What would they think?

[hvychev]

I have given this a lot of thought lately. What do you think that the late supercar heros that we cherish today would think of the current state of the hobby and the legacy that they left behind? ie. Don Yenko, Dick Harrell, Fred Gibb, etc. I know that there is no way to know what they would have thought but it is fun to imagine what they would think of how passionate some of us are about the cars and how much value some of these cars have etc.

I know that out of all of them I would have loved to meet and speak with Dick Harrell. He seemed like a hell of a guy and I have heard great stories about him and some of the good things that he did. I am not just referring to his racing accomplishments I mean the nice things that he did for other people. I love to look at the Harrell website and view all the pictures of him in the photo section and see how happy he looked and how he just had a presence about him. People on that site that had worked with and for him and had crossed paths with him hold him in such high regard with amazing details that they remember about him from over 33 years ago. Attached is one of my favorite pics of Dick doing what he does best. Helping others. In this pic you can see him crouched under the Sox and Martin Cuda helping the competition fix there car. There is also a great letter that Valerie Harrell posted where a kid sent them a letter way back then telling them how great Dick Harrell was for helping him in the pits fix his car at the races when no one else would. What a guy! Who would you have liked to meet?

I know that some members here met Don Yenko and Fred Gibb in the late 80's before there deaths and I wonder what they thought of the legacy's that they created with these cars that we love so much.

[69yenkoman]

I'm with you I would have loved to meet Dick H. I think you are right on the money when speaking about how nice a guy he was. He is my all time favorite !!!

[Pantera]

I think that we all have our hero's and to have talked to some of them would be so neat.

I have lived a hell of a life. I did have the pleasure to get to meet some of the great racers in my past and they are just like you and me. They put their hat on just like we would. The only difference is that they just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

I got to meet and chat with Bobby Unser at a race on the second floor of the old Dallas airport one Feb when I was there to enter a race. He was there to watch his nephew get some seat time in a Sports car before he started his professonal career. Mario was there also with His son.


I was at Alanta Runnoffs when I got to meet Jim Trueman the car owner of Bobby Rahal and the owner of Red Roof Inns. Neat guy and so frendly to everybody. Always laughing. It brought tears to my eyes when Bobby won Indy the day before Jim died of cancer. What a guy...! actually both of them. Really neat to be around.

I was at Alanta one other time when I got to meet Paul Newman and then later got to race with him and after the races drank a little beer with him. What a guy and so skinny it would suprise you. I bet you never knew that he can drive a street car backwards faster than most people can forwards. We were leaving the racetrack that evening and he passes us in our motorhome backwards in a white ford tempo rental car in the grass. he made it out the front gate passing dozens of other tow rigs and did a bootlegg turn on the main road and was off for the airport. I will never forget the crazy look in his eyes as he came by me on the grass. This guy is just like you see him in the movies. He doesn't act that is just natural for him. he has fun with eveything in his life.

I got to get drunk and party with Danny Sullivan (spun and still won Indy) here in Tulsa. Qualifing for the 1982 New years race into the new year was pulling your race suit and nomex off and then putting it on a very shapely blond in a bikini. It was held in a hotel as it was too cold to do it outside.

I have raced with a guy that owned one of the Grand Sport vettes (delmo Johnson's) at 16 and is still a good friend to this day.

I only wish I had took more pic of everything now. There were so many good times and great people to meet. I may not have got to meet Don but I did get to see him race. I do feel that they would be very happy about the way we all are so wrapped up with their cars now days.

Pantera

[427TJ]

I was at the Seattle Roadster Show a couple of years ago and was browsing at a vendor table. The guy at the table asks me if I need any help and I look up and see that it's Gene Winfield, the famous customizer. Stunned, I just looked at him for a few seconds and then managed to say "You're Gene Winfield!" and I held out my hand. He shook hands with me and said, "Yes, that's me." He must have thought I was from the moon but I was just out of it when I was looking at his stuff. Back in the '60s when I was a kid and a model car nut I saw Gene Winfield's name and face on those great AMT car kits. Looking up and seeing him right in front of me was just a shock. I bought a poster of his, the 1957 LIFE magazine cover photo of Norm Grabowski's T-bucket at a drive-in, and had Gene sign it. Man, I was just star-struck. I babbled about AMT model cars and he chuckled and then I thanked him for his autograph and went back to the show. Neat guy.

[Supercar_Kid]

I was all smiles when I got the chance to meet this living legend. Needless to say...he wasn't.

[Belair62]

Hey who is the punk with Grump ?

[hvychev]

When was that taken kid?

[DarrenX33]

Yeah I'd say he looks a little uncomfortable. Great picture.

[olredalert]

------Hey,S-Kid,

------Grumpy is only grumpy when he has to talk about cars. About six of us stood around the lobby of a hotel down in Richmond Virginia until two in the morning once and never stopped laughing just listening to Da Grump expound. All he wanted to talk about was women, and I dont mean the kind in church! Liquor was flowing relatively well that evening too. Dont think Ill ever forget it. You know, one of thse crazy nights that just seems to fall together and the next day you just say WOW!...........Bill S

[Supercar_Kid]

The pic was taken at last year's York US 30 reunion. What a show. Grump was a gracious guest of the show, but he was his legendarily contrary self. I shook his hand, spoke with him for a few minutes, and bought a T shirt. When I removed the shirt from it's plastic baggie to have him sign it, he grumbled something about not unfolding it. I kinda wanted him to sign it big on the back, so I could frame it or something, but just as I began to let it unfold he barked at me "Hey I said don't unfold that!" He snatched it out of my hand and signed it on the front above the Jenkins Competition logo. Guess you get it Grump's way or no way. He did agree to a photo after that, and you've seen the resulting expression. It was an honor to meet him for sure, but kinda funny that still today and even among his biggest fans, he prefers to be a grouch.