Yenko Camaro drag car

[JoeC]

Found this ad from 1969 with Ed Hedrick in a 1969 Yenko Camaro drag car. I believe this was a Daytona Yellow car but I have not found any good color pictures of it. One thing interesting is the Jenkins Competition decal on it. In a 1968 magazine there is an article on Bill Jenkins 1968 Nova "Grumpy's Toy V". The driver was Ed Hedrick and even had his name painted on the door. Jenkins was driving a 1968 Camaro "Grumpy's Toy IV".

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1169942&a=8610132&p=36459863

[bkhpah]

As far as we can tell there were three Yellow Yenko Camaro's used for racing right away. The Hedrick 4speed car, the Preston and Larence auto, and the Gemler auto out of Erie PA. They stick car must have changed classes as race cars do to run the auto. The Hedrick car would race and then return to Jenkins shop during the week. Hedrick told Stan that was the best car he had ever ran. He later went on to race motorcycles and was very good at that as well. The stripe on the Hedrick car looks hand cut if you close in on it. It is very different that the standard stripe. What magazine did you get this from Joe?..
BKH

[JoeC]

The Vitar ad was in Super Street Cars July 1970. The stripe does look different on the Hedrick car. I wonder if it was painted on instead of using the decal stripe.

[copo69]

Hedrick's car was part of the "Grump's Group" in that they were trying to stack the classes to win the overall eliminator. In '69, Jenkins' '69 car ran SS/C while Hedrick ran SS/D. Auto cars later got better weight break in '70 but by this time Jenkins was concentrating on Pro Stock with his '68 car and Dave Strickler driving his '69 in Pro Stock. I have a copy of a color snapshot of Hedrick's car from the '69 CARS meet and it is indeed yellow but I've only seen ads with car pictured in b/w. Hedrick's car was also on hand for the Super Stock & Drag Ill. '69 Yenko Camaro test and Hedrick drove the street car in the test. I've tried to find info on the race car but have had little luck. Is the car still around? If not, anyone know what happened to it? I see it must have been an early X66 due to the quarter louvers and the black rear panel. also be interested if anyone knows the fate of Jenkins' '69 Camaro.

[sYc]

Grumpys's '68 Camaro has been restored to the way it was raced by Grumpy. It is setting in an enclosed trailor in KC. I tried to get the owner to bring it to a Supercar Reunion, but he will only show the car if paid $$$. After Grunpry had sold the car, while being raced by the new owners, one year it won more money racing then any other race car, including top fuel and funny cars. Tom

[copo69]

Tom, Which version was it restored to, Pro Stock or Super Stock? I remember reading where Jenkins made more money with that car than any he ever owned, according to him, that car made over $250,000. The '69 car was not nearly as successful starting with a ZL1 in SS/C and fast becoming a XS match racer but '68 car worked better and won first Pro Stock title at Pomona in 1970.

[bbdon]

I must have looked at this picture a dozen times, but I never noticed the 427 emblem until today. This must be the same car as the picture above. This is from a Hot Rod magazine Camaro special edition, printed in 1982.
http://www.sonic.net/bbdon/free/grump3.jpg

[JoeC]

The Gold 1969 Yenko Camaro prototype car drag tested by Super Stock magazine had the 427 numbers mounted on the bowtie like in that picture.

[bkhpah]

My Yenko Camaro was in the same group of ten Yellow cars as the Hedrick Camaro. My car had the bowtie removed from the rear, but retained the grill bowtie. At this early stage in building the first Yenko Camaro's there was still not a standardized way of doing things... BKH

[JoeC]

Keith T. sent me this scan of the Hedrick Yenko Camaro and the Yenko "prototype" car from the Super Stock article. The rear panel on the Hedrick Yenko has the Yenko emblem and 427 emblem positioned the way Yenko did most of his Camaros. It is different then the picture that is posted by bbdon. Looks like Hedrick may have changed it for the 1970 season. It seems like a conflict of interest for Hedrick to be involved with "Grump's Group" since Jenkins was involved with the Ammon R. Smith Chevy Dealer from PA. and Hedrick had the Yenko Chevy sponsoship also from PA. but I guess it was not a problem for them.
The Gold "prototype" Yenko has the bowtie in the center with the 427 numbers bolted to it and the Yenko emblem to the pass side. I have read that the Gold Yenko was a demo car and I wonder if it is a early vin. number Yenko.
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1169942&a=8610132&p=37086145

[bkhpah]

The ten gold cars are in the same group as the first ten yellow cars. O1B. All early VIN's, all X66 cars with the possible exception of one yellow car being an X11. The gold demo car was bought new by Ron Welsh in Pittsburgh and he raced it at PID hard in the 70,s. Car had a DANA 60, opened up rear wheel wells and a number of engine combos over the years. That is the way Cliff Ernst bought the car. He told me that when he took the car out for a drive the salesman told him that he had a wife and kids at home and not to do anything funny.
Also the stripes on the race car with the demo car are different in contour as the later Vitar ad. As race cars go they change their look often. Notice the Stahl decal is not in the later shot. It is interesting to note that the cross muffler is still in the original location in both rear shots of the car. A NHRA rule of the day I beleive...BKH


[Edited by bkhpah (01-04-2001 at 09:36 PM).]

[bbdon]

Just to add one more peice of information to the mix, here is a clip supplied by Ray Morrison. Looks like Dick Harrel was involved with this car at some point too.

http://www.sonic.net/bbdon/free/hedrick.jpg

[copo69]

I think that picture is actually from Drag News and was posted with that caption in a later Camaro magazine and may be a little incorrect. By 1969 Harrell was involved with Fred Gibb and then flew his own colors. Wasn't the his involvement with Yenko earlier? Also I'm not sure the rearview shot is the Hedrick car as I think it retained the Yenko and 427 emblems and all pics I've seen of the Hedrick car carried #929. Maybe a Strickler car. Also I've got a video where reference is made to Jenkins having two '69 S/S Camaros with the Jenkins' Comp decals being different colors the only difference between the two. I've got a color picture taken of the Hedrick car sitting on a trailer with the Jenkins bunch at the '69 Cars meet at Cecil Co. and the Stahl decal has been moved to the sail panel.
Anybody know what happened to Hedrick's car? Wouldn't it be great to have it restored to it's race trim.

[bbdon]

Copo69,
You are probably correct on both points. Since I was just a 10 year old kid living in Oregon back in 1969, I should probably post these clips with less of my own comments attatched.

[copo69]

bbdon, Don't apologize. I'm not sure if I'm correct either.... This is the way we get to the truth. Heck, I was all of 14 the summer of '69.