tommy Mullins worked at the Montreal Star,.......I think I met him through Randy Stewart,another Star employee ,............             hf&rv

guy5479 MSN said...

Les, What happened with the Star. I know there were serious union conflics at the time  but I also remember that the main reason they folded was because there were no room for two major English speaking newspapers in Montreal. What is your version. Guy

les__f MSN said...

Here'a a site with a wealth of information available,thorugh Libraries..etc etc .....I'm sure you are already aware of the info available,.but perhaps this may also give you some options that SHGV may be able to help with as well,.being a Library of it's own,,,,, Canadian Newspapers, Newsmagazines and Scrapbooks by Province Alberta| British Columbia| Manitoba| New Brunswick| Newfoundland| Northwest Territories|
Nova Scotia| Nunavut| Ontario| PEI| Quebec| Saskatchewan| Yukon These items are held by the Toronto Public Library. They may also be held by your local library. Check your library catalogue for holdings. http://vrl.tpl.toronto.on.ca/helpfile/rn_c0027.html Good Luck .........HF&RV

cookie3261 MSN said...

Hi Guy, I know for a fact that  The Gazette took over the archides of The Montreal Star, so if you need an old printout of an article from the Mtl.Star,  the Gazette will do it for a fee, you need only to contact the Gazette for this.    bye, cookie

les__f MSN said...

The Gazette is owned by Can-West Global,...and so any of their Archives' would be or could be also accessed via any of their outlets,......but also the Library's Across Canada ,.hold infinti anounts of Microfilm.re: major Canadian Newspapers,.............. it's all about having a look at whatever sources are available ...........Good Luck if you choose to look into finding more Montreal / Verdun.   stuff We'd appreciate any new finds , that's for sure........ I know if I was living in Montreal I could dig up ,copius amounts of old interesting old Montreal/Verdun/ LaBelle Province stuff ,to post,...but it all takes time,  ( the one thing that limits us all) The Gazette Archives aren't as easily accessed as they could be,.things are lost & forgotten all the time,.same with the City of Montreal Archives,....some collections were destined for the garbage ,until found by others who knew what significans they were.one example was the great find of some old Griffintown Pictures as well as Goose Village stuff,that was ordered destroyed by some officials at the City of Montreal,.(but were saved,and can be seen I think still on the Point Saint Charles site,............we've posted them too) ........So don't just trust authorites to save stuff,... cause they don't always do that.....nor do they always have the correct Identifying Facts to go with pics & stories,..You have to go out & dig ,& find from whatever sources we can.   Which reminds me ........Anyone found a photograph of those 3d Cows Heads on the sign at the Icecream parlour in the old Elmhurst Dairy building yet?..........hahahahaha                                                                       HF&RV

kiniki_1 MSN said...

Would anyone know of Danny Reid who worked at The Star?

oldverdun MSN said...

Tommy Mullins lives in LaSalle,he is a good friend of mine.A lot of us old timer's meet at Bingo in verdun and chat over a cup of coffee every day.
Ron

guy5479 MSN said...

Les, Talking about the Montreal Star, I have in my files a copy of the Montreal Star Weekend supplement dated March22/1969. The reason for this is because there is an article about one of my relatives named Wilfred Billard who started a company making electric golf carts in California. Wilfred Billard was the son of my father's brother making him my cousin. I know that he died in 1985 and I presume that his sons now own the company. I tried to contact them but without success. Guy    

les__f MSN said...

