laughs. “During that same weekend, Bob Glid-
den left an oily hand print on my shirt after we
posed for a picture! It was like a rite of passage
for me and I didn’t want to wash the shirt!” he
fondly remembers.
Kelly Lynn Dill, another member of the Mid-
west Nostalgia Pro Stock Association pays tribute
to her hero, Bunny Burkett, with a great-looking
tribute car that honors Burkett and her “Cotton
Pony” Pro Stock Ford Pinto. Burkett saw the car
in person in 2015 and autographed the rear wing.
“As far as racing here at Great Lakes Dragaway
goes, it’s still so surreal being able to race at these
same events I attended as a kid,” Dill beams.
Among the most period correct cars in this
series is the Petrulis Brothers’ 1972 Pro Stock
Dodge Colt, aptly named “Lightning Colt.” This
car was among several that Chrysler Corporation
commissioned California’s Ron Butler to build for
some high-level teams, including Rod Shop and
the Mopar Missile program. “Based on the history
that we’ve been able to track, this Colt was one of
three that went to Rod Shop but was never raced.
Instead it was shipped to Butch Leal, who was
actually racing a Plymouth Duster at the time
and didn’t want to switch to Dodge,” explains Al
Petrulis, who crew chiefs this operation, while his
brother, Sal, occupies the driver’s seat.
Leal reportedly shipped the pint-sized car back
to Rod Shop, but by this time it was 1975 and the
car’s body was obsolete, so it was sold to someone
in Wisconsin. The Petrulis brothers bought the
car in 1984, figuring that a gigantic motor in
a little car would provide tons of fun, and they
couldn’t have been more spot on. “When this
nostalgia Pro Stock stuff started coming around,
we got involved and found the perfect place to
race the car,” concludes Al.
In all, the Memorial Weekend at Great Lakes
Dragaway provides an incredibly diverse offering
of entertainment, and in addition to the afore-
mentioned groups and personalities, fans also
enjoyed fast, heads-up racing from the Chicago
Wise Guys Match Race Circuit, along with Nos-
talgia Super Stocks. Also in attendance were the
1,320 Legends, Midwest Gassers, Brew City Gas-
sers, Classic American Muscle Association and
the Pro E-85 series among others. “It makes for
a great thrill show that lasts several hours on
Saturday, and then we’ll come back and do the
exact same show on Sunday if all the cars are still
alive,” concludes Henning.
With a line-up like this it’s no wonder the event
has stood the test of time, and there’s hardly a
better place on earth to enjoy an event like this
than at America’s oldest continually operated
drag strip, going strong since 1955.
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August 2019
DragIllustrated.com
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