NEWSLETTER 11

President's Corner: By Jim Miller.
Hi all. Had a great time at Bonneville. Besides being a historian I have one of the best jobs on the salt. For the past 11 years I've inspected the cars and also work in impound. The cool thing about this is getting to look at each car up close and personal and making friends with the drivers. The downside is not being able to take pictures for future racers and historians. Maybe someday when I retire. On Tuesday 102 vehicles passed through inspection. On Wednesday the fun began and 51 go fast machines made it to impound after qualifying for a record. Thursday morning Dan Warner and I opened the salt and had the cars out of impound by 8 AM. After the runs those that returned to impound were certified. This involves checking engine displacement etc. Busy best describes impound. By Friday 601 runs were completed counting spins and 41 records were set. Two new members were even added to the B-ville 300 mph chapter of the 2-club. Jim Miller

From the Salt to the Carrera Pan-American. The year is 1952. Benson Ford (yes that Ford) calls a man who started his racing career at Muroc in 1937. That man was Bill Stroppe. Seems Ford had the '53 Lincoln prototype hidden away in Colorado and wanted to see if it could cut the mustard in the upcoming Carrera Pan-American in Mexico. Bill and his buddy Clay Smith jumped a plane to get the car and do a little road test on the way back to his shop in Long Beach. They were cruising along and had this brilliant idea. How about a stop at Bonneville to see what she would do. The engine wasn't in the best of shape after the thrashing it got at Pikes Peak so they did a Banzai run to the shop bypassing the salt. Once there they literally did an all nighter and rebuilt the engine including a valve job then took off again for Bonneville. Back on the salt they tried out the 10-mile circle used for endurance runs and were blown away as the big Lincoln cruised along at 118 mph, and good news to Ford who decided to field a team of Lincoln’s for the '52 race with Stroppe as the constructor and team manager. Stroppe's Lincoln's dominated the Carrera's large stock car class from '52 till its end in '55. In '53, he even helped out his old dry lakes buddy, AK Miller with his "Iron horse." Seems the Lincoln's rims fitted with special Firestone tires bolted right on AK's '49 Ford chassied hot rod. The combo was good enough for eighth overall. In the early years Bill hired many dry lakes notables for his Lincoln team. Among them were Jack McGrath, Mickey Thompson, Manny Ayulo and Chuck Daigh who drove in '52 and '53 and prepped the cars in '54 after Clay Smith was killed. All of these gentlemen graduated from dry lakes racing like Bill Stroppe did. The Bill Stroppe & Sackett Special entry is seen at the Muroc Time Trials on May 16, 1937. The car was powered by a S.R. Fronty and ran 90.91 mph with Bill Stroppe at the wheel. Bill went on to fame in the racing game after WWII.

Wally Parks, 23 January 1913 - 28 September 2007 Celebration of Life Tributes.
"Many people have asked when the NHRA will hold a Tribute to our father. We are in the planning stages right now and we want to do it so that as many people can come as possible. A short tribute will be held at the California Hot Rod Reunion (CHRR) at the Auto Club of Southern California Raceway, in Famoso (north of Bakersfield), California on October 12-14, 2007. NHRA will have a special trackside ceremony honoring our father on Sunday, November 4, prior to the final round of eliminations at the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals. A full Celebration of Life will be held in conjunction with the CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals, in Pomona, California in February of 2008. Final details haven't been worked out as of yet. The public is invited, but due to the uncertainty of the weather, please check with the National Dragster or the NHRA website at www.NHRA.com. Other groups have mentioned holding tributes and as I hear of them I will pass the news on. Our family thanks you for your concern and condolences. Richard and David Parks"

Click Here For, Sunday, November 4th 2007 Wally Parks Tribute Info

I know you are very busy and overwhelmed but I wanted to keep you in touch with the people who are contacting us. The link to your father’s page is www.Hotrodhotline.com/wallyparks. We have many sentiments and memories and I am keeping these emails for you so that you can have them when you are ready. Let us know if we can help in any way.
Sincerely, Mary Ann & Jack Lawford,
www.HotRodHotLine.com,
www.HotrodhotlineBIKES.com,
www.HotRodTrucks.com,
877-700-2468 or 208-562-0470.