Thanks Guy I was looking for a picture of the magazine yesterday,.but didn't find one yet. I saved this one of yours (if you don't mind)......and that's quite something about teh Golf Car in California,.that's quite an accomplishment & something to be proud of,.I wonder how many people have now used ,your cousins invention,....that would be another Connection to Quebec.......and through you indirectly Connected to Verdun as well......Thanks for posting that: I wonder if they will now branch off into making 'electric cars' for small communties......? That would be neat .                     I know I used to have a couple of Weekend Magazines around that I saved from when I was a kid in Verdun,.one in particular,was an article on the Two Atomice Bombs,.complete with pictures of them ,.one was called Little Boy ?? & the other was 'Fatman'  ...I also saved a copy of the Lunar landing edition,..but I'm sure I have lost them by now,.....( I used to ,actually still do ,.save stuff......hahahaha) ..... I also have an old photograph from the Montreal Star ,of my oldman posing with a valve that controlled the fuel for a rocket that went to the moon......He did the pipe bending for it,.through a sub contract from Velan Engineering... early 60's .......... I also had (maybe still have) a Life Magazine with JFK on the cover (have no idea where it is,.).........See this is why I know I would appreciate a tour of SHGV one day,I'm sure I could keep myself quite busy reading....& looking at those old photos........  Is there any more word on whether SHGV will hold another display of then & now pictures,like they did a couple of years ago,...that would intersting to see.......          Anyway this Msg. is long enough.............hahahaha                          Have Fun & Remember Verdun

guy5479 MSN said...

Les, While on the subject of the Montreal Star, I recall having a route passing the Star wich was passed on to me by a friend who got tired of the job. I was 10 or 12 years old I guess and had Galt ave where I lived and wich also included Joseph Street where I was born. I recall passing the paper in the winter and going up and down those stairs. I kept the job for 6 months. If my memory serves me right, the price of the Star was .03 each. Incredible the details you can recall after such a long period of time. Guy

les__f MSN said...

Yes recall is interesting ,it's amazing like you say what we can Remember ,after just a little prompt.... .03 cents is a bit before me,.but I do Remember ,it going from a Nickel to .07 cents,.( robbery of course....hahahaha) and the weekend paper I think was a Dime,...had to pay for those Weekend Magazines,.& of Course the Comics                 Btw: that Galt route would have been work for sure,......Did you do all the way to Lasalle Blvd..from Joseph ???  That would be cruel & unusual punishment                                                                                       HF&RV

the lad MSN said...

Les   I had a star route   Joseph,down to Rushbrooke,River,May and Lasalle Blvd back to Hickson and Verdun...  nice in the winter ....yeah real nice...   Lad

the lad MSN said...

Bigfellow   They used to have a hot rod show at Bonaventure..and cars like the BatMobile and sometimes they would have show business people. One time they had the guys from Adam 12 there signing autographs .   Lad          

les__f MSN said...

Hey lad : I saw the Batmobile there & either the same year or the next year it was the Monkee Mobile.......hahahahaha Btw: that's one helluva a long paperoute,........must have been a ball collecting,..and having the ones who always hid from paying the paperboy..........so you get to go back a few times Yikes !!!!!!                                                             HF&RV

the lad MSN said...

Les   First day doing the Star I missed a guy who never missed a paper in like 30 years..but I did it..man did I hear about that..and the other thing was I had a customer in the Wheeler home on Lasalle Blvd..remember that place? Well I got so shook up going in there, forget about collecting this one is free.....   Lad

les__f MSN said...

came across another one of Mr Pedder's video's this one from AOL......   http://video.aol.com/video-detail/piston-popper-rod-and-custom-1998-reunion/3254120207                                                    June 10th 1998        Are you guys planning another one this year ?                                           Were all waiting to see some more of your collection of cars & pics etc etc...................         HF&RV

carolyncloakehanslie1940 MSN said...

