1961…The Gathering Storm!

61 Winternationals – where our story starts!

	The first ‘Indy’ US nationals – Names like ‘Dyno’ Don Nicholson, Arnie ‘ The Farmer” Beswick, The Ramchargers, Bob Ford and Jim Wanger Pontiacs start to become household names. Stock classes were divided up – S/S was <10.59 lbs per 1 HP. Open exhausts permitted. Traction bars and any gear ratio.
Winternationals Pomona	WINNER	LOSER	WINNERS CAR	MOTOR	ET/MPH
CLASS
Mr Stock Eliminator	Dyno Don Nicholson	Frank Sanders – Chev Biscayne –– 409cui/380hp 4V  (S/S) (458)	61 Chevy Impala (659)	409cui/380hp 4V – (S/S)	13.59 @105.88
S/S Super/Stock	Frank Sanders	Don Nicholson – 61 Chev Impala- 409cui/380hp 4V (659)	61 Chevy Biscayne –  (458)	409cui/380hp 4V	13.63 @105.26
S/SA Super /Stock Auto	No entries
A/Stock A/S	Bill Patterson		60 Chevy Impala SS – (428)	348cui/350hp 3x2V  tri power	13.88 @ 103.44
A/Stock Automatic A/SA	DQ’d
Indy Nationals
	WINNER	LOSER	WINNERS CAR	MOTOR	ET/MPH
Mr Stock Eliminator	Don Nicholson DQ’d – Valve springs	Al Ekstrand – Dodge – 413 cui/375HP long ram -2x4V – Ramchargers – (OS/S) (679)	61 Chev Impala (OS/S) (826)	409cui/409hp 2x4V	Tech DQ – Both cars outed. 13.38 @ 109 mph
Optional Super Stock Auto OS/SA	Don Turner	Nil – Bye run	Ford Starliner – (757)	390cui/401hp 3x2V
Optional Super Stock OS/S	Hayden Proffitt	Don Nicholson -Chev 409 cui/409hp 2x4V (826)	61 Pontiac Catalina (809)	421cui/ 405hp 2x4V Super Duty	12.55 @ 110.29
Super/Stock Auto S/SA	Lloyd Cox		61 Pontiac Ventura – (901)	389cui /363hp 3x2V Super Duty	13.80 @ 105 mph
Super/Stock S/S	Arnie Beswick DQ’d – Overbore	Mickey Thompson – 61 Pontiac Catalina 389cui/363hp 3x2V Super Duty	61 Pontiac Ventura – Passionate Poncho – (895)	389cui/363hp 3x2V Super Duty	13.41 Tech DQ – Both cars outed.
A Stock/Auto A/SA	Ray Christian	Bud Faubel – 61 Plymouth Fury 361cui/330hp 2x4V long  ram  (948)	60 Plymouth	361cui/330hp 2x4V long ram	14.24 @ 98.9
A Stock           A/S	Frank Dade		61 Dodge Dart – (822)	361cui /330hp 2x4V long ram	14.51 @ 101.25
B/Stock          B/S	Richard Hilt DQ’d – Valve springs	Bruce Morgan – 57 Chev Bel Air – 283cui/283hp Fuelie (3792)	57 Chev 110	283cui/270hp	Tech DQ – Both cars outed
B/Stock Auto B/SA	Larry Leonard		61 Pontiac Ventura	389cui/368hp 3x2V Super Duty	14.97 @ 94.73

 

 

1961 saw the introduction of  high-end performance motors from Ford 390 cui /401HP 6V and the GM stable 409 cui Chevrolet and 421 cui ‘Super Duty’ Pontiac marking what many see as the start of the Horsepower wars that continued through the decade.

Dyno Don Nicholson tips out Les Ritchie’s Ford in the Eliminations. The Ford ran a best of 106.16 @ 13.33. Nicholson tore up the meet with a 108mph+ run.

CARS & DRIVERS NOTES

Bruce Morgan lost his class,but won the keys to a new Pontiac 61 from George Hurst for the season’s highest Stock points. Morgan flogged the car mercilessly, he raised Cain over warranty issues causing Hurst to vow never to give away a performance car as a prize!

FACTORING

Cars were classed in Stock Division by weight divided by horsepower. It provides a very good indication of how competitive a car might be in class.

