NHRA's 2002 Media Guide, which I thought, overall was excellent, didn't do a racer biography on Karamesines. They had Don Garlits in there and "Big Daddy" would deserve to be in there years after he dies. Garlits was that great, but qualified only once in 2001. However, "the Greek" ran at a dozen of their events, qualified at nine and was competitive. I refuse to believe that not a single member of the racing press would not be interested in this extraordinary racer's career. Certainly, he should be put on a par with the Tom Lees, Scott Weis' and Bob Vandergriff Jr's (who did not race in 2001) of the drag racing world. A glaring oversight I'd say.

Karamesines was born November 11, 1928. Ex-Top Fuel star Jim Nicoll said he was actually a year younger, but either way this coming late fall "the Greek" will be 73 or 74, depending on whose math you buy into.

This photo from the early 1960s shows the Greek's "twin" and front-motored single dragsters.

Name one sport, a big sport at least on par with drag racing, which can boast of a racer like Karamesines competing at the level he is. In calendar 2002, he has raced at seven or eight of the NHRA national events and qualified at almost all of those. Late last year, he just missed the NHRA the Winston Finals field with a career best 4.73 at 306 mph. This year he has run 4.70's consistently with a best speed of 312-mph. I don't think he's won a round, but that obviously will come at some point.

Yet, he slides by unnoticed. Of course, like any other sporting series, the host group goes with its stars, which in terms of NHRA drag racing means John Force, Larry Dixon Jr., Prudhomme, Bernstein, the Pedregons and the Worshams. And they do this because these racers build the sport in the minds of potential ticket buyers, not to mention that they are big in their respective points hunts. Yet, there are a whole number of people, and not necessarily even drag race fans, who I think would get off on the fact that some guy approaching his mid-seventies, is a competitive world class drag racer.

If they can get a middle-aged guy like Mark Martin sell Viagara, certainly "the Greek" would be a great poster guy for any number of sponsors that cater to an audience other than the WWE/JLo/Brittney/Action Film/Battlebots crowd.

No sport can claim someone like "the Greek." In golf, Jack Nicklaus shoots his weight and Arnold Palmer hangs around gas stations watching an attendant fill Cooper Tires. John Madden would be steam-rolled in one down of a professional football game and O.J. Simpson can only run through the Halls of Justice. At 70, your career is shot in pro sports.

As far as car racing, Bonneville racer Norm Thatcher is the only guy I can think of who raced high horsepowered cars near or in his seventies, but he was competing against the clock and not other racers. NASCAR's Herschel McGriff falls short of "the Greek's" longevity, too. After all, 50 years in hot cars--43 in nitro-burning blown race cars--is a hard nut to crack.

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