plus 4, SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge Draw Results - Off-Road.com

plus 4, SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge Draw Results - Off-Road.com


SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge Draw Results - Off-Road.com

Posted: 04 Jan 2010 08:36 AM PST

LOS ANGELES--While Arizona's Nick Vanderwey received the first qualifying spot for the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division, Southern California desert racer Randy Wilson got his New Year's wish as he receive the first starting spot in the unlimited Class 1 in this week's computerized drawing for starting positions for this month's 16th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge. The drawing was held Wednesday at SCORE's Los Angeles headquarters.

For the 16th straight year, motorsports fans and racers from across the United States, Mexico, Austria, Denmark and Germany will gather in Laughlin, Nev., the desert resort town near the shores of the Colorado River, for the popular SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge. The first major motorsports event of the year will be held Jan. 15017, launching the five-race 2010 SCORE Desert Series, the World's Foremost Desert Racing Series.

With late entries accepted until race morning, among the other desert racing stars entered in the drawing was six-time Laughlin class winner Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas (SCORE Trophy-Truck and Class 1-2/1600) as well as 2009 SCORE class champions Randy Wilson, Long Beach, Calif. (Class 1), Duran brothers Hiram and Eric, Tecate, Calif. (Class 1-2/1600), Heidi Steele, San Clemente, Calif. (Class 6), Dan Chamlee, Carpenteria, Calif. (Class 7), Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va. (Class 8), Mike Lawrence, Banning, Calif. (Class 10), Brent Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif. (SCORE Lite), Justin Matney, Bristol, Tenn. (Stock Full), Peter Lang, Santa Rosa, Calif. (Sportsman Car) and Joe Aguayo, San Jacinto, Calif. (Sportsman Truck).

Besides Vanderwey and MacCachren, among the other regulars who were also officially entered in time for the drawing in SCORE Trophy-Truck (24 entries to date) were Andy McMilllin, Mark McMillin, Roger Norman, Cameron Steele, Gus Vildosola, Damen Jefferies, Bobby Baldwin, Robbie Pierce, Pete Sohren, Bill McBeath, Ed Stout, Adam Householder and Gary Weyhrich.

Defending SCORE Trophy-Truck season champion Robby Gordon has entered his father Bob Gordon in the No. 1 Team Gordon Chevy CK1500 as Robby is racing in the Dakar Rally which ends on the final day of the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge. Robby Gordon has announced plans to run the balance of the season as the second driver with his veteran desert-racing father.

Nearly 125 expected entries will compete in 19 classes for cars and trucks for nearly $300,000 in prize money and contingency postings during the four-day SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge.

Besides Randy Wilson among the other SCORE regulars who have officially entered in Class 1 (20 entries to date)are: Ronny Wilson, Armin Schwarz, Brian Parkhouse, Pat Dean and Harley Letner.

MacCachren, whose Laughlin wins include SCORE Trophy-Truck in 1996 and both Class 1-2/1600 and SCORE Lite in 2004, will start eighth in Class 1-2/1600 (17 entries to date).

With 19 classes divided into five groups, the single race is divided into multi-lap segments split over two days. Starting at 7 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday (Jan. 16-17), the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division will run 8 laps over the 6.25-mile course at 1 p.m. each day followed by the unlimited Class 1 open-wheel desert race cars that will run their 8 laps at 3 p.m. each day. The combined elapsed time and number of laps completed from both days will determine the final finishing position for each vehicle. Two vehicles will leave the start line every 15 seconds.

Daily general admission tickets, good for grandstand seating, are $20 each per day for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, children 10 and under are free. Daily VIP tickets are $40 each per day for the each day, good for admission to the Laughlin Hospitality Chalet, including food, beverage and special seating.

Returning to the stadium seating area once again will be the immensely popular SCOREvision Large-screen LCD display, showing live footage from virtually the entire race course.

Tickets, priced at $5 each per person, will also be available each race day (Jan. 16-17) for 'SCORE Hill', which overlooks the infield, start/finish area and the main pits. The SCORE Hill will have grandstands and standing room areas along with vendors, concessions and the other public safety services available. Grandstand GA tickets also have access to SCORE Hill during the two race days.

The Laughlin Tourism Commission is also selling three-day general admission passes for $50 and three-day VIP passes for $100. With the purchase of a general admission or VIP ticket, spectators can also buy pit passes for an additional $10 per day.

