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Although my first love has always been top fuel, I must admit that I really liked the funny cars in 1965 and 66 before they went to the blowers, and before they abandoned all resemblance to factory stockers. There was never a funny car again that looked as good to me as the AWB Mustangs and Chevy IIs with injector stacks.
My photos of Hubert Platt's Mustang were taken at the Drag Racing Magazine
East-West Stocker Championships at Lions on November 26 & 27th, 1966. All the heavy hitters were there.
I clearly remember that Hayden Proffitt was a very popular winner in the light unblown class with his topless Corvair running a best of 8.49, and
beating Gas Ronda in the final. And I remember the crowds all day around
the Mercury Comet floppers of Nicholson and Schartman with the Logghe
chassis and unblown SOHV cammers. This was their first head-to-head
meeting. Platt, Tommy Grove, Dick Loeher and Gas Ronda were the Mustang
guys. I didn't recall how Platt had done at this race (CRS!), so I looked
it up in Drag News and Drag Racing magazine. He raced Jungle Jim in the
Brutus Pontiac GTO in the Saturday match racing. Hubert won the first
round with an 8.59 to a 10.71, and won the match with a single when the
throttle linkage broke on Brutus. By the way, Huston Platt won two out of three in his Dixie Twister Chevy II over Charlie Allen. The March, 1967 issue of Drag Racing had this to say about the Platts on Sunday:
"Then the Platt brothers had a go at it. Family emulation plus the
outstanding records on both cars pointed to this as one of the races to
watch with particular interest. Huston's Chevy II was looking mighty strong
and looked as though it might put Hubert and the Paul Harvey Ford on the
trailer. However, Hubert doesn't fall easily, and a strong 8.68 brought him
victory."
And, later, when Hubert raced Ronnie Sox,
"The second round of Mr. Factory Stock eliminations began with the
appearance of Ronnie Sox, making burnouts through powdered rosin in
preparation to meet Hubert Platt. This would surely be one of the better
races of the day, since both of these cars have tremendous potential. Sox
was able to get a jump on Platt from the gate, and an 8.67 brought him
victory; a quicker 8.61 clocking on Platt was only second best. "
I recall that I didn't care much for the Jeeps (C&O's Navy Jeep, and the
Lenarth & Wolford's Secret Weapon that won the blown class). They seemed
to me to be cheating the notion of funny cars having at least some
resemblance to factory stockers. And I wasn't too crazy about the look of
the topless cars -- Proffitt's Corvair, the Melrose Missile, Vanderewoude's
Flying Dutchman Dart. As with the Jeeps, these convertibles (Ha!) didn't
look quite right to me. I guess that's why I liked the Mustangs and Dodges,
and Chevy IIs, and the Sox & Martin Barracuda.
It was a terrific weekend and the last big race that I saw with injected
funny cars. 1966 was a very good year. -- Paul Hutch Hutchins.
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