 hrysler was on a mission. Their desire to win in NHRA competition from 1965 to 1970 bordered on the fanatical. They had dominated SS/EA, until Ray Allen showed up with a 454 LS-6 Chevelle convertible It's said that NHRA greased the rules a bit to allow Allen to run, and the car fit the class so perfectly, that it flat dominated, handily defeating the Mopar contingent. Allen didn't have to run with a roll bar, but top had to be up. The drop-top's stock chassis beefing made for incredible launches, and Ray was breaking into the very high tens. There was nothing in the Mopar arsenal that could match. |
The '70 Nats were coming up at Indy, and the Plymouth boys, under the direction of Dick Maxwell, put their heads together for a way to take out Ray and his pesky Chevy. They decided that a SuperBird would be their weapon of choice, thanks to its heavy rear glass and wing--and the possibilities it allowed in "bending the rules." Now, you gotta understand something. According to "Mr. 5 & 50," Jack Werst, who was interviewed for this article, "winners cheated!" Nice guys finished last. That's just the way it was. Allen was cheating, ever hear of a "stock" LS-6 Chevelle running 10s? The name of the game was what you could slide by the NHRA tech guys. |
