It's an exciting time in my life working with my son, Daryle. For the past five years and intensely for the last three, with assistance from his sister Melinda and I, he exhaustively engineered our Nostalgia Top Fuel tri-vecta partnership with Circle K Stores, Trendwest Resorts and NAK Health Centers. After so many disappointing "almost's" with other potential sponsors, to the point that anyone else would have thrown in the towel, Daryle didn't give up. He was relentless and we have a signed contract by all involved.
I find that in the middle of all my jubilation two of the stalwarts of early day drag racing, which is where my roots are, have recently passed away. Although I go way back to the actual beginning of the sport, "Sush" Matsubara and "Big" John Mazmanian were indeed an exciting part of the early days of drag racing. Sush (Soosh) was what I called a "Friend in Racing", a fierce competitor, he was one of the guys you laughed, joked and hung out with and felt close to when you were all at the races but really didn't socialize with each other a lot between races. He was a close friend of some of my close friends. So after work, when my early race partner Hank Bender and I would cruise around Venice, Mar Vista, Culver City and Santa Monica while not working on the car, we would hit the other guy's garages and see what they were up to and they would do the same. Lots of garages (no "Shops") and a lot of nice guys. Sush was one of them and although I haven't seen him in a long while, the memories are there and I'll miss him.
I knew Mazmanian from a distance. I was enamored with his always beautiful "Candy Apple, Mazmanian Red" cars and spoke with him a few times at the races. Back in the 60's I drove Don Long's Fiat altered for a while. Don knew Big John so I was privileged to meet him in this manner but I knew him better than he knew me. We were all part of the beginning of the sport. John was a big contributor and his passing saddens those of us that knew him.
An excellent way to re-visit "Drag Racing The Way It Used To Be" and see the living legends of the sport and many of the actual cars that participated in the early days of drag racing is to attend the Goodguys Rod and Custom Association's races and shows. Also, make a visit to the NHRA's Hot Rod Reunions: One at the Famoso Drag Strip in Bakersfield, CA, October 6, 7 and 8th 2006 and the other in Bowling Green, KY in June of 2007. The new "Nostalgia" cars are much faster and quicker, extremely exciting and built to look like the cars of the 60's and 70's. Front engine Top Fuelers, Funny Cars, Gasser's, Fuel Altered's and more. There is always a show area of many restored and some meticulously recreated drag cars of the past. Join us in celebrating the lives of these drag racing heroes.