I will copy and paste all that I have (tributes to the passing of Wally Parks) so far into one email to you and then send the rest one at a time forwarding them as they come in. We would love to carry the newsletter. Please send us all that you can and we will archive them and add to it every time we receive something from you. This is a wonderful group and we would be proud to carry their information and perhaps let more people know about them and the work they do. Just send it when you have time. Thanks. Mary Ann & Jack Lawford

Readers: Mary Ann and Jack Lawford own and operate the largest hot rodding website in the world and have been big supporters of car shows, racing and all motorsports. Their website is www.hotrodhotline.com.

Latest Shoehorn News...
The Salt Lake City Shoehorn Field Test began last Wednesday. Current plans are that the testing period will be eight weeks. The test vehicles are the four, day-to-day, busiest vehicles in the fleet. At the conclusion of the test, a decision will be made regarding the quantity of Shoehorn units that will be adopted and the type of vehicle where they will be added to the toolbox. Total fleet, including city ambulance vehicles number approximately 35. The Shoehorn Rapid Extrication Tool will serve as a replacement for the KED's now carried on assigned vehicles. Bob Falcon

Hello Richard,
 This is Terra Gengo your Uncle Kennard's Granddaughter. I was wondering if you had any information on the trubute this weekend in Bakersfield for Uncle Wally. My family is going to be camping at Lake Buena Vista in Bakersfield and would like to be there and also tape it for my grandmother Billie. So if you know the day and time that would be great. I'm very sorry for your and David's loss and your families. Wally and my grandfather were great men and are missed very much. But it gives me great peace knowing they are all together now. Terra Gengo
Dear Terra,
 The Auto Club of Southern California Famoso Raceway is a very special place in the hearts of racers and a fitting place for one of the many tributes to Dad. According to Tony Thacker, the Museum Director, it will be on Friday Night, around 7pm at the Double Tree Hotel in North Bakersfield, where the racers usually gather to honor the men and women who have been chosen as the honorees for that year's California Hot Rod Reunion (CHRR). That's October 12th, and the address is 3100 Camino Del Rio Court, CA 93308. Take the 99 Highway and exit off the Rosedale off ramp. The Friday night Honoree / Tribute is free to the public at the Double Tree Hotel. The 3 day Nostalgia Drag racing Reunion is $20 per day per person, children under 15 are free. The only tribute to Dad that we know of at the CHRR will be on Friday night. There will also be a short tribute to our father at the World's Finals in Pomona on November 4th, right before the final race. The Celebration of Life, which is what he wanted in lieu of a Funeral or Memorial is scheduled for the Winternationals in February and final details for that have not been worked out yet. Car racers, in general, do not like funerals but enjoy Celebrations of Life events. Perhaps too much tragedy in racing conditions them to feel that way. All family members and friends are welcome at any tributes that are planned for our father, but the one in February will be special and we are trying to make sure that we have a special place set aside for all of you who wish to come. We will have a trackside Celebration followed by a special gathering at the museum in Dad's honor. Part of the problem with having it delayed has to do with notifying everyone and that the racing organization that Dad founded is in the midst of a hectic racing season. There have also been some severe accidents and injuries to key racers, like John Force and so we are hoping to give them time to heal and be able to attend the Celebration of Life. David and I hope to see as many friends and family members come in February as possibly can. We have found letters from many of our family and friends that Dad received over the years and kept, as he loved you all very much.

Members:

Jonathan Amo, Brett Arena, Henry Astor, Glen Barrett, Warren Bullis, Gary Carmichael, Jack Dolan, Ugo Fadini, Robert Falcon, Rich Fox, Glenn Freudenberger, Bruce Geisler, Stan Goldstein, Walt James, Wendy Jeffries, Mike Kelly, Mary Ann and Jack Lawford, Dick Martin, Ron Martinez, Tom McIntyre, Don McMeekin, Tom Medley, Jim Miller, Don Montgomery, Mark Morton, Louise Ann Noeth, David Parks, Richard Parks, Wally Parks (in memorium), Eric Rickman, Willard Ritchie, Roger Rohrdanz, Evelyn Roth, Ed Safarik, Frank Salzberg, Charles Shaffer, Mike Stanton, David Steele, Doug Stokes, Bob Storck, Al Teague, JD Tone and Jack Underwood.

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