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Featured Racers:
Sue & Floyd
Stringer
Jack
Chapman
Andy Mears
Kenneth
Rierson |
Featured Racer
Every month or so we
are going to have an article on one of our racers in the SWSC. Some
of you may remember when we did this before. We have found out over
the last couple of years that we have ALOT of people following our
humble website. We have also gained new race teams! This gives
everyone a look at who we compete with all season long and maybe a
little insight for those that follow the SWSC!
Racers, this is your notice that I will be contacting you for
a bio and team photo!
Need a new article from one of the Racers!
Donnie Powell
The oldest of four
children of a Church of Christ Deacon, from Means, Kentucky, I grew
up running farm tractor, pumping gas, at the family country store and
working in the garage. This
was in an area of Kentucky when most of the customers couldn't write
their names but "made their
mark" in the store ledger. Loretta Lynn, Tom T. Hall, The Blue
Grass Kings, and Statler Bros
were from the same area.
I graduated from Camargo
High School in a class of 30 students, and was drafted into the
Army and came to El Paso where I wound up in the missile field instead of
going to Viet Nam.
Harold Bettes (MSD, Total Flow) told me you did not go to Viet Nam cause
they were afraid
you'd hurt yourself.
My first drag racing adventure was my involvement with
the "Mr. Belvedere" funny, an
aluminum hemi factory car of cousin Stanley Byrd (Salt Lick,
Kentucky). My first dragster
experience was with another cousin Ray Byrd. We built the
dragster in Ray's basement, but had
to take out a wall to get the car out of the house. Cousin
Ray was NOT amused.
Upon returning to El Paso I met Ray Griffin, employee of Mack
Massy AMC and bought a
front motored car from Tom Shelton (AMC sponsored) "Uncle Sam". I and Ray
ran the
slingshot with an AMC 401 injected on gas. It got down to 8.40's
around 1969-1970. John
Steele, Chuck McBride, Ray Griffin, Joe McReynolds, Joe Hickes and Lonnie
Goodwin were all
involved with me to one degree or another.
Chuck McBride built my next
dragster which started a partnership of 15 years. After
several years of running McBrides big block in the dragster, Chuck built
my first rear
motored car fashioned after Don Garlits and Connie Swingle's design.
I had started traveling
with and crewing for Tommy (TC) Lemmons and Don Garlits by then Lemmons
quit racing to
care for an ailing mother, after which I came to meet Herb Parkes through
Garlits. I was working
with Garlits in Tucson at the AHRAWinternationals (1980) when Starvin'
Marvin Schwartz was
killed in the other lane. I was involved in building Garlits
streamline (which" did the world's first
over-backward wheelie). Back in El Paso, my McBride chassis set the
El Paso Dragway record
at 7.60/187. After McBride left to work for Spitzer Chassis, Don
Davis built the twin turbo car.
R&D'd by MSD, Jack Priegel, Alain St Pierre, Herby, Bobby and Jack.
The car was so violent it
broke my back before it was retired. The next car was tuned after
hooking up with Frank
Turrentine, an accountant from Las Cruces. With my driving and
Frank's diligent tuning efforts,
we went 6.72 at an adjusted altitude of 9,800' in Albuquerque. A
dream realized, going as fast
personally as Garlits had years before.
The Supercharged Gamblers was started soon after by
Frank T and me. After a couple of
years of local racing, with the help of Jerry Norman and Greg Powell (no
relation), the Gamblers
evolved into our current Southwest Superchargers. Frank T must be
smiling on us from above,
cause the SWSC has exceeded all expectations.
Well, that's about it! Special thanks to:
Frank Offutt, Henry Keller,
Chuck McBride, Julian Moody, Ray Griffin, Kenny Moody,
Frank Turrentine, John Steele, Jerry Anderson, Ron
Rample and daughters, Steve Marley,
Amy and Lindsay, Don Garlits, Herb Parks and Tommy
Lemmons
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