Remember "PRO GAS" ?

[Geerhead55]

Before there was Super Gas,, there was a class called Pro Gas, which I believe got its start in northern California. Remember Bob Bunker and Dave Riolo and their '55 Chevys? If I remember right it ran on a 9.50 index,, there were no throttle stops or electronics and many of the cars were recycled Pro Stock cars, although old Modified and Comp cars and Altereds appeared too.Cars were built to run the number, not to blow completely by it, then choke it down. Heres a few NW Pro Gas cars from the early '80s I saw at Seattle International Raceway.
Photo 1: Roy Renieker's and Tom Turner's Vega.(Tom, I don't recall the Oregon based Camaro in the picture).
Photo 2: Dick Fox & Sons '56 Chevy
Photo 3: Henderson & Jwayad Camaro (ran a Lenco I believe)
Photo 4: Fox and Henderson in the staging lanes.
Photo 5: Dave Lukowski's Monza and the Jwayad & Henderson Anglia.
Photo 6: Fox's '56 launching against a '64 Nova wagon who I can't recall the driver.
If you have any Pro Gas pictures or stories to offer, put them in here for all of us.
Danny Durham

[Rory McNeil]

Originally Posted by Geerhead55

Before there was Super Gas,, there was a class called Pro Gas, which I believe got its start in northern California. Remember Bob Bunker and Dave Riolo and their '55 Chevys? If I remember right it ran on a 9.50 index,, there were no throttle stops or electronics and many of the cars were recycled Pro Stock cars, although old Modified and Comp cars and Altereds appeared too.Cars were built to run the number, not to blow completely by it, then choke it down. Heres a few NW Pro Gas cars from the early '80s I saw at Seattle International Raceway.
Photo 1: Roy Renieker's and Tom Turner's Vega.(Tom, I don't recall the Oregon based Camaro in the picture).
Photo 2: Dick Fox & Sons '56 Chevy
Photo 3: Henderson & Jwayad Camaro (ran a Lenco I believe)
Photo 4: Fox and Henderson in the staging lanes.
Photo 5: Dave Lukowski's Monza and the Jwayad & Henderson Anglia.
Photo 6: Fox's '56 launching against a '64 Nova wagon who I can't recall the driver.
If you have any Pro Gas pictures or stories to offer, put them in here for all of us.
Danny Durham

Sure do remember Danny. The Chevy 11 wagon was owned by the Teager Brothers out of Richmond BC, it got converted to a 2 door after the car flipped at Seattle in the early 80s. A buddy of mine bought it when Teager built a roadster, I got to drive the wagon at Seattle in the late 80`s. (Yeah, me in a Chevy with a Powerglide, imagine that! )Dean Kilback still owns the wagon, but it hasn`t been raced in a number of years.
Also in the mid 80s, another buddy, John Graham, bought the Fox& sons 56 Chevy, he ended up painting it 2 tone blue, and when he moved to Alberta a few years later, the car went with him. John sold it quite some time ago, but I believe that it is still in Alberta. A few other early Div. 6 Pro Gas cars I recall were Steve Ellis` Corvettes, Bob Greenhouses T roadster, the Canyon sand and gravel Nova,the "Bellvue Kid" ex P/S Cuda, "High Voltage" Cuda, the ex Gary Pugh P/S Monza, Al Youngs Bardahl Challanger, Dave & Pat Bliss` and Ken Heards ex P/S Pintos. Long before throttle stop timers, much better to watch back then. By the way, I think the coolest Pro/S/Gas car from the Northwest was Bill Jwayads trick Mercedes SL 2 seater coupe with a BBC and Lenco, simply stunning!

[jims5600]

Danny I have fond memories of Pro Gas also,seemed like it was more
fun back then.

[Carguy49]

I, also, remember those days. Bob Bunker and Dave Riolo put on quite a show at S.I.R. back in the day. It was worth the admission price just to see these guys and others run. Definitely more entertaining than watching super gas or super comp today. Rory, the cars listed bring back some great memories of the 80's at the track. I remember the nova wagon that was mentioned and loved watching it run when the Teager's had it. Is this the wagon that Al Chinn runs now?? I remember the car from earlier days and the the guy who owned it was named Nick (can't remember the last name). If it is the same car, what a history. Al still runs the car often and usually with a mid 9.50's dial in.


I just re-read the commentary by Rory. Got the answer to my question about Al's Nova. Since it isn't the Teager's car, where did it come from??? Anybody know.

