by Jeff Burk

For a lot of old drag racing geezers and some of the hipsters that have adopted nostalgia drag racing there is nothing quite like a gathering of the true dinosaurs of drag racing, Fuel Altereds.

Drag racing’s version of T-Rex disappeared from the asphault jungles for all intents and purposes over three decades ago. The remaining few seem to hibernate in the desert of the Southwest United States only occasionally coming out to stretch their ancient bones and then returning from where they came.

At a recent race at Firebird Raceway in Boise, Idaho no less than ten nitro hemi-powered Fuel Altereds showed up to contest for a four car qualified field. Those lucky enough to actually see ten fuel altereds make a pass, witnessed a rare scene indeed.

Most of the cars that showed were, in reality, thinly disguised Fuel Coupes, their 125 inch wheelbase chassis supporting a variety of 23-T model Ford bodies and a few Fiat Topolino body styles. But, for the died-in-the-wool Fuel Altered freaks there were a couple of cars that really looked and acted like Fuel Altereds from the sixties.

Mike Boyd showed up with the Winged Express-Willie Borsch 23-T and made a 7.777/189.83 lap, which is pretty remarkable when you consider that he ran it with a 392 Hemi sporting cast iron heads. Unfortunately, his all time best pass couldn’t crack the respectable 6.694 bump spot. That spot was held down by the only true Fuel Altered in the field. Gary Read drove the Mike Sullivan-tuned Fiat to the 6.69 lap at 214mph and the Fiat had a 98" wheelbase just like they are supposed to. Louis Sweet put the former Mob car into the show with a troubled 6.51. Then the hitters took over as Mack McCord drove the Gorilla to an impressive 6.175/232.57 for the number two spot. But that lap would pale in comparison to Ron Fassl’s astounding 5.898/250.13 shot for the pole.

Read boils the hides on the 98" wheelbase Topolino.

Despite 5.89 qualifier Fassl failed in final.

In the semi-finals Sweet took the measure of Read and Fassl flogged McCord to set up a Ford vs Fiat final.

The final round was classic fuel altered racing with one car hauling and one stalling. Sweet had the Plueger chassised Hemi-Fiat tuned up. He left on Fassl, barely, with a .524 to Fassl’s .542. Sweet never looked back and made an excellent pass running 5.975 at a shutting-off-early 188.79. In the other lane Fassl never was in the race and shut off knowing he couldn’t catch the swift Sweet. He tripped the beams in 10.238 seconds at only 79.67mph.

Veteran altered pilot Higley shoots flames out of the pipes as Sweet pulls away in the far lane.

Meese's 23-T Ford wrinkles up the Eagles on his way to a 7.44 lap.

Qualifying and Results

photos by Tim Marshall and Rich Carlson

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