The newest spectator area, opened in 2008 adjacent to Laughlin High School off of Cougar Drive, allows entry at $10 per vehicle, as space allows, to the backside of the course with a view of much of the 6.25-mile loop. Tickets for the Laughlin High spectator area will be available only on each day of racing (Jan. 16-17) at the entrance off of Cougar Drive.

One of the event's most popular features, the SCORE Laughlin Leap, revs up the fun and helps get the weekend off. Moved to a new day, the SCORE Laughlin Leap will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday (Jan. 15). The SCORE Laughlin Leap will start with a fireworks display.

Drivers will enjoy the spotlight at the Laughlin Events Park, competing for a $16,000 purse and the honor of beating the 2009 champions. The SCORE Laughlin Leap, a dirt ramp built into the middle of the stadium portion of the race course, challenges the most daring of drivers. This year's competitors will be attempting to break the event record in the SCORE Laughlin Leap of 161' 6" set this past January by Larry Roeseler in the Norman Motorsports Ford F-150.

For the second straight year, qualifying for starting positions for the marquee SCORE Trophy-Truck division will be held the Friday (Jan. 15) before the race. With free admission to the grandstand seating area, SCORE Trophy-Truck qualifying will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and each truck will be timed over one solo lap of the 6.25-mile course to determine the start order in that class for Saturday's first half of the race.

Friday's pre-race activities will also include the SCORE Manufacturer's Midway and vendors village from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. SCORE Contingency, which includes each vehicle being pushed down the lanes in front of the Colorado Belle and Edgewater Hotels, alongside Casino Drive.

The Laughlin Events Park, with grandstand seating, vendor's village and food court is just minutes from the destinations eight resorts and includes an infield with switchbacks, whoops, minijumps and the SCORE Laughlin Leap.

The Laughlin Events Park, with grandstand seating, vendor's village and food court is just minutes from the destinations eight resorts and includes an infield with switchbacks, whoops, minijumps and the SCORE Laughlin Leap.

The 16th annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge is sponsored by the Laughlin Tourism Commission and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority in association with Las Vegas Events. The race is sanctioned and produced by SCORE International of Los Angeles.

Current SCORE official annual sponsors are: BFGoodrich Tires-official tire, Volkswagen of America-official vehicle, Sunoco Race Fuels -official fuel supplier, Bilstein-official shock, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance-official Mexican auto insurance, Slime-official tire sealant and Red Bull--official energy drink. Associate sponsors are: Tecate Beer, Coca-Cola of Mexico, Las Vegas Events, Blue C Advertising, Off-Road, SignPros, P.C.I. Race Radios, McKenzie's Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.

More event information is available at www.visitlaughlin.com.

For more information, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818.225.8402 or visit the official website of the 2010 SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com.

16th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge
Round 1 of five-race 2010 SCORE Desert Series
Jan. 15-17, 2010 -- Laughlin, Nevada
Total Entries—96 (as of 1/1/10)
(from 10 States, Mexico & Germany)
(Starting Order, By Class)
Pro Cars and Trucks

SCORE TROPHY-TRUCK (24)
(QUALIFYING ORDER)
84 Nick Vanderwey
51 Kory Scheeler
96 Bobby Baldwin
78 Jesse Ashcraft
91 Bill McBeath
89 Rusty Stevens
31 Andy McMillin
7 Scott Steinberger
2 Pete Sohren
8 Roger Norman
1 Bob Gordon
30 Robbie Pierce
4 Gus Vildosola
16 Cameron Steele
9 Gary Weyhrich
23 Mark McMillin
10 Greg Nunley
74 Rob Bruce
5 Travis Coyne
24 Adam Householder
13 Ed Stout
21 Rob MacCachren
97 B.J. Baldwin
22 Damen Jefferies

CLASS 1 (20)
100 Randy Wilson
101 Brian Parkhouse
102 Robert Ross
103 Max Theriot
104 Dan Martin
105 Sam Berri
106 Lobsam Yee
107 Damen Jefferies
108 Mark Weyhrich
109 Armin Schwarz
110 Pat Dean
111 Danny Ebberts
112 Harley Letner
113 Ronny Wilson
114 Josh Daniel
115 Kory Halopoff
116 Andreas Aigner
117 Chet Huffman
148 Paul Keller
149 Brian Hewett

CLASS 1-2/1600 (17)
1601 Oswaldo Castillo
1602 Brad Wilson
1603 Kyle Conlon
1604 Daniel McMillin
1605 Tanner Harris
1606 Cody Robinson
1607 Brian Wilson
1608 Rob MacCachren
1609 Luke McMillin
1610 Mike Simpson
1611 Arturo Velazco
1612 Gregg Reichman
1613 Justin Smith
1614 Carlos Mantalvan
1615 Quentin Tucker
1600 Hiram Duran
1649 Rob Archibald

CLASS 3 (0)

CLASS 5 (0)

CLASS 5/1600 (1)
551 Christian Holbrook

CLASS 6 (4)
601 Steve Kovach
602 Marc Burnett
603 Dave Caspino
600 Heidi Steele

CLASS 7 (2)
700 Dan Chamlee
701 Jose Canchola Jr.

