Alan Kulwicki's pit stop during the 1990 AC Delco 500 at Rockingham
DOHC 426 Hemi
Chrysler 1964-65 doomsday device, a DOHC 426 hemi. Never produced, never run under it's own power. As soon as NASCAR heard about it, all overhead cam V8's were banned in 1966. After the ban, this engine was no longer needed.
NASCAR Pantera ‐ First To 300
A reporter sat in a late-night cafe, sipping coffee and attempting to calm his nerves after a high-speed ride with Gary and his Pantera. The deafening roar of the V-8 engine still echoed in his mind, and his hands shook as he held his cup. It was as if he had just escaped from the clutches of the devil himself. Tragically, a few minutes later the devil caught up with Garry Mitsunaga and his red Pantera!
For students of Japanese car culture, the Mitsunaga Pantera that graced the cover of Option Magazine is a significant page of Asian tuning lore, as it was the first street-legal vehicle to achieve a recorded speed of 300 km/h in Japan.
Actual speed was 307.69 km/h on the infamous Yatabe Test Circuit in November 1981, making it the most legendary Pantera in all of Japan. Figuring Yatabe was too dangerous for civilian drivers, and wanting to take the human element of unpredictability out of things, driving duties at this event were performed by professional racer Kunimitsu Takahashi, who is considered the father of drifting.
Yatabe was the preeminent destination for high-speed testing in Japan from the 1960s to the 1990s. However, it was closed two decades ago due to a tragic accident involving Masa Saito, the editor of the tuning magazine Option. After the accident manufacturers started shifting towards more contemporary testing facilities.
Prior to the Porsche-vs-Skyline dreams of the 1990s, the streets of Japan were ruled by the infamous Midnight Club running Pantera's, Firebirds and American V-8s. For those unaware of the Pantera, it is an Italian-American sportscar with a Ford 351 Cleveland engine and were sold in the early 70's through Lincoln Mercury dealerships.
Leading up to November 1981, top speeds were achieved by vehicles such as the S30 Fairlady, tuned by SS Kubo, which reached a maximum speed of 257.60km/h. The fastest imported car, surprisingly, was the Trust Firebird Trans-Am, which recorded a top speed of 264.71km/h. So when the Pantera eclipsing the 300km/h mark it was a huge leap forward and a landmark achievement, becoming the benchmark for all the street racers and tuners to beat.
Mitsunaga was not entirely content. Only a speed above 320 km/h (200 mph) would suffice. It is said that Takahashi advised him against driving the Pantera outside of a racetrack. Mitsunaga disregarded the warning.
Just before the accident, he was transporting a journalist down a 38 kilometer (24 mile) stretch of the Tomei Expressway. With a recorded time of 6 minutes and 20 seconds he averaged 250 KM/H ( ~160 MPH).
Not long after dropping off that rattled journalist, he supposedly totaled his Pantera while avoiding a taxi. They meet their end at approximately 1:40 a.m. on November 28, 1981. Tragically, Mitsunaga died in the accident, instantly.
At the moment of his death, Garry Allan Mitsunaga was already a legend in the Japanese dragstrip and top-speed racing scene. He was an American, born in Hawaii and employed by the Harman Kardon audio group. The company sent him to Tokyo in 1975 to work for one of its Japanese divisions, in sales.
Upon his passing, he was revered as a patron saint of street racing, inspiring countless individuals to pursue ever-greater velocities. Despite his non-Japanese origin, he was a hero to the local community, and his legacy lived on through the Mitsunaga Pantera, a symbol of both the thrill and the peril of this high-octane pursuit. Although the whereabouts of the Pantera are unknown, its engine showed up for sale in 1995.
NASCAR
Mitsunaga's Pantera, was tuned by Masaru Hosoki from ABR, one of Japans most famous tuners. It also featuring a 600hp engine built by Mario Rossi, an American NASCAR mechanic and crew chief for the likes of Bobby Allison and Glenn “Fireball” Roberts. Rossi was also the guy that built the only Dodge Daytona to compete during the 1971 season. It's only race was finishing 7th at the Daytona 500 with a de-stroked Plymouth 340 TA engine to meet the new 305ci engine displacement mandate for the five Ford & Chrysler aero cars during the 1971 NASCAR season.
