The tunes and the trip through the fall of '75 are winding down, but we're not done yet, folks. Musically, David Coverdale’s bluesy vocals are never better than on the epic 'MISTREATED', but never more out of place on some of the older tracks such as SMOKE ON THE WATER, so it’s no surprise that this fan of the classic 'Mark 2 lineup' and full-blown 'Rock Dinosaur' spent the whole song muttering, "NOT the Ian Gillan, NOT THE IAN GILLAN!!!" 

Meanwhile, remember that whole deal about getting things into a weekly print publication? Page 18 opens with an apology from the editors, as to why its taken them till now to cover the (previous August’s) Popular Hot Rod meet from Martin 131. Doorslammer-world saw activity such as the late, great Don Carlton taking Comp, Grumpy Bill Jenkins rolling out a new Monza while Dyno Don kept rolling with his "old" Mach 1, and Miss Mighty Mopar herself, Judy Lilly, taking Super Stock. The Top Fuel winner was a particular favorite of my "Turkey/Brother-from-another-Mother" MUGS, with the trophy going home with Dale Funk and the Kentucky Moonshiner. 

Flopper action was another case of 'Prudhomme’s Monza eats the WORLD', but notable for me on a reflective note, as in these parts we were still mourning the loss of Charlie Proite, I'd brought up on a message board, didn't they runner-up at Martin? Yes, it was '75, and their 6.35 pass for that under-funded team was a pretty good shot at the Snake.

Down to the want ads, and let’s see who’s going broke this week. The Souter Brothers, Radici & Wise, and Tom Blanford all cleaning house, cars, trailers, duallies, parts, you name it. On the positive side tho, a name I recognize from Facebook (unless it’s just a coincidence) Richard Venza was eager to find a Bonneville-style belly tank Lakester, so it wasn't all bad news, unless....

You might have noticed I never mentioned the cover of this publication. That's because the moment I saw it, any and all notion of spending the evening in some stupid self-absorbed pity-party went right out the window (in a snarky 'Ron White' voice: "Boo-Hoo-HOOO, Chicago Jon laid an egg, itsy-bitsy-oddy-OOOO! Waaa!!!") 

On the cover is the now-deceased Dale Armstrong, with the accolade pronouncing him PRO COMP DRIVER OF THE YEAR. The plus side of having been around years ago is having the chance to see guys like this when they were just "regular guys" (remember the time Armstrong was in the car at Martin and started spraying someone with whipped cream?). The down side is that math sucks, and we're at the age when it just all starts adding up to an equation that has the simple and unfortunate answer of “it was just his time” -- for him and a whole big chunk of us. (I can't help but to think of an episode of '70s sitcom 'Welcome Back Kotter' in which Barbarino explains the death of his grandmother as "I dunno, I think she just came down with a bad case of OLD.") 

Everybody has already written and reminisced at length about "AA/Dale", so I won't go that route, but I'll tell you this: I always liked that guy; always rooted for him. It seemed like he could take anything apart and put it back together better than it was in the first place. Brotha, if we could'a put him in Washington, D.C., maybe this place wouldn't be, as my Dad used to say, "ass-deep on a tall giraffe" in debt. 


Dale had this sticker on the door of his trailer at Indy in 1976, and it was a re-spin of a phrase from decades ago. It was sound advice that I took to heart, and said business model was used in any and all of my videos, and is the reason from Day One the name Dale Armstrong always appeared in the ending credits of my films. Those simple words? USE IT UP - WEAR IT OUT - EAT IT ALL. Everything happens for a reason, and He has a plan, so sometimes, instead of 'kvetching away', you just remember the good, learn from the mistakes, move on and in the words of former Seattle Pilots manager Joe Schultz, "time to pound the 'ol Budweiser".

Well, the music’s done, I'm finished with the newspaper, and I'm feeling pretty good -- and not just because I did an adequate job of quenching my thirst (puh-POW!). 

Thanks for hanging out. Remember to support the advertisers and sponsors of Drag Racing Online, the best Internet racing magazine in the history of the planet. [Ed. Note: We didn’t ask him to say this. Honest!]

Hope we get to do some stuff like this again real soon. ‘Til then, I AM Chicago Jon, and it’s time to say...C-YAAAAAAAA!!