CLASS 7SX (0)

CLASS 7-2 (1)
721 Reid Rutherford

CLASS 8 (1)
800 Clyde Stacy

CLASS 9 (0)

CLASS 10 (5)
1000 Mike Lawrence
1001 Sergio Salgado
1002 Dennis Hunter
1003 David Greenhill
1004 Adam Ashcraft

SCORE LITE (15)
1201 Talya Dodson
1202 Zak Langley
1203 Samuel Araiza
1204 Cody Freeman
1205 Jessica McMillin
1206 Bill Hernquist
1207 Justin Davis
1208 David Callaway
1209 John Langley
1210 Lee Banning
1200 Brent Parkhouse
1212 Matthew Kupiec
1213 Jaime Huerta
1248 Cody Parkhouse
1249 Matt Laughlin

CLASS 11 (0)

STOCK MINI (0)

STOCK FULL (1)
860 Justin Matney

Sportsman
SPT CAR (2)
1400 Peter Lang
1401 Sam Hewett

SPT TRUCK (2)
1501 Cody Stuart
1500 Joe Aguayo
1503 Nick Tonelli

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TRACK NEWS: Nashville Superspeedway 2010 NASCAR Events On Sale - TruckSeries.com

Posted: 04 Jan 2010 08:07 AM PST

With just over six weeks until the start of the 2010 season, the excitement is building for NASCAR's return to Nashville Superspeedway. For the first time in the 10-year history of the track, Nashville will host the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series on the same weekend, April 2-3, 2010. Fans can reserve great seats beginning on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010 at 8 a.m. by calling 866-RACE-TIX or online at NashvilleSuperspeedway.com.

The April 2-3, 2010 weekend is stacked with on-track excitement, including NASCAR Camping World Truck practice, qualifying and a battle under the lights on Friday night, followed by NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying and the race on Saturday afternoon.

The NASCAR Nationwide Series will return June 4-5, 2010 under the lights for the "Federated Auto Parts 300." The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will also make a second stop in Nashville on Aug. 7, 2010 for a one-day show featuring practice, qualifying and the night race. Race tickets start at $35 for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races and $45 for NASCAR Nationwide Series races.

Season tickets including all three race weekends are still available starting at $179 for adults and just $84 for kids 12 and under. Season ticket packages include a premium reserved parking spot for each race day, the opportunity to drive on the track on "Season Ticket Holder Day" (scheduled for March 13, 2010), and a popular ALL ACCESS pass, among other amenities.

ALL ACCESS, the one-of-a-kind pass that allows fans up-close access to the NASCAR driver and crew chief pre-race meeting, pre-race access to Victory Lane, pit road, and the Fan Walk in between the garage and pit road is available for all Saturday NASCAR races at Nashville. ALL ACCESS is included with a season ticket or can be added to any Saturday single race ticket for $30.

For more information, or to purchase tickets, call 866-RACE-TIX or visit NashvilleSuperspeedway.com.

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Driver for 'Lost' pleads guilty - Honolulu Advertiser

Posted: 04 Jan 2010 08:14 AM PST

A longtime Teamsters union member who drives a vehicle on the "Lost" television production here pleaded guilty last week to a felony drug possession offense as well as to a misdemeanor charge of soliciting sex from an undercover police officer.

Reynold Kamekona, 53, was arrested the evening of Oct. 21 on Kukui Street after he offered to pay the female officer $50 for oral sex, according to police reports. A plastic bag of crystal methamphetamine was found in his pocket.

He pleaded guilty to third-degree possession of a dangerous drug and the soliciting charge before Circuit Judge Richard Pollack, who set sentencing for March 17.

Two hours after Kamekona entered his plea, Teamsters film and television driver Philip Asiata, who has worked for the "Lost" series part time, appeared before Circuit Judge Dexter Del Rosario to answer drug charges pending against him.

