For those of you who miss Jimmy "The Shoe".....

[shawnfricke]

....like I do, you'll enjoy this!

A co-worker of mine was going through some old hot rod magazines and came across this article from late 1987. The name of the magazine was "Car's Illustrated - Street & Strip Cars".

Quote of the article, "You gotta live. Most people don't live, they survive."

He left us far to soon, but he sure did know how to live.

Enjoy

http://i1156.photobucket.com/albums/.../ShoeCover.jpg
http://i1156.photobucket.com/albums/...e1/Shoepg1.jpg
http://i1156.photobucket.com/albums/...e1/Shoepg2.jpg
http://i1156.photobucket.com/albums/...e1/Shoepg3.jpg

[THE LEGEND]

Shoe, Definately lived.
Chip

[Northrop]

Awesome story. Everyone of us Bracket racers around NJ, Eastern PA benefitted some way or another from his knowledge. I know I sure did. Funny thing is Harrington states in that article “ The decision was made for Jim to borrow his borrow his brother in law Paul Bochon’s Super Gas Vega to use in the runoff. The theory was that the harder leaving Super Gas car would allow Jim to hit the tree harder and cut better lights. Jim was able to take the match with a perfect 10.90 on the first run and a on the brakes 10.88 to 10.86 final run”

That Vega that Jim used to win that D1 10.90 Divional Championship is the same Vega that I own today. Every time Happy Harry would see me race or do well in my Vega, Happy Harry could not wait to tell me “I won a D1 championship in your Vega tripper” (my nick name to the Shoe) ! If anyone has ever looked into my car, it is extremely small. How he fit his 6’6 chassis in there is beyond me ! His knee’s must have touched the ceiling !

Miss that dude
Dan

[Rich Biebel]

Everything written in that article is pretty accurate.
I was at Moroso and helped Jim pull a head on the engine in the Not Pink Mobile. He had a 482 in it and it cracked a cylinder. He had won a pretty big race at Delmar, I think it was, on the way down...but found water in the oil and was not "happy" to say the least...I also was part of the engine swap crew that installed the Raritan Bob loaner.....That install did not go smoothly.....to say the least. Jim did manage to make first round. I can still recall me and him trying to decide what to dial.....using some very high tech guessing (NOT). Jim lost but we sure tried......Can't recall what happened the rest of that race but there was definately some wild antics taking place.....That was when they still ran a slow bracket and people raced rental cars. A driver could have a navigator.......Now there is some funny stories right there....I still laugh just thinking of some of the things that Jimmy did or said in those old days....He was one of a kind and it is sad that he is gone....

I can still hear him yell my name everytime I saw him just like he did to most everyone....

Dan I did not know your Vega was Paul Bochon's old car......

Ask Dave Schapiro when you see him about the time that car caught fire with Paul in it on the starting line at Island.....

I was at the race when Jimmy ran Joe Foster for the title....Joe was a real good racer and a good guy as well......

Man that was a long time ago.....


P.S. The 12 bolt rear in my 69 Camaro that I built around 1979 came from the Not Pink car. That car was Mike Rosa's and was raced as a C/SM before Jimmy got it.....

[Tracey Harrington]

Thank you for posting the story Shawn. I never read that before and it made me cry missing him but also made me smile thinking of all the fun times.

[Duane Eiskant II]

Every race that i go and race at (IHRA or NHRA), i know i miss the hell outta the big guy....He left us WAYYYYYYYY too soon.

[Britt1112]

One of the greatest and funniest big guys of all time!" Miss u shoe" Britt Mizia