1970 was the moment of a major alignment shift for drag racing. For the past decade the governing bodies saw drag racing grow at a phenomenal pace and struggled to keep the classes in check. Altereds, Gassers, Modified Production and Factory Experimentals entires started crossing over in each others races. The Big 3 were starting to see issues with those Funny Looking Cars having anything to do with the cars they needed to sell on Monday morning. Even the driver’s and race teams were struggling to figure out which rules applied to which class. To get the buy-in from the driver’s, the powers that be actually coordinated with the drivers and factory guys. With a lot of input from the likes of Dick Landy, Bill Jenkins, Ronnie Sox and Don Nicholson, Pro-Stock in the NHRA and Pro Super-Stock in the AHRA was born. With the drag strips being able to promote Ford versus Chevy versus Mopar, the fans filled the stands. And soon after, the dealerships had cars that were close to being competition ready, selling right off their showroom floor. Factory sponsors drag clinics were soon popping up at local dealerships before the big events and sales started to follow suit.
Auto World’s latest Xtraction release (SC351 Release 29) captures 3 of the big name racers from the beginning of the Pro-Stock evolution. Dandy Dick Landy, Bill Grumpy Jenkins and Sox & Martin were three of the major players in early Pro-Stock and the cars in this series reflect some of the more unique cars they raced.
Sox & Martin 1971 Plymouth Road Runner #1
The Sox & Martin 1971 Plymouth is an interesting and unique car to feature in this release. The car saw very limited track time and was used chiefly as a drag clinic car. The handful of times the car did see the strip, it was usually pedaled by Herb McCandless but Ronnie Sox did campaign the car on occasion. This particular car tripped the timers at 10.50 ET at 130.00 MPH.
References captured from High Performance Cars Issue 11/71 Pg 25, By Bob McClurg
Bill “Grumpy” Jenkiins 1969 Chevrolet Camaro
William Tyler Jenkins, also known as the Magician of Malvern (PA) but most famously referred to as “Da Grump”. One of the founders of Pro Stock, he was caught watching the lights when the factory teams jumped on board and backed the Ford and Mopar guys. But always one of the brightest stars for the Chevy bow-tie, Jenkins quickly updated his old Super Stock Camaro and got back up to speed and into the thick of competition in the new Pro Stock class. Da Grump quickly gained access to the experimental items like acid dipped bodies and the potent 427 Rat Motor. It wasn’t long before the grumpy little guy was leaving the Fords and Mopars behind.
References captured from The Dawn of Pro Stock by Steve Reyes
Dick Landy 1970 Dodge Challenger
Dandy Dick Landy was one drag racings first factory backed drivers. Always a great asset for Dodge, Landy raced and taught at drag clinics across the nation. With the dawn of Pro Stock, Landy won the first competition at Castle Rock, Colorado in May of 1970. Landy was always easy to spot, chewing on a cigar, even as he drove. Interesting to know he never lit one up, but went through 50 boxes a year. The only picture I could find with him “lighting” a cigar was a promo picture with Landy and Dodge Girl Joni Parker. Landy’s 426 Hemi powered Dodge Challenger was wrenched by his brother Mike and had special heads with 2 plugs per cylinder.
References captured from The Dawn of Pro Stock by Steve Reyes
Packaging for the New Auto World Xtraction Release (SC351)
The addition of the Pro Stock classes in drag racing opened the doors to the direct factory connection between the cars on the showroom floor and what the fans cheered on at the strip. The drag clinics that were sponsored by the local dealerships allowed the fans and the future racers the chance to interact with the drivers and mechanics that they followed. Pro Stock brought the familiar cars we saw on the street, race on the strip. This era lasted for a few years, but in the ever present quest for speed, the cars evolved and became less and less like the street cars the original Pro Stock concept was made for. But for a short few years, starting in 1970, we saw our dream cars on the drag strip and if we were very, very lucky we saw them drive through our neighborhood too.
-Paul Shoemaker