Rick Kolber, a special thanks

Benchmarkbob · 10-22-2022, 02:00 PM

A special thanks to Rick Kolber.
It breaks my heart to hear of Rick Kolber’s bout with cancer.
Here is a little story about Rick and our shared love of drag racing.
Back in the early ‘80s, I was at Orange County Raceway (OCIR) watching the World Finals.
For those not familiar with OCIR, the staging lanes paralleled the track. Picture the staging lanes running east and the track running west.
Back then, we were allowed to stand at the head of staging to watch. The crowd was often 3 or 4 people deep and up to 8 lanes across.
I was one of the fans at the head of staging watching Stock Eliminator when out came this fantastic, gold 1964 Plymouth A/SA Max Wedge, owned by Rick and his brother. This was a truly beautiful garage restoration by the two brothers.
I can’t remember the index, but it seems like it was about 11.20-11.40.
Rick pulled to the line for the burnout with a roar that only a Max Wedge can make. Then he staged the car.
That beauty did a 4-inch-high body raise as it left the line. I believe he lost the round with something like an 11.08, but I was hooked!
At the time, I was bracket racing (‘65 Dodge 361) and (‘63 Sport Fury 383) at OCIR and Carlsbad Raceway in San Diego. I had to find out about running Stock Eliminator.
So, I ran over to my bracket racing buddy, Bill Bushmaker, who had his Willy B “Cuda” at OCIR that day. Bill told me to talk to Bob Lambeck, who went on to help build my first engine for the class.
Little did I know that Rick Kolber and his beautiful ‘64 Plymouth would change my direction in drag racing forever.
Rick and I have been friends and drag racing buddies for over 40 years now.
So, what became of the Plymouth?
Well, Rick sold the car to Jim Kassie of Phoenix and Al Corda drove it to a World Championship.
I beat Corda the previous weekend in the Final at Las Vegas and Red-lighted against Al the next week at Phoenix with 3 cars left.
Al took out the other car in the Final and became a World Champ.
Many years later, Rick built that great-looking, lightning-fast Dodge Demon, and he was back in the game. Even then, as Rick and I saw each other at various races around the West, I would always remind him of that gorgeous Plymouth.
It’s funny that those of us that have that “gene” can never get enough of this sport.
Without Rick and that ‘64 Plymouth, I might have wound up with a boat instead of 40+ years of racing stock.
At 80 years old, I still hit the track with my ‘77 U/SA Mustang. The ETs are slower, but the thrill’s still the same.
I’ve had a great run, met hundreds of racers, and built some lifelong friendships thanks to this sport.
I owe my racing career to Rick Kolber.
Thanks, my friend. Save me a place in the pits.
Bob Elliott

10-22-2022, 02:00 PM	#1
Benchmarkbob Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 30 Likes: 0 Liked 58 Times in 2 Posts	Rick Kolber, a special thanks A special thanks to Rick Kolber. It breaks my heart to hear of Rick Kolber’s bout with cancer. Here is a little story about Rick and our shared love of drag racing. Back in the early ‘80s, I was at Orange County Raceway (OCIR) watching the World Finals. For those not familiar with OCIR, the staging lanes paralleled the track. Picture the staging lanes running east and the track running west. Back then, we were allowed to stand at the head of staging to watch. The crowd was often 3 or 4 people deep and up to 8 lanes across. I was one of the fans at the head of staging watching Stock Eliminator when out came this fantastic, gold 1964 Plymouth A/SA Max Wedge, owned by Rick and his brother. This was a truly beautiful garage restoration by the two brothers. I can’t remember the index, but it seems like it was about 11.20-11.40. Rick pulled to the line for the burnout with a roar that only a Max Wedge can make. Then he staged the car. That beauty did a 4-inch-high body raise as it left the line. I believe he lost the round with something like an 11.08, but I was hooked! At the time, I was bracket racing (‘65 Dodge 361) and (‘63 Sport Fury 383) at OCIR and Carlsbad Raceway in San Diego. I had to find out about running Stock Eliminator. So, I ran over to my bracket racing buddy, Bill Bushmaker, who had his Willy B “Cuda” at OCIR that day. Bill told me to talk to Bob Lambeck, who went on to help build my first engine for the class. Little did I know that Rick Kolber and his beautiful ‘64 Plymouth would change my direction in drag racing forever. Rick and I have been friends and drag racing buddies for over 40 years now. So, what became of the Plymouth? Well, Rick sold the car to Jim Kassie of Phoenix and Al Corda drove it to a World Championship. I beat Corda the previous weekend in the Final at Las Vegas and Red-lighted against Al the next week at Phoenix with 3 cars left. Al took out the other car in the Final and became a World Champ. Many years later, Rick built that great-looking, lightning-fast Dodge Demon, and he was back in the game. Even then, as Rick and I saw each other at various races around the West, I would always remind him of that gorgeous Plymouth. It’s funny that those of us that have that “gene” can never get enough of this sport. Without Rick and that ‘64 Plymouth, I might have wound up with a boat instead of 40+ years of racing stock. At 80 years old, I still hit the track with my ‘77 U/SA Mustang. The ETs are slower, but the thrill’s still the same. I’ve had a great run, met hundreds of racers, and built some lifelong friendships thanks to this sport. I owe my racing career to Rick Kolber. Thanks, my friend. Save me a place in the pits. Bob Elliott