Jeff Utterback
Up To Bat

2/9/03

Jeff "Mr. Pammy" Utterback is a message board troublemaker who's also lead welder-fabricator at So. Cal. Chassis-builders Hansen Chassis. Jeff first got hooked on drag racing when his father worked and raced at Lions in the swinging '60s and got bit by the Nostalgia bug in the late '80s. Jeff actually possesses a current competition license with personal bests of 6.52 @ 208 mph. In his past, he's been an aerospace welder of 16 years and former BMX pro. He is currently the sub drummer for the '60s surf band The Surfaris and lives in Santa Monica, CA with his wife Pammy (the queen of all media) and their two sons Morgan and Miles.

So, I'm the new guy around here and, like most new guys who come in, you probably want to ask - just what exactly can you, the discriminating Internet drag race journo junkie, expect from me?

Well, my mission will be to try to give the people what they want to know about the current happenings in Nostalgia land. Not only just what's happening in the public eye, but also what's happening below the radar - the gossip from the pits, the rumblings from the tower, and, of course, everything I hear from under the chassis jig.

I haven't burned all of my bridges yet, so I will delve into the rules - the rules I think should be changed and maybe even the rules you think should be changed.

I will talk to car owners and drivers from the various classes to bring you good folks the thoughts and opinions of the people making the Nostalgia scene happen. Maybe I'll even do an expose or two on some of the peripheral characters that make life during the oil downs interesting. But, for my first masterpiece, I will delve into the world of Nostalgia Funny Cars!

For those of you who have been to a Goodguys Nostalgia event, you might have felt there was something missing...and you'd be right! Where were the fuel Funnies? Well, 2004 is going to be the year that floppers make their official debut on the Nostalgia circuit. A dedicated group of racers are bringing Funnies into Nostalgia drag racing. And when I say Funny Cars, I mean FUNNY CARS - the Funny Cars that you and I were brought up on - Funny Cars with colorful names and colorful people behind the scenes.

The cards stack up to make this class potentially the biggest thing the Goodguys have going at the drags today (at least for us old farts who think a Honda is a motorcycle).

After allowing two exhibition appearances last year, GG/VRA have given the green light for an eight car open show starting in 2004. Rules for the fuel Funny class have not yet been firmly finalized, but what seems to be blowin' in the wind is that VRA will allow a '72 or earlier body, any motor, a 6-71 blower, points mag, Enderle 1200 Fuel Pump, two-speed tranny and all current NHRA safety specs.

As for a brief rundown on who's got what in the works for the VRA/Goodguys 2004 race season, this welder has been clued-in to the following (and if it's not accurate, tell me fer Chrysler's sake!)

Jeff Gaynor's Barracuda (426) - Their best E.T. 6.82. "Two-Forty Gordy" Bonin pushing pedals and Mike Demarest calling the shots. A triple threat of veterans who, along with their seasoned crew, are this hack's favorite, if not to win, then to inspire by their sheer grit and love for the class. These guys have been in on this deal since before the exhibition races and are the prototype for the class.

Dan Horan Jr.'s Mustang (426) - Jr. swapping feet and Dale "Mr. Happy" Pulde tuning.