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THE HISTORY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PRO GAS Pro Gas as a class, was actually started by some Sacramento area racers and the format spread south. Randy Kersey said, “Talking with Bob & George Virbancic about the history of P/G, they tell me Carpenter, Riolo & themselves & a few others up North created the original format of P/G , might want to give George or Bob a call, the have some real good stories to tell if nothing else.” Mike English added, “Very true, it did start in the mid to late 70's at Sacramento. Dave Riolo, Bob Bunker, along with Leroy and Bonnie Philson were some of the early hitters in the class.”
Bob Mendenhall recalls, “I believe the 1st So Cal PG race I went to was in either '79 or '80. I remember Rick Webb, Rick Abood, Charlie Marcum, Bruno Doyle, Mike Meziere, The Arguian Brothers (yellow '33 Willy's) Donnie Barton, Bob Teitz, another '33 (White one) from Spring valley, Gary Cooke, (Cause he kept beatin' me), Fergy (Prez). I'm sure I missed a bunch of the guys, but I'm pretty sure that was in late '79 or early '80. I still have a bunch of pictures of the Nova, Stage 1 when Willy Rells did the chassis..” Trivia Answer: Bob Teitz... the first ever NHRA ProGas winner Here's some of the racers that participated in the first couple of Pro Gas races;Scott Kendig, Rodriquez & Ruiz, Neil Schindler & Alan Lawry, Jim (Cleans) Martin, Roger Kato, John Foreman, Bobby Toyer, Jim Parrish, Jim DePalma Sr., Steve Uarah (Lenny Cormier), Bob Brown, Larry Bradshaw, Ron Williams, Dan Nickelson, Jim Lemmond, Phil Cameron, Brian Pearson, Dave McClelland(Tuna Tank), Andy Gerian (Champ Converters), Theo Harrell, Bill Harrell, Barry Sizzon, Jerry McCallister, Don Barton (Clownin' Around), Paul Wiechmann, Lodwick & Cotter, Richard Atkins, Don Vance, Danny Brown, and Rick Webb. Here’s what Bob Diamond had to say, “Pro Gas was alive on a 9.50 index in the 70s around 1978 at Fremont, originators are Ted Kelner, Dan Davita , Dave Riolo, Doug Bracey, Larry Vogel, Ted Siepel , Bobby Reyes. I would say DaVitas car has the most passes on it, he used to practice every Wed and Sat. Pro Gas was actually started in Ohio; the Nor Cal guys just lowered the index to 9.50. Reflecting back, Ed DeStaute, said, “Here's a couple of more names I remember: Steve Parish in The early yellow Nova from Glendale Speed Center, I remember it cart wheeling over a guard rail, and I Remember Ron Lemmon used to bring his Pinto down from Utah to Race at OCIR, Rocky ? in the early Vette roadster out of Bill"s Garage in East L.A. Sonny's black 54 Corvette, and the white '33 Willys from down south was Drake and Kids. That was back in the days when I had the Red Baron Pizza Injected Corvette. I bet my ratty old Vega was being run by someone around that time it used to be red and said Chet Herbert Cams on the side. I remember when they ran Pro Gas as an exclusive class at the Super Chevy Show at OCIR. Ah, the good old days.” He though and added, “I remembered another one of the early racers. A black Valiant station wagon called "Prince Valiant". Remember that one? I remember racing him at an association race at the old Vegas track. I don't remember the guy’s name, however, but he ran a lot during our formative years.” Mike English, chimed in, “**** Wilson and Roger Lamb, took one ugly car and made it awesome.”
My first PG race, in 1980 (9.90 index), 32 car qualified field, I was on the bubble with a 9.951 (sweated that one out); qualified, lost first round and got my $50 entry fee back (that's when PG paid first round losers). What a rush!” Well I guess it would be a toss up between Dan DaVita and Randy Fabro of which car still competing has the most passes on it. Since Fabro is in Southern California, we will have to say that, the So Cal Pro Gas car with the most passes would be Randy Fabro’s ex-pro stock Pinto, Mr. Ed. He figures it has over 10,000 passes on it. Denver Colorado racers, Denny and Steve Johnson had this to say about So Cal Pro Gas Association, “I would just like to THANK all the guys and gals out there for starting Pro Gas back in the 70's. Without you people we would not have SG, SC or ST today in NHRA or the the IHRA Rod Classes. In Denver we started Pro-Gas in 79. The fields were small but we had a gas. Today I think my son and I are the only ones that are still running SG from our original Pro-Gas program.” Again thanks to all of you from So Cal for making our last 25 years enjoyable. But I sure could use all the bucks I spent between now and then. PAST CHAMPIONS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PRO GAS PAST PRESIDENTS 2008 PRESIDENT |
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Rick Webb continued with the history lesson, “it was formed up in No.Calif. in around '74-'75 as I use to go up there with my Anglia. The index was first 9.65 then went to 9.50 up north. At Irwindale before it closed, Kenny Green, track manager, talked to a bunch of us to see if it work down here, so we tried it at 9.65, alters, roadsters, didn't matter what ran, except dragsters. Then when Kenny went to OCIR, we tried the same thing in '76-'77 at 9.80 as they thought they might get more cars. Getting into the 9's back then was a big deal, as we had a lot of 10.0 cars. Jake & Steve Barber kind of assumed the responsibility of putting together the program of phone work for sponsors. Lenny Cormier stepped up big time, if it wasn't for him, our association wouldn't be what it is today. In '80 we had 3 - $3000 to win races that Cormier sponsored and that **** Pinto of Fabro's (with 2 different drivers) won all 3 races. I runnered-up to Randy at the 2nd one and Shawn Steel (still racing in No. Calif.) runnered-up at one of the other ones and I don't remember who r-up at the other one. A bunch of cars from the North all came down too. By the way, Kelner's car is from No. Cal. and is a '77 Vega--120" wheel base (still running it in S/G & S/ST.) As far as qualifying for the 1st 2 exhibition races, don't remember who was #1 but they qualified 16 cars at OCIR then went to Pomona for 1st round. No time runs at Pomona. 2nd year they qualified 32 cars at OCIR, including cars from Oregon, Washington & No. Calif. The index didn't change until after NHRA started Super Gas at 9.90. I believe it was 1981, then we changed ours from 9.80 to 9.90. The first "SCPGA" race was at Bakersfield.”
Audrey Israel added, “We've been racing the Mustang since '69, originally my Grocery Getter. Started out in the 16.40's and Jim won a trophy first time out. Took 2 years of trying in the early days of PG but finally made a 9 second pass, 9.999.