WHEN THE GOING
GETS WEIRD...
THE WEIRD TURN PRO

3/8/05

That's a favorite quote of mine, one I owe to the famous Hunter S. Thompson. As you know by now, HST is no longer with us, choosing to opt out rather than fade out. Too bad for us, as he no doubt still had a lot to contribute to the world at large, and the world of journalism in particular. That he couldn't see his way clear to stick around a bit longer probably says more about the state of the planet than his own state.

HST's influence reaches far, as a large segment of present day media owes its very existence to him, and the unique way he chose to approach the craft. "Gonzo," or participatory journalism can be found in all areas of media, print and electronic. Not that long ago, all sports reporting was of the "watch the event, write it up" variety, with a small dose of canned personality profile fluff filling in the space between game dates. Today there is not a paper, local sports show or cable news network that does not send it's staffers out to be a part of the story.

When Stephanie Abrahams of the Weather Channel goes to Punta Gorda, Florida and lets Hurricane Charlie beat her up on-camera, that's Gonzo. When the West Coast Chopper boys throw wrenches at each other (and build a bike or two), that's Gonzo. It's not journalism, but it is Gonzo! When Jeff Leonard stooges on a Top Dragster at the World Series of Drag Racing, and then writes about it, that's Gonzo. Maybe not good Gonzo, but Gonzo nevertheless. In short, a lot of people owe a debt to HST, and others like him who saw a different way of doing things and made it happen. RIP, Hunter S!

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On to drag racing. Just got back from the shop of local race car builder Terry Murphy. Murphy, of Blue Springs, Missouri has been a force in Midwest outlaw pro mod racing for a long time, campaigning a succession of his own cars, and has partnered with Donnie Little for the last several years.

At present, Murphy has five cars in various stages of completion, and the car-types say a lot about the trends in Midwest door slammer racing.

The projects include; Scott Higgs' outlaw 10.5 '65 Corvette, an outlaw 10.5 Olds Cutlass for Chad Simpson, Chris Juliano's outlaw pro mod '68 Mustang, Keith Colbins' top sportsman '67 Nova, and a full chassis pro street '69 Mach One Mustang.

He is also in the early stages of building the "house" car, a split-window '63 Corvette pro mod that will replace his recently sold 'vette pro mod. Despite the heavy work load, Murphy will also be competing in the majority of outlaw pro mod action in Missouri, planning on racing at all the shows at Kansas City International Raceway, and the CMTS/ Jeffers Pro Cars series at Gateway International Raceway. Now if he could just get some more shop help, maybe he could get some of those projects out the door! Murphy does great work, and is a competitive racer in his own right. See him and his creations at Midwest pro mod shows during 2005 - you'll like what you see!