THE ROOT BEER REPORT
Photographed and written by Ruthi
| Just want to take a moment to say hello and introduce myself...Hi! I'm Ruthi, Frank's babe. I'm the one who has gone flash! bang! boom! from fledgling dragster groopee to "Queen of Photo Ops". I'll be your host for this site and for the next few months I will be giving you a recap of some of the highlights of the last year. As the new season approaches I will be filling you in on the latest news and racing dates. On the day of the races I will make available to you the latest MASTERCAM scoop as it happens. So come visit us often or E-mail us... we would love to hear from you.. |
| Here I am with Frank, if you see me please stop and introduce yourself I would love to meet you. It's the holiday season and so many things have happened this year it's really hard to know where to begin so I'll just start with the most current and work my way back! Ya know just the other day I heard a little commotion and I found Santa shivering on my front porch, all dressed up in his furry Santa suit, or is that furry in his Santa suit? Frank thought Santa was cute but T-Slick said.... |
| "Santas' such a pussy"! |
| A blast from the past was the visit from Gene Russell and his family. What a pleasant surprise! Did you know that Walt, Frank and Gene built the first rootbeer car together back in the early 60's. Of course my mind is trying to see them as they looked back then, once I get the visual I'll share it with you. In fact here's one now. |
| Here's a shot of the A&W Car running the Ford... Lions 1964(top)!!!!!Bottom left is Walt in the driver seat of "Old Blue" at this years CHRR and bottom right is Walt in the A&W car back in 1964. |
| It was hard for a lay person like myself to begin to understand the magnitude of the emotions and camaraderie that must have been apart of this sport in its' fledgling years. As the tears and memories were flowing I just stood in awh of this amazing site. I was remembering just days before as the Porshe brothers, Brett Johanson, and Nick Arias with the Rattler chassis and Frank with his donated motor together with T-Slick, Bob Downey and Todd Shappee set out to fire up the Rattler. Oh, and me well...I was busy warning the neighbors and chasing parts for the Mastercam car. Later Walt brought over an old video tape called "The Seven Second Love Affair" and we all watched as they remembered the details of the film(ssshhh! you see most of these guys were in this film!)WOW! There was an excitement in the air that cannot be described and that day at the Cackle Fest was no different. I was peeking from the back seat of Steve Gibb's car as the "Cackle Fest 2000" was about to get under way... Now, you see as I understand it the Cackle Fest was started by Steve Gibbs....one day as they were push starting the Roadster and the Bill Pitts Magic Car it occured to Steve that the idea of push starting a couple of old cars might be kinda cool. So he took a look around the museum and realized that they had quite a few cars that would be worthy of running and remembering when cars were push started up to the starting line and just staged and ran. Why not now, that would be great if we could get 8 to 10 cars running at one time. As Steve set about making this all happen he realized that not many people who drag race today have ever seen a car push-started let alone an old style front motor fuel dragster. He made a few calls and the rest is history...the emotional impact it had on everyone involved was beyond Steve's wildest dreams and I think this might have been just the beginnings of something big...something truly wonderful. Rumor has it that there are 20+ cars lined up for Cackle Fest 2001. Stay tuned!!!! |
| Don Prieto and Ralph Guldahl visited us in the pits during the reunion..and of course Larry Knowles and Hugh Sietz are always great to have around for those challenging moments..... ya know old friends are always welcome "old"....as in long term! ya know. The Logan's (Kenny, Tiffany and Bonnie) stopped by as well as our dear friends from Oklahoma, Kent, Vicki, Shane and Justin joined us in the pits with their car that was previously known as "Old Blue" the Chastain and Hedge heap from 1991 or so... Walt jumped in the saddle and we started her up....bout knocked her off her blocks. Walt was like a kid with a new toy. |
| THAT'S ALL FOR NOW....SEE YOU IN 2001!!!!
"ROOTBEER" FRANK HEDGE AND "TECHNO" TIM GIBSON WITH THE MASTERCAM CAR AS IT CONTINUES TO MAKE HISTORY Despite its reputation as a fearsome hitter on the front-motored Top Fuel circuit, there is a sense of joy and adventure that rides with the Mastercam AA/Fuel Dragster every time it is loaded into its trailer and towed down the highway by the wiley group of nitromaniacs who make up the Mastercam Race Team. Once the dragster is unloaded at the track, the railbirds and racefans who gather around the race car can actually smell and taste the serious drag strip history that travels with this machine. . . It reeks of nitromethane. . . and merriment. As the Mastercam fueler is being maintenanced by the crew, the more casual observers might not realize that the man analyzing data inside the trailer is actually car owner Frank "Root Beer" Hedge, a venerated and respected drag racer ever since he pulled triple-duty over thirty years ago as Operations Manager of Frank Huczar's Race Car Specialties, Supervisor of five A&W Drive-Ins on the west side of Los Angeles, as well as Director of day-to-day operations of his Top Fuel dragster, the A & W Root Beer Special. (As a footnote to Hedge's hyperactivity, many drag strip historians consider Hedge's Top Fuel dragster to have been one of the first non-automotive primary sponsorships...) If one were to cast their glance to the guy in the spacesuit climbing between the rollcage as the crew prepares to warm up the nitro-guzzling slingshot dragster, one would not have to apply for a job as a calculus instructor in order to deduce that this is the driver of the Mastercam AA/FD, "Techno Tim" Gibson, Aeronautical Engineer to the Stars and humble nitromaniac. As preparations continue, topping off the fuel tank with a mixture of 95% nitromethane is Walt "Thumbs" Stevens, an unassuming figure whose legend belies his laidback demeanor. Amongst his tenure with a multitude of dragsters, Stevens successfully stabbed and steered a rear-engined Top Fuel dragster, the "Piranha," (unveiled half a decade before "Big Daddy" Don Garlits "officially" pioneered the rear-engined revolution) as well as the "Odd Couple" Top Gas dragster, which took its class at both the Winternationals and the March Meet in 1971. Suffice it to say, you have to maintain a sense of humor while drag racing something as viciously temperamental and fickle as Top Fuel dragsters for all of these years. Perhaps this shared trait is why the paths of these men has converged after a journey of over three decades--and why they are more interested in applying their cumulative knowledge to the continued winning of rounds and capturing championships. Because after all, that was then and this is now. As the 1999 season unravels, watch this space for the latest info on the Mastercam AA/FD as it continues to motor down the road ahead--and make history... |