Thread: California Charger

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Rick didn't red light--he saw Garlits was overstaged and knew that Garlits would get an auto matic red light--Sat there as Garlits left with no red, chased him but even tho running about 3 tenthe faster didn't catch him or at least didn't get the win lite. Dwight Salsbury claimed that the track had the red turned off so they wouldn't have to pay out as much money as Don's reported appearance money was $3000 which was winner 's $$amount so if Rick had won the race it would have been $3000 each instead of $1500 for runner up

Dwight steamed about that for a year and he actually ended up in the final against Garlits---he just did burn out , briefly staged and left---no red lite!!!!! after the race he said--see, I told you guys----seems that a lot of tracks back then would turn off red for bought in cars to insure they won which saved tracks money.

Your other question about Van----I bought Chuck Johnson's half of the car effective after Bakersfield 1970--even tho we kept the caR at Van Luven's home garage, he pretty much stayed out of things--he did build the blowers (VanCharger) at Donovan's and because of his closeness to us opened a lot of doors--Mainly Isky"s---of course my association with the Johansons(Howards) Crower,Shelby(Goodyear) and others gradually separated the impact he had on the car however we were very good friends and he was very glad that we did as good as we did because he didn't have the funds to pursue it as we did.

The Enderle barn door had the biggest opening of all the injection systems which gave it the most manifold pressure---the trick was in the barrel valve--the barndoors liked to stick closed but we chromed the housing and hard anodized the throttle blades followed by a small tweek at the corners which stopped the sticking--the addition of a Hilborn pump(biggest at the time) gave us more fuel than the Enderle pump and we ran 100% nitro with a blank jet(means that we ran straight nitro, as much as we could pump into it) and later Crower came out with a bigger pump so we were able to run more but then could use a high speed lean out at hi altitude tracks>

I too have been privy to at least two track conspiracies involving the orchestrating of winners who werent deserving, but earned the spot because they were a booked in star. It was a Chicago style format at Irwindale wherein the two fastest floppers went at it for the bucks. The booked in guy was given the chance while a suprizingly fast mid pack team had their act together that day and basically sat on the sideline. Cronyism surfaced at a 1977 fuel altered show at Irwindale where again the quicker, but less popular team loaded up at went home while one of the name brand headliners paired off with the equally well known team, thus creating THE ULTIMATE SHOWDOWN ON EARTH.

On a happier note, I recall you guys running a full bodied and tailed purple fueler in what 67 or 68?