According to an item in the Friday, October 7 Atlanta
newspaper, drag racing legends "Sneaky Pete"
Robinson and Hoyt Grimes will be inducted into the Georgia
Racing Hall of Fame on October 21 at the old Thunder Road
racing facility in Dawsonville.
The pair, who raced gas and fuel dragsters in the mid-years
of organized drag racing and who often paired up as driver
(Robinson) and crew chief (Grimes), will be inducted along
with six others from the circle and road racing fields,
racing promotion and officiating.
Grimes, of Alpharetta, GA, was profiled in a recent
DRO story by writer Dale Wilson. Grimes began racing
in the early 1950s, and as a machinist ended up making
the parts himself for a string of radical and winning
front-engine
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dragsters. Reportedly, he was the first to experience
a "blow-over" in his dragster at Bristol in
1966, a crash that ended his career behind the wheel.
Robinson (shown) earned his moniker "Sneaky Pete"
after winning the NHRA Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway
Park in 1961, where his "Tinker Toy" small-block-Chevy-powered
rail ran so quick that announcers didn't give out his
elapsed times until the day before final eliminations.
He was killed in an on-track accident at the Winternationals
several years later.
In his early 80s, Grimes still is involved in racing
with his son Garry of Twister Engines in Alpharetta, and
he is restoring several '40 Ford coupes, one of which
will be a street rod. (DRO file
photo) [10-07-2005]
TURBO
ALAN JOHNSON
The Agent hears from a reliable operative that Army dragster
crew chief and cylinder head guru Alan Johnson may be
consulting on a unique project for a German racing team.
The German engineers are headed to SoCal for dyno testing
of some new theories in electronic fuel injection management
on a twin turbo, bio-diesel powered engine shipped in
by airfreight with the engineers in tow. Fuel economy
and horsepower is their goal.
According to the operative, the 800-pound monster engine
is planned for European endurance boat racing and the
owner of the project has reportedly invited Johnson in
for consultation on cylinder head flow. No word on when
Johnson might fit this project into his busy calendar.
(Zak Hawthorne photo) [10-07-2005]
SUPER CHEVY SHOW RELEASES 2006
SCHEDULE
The dates and locations for next year's Super Chevy Show
events are: Feb. 10-12 (Bradenton, FL); Mar. 31-Apr. 2
(Pomona, CA); Apr. 21-23 (Memphis, TN); Apr. 28-30 (Budds
Creek, MD); May 5-7 (Norwalk, OH); May 19-21 (Huntsville,
AL); June 2-4 (Atlanta, GA); June 9-11 (Richmond, VA);
June 23-25 (Bristol, TN); July 14-16 (Indianapolis, IN);
July 20-23 (Reading, PA); July 28-30 (Epping, NH); Aug.
11-13 (Joliet, IL); Aug. 18-20 (Denver, CO); Sept. 8-10
(Milan, MI); Sept. 15-17 (Columbus, OH); Sept. 29-Oct.
1 (San Antonio, TX); and Oct. 20-22 (Gainesville, FL).
[10-07-2005]
