I have been around this car many times. Hank and I drove to Hagerman's body where the aluminum body was being crafted. Today I compare Hanks drag slicks (rear tires) to the modern slick and wonder why back then they had not come up with the larger and safer tires. I was next to this car on Hanks last and fatal day. Hank was sucking out of his fuel tank remaining fuel and spat it on some plants saying to we who heard him, that by the next week the plant would be dead. Hank climbed behind the wheel and a pick truck you see behind the car shoved him to the track. Hank was nailing 1/4 mile top speeds over 180 mph and did so in around 7 seconds. Today that is slow. But there is more to this story. First Hank was used to speeds of 160 and not over 180. He was not used to the much more powerful supercharged engine. His car used nitro-methane fuel and he was about to enter a staged match race. He had a problem all day. He would accelerate and the car would shoot off the track and he had to correct to bring it back. Finally he was ready. His opponent was from a different state. They lined up side by side at Fremont Raceway. Fremont had a fairly new track and over time got famous. Hank and the Chrysler powered dragster took off. Hank's car veered right into the dirt. Still he was leading the Chrysler. Both cars had superchargers and ran on the fuel I mentioned earlier. Hank toughed it out and was hitting a speed of around 180 mph and was almost on the track again. Then he got back on the track when all of a sudden, the car simply took off flying. He flew over the finish line flags and I think he was over 20 feet up in the air. He flew over the other car and hit the dirt totally across the track from where he started. He went over a two lane track along with added width. it was stunning. When he hit, and i saw all of it, he slammed down on the right side slick. And then bounced back up in the air tumbling wildly. A car at over 180 mph can tumble a lot. And he slammed back down on his push bar. Behind the driver, built into the car was a steel pipe and it was shoved by the pick up truck to get the car to start. The engine was a small block Chevrolet. And smaller than the Chrysler. Hank hit the Chrysler car's left side exhaust pipes as it hit for the first time. It scared the hell out of the other driver since he felt he was about to die also. Hank tumbled down the dirt on the far left of the track until the car came to rest. Hank died instantly when the push tubing shoved into his back, severing his spine. In those days around 1961, on memorial day, his car and others used a T shaped tube system welded to the back to shove the cars. I reminds one of a bumper. Well, George Santos who had built the engine and was his partner gathered up the car. I never learned where exactly he carted it to, but he burned it up. i was told he was so upset, he poured gallons of gasoline over it and wanted to eliminate it. I doubt he got rid of it but burned it a bit. Hank is in a cemetery in Hayward, CA and on his tombstone is a photo if the car you see in the picture above. He named it the Top Banana. See the banana on the nose? George Santos quit racing for maybe a year and then built his own car that over time went on to win many many races and then his son got famous as well driving dragsters. I want to commemorate Hank Vincent.
What a great tribute. Hats off to the people who pioneered the sport. I'm sure he would appreciate your effort.
A write up on Hank says this. Also the next photo was the first design so you do not see a supercharger. It did not have one is why. Hillary Govia was related to Hank's wife. His wife and George Santos brother-sister. Hillary was then working on my own Chevy car when I and Hank drove to see his car being built. When Hank installed the supercharger, he never removed it to race. He had it on maybe 2 - 3 weeks is all as i recall it. i parked my car around the 1000 ft mark and saw him for the entire crash. This guy is wrong. The car was built in 1957. He thinks 170 and I think faster. But who knows for sure? He has the day of the crash correct. I said 1961 but am sure I am wrong and it was 1960.
Interesting background and story. I Googled Hank's name: http://dragstripdeaths.webs.com/196064.htm Having lost a lot of friends to accidents, I can understand your pain of losing a friend.
Very kind of you Robert, does the heart good and one can feel your passion and respect for the sport and your friend.
Here is a drag racer I saw race a few times. Back in the 1960s a guy called TV Tommy Ivo of TV fame raced plenty of times. T.V. Tommy Ivo's "Videoliner". This neat dragster was designed by Steve Swaja, a dragster artist/designer in the early to mid 1960's. The chassis was built by Frank Huzar and the aluminum body was hammered out by Bob Sorrell. This was one of those cars that looked super on paper but didn't work that great on the drag strip. It had several issues, the most prominent was that it tended to lift at the top-end causing the rear tires to break loose. Tom tried several fixes but in the end, it was just one more design that didn't make the final cut... http://georgeklass.net/dragsters.html
Hey fans, thank all of you. To see the site where I got some photos from, explore it. http://georgeklass.net/dragsters.html Well one more https://www.google.com/search?q=han...AhUlilQKHWXGBcQQ9QEIODAF#imgrc=IA7l4HjFQV79dM:
Let's do something for George Santos. George and go way way back to when he worked for Shell Oil testing engine oils. Vincent kept his car generally at Hillary Govias auto shop in Hayward, Santos opened his first auto shop on Jackson St. in Hayward ca and later to Washington Blvd in San Leandro. George is famous to many drag racers. Since George passed away, I found this His son raced from his dads shop. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santos I did meet Rick at his dads shop but never got close to him. Let's enjoy a video of Rick racing his dads small engine Chevrolet dragster. This is the modern design still in use. Rick wins easily and is on the left side. See the SS at the front of the car.
Here is what is claimed to be the fastest top fuel dragster. Notice it is designed as was SS automotive car. Below you can see what over 10,000 horse power looks like. These cars weigh less than your car weighs.
Imagine you floored your car and 3.722 seconds later you were hitting the top speed. I have verified it was for 1/4 mile. At first I worried it was for 1000 feet.
