We have 2 records for arnie beswick ranging in age from 50 years old to 89 years old. The event is one of 43 scheduled across the country where drivers earn points leading to divisional, regional. Beswick was a loyal pontiac racer, though there was a short stint with a comet afx. Arnies comet at the nhra winternationals as funny cars became more competitive, arnie, with no major corporate support, independently rebuilt his 63 lemans coupe to maintain his edge. Jun 17, 20 all of the above were all fun to watch for sure,john hagen was a local guy,me being fromst paul watch run a lot at minn drag ways and twin city drag way,of course enjoyed his many battles with warren johnson,it was to bad john had a on timely accident while racing and never survived the crash at the end of the track. Beswick suffered a severe injury during a nostalgia racing event in wentzville, missouri, last august. Arnie has been found in 2 states including kansas, illinois. Find great deals on ebay for arnie beswick when you shop the largest online selection at.
Cordova dragway park will host the nhra west central division summer showdown presented by matco tools on august 1011, 2012. There have been few drag racers equipped with more versatile skills as a driver and engine buildertuner than dyno don nicholson. Many safety rules are in place to protect the driver and fans. Check out coverage on the holley nhra national hot rod reunion, brought to you by the experts at street rodder magazine. She was the first woman to receive a license from the national hot rod association nhra to drive a top fuel dragster. Nhra rules at this time recognized only advertised horsepower. Gld olympics of drag racing arnie beswicks original 1966. Nhra drivers find information on your favorite nhra drivers. The tameless tiger gto was home built and a little scary to say the least. Arnie beswick bio pontiac preservation association. Beswick was talented, both mechanically and as a driver. Arnie beswicks grocery getter dodge challenger forum. Numerous other nhra and local drag racing dignitaries will be in attendance to greet fans and take part in the weekend festivities. The car, now with its altered wheelbase and blown 421, was painted in orange and black tiger stripes and named the tameless tiger to identify with the gto theme.
Arnie beswick has modified the round steering wheel in his funny car. Legends like beswick, gary dyer and ron colson will make appearances throughout the weekend as well. After sustaining numerous head injuries, irvan retired. Favorite nhra driver all time for b bodies only classic. His achievements, from the stock classes to funny cars, earned beswicks entry into the drag racing hall of fame in 2006. Mercury produced around 11 afx cars in 1964, which went to famous race car drivers like arnie beswick, eddie shartman, and dyno don nicholson among others. The major problem with the maverick was its engine. Regular updates on beswick s recovery will be posted on. Arnie the farmer beswick obituary best view about farmer. The tameless tiger was rebuilt to be much lighter than when it first raced in super stock. On april 17, 1965 arnie was the first nhra funny car driver to run a 14 mile in under 10 seconds, posting a 9. Eventually we would like to have the names and numbers of everyone in every division who drove fuel funny cars between the year nhra started issuing licenses 1966 and 1979.
The dates have been set for the 2008 holley nhra national hot rod reunion, presented by soffseal. Match race legend hubert platt s at 83 hemmings daily motorsports quick shots leek inducted into world of cars we remember 1962 was a pivotal year in muscle car pontiac with power the wichita eagle pontiac with power the wichita eagle. Funny cars are characterized by having tiltup fiberglass or carbon fiber automotive bodies over a customfabricated chassis, giving them an appearance vaguely approximating manufacturers showroom models. New and factory sealed in the original retail packaging. The guests of honor at this years ames performance pontiac nationals were ray nichels, paul goldsmith and arnie beswick. Gary gerard one of the founders of the website made some calls to round up some altered wheel base cars to run at the second nehrr and netted a half dozen. Drag racings consummate underdog elapsed times hot rod net spor we take a look at the career of drag racings consummate underdog, arnie beswick as he shares some photos and memories of racing. The drag racing was something i just did for fun at first, with my street car. Aug 12, 2007 car number 831 is a 1962 pontiac entered by korodystahl.
Arnie the farmer beswick the judge 1969 pontiac gto funnycar nhra. Afx cars nhra new england hot rod reunion new england dragway epping, new hampshire september 1214, 2014 by rich berlisk nostalgia super stock inc. In the case of arnie the farmer beswick s halfcenturylong dragracing careermost of it aboard pontiac. After consulting with arnie the farmer beswick, he special ordered this 1965 pontiac gto from bratten pontiac of norfolk, virginia with directed delivery to beswick s hometown pontiac dealership located in. They also have the engine placed in front of the driver, as opposed to dragsters, which place. Arnie beswick 1966 pontiac gto afx funny car, vs the flying dutchman dodge dart click this image to show the fullsize version. Arnie beswick might not have been the biggest winner of the sixties, but he did put on a hell of a show. Arnie behling later tuned the car before it was parked for good. Toyota drivers competed in nascar, nhra and powri events over the fourth of july weekend. May 28, 20 original funny car owned and now driven by john holmes making a test run. Arnie beswick the judge 1969 gto funny car funny car drag racing, nhra. As an innovator and leader in the automotive racing arena, arnie beswick has achieved unparalleled success in the high profile sport of drag racing. Yet, at 73 years of age, arnie beswick, the morrison, illinois, farmer who.