Bob Beezer!!   This is a picture of Bob Beezer of Oshawa, Ontario taken at Napierville Drag Strip somewhere around 1973. This great shot of Bob reminds me of the time the Club went to Ottawa to run the Rod & Custom Show for one of the local car clubs.    After a hectic day of classifying and judging cars, the Club returned to a very respectable and staid Ottawa hotel, where most of the participants were billeted on one floor.    After a busy day, it was time to wind-down and have a bit of an after-show party.  The evening started of benignly enough as the Poppers, affiliated clubs and exhibiters  gathered in one of the bigger rooms to party.  Cases and cases  of little brown chubbies were piled along the wall, and not to be  out done, a case of 12-40oz bottles of good  Jamaican Rum sat a-waiting.  Yay!! Were going to have a party!  Gonna have some fun! Gonna have a six-pack-two-four and baby here we come!   Now as the  party started to get a little bit wild, pne of the regular hotel live-in guests, an elderly gentlemen cane in hand, knocked on the door of the our party room, asking if we could tone it down a bit.  To calm him down a bit, someone poured the old gent a hefty drink, assured him we would turn the volume down a crank, and off he went, happily, back to his room.   Still in a party-mode, a water fight ensured!  Troy threw a big glass of cold water at Les;  Les filled a pitcher of cold water and threw it at Bob,  and so it went.   A sharp rap at the door brought the fracas to a quick halt.  Troy steathly snuck a look over the transom window to see who was there.  It’s only Hank, we’re safe hissed Troy!  Well didn’t our Big Bob Beezer decide to fill  waste paper basket full, full, full  of icy cold water to douse our unsuspecting Hank!  When the door opened, WHOOSH and SPLASH!! Bobe threw the bucket of cold water as hard as he could .........and  who did we have here!  A sputtering and drenched elderly gentleman, glass in hand, looking for a wee bit of refill!   What a party…. What a memory!!    

holycowo1 MSN said...

Hi Carolyn, there is a new member named Darren who is looking for people interested in hot rodders, go into "just say HI there" and you will find him, maybe you can help him out with his search, Take care, Irene O'Connell, Palm Bay, Florida.  God Bless. 

dannyd409 MSN said...

Gay, whatever happened to Gerry Duggan who was a member of the Piston Poppers?   Thanks

darren MSN said...

Hi,

Looks like I missed the big discussion thread here.

I am still around and still very interested in finding more about the Piston Poppers.

I am presently wrapping up a summer course. University studies eat up all your time!

Thank you for remembering me. I will be posting more often once school is out.

Thank you,
Darren

les__f MSN said...

Some of the old  Piston Popper Members will recognise this spot:        Napierville Raceway ...not sure of which year this was taken,but many a weekend were spent here,.and a lot of big names in dragracing ran here.....  Don (the snake) Prudomme,.Big Daddy ( Don Garlits),.Shirley ( Cha-Cha) Muldowney ...........to name a few the Funny Cars were awesome in those days,with incredible power,........                  HF&RV

the lad MSN said...

Hi   Anyone out there who went to the races ever remember seeing the Funny Car Black Magic,one of the nicest race cars I have ever seen. Saw it once profiled in a magazine but never bought it.   Lad

les__f MSN said...

Former Funny Car racer Sherman dies by Phil Burgess, NHRA.com
12/19/2007
 Former Funny Car racer Ray "R.C." Sherman, who piloted a long line of entries including the Black Magic and Raybestos machines, died Dec. 18 of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease). He was 64. Sherman and the ATI Black Magic teams were prolific match race contenders in the mid-1970s and were known for having a quick car that seldom broke, thanks to Bill Barrett's tune-up that relied on smaller engines and superchargers than the national event heavies yet was capable of competitive times. The team won several NHRA National Opens, IHRA national events, and many match races. Sherman, of Frederick. Md., had been involved in auto racing since 1959, originally in sports car drag racing, then, with Len Cottrell of Chicken Chokers fame, stepped up to a gas-burning Corvette Funny Car in 1972.  In 1975, Jim Beattie, owner of ATI Transmissions, asked Sherman to pilot his Black Magic Vega, which had been driven by Al Segrini. The team campaigned through the 1977 season, when Sherman fielded his own Arrow Funny Car that eventually ran as the Dirt Shirt Express through 1982. In 1983, he earned corporate sponsorship from retail giant Kmart and fielded the Kmart Motorvator entry through 1985 and competed in 1986-88 with backing from Polaroid. In 1989, he began a long stint in the seat of Nick Boninfante's Raybestos entry. Although never a final-round contender in the NHRA series, the team did win an IHRA championship and stayed together through the 1993 season. Sherman continued to compete infrequently in 1994, driving Paul Smith's school car and for Dan Richards before retiring. He is survived by his wife, Ginger, and mother, Alise. A viewing  will held be at Molesworth-Williams Funeral Home, 26401 Ridge Rd., Damascus, Md. , Dec. 20from 7-9 p.m. with services Dec. 21 at 1 a.m.                                                                             HF&RV

les__f MSN said...