[Tom Goldman]

When I started running then index classes, It was usually a struggle to get the car to a 10.90 or a 9.90.
Sometimes we'd get lucky and the weather was good ,I'd get to throw some weight in the car. ....Or if it was 90degrees outside ,or we went to Coloumbus,we'd throw on the tunnelram so we could make the index.
But that was when a BIG motor was a 468, and most racers were running old Modified Small blocks with cast iron heads or home built 427's with heavy TRW pistons,and L88 heads.
I can't say I had more fun back then, but it was better for the fans when the cars and the drivers had to work hard to go fast enough and have BIG B**ls to roll the car in deep enough to hit the tree !

[Rich Biebel]

Dave Schaprio had a 427 in his first Street roadster with a flat tappet cam.

At Columbus in about 1984 the car would go maybe 9.95....and it took probably 2 "bumps" to get any kind of decent RT...

I loved the term SewerGas.....and when we pulled into an NHRA event and a parking guy asked us what class......thats what we told him we were running....Sewergas....

At indy that year there was well over 200 cars entered in SewerGas.....and we ran the first round almost before the sun was up......

[Paul Ceasrine]

I remember that 'fun class'.

Pro/Gas, which I think had a 9.90 Limit when it first started.

One of our friends ran a 1974 Pontiac GTO (remember them), with a
fiberglass-nose, and with a Chevrolet Big-Block 427.

[Geerhead55]

Hey Rory,, thanks for identifying the Teager Bros' wagon,, I remembered when it flipped. All the cars you mentioned I can recall, however I never saw Bill Jwayad's Mercedes in person, just a photo way back when. I do have a shot of the "High Voltage' Cuda.

Ron,,, I know the wagon Al Chinn has is a different vehicle,, and you're right, a 9.40 - 9.60 killer combo. As you may know he did pretty well down in Vegas last November.

Heres another guy that always had good looking, fast cars: Don't know if Frank Nelson played around in Pro Gas, but I always liked his Vega.
Photos 1&2: Frank in his Vega one Saturday evening in '84 at S.I.R.
Photo 3: Bonus shot of Frank in his '67 Camaro against Superstock & Drag Illustrated magazine cover car, The Wittig & Betteral '68 Mustang at Seattle in '74.
Photo 4: High Voltage Cuda
Danny Durham

[Geerhead55]

The "High Voltage" Cuda picture didn't post above like I thought it would,, lets try again. Here it is against the Depuy & Callison Corvette.
Danny Durham

[Rory McNeil]

Originally Posted by Carguy49

I, also, remember those days. Bob Bunker and Dave Riolo put on quite a show at S.I.R. back in the day. It was worth the admission price just to see these guys and others run. Definitely more entertaining than watching super gas or super comp today. Rory, the cars listed bring back some great memories of the 80's at the track. I remember the nova wagon that was mentioned and loved watching it run when the Teager's had it. Is this the wagon that Al Chinn runs now?? I remember the car from earlier days and the the guy who owned it was named Nick (can't remember the last name). If it is the same car, what a history. Al still runs the car often and usually with a mid 9.50's dial in.


I just re-read the commentary by Rory. Got the answer to my question about Al's Nova. Since it isn't the Teager's car, where did it come from??? Anybody know.

Carguy49, I don`t recall the Chevy 11 wagon owners last name, but the car had "Quick Nick" on the doors, and when Al Chinn first bought the car,he had the lettering changed to |"Quick Kick". Don`t know if you recall, but before that, abound 1980, Chinn raced a yellow first gen. Camaro sponsoered by Pepsi, called the "Pepsi Challange". Also around that time, the 10.90 class started, called "Jr.Gas", remember that? As a Ford guy, some of the Ford cars I followed were Gene Bergstroms 65 Falcon, Leroy Greys 67 Fairlane and later, 67 Falcon, Paul Neros "Fiddler 5" Falcon, Bill Rusbolts "Gladiator" Falcon and Pinto, the Hawthorne Bros Ranchero, Mustang, and Pinto (all sticks!) Don DeVitos stick Maverick, "Dr". John Bertoldis Falcon, Dave Bliss` flying SB ford stick Falcon and ex Pro Stock Pinto and T Bird, Darwin Glassers real 64 Galaxie 427 `lightweight`, and several others.

Danny, Jwayads Mercedes was red, and last time I saw it at SIR/Pacific, was with Steve Ellis driving it, 5 or 10 years ago. Steve even ran it in Super Shifter one weekend at Mission.