Asiata, who has a criminal record of more than 125 arrests and 52 convictions, pleaded not guilty.

Erin Felentzer, ABC television spokeswoman for "Lost," did not respond to requests for comment on this story.

Teamsters drivers hired for film, television and commercial productions are well-paid, earning as much as $3,000 a week. They are hired based on an internal union seniority grouping system that gives producers little say in employment matters.

Men with felony records have been working as movie and television drivers in Hawai'i since the 1960s, when the Teamsters "production unit" was first formed by labor patriarch Arthur Rutledge.

Rutledge defended the employment of felons in the unit, saying he was helping the men rehabilitate themselves.

In the Asiata case, Circuit Judge Dexter Del Rosario found Asiata mentally incompetent for trial and sent him to Hawai'i State Hospital for treatment and evaluation.

An expert who examined Asiata, Dr. Martin Blinder, said in a report to Pollack that Asiata is unfit for trial due to "polysubstance abuse" and an organic brain injury suffered in 1995.

Blinder said Asiata told him that "before the accident, I was a heroin addict and used crack, but I don't do drugs any more. I'm a Teamster."

license revoked

Asiata claimed that he started drinking heavily after "his driver's license was recently taken from him because of purported deficits in his driving ability," Blinder said in his Dec. 11 report.

Kamekona's criminal record includes felony convictions for auto theft and criminal property damage. He was represented by attorney Michael Green, who has acted as defense counsel for various other Teamsters "production unit" drivers, past and present, including Kamekona's brother, Harlan Bruce Kamekona, who was convicted of federal narcotics trafficking charges in 2000.

Harlan Kamekona received a reduced, nine-year sentence in that case after Reynold Kamekona agreed to testify as a prosecution witness in the federal arson trial of fellow Teamsters film and television driver Joseph "Joe Boy" Tavares.

Tavares was convicted of burning movie equipment trucks, served a lengthy prison sentence and rejoined the union when he was released. He is now driving for a film production on the Mainland.

Reynold Kamekona owns and drives an equipment-hauling truck used on the "Lost" show, which is now in its final season of production.

'A second chance'

Several men identified by law enforcement here as organized-crime figures have worked as drivers for film productions in the past, most notably confessed professional hit man Ronald K. Ching, who was a driver on the "Magnum P.I." television series while simultaneously feeding a $1,000-a-day heroin habit, according to court records.

Now working as Teamster drivers for the "Lost" show are federal parolees John Joseph "Joe" Griffiths Jr. and Douglas Paahao.

Griffiths was convicted in 2002 of federal drug offenses as well as recklessly causing the death of Eric Kamanu, a Kane'ohe bodybuilder who died in 1989.

Griffiths and two other men who later worked as movie drivers were tried in state court on charges of murdering Kamanu, but the case ended in a mistrial.

Paahao was convicted of federal drug charges in 2004.

Griffiths and Paahao are now serving terms of supervised release, the federal term for parole, according to the office of Rich Crawford, chief of the federal Probation Department here.

Green, whose clients have included both Kamekona brothers as well as Griffiths and Paahao, said of their work as Teamsters drivers: "These guys have an opportunity to have really good jobs. They need gainful employment. Thankfully, they have gotten a second chance."

Under court order

Another driver now working on "Lost" is former Ho- nolulu police officer William Duarte, who was convicted of civil rights violations in 1999 related to the beating of a prisoner in the police cellblock.

Duarte was fired from the police force after serving an eight-month federal prison sentence, but later won his job back in a grievance proceeding. He has since retired from the force.

The Teamsters union nationally has been under a federal court order since 1989 that requires the organization to cooperate with and pay for investigations of ties to organized crime or labor racketeering.

Those probes are carried out by a New York-based three-member panel called the Independent Review Board, which in the past has brought charges against Teamsters members for illegal activities connected to movie and television productions in Florida and Chicago.

The Wall Street Journal reported in May 2008 that then-presidential candidate Barack Obama won the Teamsters' political endorsement after privately telling the union that he supported an end to the decades-long federal oversight.

Reach Jim Dooley at jdooley@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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dreamGEAR® Announces Partnership with NASCAR® - Yahoo Finance

Posted: 04 Jan 2010 07:17 AM PST

TORRANCE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--dreamGEAR®, a leading provider of high-quality and cutting-edge accessories for video games and a leading provider of portable audio and power accessories has announced a licensing partnership with NASCAR®. dreamGEAR is producing NASCAR-branded gaming accessories for racing video game titles on the market.

