Sunday, September 16th

Memories of INDY 2001

The US Nationals seem so long ago. Some other year, another lifetime. Anything that happened before last Tuesday is so distant. The strange thing is that Indy 2001 was one of the best US Nationals ever. I have made every Nationals since 1973, with the exceptions of 1974 and 1999. I missed 1974 because of the gas crisis and the 1999 race for the sole reason that the US Nationals had become just another race in the NHRA Winston Series.

The race had stopped becoming the premier event for NHRA. You couldn't tell the difference between Indy and Columbus or Chicago. No splash. No fanfare.

NHRA used to give bonus points at Indy. One and half the regular round points you would get at the other National events. My guess is that they changed it back to the regular scoring after the West Coast racers complained of it not being fair to them because they had too far to tow.

Well, Indy is back! For at least one year. I was so hepped up before the race I couldn't wait to get off the plane. The SS/AA Shootout. Big Bud. Shirley and Garlits. Two nighttime qualifying shots. More racecars on the grounds that you can shake a stick at. Darrell Gwynn in a car for the first time since his crash. The list goes on and on. I am still sifting through all my photos and souvenirs.

Raceway Park in Crawfordsville, Indiana is not fancy. Little has changed in the 28 years I've been going. The old East Side stands on the hill are long gone along with the old DA tower. But the basic layout is the same. The camp grounds along the West Side. The Drive In Theater across the street. Dirt and grass pits for the most part. The oval track next to the Pro Pits. And cars, lots of racecars. Hundreds of Super Stockers and Stockers along with more Super Gas and Super Comp than I want to remember.

The Wally Parks Tower, plus the upgraded crossover walkway, is there now but I can still recognize the track from photos taken today. Try that at Columbus or E-Town or even Pomona. With those wraparound towers in the background, they all look the same. The same goes for Chicago too. Well, between the diluting of the schedule and the points restructuring, Indy became just another cog in the wheel. Nothing special. But this year was different.

I hope Indy 2001 wasn't a one-year fluke. A flash in the pan. 50th anniversary hype stuff. Indy deserves to be the Daytona of NHRA. Not just another race on the schedule. Take note NHRA.

I need to do some housecleaning before I go on. I neglected to mention a few of the fine folks I met at Indy. First, let me introduce you to Larry Hrynchuk. Larry traveled all the way from Redwater, Alberta, Canada. He flew into Chicago and rented a car and came on down to Indy. Larry is a good friend of Bruce Gregg and Jimmy Crampton. They are the two guys that know more about drag racing than they should.

Anyway, Larry hooked up with Jimmy and Bruce at Indy and shared a room. These three would go up into the stands at 8:30 am and would not come down until the last pair of cars went down the track. These guys would even watch the "Sports Magic" nitwits. The combined knowledge of these three is frightening. These guys need a life...

Another group of people I want to tell you about is the Pro Stock Truck team of Mike Graves and family. Mike had the distinction of qualifying dead last in Pro Stock Truck. Not an easy task to do. Mike and his friends, the Schramers, were pitted next to where I parked. We got to know each other pretty well after five days. I had taken a big stack of photo outtakes to Indy to give to Jim Crampton. There were a lot of Pro shots from Pomona and E-town and I knew Jimmy would enjoy them.

Anyway, the Graves' and Schramer's had their kids with them and the pictures fascinated two of the younger boys. I ended up giving them nearly the bulk of the photos. These guys then took the photos over to the Pro Pits and had the drivers sign them. I figured they would be happy enough just to get the pictures, but get them autographed? Pretty cool. Some of the Pros gave them more photos along with the ones I had laid on them. The next day while I was getting my cameras loaded in the van, both the boys came over and thanked me for what I had done. What manners. I was impressed. Good people.

But getting back to the dead last qualifying. Mike was unfazed. They couldn't wait to get back to the shop and check out what was the problem with the truck. From what I saw, the truck was not leaving the line in what I would call a straight manner. Kinda twisted if you know what I mean. Also, Mike and his team seemed to be unaware of NHRA's dropping the class for 2002. I know this isn't true but they had their game face on and talked of engine and chassis changes they wanted to make.

The team is not in the league of Bob Panella or Larry Kopp. They are grassroots Sportsman racers trying for the big time. It's a shame people like the Graves' will be hard hit when next year rolls around. No reprieve from the high sheriffs. Comp is an alternative, but these teams have hundreds of thousands of $$$ tied up in their trucks. Comp is a major step down for these teams.

In closing this installment of Fear and Loathing I would like to thank a few friends and racers that made my trip to Indy a most memorable one. I will probably miss a few but I will be sure and make it up to them.

Thanks to:

Lincoln and Ron Morehead. Dave Bishop. Al Smith from Porta Tree. Dave DeAngelis. Bruce Biegler. Joe Teuton. Bruce Gregg. Jim Crampton. Rick Hampton. The Pro Stock Truck teams of Mike Graves and Doug Harris. Bobby Bennett. The great folks that work at IRP, and George Pease from Drag Racing News.

As I said in my last installment, the NHRA race at Maple Grove was postponed until the first week in October. It would have been impossible for the Pros to fly in to Philly before the race. Plus, I think it was good for everyone to forget about racing and the stick and ball games for just one weekend and spend the time with family and loved ones.

Watching the stories of husbands, wives, children, moms and dads and friends that would not be coming home after the horror in New York City and Washington made all of us stop and realize just how precious life is.

If September 11th never happened and Maple Grove was run, it would have been unbelievable. This past weekend's weather was in the high 60's and no humidity. Cool and sunny days. The place would have been a mineshaft. 6.70 Pro Stockers at 205 mph. 4.40 Top Fuelers. Sunny days and starlit nights in Pennsylvania. Oh well... let's not get too bummed out.

My next race is the President's Cup at Budds Creek, Maryland in one week. I will be sending more pictures for Bob to post in the meantime. Thanks for listening... phil

As usual send your gripes and adoration to:
Hutch@delanet.com or Philip_R._Hutchison@dadebehring.com

Left: Tony Pedregon - Castrol Syntec Funny Car
Right: Tony Schumacher - ARMY Top Fuel Dragster


Left: Dennis Taylor - Federal-Mogul Funny Car
Right: Shirley Muldowney - Top Fuel Dragster


Left: Lincoln & Ron Morehead - Super Stock
Right: Mike Graves - Pro Stuck Truck


Left: Larry Hyrnchuk, Jim Crampton & Bruce Gregg
Right: Staging lanes at Indianapolis Raceway Park


Left: Bob Bode - Plastic Bags Funny Car
Right: Big Bud Shootout contestants


Left: SS/AA Shootout contestants
Right: Santo Volpe - AA/A '63 Corvette