1961

S/S 0-10.59

• 61 390/401hp 6V Ford Fairlane 2dr sed – 8.72- 3496
• 61 409/409hp 8V Chev Biscayne 2dr sed – 8.76 – 3583
• 61 413/375hp 8V long ram Dodge Dart Hardtop – 8.77 – 3289
• 61 409/409hp 8V Chev Impala 2dr sed – 8.79 – 3595
• 61 409/409hp 8V Chev Impala SS – 8.89 – 3636
• 61 413/375hp 8V long ram Plymouth Fury – 8.95 – 3358
• 61 421/410hp 8V Pontiac Catalina 2dr H/top –  8.97 – 3678
• 61 390/401hp 6V Ford Starliner 2dr H/top – 9.21 – 3693
• 61 409/380hp 4V Chev Biscayne 2dr sed -9.43-  3583
• 61 409/380hp 4V Chev Impala 2dr sed – 9.46 – 3595
• 61 409/380hp 4V Chev Impala SS – 9.57 – 3636
• 60 383/330hp 8V long ram Dodge Dart 2dr sed.- 9.81 – 3237
• 61 383/330hp 8V long ram Dodge Dart Hardtop – 9.97 – 3289
• 60 383/330hp 8V ram Plymouth Fury – 9.99 – 3299
• 61 389/363hp 6V Pontiac Catalina 2dr sed – 10.03 – 3643
• 61 383/330hp 8V ram Plymouth Fury – 10.11 – 3339
• 61 389/363hp 6V Pontiac Catalina 2dr H/top – 10.13 – 3678
• 61 348/350hp 6V  Chev Biscayne 2dr sed – 10.23-  3583
• 61 348/350hp 6V  Chev Impala 2dr sed -10.27-  3595
• 61 348/350hp 6V  Chev Impala SS – 10.39 –  3636

A/Stock  10.6-11.29

• 61 361/310hp 8V in-line Dodge Dart  – 10.61 – 3289
• 60 361/310hp 8V long ram  Dodge Dart  – 10.61 – 3289
• 61 283/270hp 8V Corvette – 10.76 – 2905
• 60 352/360hp  4V Ford Starliner 2dr H/top – 10.76 – 3874
• 61 361/310hp 8V in-line Plymouth Fury – 10.93 – 3389
• 60 361/310hp 8V long ram Plymouth Fury – 10.93 – 3389

B/Stock 11.3 – 11.88

• 60 389/348hp 6V Catalina 2dr sed – 11.3 – 3932
• 60 389/348hp 6V Catalina 2dr Hardtop –  11.35- 3950
• 60 389/348hp 6V Pontiac Star Chief 2dr Sport – 11.52 -4009

DRIVERS

Regardless of disqualification, the ‘top dog’ drivers of both National meets were ‘Dyno’ Don Nicholson and Hayden Proffitt.  This led to a fierce rivalry betwen the 409cui Chevies and the 421cui Pontiacs.

Chev vs Pontiac …repeated time and time again in 61. In this case both cars are competing in Optional Super/Stock.

Don Nicholson – Nicholson earned his nickname  by exploiting the new chassis dynamometer  to set up his cars before racing at the track- this circumvented wasted tuning time on race day and allowed for continuous development.

Hayden Proffitt  – Proffitt drove for one of the biggest names in racing, Mickey Thompson. The pair put countless hours into vehicle preparation.

Other notable ‘hot shoes’ were Arnie ‘The Farmer’ Beswick (Pontiac), Lloyd Cox (Pontiac) and Frank Sanders (Chevrolet).

‘Dandy’ Dick Landy is known as a legendary Dodge team driver and match racer. What people don’t know is he started in this yellow 406cui Ford!

DISQUALIFICATIONS

There were no notable DQ’s in the top classes at the WinterNationals except for the A/SA class.

Indy provided a different scenario however –

Richard Hilt – Was DQ’d from B/Stock – illegal valves – taking with him r/up Bruce Morgan.  

Dyno Don Nicholson – Was DQ’d for illegal valve springs and as such lost the Top Stock trophy. The r/up was not awarded the win and the whole eliminator voided.

Controversially, he was allowed to retain his OS/S class trophy he won earlier, even though he ran the same illegal combination.

Arnie Beswick – Was protetested and controversially lost the S/S trophy. Again no trophy was awarded to the r/up, Mickey Thompson.

Arnie Beswick speaks :

– “Here’s the same 1961 Ventura facing Dyno Don’s 409 with updated sponsor art at the 1961 U.S. Indy Nationals. I’d already won S/S, and Dyno Don had taken the Optional Super/Stock title—or so we thought. But this run was for the overall Mr. Stock Eliminator title. Don’s 409 had new heads and carburettors since its Winternationals victory and beat me in this race, then the Ramcharger’s Dodge for the win.

