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1320 Notes – May 1976 Super Stock and Drag Illustrated

 

A rat motored Maverick? Hmmm…. See what the rules drove people to? This is rumored to have been a 427.

Agent 1320 spotted Gapp & Roush in a motel parking lot the day after Pomona and snapped this flick of the Ford boys putting an honest-to-goodness big block Chevy between the rails of their 4-door Maverick.

After track tests were delayed first by a water leak, then bent pushrods, and finally five straight days of rain (ending LA’s longest dry spell in 20 years), G & R decided to call it quits and returned home to ready their new Pinto for Florida. Gapp said they’d renew their rat motor wringout after the IHRA race in Miami.

1320 Notes.png

 

Rumors of a 4-door “Limousine” and a first ‘sighting’…

These are from National Dragster’s ‘Bits from the Pits’ in various issues leading up to the intro of the car.

Item 1

One of the biggest mysteries in Pro Stock circles surrounds the 4-door Maverick rumored to be sprung on the competition by Ford exponents Wayne Gapp and Jack Roush. The troops are wondering where, when, and if “The Limousine” (as it’s humorously referred to in the trade) will hit the strip. At Columbus?

Item 2

There’s a strong rumor floating about that Wayne Gapp and Jack Roush are preparing a Maverick 4-door for the Pro Stock wars. Seems that Gapp & Roush are intrigued with the 6.45 weight break for longer wheelbased cars, and feel that the Maverick in itself is aerodynamically superior to the smaller Pintos and Mustang II’s. This combination, which is said to be targeted for completion by the Springnationals, could prove to be most interesting!

Item 3

The long awaited debut of the Gapp & Roush 4-door Maverick occurred this past weekend at Maryland International Raceway, when NHRA World Champion Wayne Gapp stole the show at the NHRA Pro Stock Circuit race at the Budds Creek facility. Gapp hit an off-the-trailer 8.92, 154-mph effort with the “taxi”, and proceeded to win the entire meet, whipping Richie Zul in the final, 9.03 to 9.07.

First Sighting.pngMILAN, MICHIGAN — First photos of Gapp and Roush 4-door Maverick Pro Stocker. Using a 366 ci. “Boss” Ford engine went 892 – 154 at legal weight on only its 8th pass. 

Winner – The 1975 U.S. Nationals

Not many folks get a win at NHRA’s U.S. Nationals. It is considered THE race of the year.

This is from the July 25th 1975 Issue of National Dragster. See the original entry here.

Pro Stock

Of all the evening’s winners, few enjoyed the ceremonies more than Wayne Gapp, the man who has been a frontrunner all year, but seemingly had some trouble with coming through in the final rounds. After losing the Winternationals to Bob Glidden on a holeshot and then fouling to Glidden in the Gatornationals final, Gapp admittedly had been the subject of criticism within the ranks as for his driving expertise, but the skeptics were silenced at this race as he came through in flying colors via a solid trouncing of Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins (8.80 to an 8.93) to claim the win and stop Jenkins’ own personal three-event winning streak at Summernationals events.

A major factor behind the Gapp & Roush win was their frantic engine change between the second and third rounds. After hitting an 8.96 in the first round, Gapp slowed to 9.03 in the second, and concluded that his engine had “gone south.” The subsequent engine change brought forth a resounding 8.84 in the semi’s, setting the stage for his 8.80 thrashing of “the Grump.” The 8.80 was, of course, Low E.T. of the Meet and also a new National Record. Jenkins did have the consolation of setting Top Speed with a clocking of 154.90 mph.