Ron Gustin drives the Roger Gustin car out of Texas. This is the ex-Joe Penland car that was World Champion in the early/mid-1990's. Photo by Dale Fackler.
Lyle
Greenberg Motorsports
Alcohol Funny Car and Alcohol Dragster Pictorial
(Archive Page 2)
All pictures are compressed for quick loads - 32 pictures in 5.5 minutes @ 28.8
Pictures below this line were added 01/31/99
Ron Gustin drives the Roger Gustin car out of Texas. This is the
ex-Joe Penland car that was World Champion in the
early/mid-1990's. Photo by Dale Fackler.
Charlie Bauer contemplates another charge down a Div. 1 track.
Photo by Arthur Cimilluca.
Sam Blue campaigns the "Sturdiwheat Pancakes" car out
of Minnesota (near lane), while California's Ron August has one
of the neatest flame jobs out there. Photo by Andy Rogers (Tog).
The "Gemini 2" TAD belongs to the Buxbaum twins from
Hackensack, NJ. The car was built by Charlie Bauer and driven by
Joe Gregoravich. Photo by Arthur Cimilluca.
The John Samolyk & Joe Alexander team from the East Coast was
a player in the '80's in both alcohol funny car and alcohol
dragster. Their biggest success came with their small block Chevy
powered "Pleasure Seekers" TAD that won some national
events (Indy???). Photo by Arthur Cimilluca.
Near lane is John Rose, Jr. in the "Cottrell &
Rose" car leading Wayne Celko in a recent Div. 1 encounter.
Photo by Arthur Cimilluca.
John Fiorini runs this unique (there's an understatement) Saab
bodied alky funny car on the east coast. John ran several FMDRS
and National events in 1998. He has gone as quick as 6.40/215.
Photo by Arthur Cimilluca.
One of the "Hot Rods from Hell" is Frank Schuster. Love
those fuel altereds - even when they are on methanol. Photo by
Arthur Cimilluca.
Pictures below this line were added 01/17/99
Melinda Green is based in Div. 1 and competes in the Northeast
U.S. Photo by Arthur Cimilluca.
James Thompson in the Texas-based "Dr. Pepper" TAD is
even with Tom Tuso and his "The Iceman Cometh" injected
nitro car out of Colorado. Photo by Dale Fackler at the 1998 Div.
5 FMDRS at Denver.
Before Nick Boninfante became "Nitro Nick", he ran this
alcohol funny car in the Northeast with Pat Walsh at the wheel.
Photo by James Morgan.
John Speelman and Len Cottrell are an East Coast team that go by
the name of the "Chicken Chokers". They have gotten a
lot of mileage out of their gimmick of having a rubber chicken
attached to the wing of the car. They "choke the
chicken" before each run for luck. The chicken then goes on
the ride of his/her life flapping through the air at 240+. One of
the items in their race budget is "Rubber Chicken - Replace
every 3 passes". Rumor has it that the supply of rubber
chickens on the east coast is running dangerously low. Photo by
Arthur Cimilluca.
In the mid-1980's, Jack Holsey campaigned this Dodge Omni (?)
bodied alcohol car. By 1986 he had converted the car to nitro.
Most recently Holsey was running a AA/GS car on the nostalgia
circuit. Photo by JWLast.
One of the men who perfected the consistent "modern"
injected nitro machine is Chess Bushey and his right hand man
Dana Hopewell. Here he is running next to Randy Parks at the 1997
World Finals in Pomona. This was the last event that Bushey ran
as he turned over the driving in 1998 to car owner Rick
Henkleman. Photo by Andy Rogers (Tog).
The "Midnight Special" was a Texas-based car driven by
Harold Lewelling. This was a Div. 4 WDRS event in Amarillo, TX.
In the near lane is the Dodge B1 powered machine of Al Edgecombe,
driven by "The Natural Born Killer" Pete Kaiser. Next
to them is "Junkyard" Ed Vickroy in his injected nitro
car.
Pictures below this line were added 01/03/99
Dale VanGundy has been racing alcohol funny cars since
practically day 1. This particular one was campaigned in the
mid-80's. About that paint scheme ... Photo by JWLast.
This is Mark Hentges making a pass at the 1997 World Finals at
Pomona. After this event he changed the car over to injected
nitro and was getting tuneup help from the former "King of
the Northwest" Jerry Ruth. They blew up so much stuff on
nitro that they have now returned to the blown alcohol
configuration. Photo by Andy Rogers (Tog).
Brian Peavey is an occasional competitor in the Northeast with
this pretty alcohol funny. Photo by Arthur Cimilluca.
In her last event as a driver, Tiffany Hyland drove the family
dragster at the 1997 World Finals in Pomona. Photo by Andy Rogers
(Tog).
