You gauge a persons status in drag racing by the way they are thought of by their peers, said chuck etchells, driver of the kendall gt1 dodge avenger. Etchells scored nhra funny car victories during his driving career and 15 as a team owner. July 7, 2016 former nhra funny car driver chuck etchells passed away yesterday. Pedregon has seen drivers come and go, the carcount pendulum swing, and performance. Policies and guidelines parking pass guidelines pit auxiliary vehicle policy withdrawno showtransfer policy. Etchells decision to climb back in the drivers seat came shortly after learning that his selected driver would in. He is best known for driving the kendall oil dodge daytona to the sports first.
He is a 16time nhra and 1 time ahra funny car champion driver and a. Watching all the espn nhra races from the 90s has stuck a few questions like what is. Chuck etchells sunoco 2001 chevrolet camaro funny car. This version of the future force brought etchells national acclaim. Etchells is a time national hot rod association national event winner. He also made the first foursecond funny car run driving the kendall oil dodge daytona in 1993. Nhra vip credentials and hours lodrs restricted area pass locationhours driver and crew member credentials sportsman and pro mod hard cards goldsilverbronze card policy minor release and waiver form.
For several seasons, the northeastern midget association has enjoyed an influx of strong young talent. April, 1988 eddie hill breaks five second barrier for the first time in drag racing history with a 4. Victory is always sweet, but its even sweeter when it signals the success of an underdog in the. Former funny car driver etchells passes july 7, 2016. This year may have officially signaled the changing of the guard as 24year old ben seitz of monument beach, ma claimed his first northeastern midget association championship.
Gary etchells would talk at length with any fan who expressed an interest in the car, and chuck impressed me as perhaps the least egotistical driver id ever met. Nhra driver funny car chuck etchells hand signed index. Former nhra funny car driver chuck etchells passed away on july 6th. Etchells began his racing career in 1974, bracket racing his dgas dodge in the northeast. Funny car racer chuck etchells passes competition plus. Former funny car driver etchells passes motor racing. Al hofmann november 28, 1947 march 20, 2008 was an american dragracer and drag car owner in the funny car division from umatilla, florida. He was regular fixture at etown back in the 70s and 80s before he hit the big times. Arthur chuck etchells 1954 2016 woodstock arthur chuck henry etchells, 61, of woodstock, ct passed away peacefully on july 6, 2016. Find the best selection of high performance parts and custom auto accessories including chuck etchells kendall 1997 dodge funny car action 124.
Racing champions chuck etchells nhra kendall oil 1. The 1993 nhra searscraftsman nationals at heartland park topeka was just that kind of event in the moment when underdog chuck etchells snatched up the title of first in the 4s funny car division out of john forces hands, as the putnam, connecticut native broke the 4. This was a really bad fire but he handled it like a. Each driver goes on to win their respective categories. Philadelphia, pennsylvania officials at kendall motor oil and. Etchells first official race back in the kendall oilmatco tools camaro z28 funny car will be next february at the 41st annual autozone winternationals in pomona, california. I wanted to do it i just didnt know if i had the macho to pull it off i came here when i was 15 years old, in 1991, and watched john force, chuck, etchells, and ed mcculloch i mean im a. He is best known for driving the kendall oil dodge daytona to the sports first foursecond funny car run in 1993. Cruz pedregon a sinatragrade classic in nhra funny car class. Sleek and aerodynamic, it is designed to guard its occupants in case of danger, withstanding the challenge of repeated three hundred mileperhour runs.
Former nhra funny car driver chuck etchells passed away yesterday. Chuck etchells and jim epler would forever be etched in the history. Chuck etchells upstages john forces pursuit of 4second. With tim and kim richards leading his crew they threw the sink at. A part of force probably never will get over the way the 29yearold pedregon waltzed into the class in 1992 after a parttime top fuel run the season before and in his first year won six funny car races and the title. He eventually moved into funny car racing in the late 1970s and got his first national event win at the nhra summernationals in 1990.
Chuck etchellstffc with images drag racing, nhra drag racing. He began drag racing in 1968 with a 1955 chevrolet. Etchells began his career bracket racing in the northeast with a dgas. Veteran nhra funny car driver chuck etchells passes away.