Compatible with all Playstation®3 (PS3) and Nintendo® Wii™ racing games, the new NASCAR-branded dreamGEAR wheels will give gamers the feel of being on the racetrack, while showcasing the look of iconic NASCAR racecar wheels. dreamGEAR worked with NASCAR - the No. 1 spectator sport - to give racing game enthusiasts an experience at every turn much like their favorite NASCAR drivers.

Simulating the excitement of real-life steering wheels, the NASCAR-branded dreamGEAR wheels have a larger grip and lifelike feel than other video game wheels currently on the market. The NASCAR inspired wheel design provides a combination of aesthetics and practicality with full rubberized sidings for enhanced comfort and brackets for authentic styling.

"We are thrilled by this alliance, which will bring a new level of excitement to dreamGEAR's line of video game accessories," said COO Richard Weston. "We are flattered by the confidence that NASCAR has in dreamGEAR to combine their established national brand with ours, and we are confident based upon feedback from our retail partners that this new licensing partnership will have a significant and positive impact on dreamGEAR's sales."

The two new NASCAR racing wheels for PS3 and Wii attach to or hold a Wii Controller or a PS3 wireless controller, making it possible for gamers to grip the wheel and simulate actual racing. Both racing wheels will be available in the first quarter of 2010 in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

These new products will be introduced at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Jan. 7 – 10, 2010 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, booth Central 7905 and will be available in the first quarter of 2010 at dreamGEAR.net and retail stores nationally. The Nintendo Wii and PS3 racing wheels are $14.99.

About dreamGEAR®

dreamGEAR is one of the fastest growing video game accessory companies in the United States, as well as a leader in providing a wide range of high quality portable speakers and accessories for all iPod® and iPhone models, PSP™ and Zune™ under its i.Sound® brand. dreamGEAR's founders bring together over 50 years of entertainment and gaming technology experience and are dedicated to providing the latest in design, performance and quality. Fueled by a passion for innovation and a desire to meet the needs of its valued customers, dreamGEAR offers high quality affordable accessories across all video game platforms. For more information, please visit www.dreamGEAR.net or www.iSound.net.

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for one of North America's premier sports. NASCAR is the No. 1 spectator sport – holding 17 of the top 20 highest attended sporting events in the U.S and is the No. 2 rated regular season sport on television. NASCAR races are broadcast in more than 150 countries and 20 languages. NASCAR fans are the most brand loyal in all of sports, and as a result more Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport.

NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series,) four regional series, and one local grassroots series, as well as two international series. Also, part of NASCAR is Grand-Am Road Racing, known for its competition on road courses with multiple classes of cars. NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races at 100 tracks in more than 30 U.S states, Canada and Mexico. Based in Daytona Beach (Fla.), NASCAR has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Charlotte (N.C.), Concord (N.C.), Bentonville (Ark.), Mexico City and Toronto.

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SPEED Will Broadcast 39 Hours Live From Barrett-Jackson Auction In ... - TruckSeries.com

Posted: 04 Jan 2010 07:38 AM PST

SPEED, the definitive network for NASCAR, high-performance competition and the automotive lifestyle, is set for 39 hours of live coverage from the 39th annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction from Westworld in Scottsdale (Ariz.) starting Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

The annual 'no reserve' auction will anchor six-consecutive broadcast days on SPEED, and will be highlighted by some of the rarest and most desirable collector cars within the marketplace today. This week-long fete has been considered by some in the industry as the defining barometer for the direction of the collector car marketplace each New Year.

"The Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction has long been one of the network's signature events," said Rick Miner, SPEED SVP of Production & Network Operations. "As always, Craig (Jackson, Barrett-Jackson Chairman/CEO), Steve (Davis, Barrett-Jackson President) and the entire Barrett-Jackson team have already assembled a wide and impressive array of pristine collector cars. Make sure you see it all live and in high definition exclusively on SPEED."

As with past auctions, the SPEED Barrett-Jackson team will be anchored through the play-by-play talents of Bob Varsha, 'Voice of Formula One on SPEED.' He'll be joined by Motor Trend Executive Editor Matt Stone, who's also the author of Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman. Perusing the auction block will be automotive expert and the 'Voice of NASCAR on FOX,' Mike Joy, along with Steve Magnante, a successful automotive freelance writer and leading muscle car authority. Arizona resident and car connoisseur Rick DeBruhl will be traveling the auction tents to provide the numerous tidbits and lifestyle stories that accent every Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction. In addition, DeBruhl will also be previewing the many cars that will make up SPEEDtv.com's interactive Fantasy Bid Game.