Jett Field runs in Div. 5 and 6 with his Emerson Electronics
sponsored car. Jett has been running alcohol funnies for a very
long time and used to call his cars by the very appropriate name
of "Shake and Bake".
Photo by Dale Fackler.
For the international angle here is Germany's Peter Schofer and
his alcohol dragster. Photo by Andy Rogers (Tog).
I love it when I get to see pictures of cars I've never even
heard of, much less seen! Photo by Arthur Cimilluca.
It is always exciting to get information that
provides more accuracy. Pete Brozene sent the following:
Lyle, the pic in your archive of the Satans Toy funny car was not
driven or owned by Tony Arnone, but by me.(hence the 123 bb/fc)
The body was later replaced by a Dodge Daytona and
campaigned as the Brief Encounter. The car was crashed at
Naiperville Que. Canada at a NHRA NE OPEN show.The car was
rebuilt and was sold to Sam Leland who campaigned it
as the 1st of a line of Mason Dixon Raiders.As for myself, I
built a new car w/a Beretta body and raced that car for many
years.I finally retired that car and went on to crew
chief Tim Slagle while I built a new car again and
campaigned it in IHRA with Jim Bailey driving and then Dave Burch
drove it in 99' to a 11th place finnish in IHRA.
Brain Raymer and his dad ran this Arias powered car out of
Colorado in the mid-80's and won a World Championship with it.
Pictures below this line were added 12/27/98
Connecticut's Rich Fenwick is showing definite signs of hurting
the motor at the same time the body has decided that it didn't
like its original shape. This pic was probably taken around
1986-87. Photo by Arthur Cimilluca.
The winner of the 1998 Mile High Nationals in Denver was
Oklahoma's Shelly Howard. This is one of the wildest paint jobs
on any alcohol car. Photo by Dale Fackler.
Although Frannie Monahan Jr. is best known for his current
"ParaChem" alcohol funny, he and his dad had this 1955
Chevy body that they used for match races and other special
appearances. Photo by Arthur Cimilluca.
One of the original "killers" in Top Alcohol Dragster
was Bill Walsh. He was World Champ several years in a row in the
mid-80's. He is now one of Joe Amato's key crew members and
pilots Amato's T/F car in testing and other special
circumstances. Photo by Arthur Cimilluca.
One of the biggest hitters in European Alcohol Funny Car racing
is Sweden's Lief Helander and his "Starkotter". Photo
by Andy Rogers (Tog).
The United Kingdom's Doug Bond tries to spin the tires off the
rims on this burnout. Photo by Andy Rogers (Tog).
Mitch Myers campaigned this beautiful Funny Car out of Oregon.
This great picture was snapped at the 1998 Mile High Nationals.
One of the great features of this track is its elevated
grandstands - created because the track is literally carved into
the side of the mountain. Photo by Dale Fackler.
OK, so its not a Funny or a Dragster - Its Cool! Neil Parks runs
the "Excavator" supercharged alcohol altered on the
East Coast in IHRA Top Dragster and match race competition. Photo
by Arthur Cimilluca.
Pictures below this line were added 12/12/98
Dave Burch runs this pretty alcohol funny car in the Northeastern
U.S. Arthur Cimilluca Photo
Steve Faria used an Arias (now Fontana) engine in this TAD that
he ran several years ago. Faria was the first alcohol dragster in
the 5's and it may have been with this car. JWLast Photo.
Across the ocean, Dan Larsen campaigns "Dansk Auto
Hi-Fi" alky funny out of Denmark. Andy Rogers (Tog) photo.
Another Northeastern U.S. car is this somewhat dated piece that
is run by "Fueler" Fred Ahrberg". Arthur Cimilluca
Photo.
In 1996, Dennis Taylor was driving this wildly painted machine
belonging to Ken Head. He is captured on a qualifying pass next
to Wayne Stoeckel.
Switzerland has this entry in the European drag race wars driven
by Peter Beck. Andy Rogers (Tog) photo.
In the mid-1980's, Frank Pitts fielded this Dodge Demon? bodied
entry driven by Don Dicero. JWLast Photo.
Dr. Jeremy Torstveit laying down a pass at the Div. 7 FMDRS in
Phoenix in Oct. 1996.
For even earlier pictures, click here to go to Archive Page 1
Email me at lyle@lylegreenberg.com if you have any alcohol funny car or alcohol dragster pics that you would like to see here. I've got enough to keep this thing going for a while, but I would love to include pictures that others have taken.
If you came directly to this pictorial, humor me and go to my Home Page or my Photo Gallery and see the Lyle Greenberg Motorsports Alcohol Funny Car.