Tag Archives: Ford Pinto

Racing

Project 1320 – Drag Racing Action

So I was perusing the Internet the other day and ran across the picture below as part of PDF file that was created for Project 1320. See that site here. They are doing some cool stuff.

They may wish to look a bit closer at the images. Here is the caption:

“Before the famed four door “Tijuana Taxi” Maverick came the Gapp & Roush Pro Stock Ford Pinto. Jack pulls the wheels out of the lights at the 1973 Popular Hot Rodding Nationals.”

Ahh..no.

The original image is large enough that:

  1. You can clearly see that isn’t Roush
  2. The driver number is 358. WG’s number was 358.

Here is a bit of information about the NHRA Driver numbers that Gapp and Roush used. In general from 1971 to 1975 they used ‘356’ on the car when not using ‘1’ or ’51’. If they were running two events before 1975 they each used their own number ‘356’ for Roush and ‘358’ for Gapp.

After 1975 I haven’t seen a car that carried ‘356’…only ‘358’ or Dondero’s which I think was ‘1006’.

That’s because the two were operating as separate businesses and there was no need for Roush’s number.

Edit: I think this might be the Popular Hot Rodding meet held in Martin, MI

GandRProject1320

Racing

1974 Supernationals Wayne Gapp bio info…

“…rather vicious…”

1974 SN bio 2-1.png

Mild-mannered in his personal demeanor but rather vicious on the race track, Wayne Gapp made some of the biggest headlines in 1974 with his controversial 4-door Maverick that took advantage of a wheelbase rule, allowing him to run 125 lbs. lighter than the competition. This advantage, coupled with the tremendous horsepower generated by Gapp & Roush-prepared engines, saw Gapp produce a tremendous record with a Grandnational-Molson victory and Summernationals runner-up along with the a new National Record of 8.84. Gapp also finished second in the Pro Point Standings at the end of the WCS season and is favored to fend off the challenge of Wally Booth’s AMC Hornet for the overall title at the Supernationals/World Finals

1974 SN bio 2-2.png

Racing

Classic Match up at Ontario

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The caption reads:

It came on the final race of the second round of eliminations for Pro Stock. A rematch of the Pro Stock final at the Amarillo World’s Finals. Wayne Gapp, consistently in the 8’s, had led all qualifiers the previous Sunday at 8.90 but Jenkins had also qualified in the 8’s at 8.99, and in the first round had cut a somewhat dubious but nonetheless mind-boggling 8.64!

An extremely close contest was virtually assured, with Jenkins seeming at that point to be Chevrolet’s best hope for upending the Ford domination of the class.

The result: Gapp – 8.91, Jenkins – 8.96, both turning top speeds of 151.77 and Gapp the winner by a scant five foot margin. With this run, Jenkins became the first 8-second Pro Stock loser!

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Racing

Gapp & Roush Continue Pro Stock Rampage With OMS Win

How can you not like that headline?

Supernats.pngGapp & Roush Continue Pro Stock Rampage With OMS Win

SUPERNATIONALS – Yet another all-Ford final marked the money run into Pro Stock Eliminator, and the usual close race resulted as World Champion Wayne Gpp edged U.S. Nationals Champion Bob Glidden in a classic side-by-side battle as Gapp overcame Glidden’s slight hole shot lead to take the wino on the top end with 8.87, 152.02 mph charge to Glidden’s 8.96, 152.80. It was the fourth time that each driver had reached a Pro Stock final this year, with Gapp scoring 2 wins and 2 runner-ups and Glidden settling for 3 runner-ups along with his lone U.S. Nationals win. It was also the second year in a row that Glidden had been nipped in a Supernationals final.