Congrats Terry Pearson
 

on winning super stock at Dallas

Re: Congrats Terry Pearson
 

Is this the sam Terry Pearson who lived in South Dakota many years ago?

There was a racer named "Terry Pearson" (mildly unusual name) who ran a couple of black Olds 4-4-2's, a hardtop and a convertible, each with a foot-wide white racing stripe down the hoods, tops, and deck-lids, and called them "Mother Skunk" (his wife drove that one) and "Papa Skunk,": I believe.

Very cool, attention-getting race cars, and f-a-s-t!!!!

That was in the early-to-mid '70s, I believe.

Jerry Ryan; remember them???

IF it's the same guy, I'd say congratulations were definitely in order.... he's been racing a long, long time...

If not,
CONGRATULATIONS, anyway, TERRY!!! Great job driving the stripe in the final!!!! :)

Re: Congrats Terry Pearson
 

Good job Terry, and yes Terry is from SOUTH DAKOTA.

Re: Congrats Terry Pearson
 

Well, kinda right Bill. It's Terry from SoDak alright, but the "skunk" cars were run by Terry P. and Ron Thorson I believe. Ron drove the convert. I believe Terry's wife at the time did drive his car a time of two. You're asking alot Bill. That was 1970 or 1971. Anyway, Congrats Terry. Glad to see another one for the "old guys".

Jerry

Re: Congrats Terry Pearson
 

Way to go Terry!!!!

Re: Congrats Terry Pearson
 

Great job in dallas. Congratulations on a big win!!!

Mike

Re: Congrats Terry Pearson
 

Double post; sorry...

Re: Congrats Terry Pearson
 

Thanks, Jerry; hell, that was only 35 or 36 years ago... the blink of an eye!!!

I just was pretty sure that it was the same "Terry Pearson" and that if it was, he'd been at this for a long, LONG time, and I was really happy to see him in the winner's circle.

Heck, Jerry; you might even remember the "Jolly Ollie Orange" GTO, and the "Baby Elephant" B altered run by Terry Nagel... no, "Larry" Nagel....

I remember, he had one of the first enclosed trailers I ever saw, and painted on the back of the trailer, it had a cute cartoon of a dancing, "Dumbo"-style elephant in a tutu, and above the picture, it said, "CAUTION: BABY ELEPHANT INSIDE!!!" Guess it was a destroked Hemi, or something like that...

I was coming from the strip in Marion one fine race day in about 1972, on my way to Earl Britt's Pizza Palace (probably closed on Sunday) for some grub, and up beside me at a traffic light, pulls a white '68 Firebird Stock Eliminator car, still with the slicks on it. Apparently, he lived in Sioux Falls and drove to the strip to race.

Any idea who that might have been???

Those were the days... DRIVING your race car to the track.... wow....

Re: Congrats Terry Pearson
 

Bill, I'm a Soux Falls 'local' and can answer some of these questions.

-Yes, that's the same Terry Pearson. He and his partner Ron Thorson (both from Rapid City, S.D.) were always a formidable pair and both won many times at Marion...the 'original' Thunder Vally Dragways, by the way. I went to Indy in 1975 or 1976 with Terry and helped him with his SS/JA '67 Camaro convertible. I believe Terry was runner up in class that year. Terry's car was a 'flood car' from the Rapid City flood of 1972.

- The 'Jolly Ollie Orange' GTO was owned by Denny Kadinger. Larry Nagle did the motor work for that car and a lot of other Stock and Super Stock cars in the area, including Arnie Tofteland's very fast Pontiacs.

-Larry Nagel's 'Baby Elephant' A/A was one of the nicest cars around at that time. Larry did it all..chassis, motor..you name it, Larry could do it. The "Caution, baby elephant inside" phase was thought up by Bill 'Willie' Hofstad, another Sioux Falls guy that many will remember.

-The white '68 Firebird Stocker that pulled up beside you on the street was Jack Wright. Jack did a lot of winning with that car in the early days of Stock...back when you had to have the street tires, etc. after NHRA axed Jr. Stock.

I was fortunate to have been assocated with a lot of the really good racers of this area...the Koppien family, Ron Roddel, Bob Sherwood, Larry Nagel and Don Breen, just to name a few. I started going to Marion when I was 14 years old, changing spark plugs on my cousin Don Breen's '65 327-350hp 300 Deluxe 2 dr. sedan Chevelle which ran in SS/C.

Hope this jogs the memory. Congrats to Terry! -Al Nyhus

Re: Congrats Terry Pearson
 

Thanks Al for filling in the gaps. Bill, Larry Nagel did lots of work for the Pontiac guys including Arnie Tofteland's cars. If you'll look in the (I believe) 1971 Hot Rod or Car Craft coverage of Stock at Indy, you'll read that the writer thought that the most impressive car there was Arnie Tofteland's unlettered Pontiac Tempest. Just the window sticker and a Performance Engineering decal (Larry's business) in the window, but the car was extremely fast. Just as today, the East & West Coast cars get all the ink, but there were and are some REALLY FAST cars out here in the outback. Terry Pearson was one of the original FAST GUYS from around here, and now he finally got a Wally. Congrats again Terry.

Jerry