Thread: Another drag racer gone.

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by Phil Burgess, NHRA.com
4/23/2008



Paul Blevins, one of the successful campaigners in NHRA's Modified class with a U.S. Nationals title, world championship, divisional championships, and national records to his credit and later a standout racer in the Pro Stock ranks, died April 22.

Blevins, who ran his cars out of the respected Duffy's Performance Specialties shop on the East Coast, was a four-time Division 1 champion and multi-national-record holder in Modified with string of Modified production race cars.

Blevins began his racing career on New Jersey strips, and, after a serving in the U.S. Army from 1963 to 1966, he began hanging around Jack Duffy's shop, which was home to many of the area's top racers. Blevins first partnered with Joe Scotto in 1968, and they fielded two cars, a G/MP '55 Chevy wagon that he drove and a C/MP '66 Corvette piloted by Bill Izykowski.


Paul Blevins first made his mark in NHRA's Modified ranks (above) and later moved to Pro Stock (below), where he also had great success.


In 1971, Blevins drove the wagon to victory at Le Grandnational in Quebec, and later that year, Izykowski was runner-up in the Corvette at the World Finals in Amarillo, Texas. Blevins closed the season by jumping behind the wheel of the Corvette for the first time and won the Supernationals in Ontario, Calif.

The 1972 season was even better for Blevins, who drove the Corvette to wins at the prestigious U.S. Nationals and at the World Finals -- which made him the world champ under the format then in place -- then made the leap to Pro Stock in 1973.

In a 1995 interview in National DRAGSTER, Blevins remembered, “Jim McFarland, who was working for Edelbrock at that time, said to me at Indy that I was making just as much power as [then Pro Stock king Bill] Jenkins and more power than Ray Alley. He confirmed my own thoughts and feelings.”

Blevins debuted a new SRD-built Vega at the 1973 Gatornationals, where he set top speed among the Chevy entries despite running his basic Modified combination. He finished the season as the Division1 champion and won the prestigious Super Stock Nationals and was the second driver, behind Jenkins, to run an NHRA-legal eight-second elapsed time.

He raced in Pro Stock through the end of the 1977 season before leaving the sport to head up research and development for Moroso. He later formed his own marketing agency, and after his son, Matthew, became involved in Jr. drag racing, he began developing and manufacturing aftermarket parts for the half-scale cars.

Wow, there goes another one!!!! Been a tough year already.