Sorry 'bout all the Gobbleygook,........................but that's the best I could do on short notice.......................................hf&rv

les__f MSN said...

Following the theme of racing,....I just heard that Scott Kalitta, was killed today in the final round of qualifying..... His Dad is Connie Kalitta another well known ( to some ) Drag/Funny Car Racer,.who at one time was linked to Shirley Cha_Cha Muldowney.....who had a serious accident in Montreal.......many years ago....... here's a link to the article: NHRA driver Scott Kalitta killed in crash in NJ NHRA driver Scott Kalitta killed in fiery crash at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in NJ AP Jun 21, 2008.  (ENGLISHTOWN, N.J.) Scott Kalitta died Saturday when his Funny Car burst into flames and crashed at the end of the track during the final round of qualifying for the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. The NHRA said the 46-year-old Kalitta — the 1994 and 1995 Top Fuel season champion who had 18 career victories, 17 in Top Fuel and one in Funny Car — was taken to the Old Bridge division of Raritan Bay Medical Center, where he died a short time later. Kalitta's Toyota Solara was traveling at about 300 mph when it burst into flames. The Palmetto, Fla., resident started his career at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in 1982. His father, Connie Kalitta, was a longtime driver and team owner known as "The Bounty Hunter," and his cousin, Doug Kalitta, also drives competitively. "We are deeply saddened and want to pass along our sincere condolences to the entire Kalitta family," the NHRA said in a statement. "Scott shared the same passion for drag racing as his legendary father, Connie. He also shared the same desire to win, becoming a two-time series world champion. He left the sport for a period of time, to devote more time to his family, only to be driven to return to the drag strip to regain his championship form. ... He will be truly missed by the entire NHRA community." Kalitta had most of his racing success in Top Fuel, highlighted by his series titles in 1994 and 1995. He retired from racing in 1997, sitting out most of two seasons before returning for a 10-race campaign in 1999. He sat out three more seasons following that brief stint and then returned again in 2003, joining cousin Doug as a second driver for the family's two Top Fuel dragsters                       Racing is Dangerous:.................................

rickswinger MSN said...

hi les/ I remember those dayz\... i think that the idea was burn it as hot as you can sort of best fuel wins, regards rob

les__f MSN said...

Your right Rick,.......'hot fuel' the most combustubile they could find ,.literally driving a bomb......... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSn94ZoLlQ0 Strangely enough Scott's final run was at the same track where he started his racing career...........

the lad MSN said...

Les   Thanks for Black Magic..just saw it now   comp acting up...   Lad

Anonymous said...

Hello my name is Mick Labrie,I'm the grand son of guy Rochon a great man who worked alongside many of the people mentioned in this post at the Montreal Star including tommy Mullins, my grandfather was even a companion to Mullins when he went to his races. My grandfather is currently hoping to re connect with some of these people if you guys could help it would be greatly appreciated

My email is emilenoble4@live.ca
Thank you very much for your time

Mick

Les_F said...

Hi Mick glad you surfed by & saw the site. I used to go to Napierville & see Tommy Mullins race his car.I also knew several people at the Montreal Star. My site gets a lot of traffic in the shape of readers, but you may want to checkout facebook site called 'Verdunites Unite' they have a lot of members & you just might find people there that know your grandfather.
Cheers ! -LesF
ps: I have posted your email in that story under comments. Good Luck

Unknown said...

I am don meehan's son i have some old pictures from napierville and even 8mm video not to sure if we would still be able to get anything off the tape after this many years but i could look in to if if somebody is interested my email is brianmeehan@videotron.ca

Unknown said...

Hi All! - My uncle "Richard (Dick) Hammond" was a member of the Piston Poppers way back in the 60's - Does anybody remember him?