Tripp Tatum @ Indy (1 Viewer)

Pete

Nitro Member
I had heard that Tripp was putting together his own equipment/program, not sure if this is it or he rented a ride....either way, GREAT to see him back!!
 
I had heard that Tripp was putting together his own equipment/program, not sure if this is it or he rented a ride....either way, GREAT to see him back!!
I believe it is his own team. Brian Lohnes made a comment on the NHRA podcast that there would be a Top Fuel debut by a new driver and his own team. He would be the only one on the list that fits.
 
I believe it is his own team. Brian Lohnes made a comment on the NHRA podcast that there would be a Top Fuel debut by a new driver and his own team. He would be the only one on the list that fits.
I heard the same and checked the entry list....but thats still open until this afternoon
 
I heard the same and checked the entry list....but thats still open until this afternoon
67th Annual
Dodge//SRT NHRA U.S. Nationals

Top Fuel Dragster​


#​
Cls​
Driver​
Make​
Eng​
Entry​
1​
TF​
Steve Torrence​
'18 MLR​
AJ 500​
CAPCO CONTRACTORS INC​
2​
TF​
Doug Kalitta​
'21 Kalitta​
AJ 500​
MAC TOOLS/TOYOTA​
3​
TF​
Billy Torrence​
'18 MLR​
AJ 500​
CAPCO CONTRACTORS​
5​
TF​
Antron Brown​
'21 DSR​
DSM 500​
DSR MATCO TOOLS/TOYOTA TOP F​
7​
TF​
Justin Ashley​
'18 DSR​
AJ 500​
STRUTMASTERS.COM​
25​
TF​
Clay Millican​
'21 DSR​
AJ 498​
PARTS PLUS​
40​
TF​
Alex Laughlin​
'21 *********​
MLR 526​
POWER BUILT/SPR​
77​
TF​
Josh Hart​
'20 MLR​
AJ 500​
BURNYZZ/TECHNET​
144​
TF​
Tripp Tatum III​
'21 MLR​
AJ 500​
TRIPP TATUM RACING​
171​
TF​
Joe Morrison​
'18 Hadman​
AJ 496​
LEVERICH/RIGHT2BREATHE​
222​
TF​
Lex Joon​
'99 McKinney​
AJ 500​
LEX JOON RACING​
323​
TF​
Buddy Hull​
'18 Dragster​
BAE 500​
TERRY HADDOCK RACING​
333​
TF​
Shawn Langdon​
'21 Kalitta​
AJ 500​
DHL/KALITTA AIR/TOYOTA​
386​
TF​
Kyle Wurtzel​
'19 Agan​
AJ 500​
KYLE WURTZEL RACING​
725​
TF​
Krista Baldwin​
'09 DSR​
TFX 500​
LUCAS OIL/MCLEOD/GREEK​
745​
TF​
Brittany Force​
'21 Force​
TFX 500​
MONSTER ENERGY/FLAV R PAK​
777​
TF​
Leah Pruett​
'21 DSR​
SCHM 500​
DSR MOPAR/PENNZOIL/OKUMA TOP​
7129​
TF​
Greg Carrillo​
'19 MLR​
AJ 500​
GREGORY CARRILLO RACING​
7211​
TF​
Mike Salinas​
'18 MLR​
TFX 500​
SCRAPPERS RACING​
 
Is Tripp Tatum any relationship to Gordon Tatum ( both are from the Eastern Seaboard )
Gordon who owned and drove ( that's a story for another day ) the former
"Surfers II" AA/FD that Bob, Tom and Mike never raced. The car was sold to the Bandel Bros.
first in late 1966 and then to Gordon Tatum in late 1967. By all accounts the car only ran a few
times ( both new owners ) then the car was parked in late 1968 ( also a story for another day )
By all accounts maybe the finest, trickest most detailed AA/FD ever built of it's era.
The car was built by Frank Huszar at RCS ( SoCal ) and the body by the great Tom Hanna
Sorry for rambling on. Love AA/FD and stuck in the 60's and 70's miss those days

1630967663354.png

Bandel Bros. AA/FD 1967 at Irwindale
1630967749331.png

Gordon Tatum AA/FD at Englishtown 1968
1630967930000.png

Tripp Tatum at Indy Friday night 9/3/2021
 
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Keep it up Jim, me too. Front-engine AA/FD cars are, and were the best, works of art.


