What happend to Herman Chapman

Alan Nyhus · 12-04-2010, 09:48 AM

Herman and Virginia were good people, for sure.

Herman had a great sense of humor...very dry. I was in Denver for the Div.5 banquet and tech. meeting one year and stopped by his place in Englewood to pick up some cylinder heads. When I was getting ready to leave, I asked Herman what the quickest way back to the hotel was. I told him I was staying at a hotel out by the old Stapleton Airport.

Herman motioned for me to walk outside with him and he stood there for a minute looking up at the sky, then pointed up and said: "Follow that plane!"

When Super Stock had liberalized the suspension rules and allowed narrowed rear ends and any size tire, it seemed like every car out there had 14X32's on 'em. Herman used to talk about his theory about how they would be faster with a pair of 7" Drag 500's on each side. The visual alone cracked me up.

One of A.J. Foyt's cars in the Indy 500 museum had a 'Herman Chapman Racing Engines' decal on it. But that's a whole 'nother story...... -Al

12-04-2010, 09:48 AM	#1
Alan Nyhus VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Lower Dakota territory Posts: 1,180 Likes: 1,074 Liked 799 Times in 236 Posts	Re: What happend to Herman Chapman Herman and Virginia were good people, for sure. Herman had a great sense of humor...very dry. I was in Denver for the Div.5 banquet and tech. meeting one year and stopped by his place in Englewood to pick up some cylinder heads. When I was getting ready to leave, I asked Herman what the quickest way back to the hotel was. I told him I was staying at a hotel out by the old Stapleton Airport. Herman motioned for me to walk outside with him and he stood there for a minute looking up at the sky, then pointed up and said: "Follow that plane!" When Super Stock had liberalized the suspension rules and allowed narrowed rear ends and any size tire, it seemed like every car out there had 14X32's on 'em. Herman used to talk about his theory about how they would be faster with a pair of 7" Drag 500's on each side. The visual alone cracked me up. One of A.J. Foyt's cars in the Indy 500 museum had a 'Herman Chapman Racing Engines' decal on it. But that's a whole 'nother story...... -Al