MOVERS & SHAKERS
TRUSTY CHARGER
Pete Nitzel tweaks the setup of this twin-turbo 6.1
Hemi, which motivates his 1987 Dodge Charger to
mid-5-second elapsed times in the eighth mile.
Perfection
“Famous Joe” Davis (far right) gained notoriety in 2004 after recording a perfect
run at Indiana’s Brown County Dragway in his 1964 Chevy II. According to the
research team at perfectrun.com, this was only the sixth such pass that had been
recorded at that time without the aid of a delay box. As a result, they sent Davis a
nice jacket, which he still treasures. Also pictured is Joe’s wife, Noreen, along with
friends Jason Long and Millie Loyd. “I’ve retired from driving these days and have
turned that over to Jason, who’s doing a great job,” says Davis.
WARD BOSS
Jr. Ward qualified his Protect The Harvest-backed
Corvette in PDRA’s Pr o Boost class at Indy, but unfor-
tunately made an early exit in eliminations when the
camshaft broke in round one. Ward rebounded nicely,
though, when he drove Jim Oddy’s “Junk Yard Dog”
1934 Willys gasser to the winner’s circle.
‘THE VOICE’ AND SON
Legendary doorslammer drag racing announcer Al Tucci
was joined at the PDRA Indy race by his son, Ryan, who
has literally been coming to the track since he was a baby.
Based a few hours up the road in Chicago, the Tuccis were
able to enjoy a little father-son time while calling the action.
DRIVER CARRIES NO CASH
When Greg Wooten bought his gear-
jamming 1971 Ford Maverick, the previous
owner had already placed the humorous
“Driver Carries No Cash” sticker in the
window. “I thought it was perfect, so I just
left it on the car,” laughed Wooten, who
competes in various clutch-car events
across the Southeast.
50 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
Issue 124