Rossi has been embroiled in controversy since his involvement in the $300 million drug smuggling scandal that shook NASCAR in 1982. Four days after the 1982 Daytona 500 in Florida, authorities arrested 66 people, including several associated with NASCAR teams, on what has been labeled “Black Thursday.” Among those implicated in the scheme that authorities believe grossed $300 million were owner Billie Harvey and driver Gary Balough from the team on which Rossi was working as a mechanic. Rossi’s role (if any) in the drug operation is unclear – though his own daughter implicates him.
Rossi's whereabouts have been a mystery since his disappearance, with some believing him to be in the witness protection program in the United States. Despite claims of his death in a plane crash off the Bahamas in 1983, the insurance company asserts that the plane in question has been sold multiple times without any recorded accidents.
What’s legend and what’s fact we are unlikely to ever know for certain. What we do know, however, is that Garry Mitsunaga and his Pantera dared to dance with the devil in the witching hour.
The Blue Deuce with a different paint job.
Dick Trickle
Let’s please take a moment to remember Dick Trickle. He was a short track hero in the Midwest before going to NASCAR, where he became the oldest driver to be Rookie of the Year.
11/27/41-5/16/2013
FINALLY. THE WAIT IS OVER.
Brad Keselowski DRIVES THE LEGENDARY TOM’S CASTROL THROWBACK INTO VICTORY LANE IN DARLINGTON! HIS FIRST WIN WITH RFK!
Brad Keselowski
NASCAR graveyard
The 1st 4 Brickyard 400 winners in order - 1994 - Jeff Gordon, 1995 Dale, 1996 DJ and 1997 Ricky
Evolution of Stock car racing
Last NASCAR convertible race, 1962 Rebel 300.
Jimmy Pardue's '62 Pontiac putting the squeeze on Marvin Panch's Ford, outside while Cale Yarborough's Ford sneaks by low and inside. Panch finishes 2nd to Stacy, Pardue 10th, and Cale, 13th.
It all started at a NASCAR race at Darlington, when Ford approached Glen Wood and asked him if he’d help out with the effort in the 500. Wood was taken aback by a request from Ford Motor Company to have the team from the remote Virginia foothills, with no open-wheel racing experience, be a part of the Indianapolis 500. Glen said his initial response: “Are you kidding?”
Leaving no stone unturned and recognizing the opportunity to use lightning-quick pit stops to their advantage, the Ford folks weren’t kidding, and being as loyal to the Blue Oval as they were, Glen and Leonard were off to Indy. After building a relationship with a group of racers they’d never met, the Woods set to work on the fueling system they’d use on race day. Working with Ford engineers the race team had developed a fuel tank that had a giant venturi inside. The principle was simple, and time-proven. It’s the same device that allows fuel and air to flow quickly through a carburetor and makes airplanes fly. The Woods knew it would work.
The Woods also prepared for tire changes during the race, sanding and filing on the wheels and hubs and practicing tire swaps. But that tire work turned out to be unnecessary, as Clark ran the entire 500 on the same set of tires -- an impressive feat in and of itself. Nevertheless, the lasting contribution of the team from the remote Virginia foothills that Ford invited to Indianapolis is the art of today’s seconds-long pit stops and the tactical advantage they provide.
DALE'S FIRST FORD WINSTON CUP CAR...
HE ONLY DROVE THIS CAR 4 TIMES IN 1978...
1. WORLD 600 at Charlotte... Started 28th... Finished 17th.
2. FIRECRACKER 400 at Daytona... Started 28th... Finished 7th.
3. TALLADEGA 500... Started 27th... Finished 12th.
4. SOUTHERN 500... Started 14th... Finished 16th.
The #96 Cardinal Tractor Ford was owned by Will Cronkrite.
Richard Petty's 1976 Bicentennial STP Charger. A car I was surprised to learn, never saw the race track.
Marty Robbins
1985 NASCAR Winston