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| Mikio Yoshioka's "Stone-T" Fuel Altered
gives off the death rattle at Orange County Int'l Raceway in 1971.
DRO file photo. |
The Fuel Altereds were everywhere in Southern California in 1968, and
for three and a half months of the year, all over the East Coast as
well. Counting best of three match races, standard eight-car shows,
and Fuel Altered versus Funny Car formats, the class was hosted almost
40 times in California, Arizona, and Las Vegas. As stated in the last
installment, this exposure resulted in more ink and more work. In terms
of performance, the Fuel Altereds were outperforming the Funny Cars
what with "Wild Willie" Borsch's 7.29 in the Marcellus-Borsch/"Winged
Express" roadster at the '68 NHRA Winternationals best overshadowing
Jack Chrisman's 7.60 in a Mercury Comet at the 1967 U.S. Nationals.
The speed was all-Fuel Altered as well. Leaving aside Emery Cook's
200.44 in Don Garlits' roadster (the old Marvin Schwartz/Garlits Chassis
Spl. with a topless Dodge Dart skin), no Funny Car had gone over 200-mph.
The Fuel Altereds were doing that routinely, dating back to Borsch's
first double century, a 200.44-mph scamper at Irwindale on September
23 a year previous. On March 24, 1968 Dale Emery really jolted the Fuel
Altered class when he ran the class' best speed while beating Lee LeBaron's
roadster at the Hot Rod Magazine Championships at Riverside Raceway.
Emery wheeled Rich Guasco's "Pure Hell" Bantam by LeBaron with a sizzling
7.70/207.36, a speed that would remain unchallenged all year. That same
lack of challenge would apply to Borsch's 7.29 as well.
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