Fifty-three years later, Bill Word still chuckles about their one and only attempt at teaching a smoky, illustrated lesson in applied physics: “We really shook them up with that one run. I’d guess we turned around eight-flat, maybe better, but of course we’ll never know,” Word mused.

The controversial jack system was used several times during the ’62 season, but always in match races. It was popular with fans, who loved the smoked-in drama of each jack-assisted run. Not once did Pete encounter a problem running the jacks; the car left like a shot and always ran straight and true.

The years 1962, ’63 and ’64 were successful in terms of races won and performance standards set. Just not to the degree that the 1961 Labor Day shocker had been for the Atlanta boys. After winning the Nationals, all else paled in comparison.

In 1962 they won Top Eliminator at the annual World Series of Drag Racing, at Cordova, Illinois, an event with a lengthy history of big-name winners. Pete headed west and made believers of the Californians who doubted his legitimacy. He won Top Gas at the 1962 California State Championships, at Half Moon Bay with a stunning 8.49 accompanied by a Pete-typical shut-off 170.69 mph. His dominance erased any doubts as to the ability of the simple little Chevy-powered dragster.

At the 1962 Nationals Pete, deep in the battle, dropped out in Round No. 4, where he fell to Don Garlits’ Swamp Rat IV. Garlits lost the Top Eliminator title to Jack Chrisman, driving Mickey Thompson’s aluminum Hemi-head Pontiac.

Late in ’62 Pete was booked to defend his No. 1 spot on the Drag News Standard 1320 list. The challenger was National champ Jack Chrisman, this time driving Mickey’s inline twin-engine Dragmaster Dart (with stretched wheelbase) car. At stake was the No. 1 spot and $2,000, a very serious prize in 1962’s drag racing economy.

Match racing for the Drag News Std. 1320 spots was popular in the ’60s and fans across the nation followed Drag News for the results. The 1320 spot contests provided solid cash and a chance to create excitement away from the then-scarce NHRA and AHRA major events. Track owners liked the crowd draw and publicity that put their venue in the spotlight. Many reputations and several legends were created by these matches.

The race between Pete and Jack Chrisman was booked into Newton County Dragway, near the town of Covington, Ga. As the defending spot holder, Pete was allowed to choose where to accept the challenge. No travel and home-field advantage made the choice logical. Chrisman had been on the road most of the year and was happy to challenge for the No. 1 spot.

Chrisman’s M/T mount was powered by a pair of different make, supercharged engines. One was an aluminum Oldsmobile F-85 V-8 engine, the other an aluminum Pontiac Tempest V-8. This odd couple was light and powerful. Although Chrisman was the ’61 NHRA World Points Championship in the Howard’s Cams twin, he won the ’62 Nationals in Mickey’s Hemi Pontiac car. By Fall of ’62 Chrisman was driving M/T’s new inline twin.

Chrisman arrived from his tow only to find that the chassis had broken. With sportsmanship that was typical of that era, Pete, Bill Word and others helped Chrisman repair the wounded chassis and prepare to race.

Pete stopped Jack in round one with a stout 8.40 at just 168 mph, typical of Pete’s disdain for big speeds when a quicker ET would win the race. He rarely ran all the way through the lights when comfortably in the lead.

In round two Pete had handling problems and ran off the side of the track. After raising a cloud of red Georgia dust, he managed to drive back on the asphalt and stood on it, only to lose to Chrisman’s 8.72/174.45. The crowd loved it in spite of its obvious hazard. In the final round Pete hammered out an 8.41/169.00 run, shutting off early and defeating Chrisman’s 8.84/173.00. Pete retained his No. 1 Gas spot and pocketed the $2,000 winner’s purse.

A couple weeks later the same Newton County Dragway hosted a season-ending NHRA Southeast Division event. Pete and Bill were primed to take home Top Eliminator and the $500 cash, but their plans were thwarted after Pete’s only run. At about 1,000 feet the engine broke a valve, damaged a cylinder head, and scattered fragments throughout the engine. With only one engine, Pete and Bill loaded up and went home. On Pete’s one-and-only run the Southwind II cranked out a blistering 8.36 at just 168.83 mph, the engine going lame at the 1,000-foot mark.