Born 1929.  Pioneered in the development of the fuel dragster during 13 years of active racing beginning in 1949.  One of the first to record 140 mph in the quarter-mile (in 1953 driving a Flathead Ford) and 180 mph (in February 1959 with a Chrysler Hemi and a top-mounted GMC blower, a setup he was first to use successfully, and which has since been standard in drag racing for more than 30 years).  Worked for Ford Motor Company 1962 through 1972, and in 1979 became a leader in the nostalgia drags movement with the restored car he first raced in 1949.