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Favorite/Best Junior Fueler? (1 Viewer)

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TopFuel@Lions

Nitro Member
Oh how this one can open up pandora's box. What or whom was your best/favorite Junior Fueler?

I can see the folks who will post about Adams & Enriquez as being one, good choice but let's also think about the body of the class. The mecca for these cars easily was the action and competition at Lions, thank you pappy!

So let me throw these names off my bald/old geezer head, and just for the record, I don't look this #$@& up, it's in my head.

Some great choices below.
Phil Tadlock-1 of the best ever performances by a Jr. Fueler ever at San Fernando.
Les Allen-The Wasp
The Stinger
Ige & Sassa
J & M Speed Center
Bier Bros.
The Bright Boys
Allison & Crowe
Holly & Dietz
Rea & Evans
Vann & Mitchell
Frank Britt
Rose-Lawson & Barros-PDA Winner (Largest JF Field Ever!)
Larry Van Der Hoek
Yellow Fever
The Plague
Dwight Hughes
The Hawk
Howell Bros.
Bob Williams

Your?

Mine will be a tie between Larry Bright and the "Bright Boys" and Rea & Evans. Larry Bright ran his car with so much pineapple juice, ran it so hard, that car had such intense throttle response. Sometimes to their downfall as it would smoke the tires at the worst of times. Rea & Evans had sucj a cool looking car, ran consistent, and always put on a good show.

[email protected] a nice 8-car Junior Fuel show at the joint at 223rd & Alameda.
 
Special K, Barry Kaplan. Best memory of him is that in late 1968, Don Prudhomme debuted new AA/FD at San Fernando. Faced off with Kaplan in Rd 1 of Top Fuel. Snake got sideways & Kaplan won. They talked about that for weeks! heh And, yes, Adams & Enriquez, which I argue is one of the baddest nitro cars ever, regardless of class. Ran the 1st unblown "6" at OCIR, 1973. Ben Griffen later ran injected nitro F/C, a Mustang, and it was a killer. Was at Lions Last Race with that car. There was a Texas A/FD, Yancy - Camp (I think that was the name). Anyhoo, they raced Adams & Enriquez once at a national race. Everyone wanted to see that race! Y & C lost fire, & Don Enriquez waited for them to re-start. They did and Don got the win. Those were the 2 baddest A/FD in the land at the time.

OK, do you include Cook & Bedwell? Unblown 392 Chrysler w/ 6 carbs on nitro, ran 166 in early 1957, caused the nitro ban. Of course, Big Daddy, who had same combo & ran 178, got invited to Bakersfield.
 
First show i ever saw at Pacific Raceways 1968 (8 years old) AA/FD and Junior Fuel, I fell in love with those injected diggers that Saturday in July!
 
My dad.........
A Fuel Dragster smith-pic-9.jpg
 
Phil Tadlock was good friend of mine. He was the first 200mph jr fueler.
Phil and Barry Kaplan ran a nostalgia Top fuel car in the 90's when there were still iron Hemis to be used.
 
George Cerny was one of the starters of the class with CJ Hart at Lions. Cerny's won many J/F races at Lions with George Jr driving most of the time. Won also with Bobby Hightower and Les Allen driving. Also won the Hot Rod meet at Riverside. It was a very friendly group not only racing but helping each other when needed.
 
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Great answers and thoughts. In the original post, Mr. Tadlock was mentioned. His performance once again at San Fernando was really something for the time.

Cliff, lol, no fuel cars with "leaky" Stromberg 97s' should be included. Just the small inch "true" Junior Fuelers.

Now this is for discussion and friendly debate. As I opined in the first post, that we should look at the entire body of the Jr, Fuel class, with that being posted, let us remember that the A & E ride was a relative late entry in this class. Some may, some may not have a handle on this class since it's inception. The many and multi-time winners are many. While I feel it is a good argument that the A & E cars was awesome, I do not subscribe to the claim that the were the class of the Jr. Fuel division. There are many thoughts that they were. That is what makes this discussion fun.

When this shebang of a division got rolling, especially at Lions, Irwindale, San Fernando in the days before OCIR I submit the many winners that could challenge the success of the A & E ride. Some on here have, and some may have not been a at-track witness to the many mention above and the many not mentioned.

There were a number of twin small block cars that do not qualify the Jr. Fuel moniker, like Nye Frank and maybe one of the absolute best drivers I ever saw, Lefty Mudersbach twin engine beast. There was a night at Lions that is shown on the 3-part Lions DVD, when Lefy went against Jack Christman and his blown 2-engine machine.

I do understand the legacy and accomplishments of the A & E car, good argument, but in my geezer view the cars from 65 thru 69 that I saw maybe have a better weekly and So-Cal pedigree. JMO. Shoot, I loved em' all. Lefty was such an absolute killer driver with incredible talent and savvy. As with Boyd Pennington, another stud behind the wheel.


[email protected] in the left lane it's Lefty Mudersbach..
 
The Logghe car was a unblown small block, but was not a Jr. Fueler - too many inches as was the Accessory Limited car of Gustafason & Noice. As the class was 310 inches the real hitters ran a small bore longer stroke deal with a tall gear since Nitromethane really doesn't like RPM.
 
Mel Smith's photo of his dad's car. That car would be at home at Lions, etc, as it pretty much captures the way JR/F looked. I do remember seeing a Ford car at Lions, think it had Dan Gurney heads. Also a Mopar car that ran pretty good. Sorry I can't remember the names of the teams. Oh..... I have a photo somewhere of a little Hemi car that ran Lions, 299" DeSoto if I remember right. How about Heidelburg Speed Shop modified roadster? It ran w/ the Jr/F cars at San Fernando, SBC on nitro. Technically it was a Modified Roadster, but had a dragster chassis.
 
You could write a book about Gene Adams. Everything he ever ran was fast. He started off with an Olds "fastback" (early 1950's) gasser, with a home built blower in the early 50's. Had great success with Olds engines in dragsters, before switching to Hemis. He did good in Top Fuel, but seems to have excelled in unblown nitro & even unblown gas dragsters. The twin engined T/F he ran around 1970 - first unblown twin in the 6's at Lions. Injected nitro F/C in Pro Comp. He teamed with Dennis King (?) in the Asian Flew A/A on gas, with an Arias Hemi & set records. Adams has to go down in drag racing history as one of the great tuners. I'd put him way high on that list.
 
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