Thread: NHRA Wally "in the family"

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I've been drag racing "on and off" since the 1960's and Sunday we finally hit pay dirt. Although I'm a '32 High Boy guy, I also help wrench on my son's air cooled VW drag car for my "racing fix". We've been lucky and won some big VW events, and two S/G class championships during the past three years in our PRA racing association. But this past weekend we raced the NHRA Sport Compact series Finals at Pomona, and won our "Wally" in the tough "Quick 16" class. If you care to watch, the TV coverage will be on ESPN2, Tuesday, October 30, between 5:00 and 6:00 PM, EST. The times listed are Eastern time. Look for the little blue/white 1960 ragtop street Bug with Troy Palmer driving.

I'm one "Proud PaPa".

Many congratulations to you and your's. That is super and I hope I can be in that place soon myself. I was one round away from a Wally at the High Altitude BracketNationals

-Chris

Congrats to you and the rest of the team, John!!!!! Way to go on pickin' up a Wally!!!!!!!!!!!!

that is great , not many get one, i am sure you have earned it

Congrats!!! All the hard work and dedication has paid off. No time to relax though, keep pushing.I want to see more of the bug though.

Congrats! Success means a lot more if it has taken a while to achieve it!

The Beetles are becoming classic today, and with the popularity of small engined drag cars on the rise, I'm not surprised to see a lot of interest in them still!

Since we are talkin' VW....You probably would like to see this.

I recently flamed a turboed bug called "Strip T Zer". If you watch "Pinks", they have filmed a Tucson episode in which has this car competes. It should be on within the next few weeks.

thats just so cool , congratz

Damn, thats cool....congratulations.

forgot to tell you congradulations on the CLF... so, congrats!

I know i,m gonna get picked on but i haven,t raced in close to 40yrs so first off let me congratulate you on winning. Secondly will someone tell me what a Wally is? I am not trying to be rude i just don,t know and need someone to explain. Thanks.

Thanks everyone for your replys.

Drag racing is one thing that I get to do with my son, and we have alot of fun doing it together. Bench racing, event road trips, camping out at the races in our "red neck" bunkbed (just an air matress in the back of our pick-up bed, LOL) are some of the best stories.

For anyone that raced in the "good ole days", why not try it again? Maybe you have son or daughter, or grand son/daughter that needs to get involved. You will be rewarded with many great memories. There's many great sportsman racing associations that are well run and have high safety standards. It really does not matter how quick you go, how fast you run, or how much you spend, its still the same rush when you win.

To "OldTrucker" no problem asking. "Wally" is the nickname of the trophy that's handed out to the winner's at NHRA National Events. The name came from the late Wally Parks, founder of the NHRA over 50 years ago. I'm sure guys like John Force have lost count of how many Wally's he's won, but I'd bet he could tell you everything about winning HIS FIRST WALLY.

What ET does that thing run?

Best performance so far is 11.01, at 121 MPH using an 80 HP shot of NOS. sixty foot times are 1.50 to 1.55 The car weights 1900# with driver and turns 8000 RPM through the lights. This is a "full steel" car with roll-up windows, interior, and a ragtop sunroof. It's registered, licensed, and insured for street driving.

We normally run in an 11.90 index class (PRA S/G) and use a 40-60 HP shot of N.O.S. in third gear only to help out at the high altitude tracks like Denver, Vegas, and formerly Palmdale.

The engine is 86mm by 94mm or 2332cc (approx 144 inches). We use a OE based case and heads and a SCAT crank. Carbs are Weber 48 IDA's with 44 venturi's.

Thanks for asking.

congrats on the trophy but especially a 11`s et vw, i like it when it`s not a v8 all the time

John, let "Cocktail" know, I'm proud of him, and you... I remember when that was still a regular street car, yes, a danged fast one, but a street car nonetheless. I'm sure all the Cornpanzers (especially the Cornpanzy from Dayton with the black '67) are proud of Team Palmer, as well.
By the way, John, this is Dave Cormack