In the early days of Vega supremacy, Yuma, Arizona’s Gordie Rivera fielded several popular cars and kept the progression going until at least 2011. He has not raced the last three seasons, but sources tell us all the parts and pieces are still in place to do so. Dave Smith pioneered a ’72 Vega with unique torsion bar front suspension and very different car construction than the normal Vega configuration of the day. That car and I became well connected and was my favorite ride out of 12 Pro Stock cars I drove with the #Pro 711 affixed.

By 1983 Dave and Karen Smith had teamed with driver Tom Chelbana to campaign an Oldsmobile-powered Willlie Rells-built car. The California-based team won the AHRA National Pro Stock Championship.

There were numbers when small car Pro Stocks were counted. Lee and Mike Hunter kept the Ford Pinto alive; Gary and Eddie Hansen did likewise with a Vega; and Jim Basko led the small car contingent in Arizona where Tucson Dragway offered a California vs. Arizona Challenge race once per month. The Northern California – Reno area contained one of the best Vegas, the Don Hardy-built Yuill Brothers car driven by Brad.

Speaking of Brad Yuill, the Yuill Brothers always presented the Best Looking Pro Stock cars. There are three cars that have my vote for Best Appearing. They are Brad Yuill’s Monza; Don Lorentzen’s awesome ’69 Camaro; and Bill Bagshaw’s ’70 Dodge Challenger, ‘the Red Lite Bandit’.