Tall Tales

Pig Tail
One time down at the Road Atlanta Runoffs, an engine crate showed up in my pit. Note on the box said, this pig needs some horsepower, rebuild please. The box kind of moved around a little bit and really surprised us, not exactly what you’d expect an engine crate to do. We unscrewed the top and inside was a small pig. So a few of us hoisted the crate inside the back of a pickup and hauled it over to "Loopy" Steve Lathrop’s paddock spot. Our note said this pig is not aerodynamic enough, please re-fabricate.

We never did know who the pig belonged to or where it ended up (rumor was that he was guest of honor at a BBQ later that evening) but we sure have had a lot of fun retelling the story over the years!

The Cat’s Meow
Lisa and I live out in the country, no neighbors for as far as you can see. I built the house in 1976. It is an A frame design, has its own well, septic tank and gravel road. One snowy night in late January several years ago, we were getting ready to go to the Kansas Region Awards Banquet. Lisa went downstairs to take a bath. She came roaring up the stairs to tell me the septic tank had backed up. Let me tell you, there is nothing much as bad as picking up poop off the floor. I don’t know about you, but once I flush, I don’t ever want to see it again.

I put on my boots and headed down to the septic tank to take a look. Because of the deep snow, I didn't see that I had stepped on the lid of the tank, it slipped off and in I went. Luckily, I got caught part way down and could leverage myself back out. Did I say there was nothing much as bad as picking up poop off the floor? I had found something worse! Lisa wouldn’t let me keep my boots afterward.

Later that night when everything had calmed down, I went outside to do "my business" as the usual facilities were not in service. I squatted down, admiring the sky and stars, it was a very peaceful night. All of the sudden I felt a cold nose up my ass, I swatted what ever was after me and it yowled as I made contact. It went flying and I was cussing a blue streak, but I was really happy it was only a cat.

We never did make it to the awards banquet.

Old Friends
This is my old friend John Mills and I at the Heartland Park Topeka Runoffs. John built Lynx FVs back in the 70s and 80s. In 1972 I was driving a Zink and qualified for the Runoffs. I knew the car wasn’t competitive and made a deal with Mills that I would trade my Runoffs engine for a new Lynx kit to drive at Atlanta that year. I don’t know why, he had probably never heard of me before, but he agreed. Well it rained, and you all know how I do in the rain, terrible. I think I finished last. The only reason I stayed out is because VW paid a hundred bucks to finish and I needed the money to pay for the Runoffs expenses.

Anyway, I sent the engine up to Mills in Detroit. He stowed it under a work bench. There was no way that it was worth anything--it finished last! 3 years later, Mike Frangkiser was racing out of my shop. He needed a Runoffs engine and I called Mills. The 1972 Runoffs engine was still under the work bench. He sold it to Frangkiser who ended up winning the 1976 Runoffs with it.