Sunoco wheelies into the nhra funny car series with the purchase of kendall oil, sponsoring chuck etchells. Chuck etchells archives motorsportstalk nbc sports. Thoughts and prayers are with this friends and family. John force joins chuck etchells as the second member of the castrol four second club with a pass of 4. With that, pedregon dethroned twotime champ force and became the only driver in the decade to command the class besides force.
He was hired by chuck etchells in 1992 to be his crew chief, and etchells had three events wins to finish fifth in the season points. Kendall motor oil, chuck etchells racing tab bazemore for 1999 philadelphia, pennsylvania, january 4, 1999 officials at kendall motor oil and chuck etchells racing today announced that veteran funny car pilot whit bazemore would assume the. News, driver interviews, and the latest in nhra drag racing event coverage including the mello yello championship series, schedules and results. Watch chuck etchells suffer a massive funny car fire at the 1994 nhra gatornationals. Chuck etchells kendall 1997 dodge funny car action 124 and more at whites pit stop. Former funny car driver chuck etchells remembered by. Over the years, john force and whit bazemore have been rivals, who were all too often on the opposite end of the spectrum in drag racing issue. Chuck etchellstffc nhra drag racing, funny cars, car humor, muscle cars. Former nhra funny car driver chuck etchells passes away. Yingst was working in the pits at houston raceway park on march 6, 1993 at the nhra slick 50 nationals when he collapsed and died from a brain aneurysm. Ill never forget one day at epping in 1981 when anothers fc racers wife asked him, chuck, didnt you hear the fans cheering for you on the return road. Al hoffman chuck etchells jim epler richard hartman bruce sarver robert reehl kenji okajaki are doing now.
Former nhra driver whit bazemore shares racing passion on film. He was the second of only two funny cars to join the 300 mph club 301. Former funny car driver chuck etchells remembered by friends in nhra. Dom laganas top fuel dragster set up for success at home in englishtown. Chuck etchells kendall 1997 dodge funny car action 124. Pedregon defeated al hofmann, cory lee and chuck etchells in the preliminary rounds, while skuza got past freddie neely, tim wilkerson and john force. The last week provided a double shock of loss, with the passing of funny car barrier breaker chuck etchells wednesday, july 6, and the loss of drag racing icon art chrisman the following tuesday. But perhaps more importantly, chuck etchells was the first driver to post a foursecond elapsed time run in a funny car. Chuck etchells racing and driver whit bazemore today announced that they had acquired a new weapon to assist them in their pursuit of the nhras winston funny car championship. In 2001, chuck etchells got behind the wheel of his camaro funny car to race another season. Free shipping on many items browse your favorite brands affordable prices. Drag racing list chuck etchells and the fate of the. Chuck etchells, the man who piloted drag racings first foursecond funny car, passed away on july 6 at the age of 61.
Hofmann said, he wanted me to be a handson racer, not just a driver. The drag racing world is mourning former nhra funny car driver chuck etchells, who passed away wednesday at the age of 61. Below is a particle list of race teams and drivers, and sport teams that use petron. He was born august 27, 1954 in putnam, ct, the son of the late paul and rita etchells. October 2 chuck etchells becomes the first nhra funny. Although he never won a nhra funny car championship in his career, etchells was a prolific and successful drag racer, including being the first driver in funny car history to break the foursecond. In this video we ride with chuck etchells for the first funny car 4second run. Al hofmann november 28, 1947 march 20, 2008 was an american dragracer and drag car. Days after losing a mutual friend, they were clearly on the. A great driver and an even better friend are how members of the drag racing community remember former nhra funny car driver chuck etchells. Chuck etchells, a race winner as both a driver and team owner in the nhra funny car class, died wednesday at the age of 61. Chuck etchells upstages john forces pursuit of 4second barrier january 1, 2015 jay wells 0.
Chuck hired recentlyretired driver tom anderson to tune the car, and tom put etchells into the fives. Chuck etchells was known primarily for match racing before building this trans am in 1984. Browse through indepth news on chuck etchells along with latest information, updates, biography, expert analysis and opinions. Kendall motor oil, chuck etchells racing tab bazemore for 1999.
1479 1640 398 725 156 1009 593 1682 1220 1368 427 339 49 464 377 1505 1329 953 841 811 979 581 322 980 201 620 214 87 652 132 18 326