"This is an exciting time to be part of the collector car hobby, and we look forward to another successful show with our partners at SPEED," said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson. "Like last year, we're going to offer cars for every level of collector, from new buyers to seasoned vets. Several high profile vehicles are ready to cross the block, including a pair of original Shelby Cobras, Buddy Holly's '58 Impala and the only airworthy 1929 Hamilton Metalplane H-47 in existence. We'll also sell the original Ford Model A getaway car used by infamous crook John Dillinger in Wisconsin."

Among the other cars topping this year's auction will be the 'no reserve' sale of the now famous 'Gate Job' Mercury Comet 'fliptop' Funny Car (Lot 1306) driven by Pete Gates back in the mid-to-late 60s. The car - a 1966 'fliptop' Comet body mounted on a brand new (at the time) Logghe Chassis - is the oldest known surviving 'fliptop' Funny Car still in existence. This car was one of the first five ever built, with the original four given to 'Dyno' Don Nicholson, Jack Chrisman, Ed Schartman and the (Bill) Kenz & (Ron) Leslie team. Gates nabbed the leftover body, which he received at the beginning of the 1967 season. The car is now considered 'The Grandfather of All Funny Cars.'

During that period of automotive history, Detroit auto manufacturers invested a lot of time, money, research and development into the sport of drag and match racing. This car was one of the first five ever built by Lincoln-Mercury, and those cars' success were key in ushering a whole new era of Funny Car design that still exists today.

"In 1966, Lincoln-Mercury dropped an 'A-Bomb' on Chrysler's altered wheelbase match race 'Funny Cars' with a fleet of four 'state-of-the-art' fiberglass-bodied Mercury Comet 'fliptop' Funny Cars," said Magnante, the former technical editor for HOT ROD magazine. "Each rode on a Logghe Brothers steel tube frame and was powered by a 427 SOHC (Single Overhead Cam) Ford Cammer mill. At about 1,700 pounds race ready, these 'fliptop' Funny Cars devastated the 800-pound heavier Mopar Funny Cars and essentially set out the 'blueprint' for the modern Funny Car as we know it today. John Force wouldn't be who he is today if L-M/Logghe Bros. hadn't conjured these wild 'fliptop' machines."

A couple of other truly significant cars to cross the auction block at 'no reserve' will be a pair of 1969 Plymouth Roadrunners. The first, Lot No. 1262, is the initial A12 Roadrunner to ever come off the factory assembly line. The 'A12' designation refers the limited production, high-performance (440 Six Pack) option sold to the public for competition (mainly drag racing). This was also the actual car used and tested by former NHRA hero and factory Mopar racer Ronnie Sox in Super Stock magazine's popular 'Professional vs. Journalist' article. "As they say, there is only one 'first' and while the mechanical elements of this car aren't any different than those of the subsequent A12 Six Pack units - of which 3,369 were built (number includes Plymouth Road Runner Six Barrel cars as well as Dodge Super Bee Six pack car total) - there is 'only one number one,'" Magnante said. "That makes this car (Lot 1262) stand head and shoulders above any subsequent A12 (440 Six Pack) Super Bee every built."

The other car, Lot No. 1262.1, might be one of the most documented and chronicled muscle cars currently in existence today. Bathed in bright green, this 1969 Plymouth Barracuda is the 'Project Six Pack' car that owner and writer Ted Struse debuted in the July 1972 issue of Super Stock & Drag Illustrated magazine. Knowing how special it was from the factory, Struse purchased the car as a magazine project and through the pages of his magazine turned this Cuda into a NHRA winner and eventually, a multi-time class record holder.

"The 440 Six BBL Road Runner's (Lot 1262.1) claim to fame is not just that it is a rare mid-year muscle car offering (a corporate cousin to the Six Pack Super Bee), but also that it was a very high profile magazine project car," Magnante continued. "Since 1964, Super Stock & Drag Illustrated (SSDI) magazine has been one of the most read car magazines among enthusiasts of Detroit high-performance machinery. Though SSDI was terminated about 10 years ago, vintage issues are very collectible and are highly sought after among today's muscle car enthusiasts. So, to have an actual magazine project car (Ted Struse's 'Project Six Pack') from the legendary SSDI magazine, that's a double-quadruple, 'cherry-on-top' of this already special 19691/2 Road Runner A12 Six Barrel car."

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