Cordova honoring history with inaugural hall of fame class. With it he won the 1960 nascar nhra winter nationals super stock award. Don and roys first awb car was a unibodybased 64 gto. Home for the crew kool diecast and collectibles nhra diecast tv tommy ivo driver figure.
As in previous years, the reunion will take place on fathers day weekend, june 15, 2008. Arnie beswick was so dominant in the factory hot rod ranks during the early to mid1960s that both of his cars reached the amp final at the 1964 bakersfield march meet. Mar 10, 2014 although its rare, good things sometimes do emerge from the dustbowl of calamity. Years later as a photographer at byron dragway i got the chance to live out a dream and get my nhra license driving jeff hoekstras small block altered and who signed that license. Shirley muldowney born june 19, 1940, also known professionally as cha cha and the first lady of drag racing, is an american auto racer. Drag racing team listings from 1950 to present, plus drag racing photos, stories. Arnie beswick brought 3 cars to the 1998 nhra hot rod reunion at national trail raceway in columbus ohio. The farmer arnie the farmer beswick, as he is most commonly known, is a drag racer known for driving pontiacs. Rick had become friends with ed miller, an upstate new york racer and former nhra world champion, and in 1971 rick drove millers 426 hemi dodge scamp. It was the 363 horsepower version that found its way to the top drivers like lloyd cox of the mickey thompson team tuned by hayden proffitt, jim wangers and the royal pontiacs, arnie beswick.
Drag racer at 15, twice nhra class champion by 18, in the mid1960s don gay, brother roy and compatriot arnie beswick were the standard bearers for pontiacs own altered wheelbase uprising. His achievements, from the stock classes to funny cars, earned beswick s entry into the drag racing hall of fame in 2006. Arnie the farner beswick, pontiac, dragway, nhra, ihra, nascar, racing. Aug 04, 2016 most drag racing fans know farmer arnie beswick as an early funny car driver and currently a nostalgia match racer with his tameless tiger. Today he is recognized by fans the world over as not only a legendary racing figure, but the man. This is the famous drag racer from a small farming town in illinois, whose extraordinary success in drag racing has made him a legend in his own time to four generations of fans. Today he is recognized by fans the world over as not only a legendary racing figure, but the man we all. Beswick is a member of the nhra division 3 hall of fame as well as the super stock, afx and funny car hall of fame. The muscle car history back in the and the american car manufacturers diversified their automobile lines with high performance vehicles which came to be known as muscle cars.
Good looking car, maybe a modified chassis research your post on fb, hope you find it. Browse through latest information on your favorite nhra drivers, including full biographies, latest news, highres photos and high quality videos. Sometimes we forget that our favorite drivers left a trail before hitting the right note. After consulting with arnie the farmer beswick, he special ordered this 1965 pontiac gto from bratten pontiac of norfolk, virginia with directed delivery to beswicks hometown pontiac dealership located in. Bs famous grocery getter, the tameless tiger i and ii, and passionate poncho.
Yet, at 73 years of age, arnie beswick, the morrison, illinois, farmer who became a household name in dragracing circles back in the sixties, is presently making plans to recover both physically and financially to return again to the drag strip. Arnie the farmer beswick tameless tiger official website welcome to the official web site for arnie the farmer beswick welcome back to. Don schumacher, the driver and megateam owner who wears all 6 team colored shirts on any given weekend is our next top five most influential funny cars don the shoe schumachers top 5 funny cars i have to start off with dyno don nicholson with the mercury comet, sponsored by mercury. All of the above were all fun to watch for sure,john hagen was a local guy,me being fromst paul watch run a lot at minn drag ways and twin city drag way,of course enjoyed his many battles with warren johnson,it was to bad john had a on timely accident while racing and never survived the crash at the end of the track. Mar 05, 2009 arnie beswick brought 3 cars to the 1998 nhra hot rod reunion at national trail raceway in columbus ohio. In the case of arnie the farmer beswicks halfcenturylong dragracing careermost of it aboard pontiac. Behling had worked as a mechanic and back up driver for arnie beswick and eddie schartman, but the job for mt was a full time ride.
Top 5 funny cars by onwer and driver don schumacher. Arnie beswick 391 murf mckinney 392 doug jordan 395 gary bolger 395 len imbrogrro. Bs grocery getter 63 tempest station wagon driven by rick lynch. Arnie the farmer beswick pontiac gto racing tribute video bigjp455.
