Oswego Oct 14th 1962

[mockingbird812]

Anyone on the forum at this event?



Read closely. I was doing some research on a car and came across this. If this is the same fellow I think it is I would really like to pick his brain on a local (Chicago) "Max Wedge" Plymouth that ran A/S at the same time.

[Xplantdad]

It looks like Ken Barnhardt was???

[kwhizz]

I know most of the names on the list........Interesting fact about Colson and Wood.....as I remember, they developed the Reverser for Dragsters a couple of years later.........Gabby Bleeker
http://www.draglist.com/artman/publi...le_00592.shtml

Mike Marinoff
http://www.smugmug.com/community/dra...noffhutcphotot

More

http://www.dragracinglegends.com/


Ken

[Xplantdad]

Okay...it's time for some more cool drag racing stories from you Ken!

[kwhizz]

Mike Marinoff and Palmer Lazarus (Green 56 Chev w/Blower) used to run against each other all the time until Marinoff built his Gas Dragster and Palmer built his Willy's.........Up until that time, the standard was to push the dragsters down to 1/2 track with the engine turning and the ignition off to clean any fuel out of the cylinders, they would then turn the cars around and push back towards the starting line and light the engines, then turn around again in the stageing area and finally pull up to the line and make a pass.....
Marinoff's Blown Gas Dragster was the first car to start right in the stageing area useing it's own starter with external batteries......Right after that the Grove put in a Roller Starting System (Like a Chassis Dyno) powered by a 283 Chevy engine to start the Fuel and Gas Dragsters and that saved a lot of time.......some weekends they would have 16 car Fuel fields.......I used to sit by the Roller setup and watch the cars start and smell the Nitro, after a while you could tell by the sound of the Exhaust whether the cars were running Lean of Rich............

Fun Times

Ken

[kwhizz]

More.........

http://www.gassermadness.com/arteaga/

Ken

[sYc]

[ QUOTE ]
It looks like Ken Barnhardt was???

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Yes, that is our very own Ken Barnhart. At VF he discussed this event, and others with us.
As always, very intertaining.

[Verne_Frantz]

What kind of car was Ken running at that event?? It would be GREAT to see a picture!!!

Verne

[Xplantdad]

Verne...I found this interesting tidbit of info on the internet...though it doesn't talk about which car he drove in '62...it's still cool!

[ QUOTE ]
ELGIN SPORTS HALL OF FAME



ELGIN, ILLINOIS



KEN BARNHART





Inducted for auto racing, Ken Barnhart was considered a top drag racer. In 1958, he won the prestigious Class Championship at the Automobile Timing Association of America (ATAA) and in 1959 Ken won the Top Speed and Class Championship at the Midwest Championships. He was the Class Top Eliminator at the 1959 ATAA World Series of Drag Racing, the Class Winner at the Oswego Dragway Season Championship and the Class Runner-up at the National Hot Rod Association’s (NHRA) Fifth Annual Nationals in Detroit. He claimed two classes in two different cars in the Top Twenty Benefit Meet in 1960. In 1961, Barnhart won the Class Championship at the Top Twenty and at the NHRA Nationals. In 1962, he was the Class Eliminator and Top Speed winner at the World Series of Drag Racing. In 1970, Barnhart won the Super Stock Class B title at the World Series of Drag Racing and the Class Championship at the NHRA Nationals. The following year, he was Class Runner-up at the NHRA Spring Nationals.


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[ORIGLS6]

[ QUOTE ]
What kind of car was Ken running at that event?? It would be GREAT to see a picture!!!

Verne

[/ QUOTE ]

I gave Ken a copy of this flier at VF. I think Tommy K and Joe Swezey were standing there at the time. He recalled every name and described each car on the list. Seems like he said he was running his C/G '55 Chevy at the time.

Even the people who know Mr. Barnhart well may not realize how deep this guy goes........