TopFuel@Lions
Thanks Mark. The AA/FD of the 60's and early 70's were the best works of art ever in drag racing history, Bar None
The picture of the Bandel Bros. AA/FD 1967 was taken at Irwindale. You and your Dad could have bin there and
that's really COOL!!! and just maybe Cliff was there. Me, I didn't start going until June of 1968. But I guess you have
start somewhere
 
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Is Tripp Tatum any relationship to Gordon Tatum ( both are from the Eastern Seaboard )
Gordon who owned and drove ( he tried to drive, that's a story for another day ) the former
"Surfers II" AA/FD that Bob, Tom and Mike never raced. The car was sold to the Bandell Bros.
first in late 1966 and then to Gordon Tatum in late 1967. By all accounts the car only ran a few
times ( both new owners ) then the car was parked in late 1968 ( also a story for another day )
By all accounts maybe the finest, trickest most detailed AA/FD ever built of it's era.
The car was built by Frank Huszar at RCS ( SoCal ) and the body by the great Tom Hanna
Sorry for rambling on. Love AA/FD and stuck in the 60's and 70's miss those days

View attachment 8872
Bandell Bros. AA/FD 1967 at Irwindale
View attachment 8873
Gordon Tatum AA/FD at Englishtown 1968
View attachment 8874
Tripp Tatum at Indy Friday night 9/3/2021
Yes, that was his father
 
Jim I was not at Irwindale that day, altho I spent a lot of time there, especially after Lions closed. They used to call it "The Dale". I seem to remember a big gravel pit on one side of the track. BTW, do you have any idea of whatever happened to the car? Would be cool if it was found & maybe become a cackle car.
 
Jim I was not at Irwindale that day, altho I spent a lot of time there, especially after Lions closed. They used to call it "The Dale". I seem to remember a big gravel pit on one side of the track. BTW, do you have any idea of whatever happened to the car? Would be cool if it was found & maybe become a cackle car.
Cliff Just going off what I remember. Tatum parked the car in late 1968. Tatum had the car and preserved it for years, until the
feds came knocking a few years ago. ( why the feds came I don't no ) and seized it. Well anyway the late Tom Hanna bought it
at auction, and when Tom passed it went up for auction in April 2021 it sold for $48,500 to say it was well preserved is a understatement!!!
The May 1967 Drag Racing magazine with Jim's girlfriend on the cover I have in my collection. thanks to my late friend Randy who
gave me every issue of Drag Racing magazine from 1965 to 1970 back in 1993 and yes they are very well preserved. Found out about
the cover in 2018 watching the Bill Pitts Surfer show, great show watch it!


1631029064419.png

Here is the late Tom "The Tinman" Hanna doing what he did best
building bodies for AA/FD

1631030472523.png

AA/FD Tom even did some driving back in the day. Here we have Tom at
Lions Drag Strip the year is 1963 or 64. Just A Classic Bitchin Photo. Enough said!
 
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Thanks Jim. Glad the car is still around. Funny how the old memories are so precious to us. We always remember the good stuff and not the -crap- we went thru back then. Heh
 

Scroll down in this article & the story about Bandel Bros & the girl posed on the tire......
Cliff you and some of the others on here who went to the drags in 60's ( me to ) will dig this, even the kids
on here might like it. Watch it kids you might learn something!!! The Surfers episodes 1 though 51
Came out Jan 1, 2016 ended Oct 18, 2018. I have watched the series 3 times and learned something new
and cool each time! All episodes are around 15 min long. The first video is number 47 about the Bandel Bros.
and Pam around 4 min in. Second video is number 1. Only thing they got wrong was Jim & Pam were never
married, I'm a Doors fan. But when I got the magazine in 1993 I didn't know the girl on the cover was
Jim's girlfriend.

Episode 47

Episode 1
 
I have seen these. So cool to "get it from the source". You see the Quincy Automotive car above? This is the first Freight Train, altho it wasn't called that at the time. I saw this car run at San Fernando around early 1962 with the blowers on top of the engines.
 
I have seen these. So cool to "get it from the source". You see the Quincy Automotive car above? This is the first Freight Train, altho it wasn't called that at the time. I saw this car run at San Fernando around early 1962 with the blowers on top of the engines.
The Quincy Automotive digger is really Cool!!! Is that a front mounted blower I see on the car. What were they called ? I think
it starts with a P ? I think
 
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Potvin. $2 please..... hahahahaha Probably spelled that wrong, but they were the ones that had the front mounted blower. Lotta cars ran them, but not as efficient as mounting the blower on top of the engine & using chain drive in the early days, then the rubber band like today.
 
Potvin. $2 please..... hahahahaha Probably spelled that wrong, but they were the ones that had the front mounted blower. Lotta cars ran them, but not as efficient as mounting the blower on top of the engine & using chain drive in the early days, then the rubber band like today.
Potvin that's it. Thank you Cliff. Hay I had the first letter right...LOL
 
Potvin. $2 please..... hahahahaha Probably spelled that wrong, but they were the ones that had the front mounted blower. Lotta cars ran them, but not as efficient as mounting the blower on top of the engine & using chain drive in the early days, then the rubber band like today.
Cliff you spelled Potvin correct. You just might be the smartest man on this site. ( just might LOL ) Had to dig deep
though my old drag rags, but I remember seeing this.

1631123615870.png

Potvin blower assembly. circa 1958
1631124082160.png

Potvin blower. circa 1960
 
Jim, I have never seen a photo where the blower was mounted sideways like above. Was the engine apart or was that the way it was run??? (I ain't THAT smart! hahahahaha) I always saw Potvin blowers run off the crank, sitting in front of the engine. Injectors on the side of the blower & tubes running from the other side of the blower to the intake manifold. hmmmmmm
Roger Gates, does this photo ring a bell? Wow this is strange.
 
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