Beswicks iconic car back in action thanks to fultons layne motor. Arnie beswick first nhra funny car driver under arnie the farmer beswick yahoo image search results this day in motorsport history. The driver is listed as dennis korody from lincoln park, michigan. Arnie the farmer beswick injured in racecar fire hot rod. Arnie the farmer beswick obituary farmer foto collections. Arnie beswicks accomplishments have left an indelible mark in the largest spectator sport in the united states, that of drag racing. Although its rare, good things sometimes do emerge from the dustbowl of calamity. Beswick, near lane, with his 63 tempest coupe, defeated the mrs. Aug 07, 2003 pontiac drag racing legend arnie the farmer beswick was critically injured in a race car fire on sunday, august 3rd at midamerica raceway in wentzville, missouri. Driver nicknames like big daddy cars with names like budweiser. Nhra drag racing car and driver pontiac gto drag cars car humor vintage cars mens sunglasses farmer 10 seconds. Nhra diecast arnie beswick pontiac gto the judge super stock.
During the 1961 season, arnie raced a bristol blue 1961 catalina that was upgraded with super duty cylinder heads and camshaft. Ricks arnie beswick prepared jolly green giant took home a roomful of class win trophies and several stock eliminators as well. Arnie beswick at the 1998 nhra hot rod reunion youtube. Names like snake, mongoose, big daddy, tv tommy and in the midwest we had arnie the farmer beswick. Farmer arnie beswick s 1966 pontiac gto afx funny car vs the flying dutchman see more. Most of the guys who first grew famous driving in the 1950s have long since hung up their. Arnie was credited the first ninesecond funny car run. Mar 02, 2008 meanwhile, al kitts, from richfield springs, new york, started racing on the streets of schenectady, new york, in the late 1950s, with shirley muldowney and many others he won his first sanctioned race in 1960 at fonda, new york, and a year later, he had 48 wins in super stock driving a 1961 ford starliner with a 401hp 390 that ford motor company delivered directly to h. Biography information for arnie the farmer beswick. The pontiac brand would begin to fade from factory competition due to corporate politics soon after this super duty catalina arrived on the scene, but its legacy has lived on because of cars like white lightning. Funny car is a type of drag racing vehicle and a specific racing class in organized drag racing. In the 1990s, ernie irvan was one of the most popular drivers in nascar just not in the garage, because of his aggressive driving style. Ray is a legendary stock car racing team owner while paul was the driver of choice for several of rays most notable wins. Arnie the farmer beswick pontiac gto racing tribute.
Race car driver rick holladay was so impressed with the performance of the pontiac gtos on the track that he was determined to have one of his own to race in the nhra b class. Johns mercy medical center, 615 south new ballas road, st. Arnie is one of the few stillactive drivers who competed at the very first nhra nationals at great bend, kan. Honorees for the 2008 event will include drivers arnie beswick, gabby bleeker, jim walther and. Pontiac fanatic arnie beswicks tameless tiger gto was a matchrace terror in the mid1960s and has been credited in some corners with the first ninesecond funny car run and, in a more modern and. Nhra drivers listing the nhra, the largest auto racing organization in the world. Arnie beswick s accomplishments have left an indelible mark in the largest spectator sport in the united states, that of drag racing. Nostalgia drag world who can tame the tiger arnie beswick. Future fuel altered driver don trillo crashed the gto bad enough to end its racing career. Drag racing legends to ear at arnie beswick drag racing s consummate cars will cruise main street news arnie beswick accident update 66th o reilly auto parts worldlast man standing hemmings dailybeswick s iconic car back in action thanks to read more. Arnie beswick first nhra funny car driver under arnie the farmer beswick yahoo image search results. Awesome collectible, for any pontiac, or drag race fan. Thompson, who was driving his personal sd421 catalina.
Possible related people for arnie beswick include kayla s darden, jami l hile, dana jo wanklyn, evelyn mae beswick, michele renee beswick, and many others. Great detail, duplicating one of the pioneers of drag racing, arnie the farmer beswick. Arnie the farmer beswick may 11, 2016 once again youve overwhelmed me with all the birthday wishes, either by phone, regular mail, or through my page here. Bill lawton was rhode islands most successful funny car driver in the sixties. Sox and martin raced a comet before going to mopar, and arnie beswick drove this car before switching to pontiac. The bfx comets of 1965 were built off a 289 engine with 271 horsepower, and used four webbers. See more ideas about drag cars, car humor and drag. Holley nhra national hot rod reunion events street. The car has even been signed by arnie the farmer beswick, former members of the race team and race luminaries. Mickey picked arnie behling to drive his new maverick funny car. Using my 1962 nhra rulebook and my old red nhra classguide binder, in order to fit dsa the 62 grand prix was powered by a 389303 with 14bl carb. Arnie the farmer beswick in green hat chats with wellwishers while standing behind his car at a thursday news conference for the world series of drag racing. As for arnie beswick, his skill as a driver in such a freeforall would have seen him continue as a pontiac racer, with full access to the latest gofaster factory parts.
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