But after it all, he was declared illegal due to questionable valve springs and the bigger AFB carbs. As for me, my 389 was declared 1.5 thousandths oversize on one cylinder and booted out.

I raised Cain and hired one of Roger Ward’s Indy-car mechanics to measure the bore again. It came up one-thousandth less than the allowed 0.060 overcut. Mickey Thompson’s seven-car fleet of Pontiacs had the same machine work—but nobody protested them.

The tech people were in bed with Mickey’s team, for sure.

For having the nerve to dispute the NHRA’s ruling, I was banned from competing in any NHRA national competition for the 1962 race season, but it

was no big deal to me. I had plenty of lucrative match races to fill in the void.”

CARS

PONTIAC – Its safe to assume most Pontiacs running in S/S in 61 were the 389s with 6V tri carbs.

Towards the end of the year the really serious teams pulled the old 389 cui 425-A engine out as it ran factory cast crank and pistons.  Instead they installed one of the “available over-the-counter only” super- duty 389 engine blocks. It had four-bolt main bearing caps a forged-steel crank and a heavy-duty oil pump and an 8-quart oil pan.

The pistons were forged with 11.2:1 compression ratio. The cylinder heads had larger valves, hardened high-ratio rocker arms and heavier valve train.

 However prior to the September 1961 NHRA Nationals at Indianapolis, Pontiac introduced a new 421 cubic inch engine rated at a ridiculously low 373 horsepower.  Reality is they made closer to 460 HP.  The engine featured dual four-barrel carburetors, a solid lifter cam and available only with related heavy-duty driveline components. 

These few SD 421’s were issued as crate 421’s to specialized teams such as Mickey Thompson (Proffit was running one), Royal, Ramsey etc to drop in their existing ‘61’s where they ran OS/S at Indy ‘61 (pre cursor to FX)

Most S/S 61s ran the 389 with Tri Power for 363hp which was probably under-rated.

CHEVROLET – By 1961, in the  Impala SS only, the high-performance 348 cui engines or the new 409 4V could be ordered.

The 348 could be ordered with up to 350hp and the 409 V8 made 360HP and later 380HP….terminating at 409HP with dual carbs and solid lifters.

Responding to Ford’s 390cid V8, the 409 was a bored and stroked version of the 348, equipped with an aluminum intake manifold, a Carter four-barrel carburetor, a solid lifter camshaft and an 11.25:1 compression ratio. Impalas ordered with this engine would only be built with a four-speed manual transmission. No choice of axle ratios was given.

In August the dual quad and cam service package became available making 409HP. Cars running this set up were put in OS/S at the Indy Nats. Notable drivers were Nicholson, Strickler and Sturm. 

FORD and CHRYSLER – Were relatively noncompetitive at both meets, although the Optional Super Stock class at the Indy Nats gave the Ford teams the chance to shed some weight – which they put to great use with the 401HP 390 tri carb motors.

FORD – Ford started the season with a 375 HP 4V motor, later increased to 401 HP 6V (3 twin throat carburettors)

The 390ci block used in the super stock car was totally different from the standard production 390. The block casting was internally heavier and had a special oiling system cast into it. The crank was still only cast but very durable.

The camshaft used mechanical lifters that would easily rev over 6500 rpm. Using the same aluminum intake manifold and Holley four-barrel carburetor as on the ‘60 engine, the ‘61 Ford entry into Super Stock was rated at 375 horsepower.

There was also a cast-aluminum intake manifold that mounted three Holley two-barrel carburetors. The 6V Package brought the horsepower rating up to 401 and was released just prior to the ‘61 Pomona Winternationals.

A heavy chassis hurt the brands chances.

The 390 cui Starliners did not feature well in the Nationals finals – but they sure looked cool!

CHRYSLER – Mopar (Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth, DeSoto) had no production car at the start of 61 that met S/S class ratings.

The Ramchargers 62 Dodge coupe – The engine was 0.060″ over 413 for 426 ci. It had flat top pistons and the heads and block were severely cut to get more than 13:1 compression ratio. Blown head gaskets were a frequent problem. Hoover left off the expanders behind the oil rings to reduce friction. The car burned so much oil that at the finish line it was not visible from the starting line.

Jim Thornton designed the cam, which at 292 degrees duration was more cam then had ever been run in a B-engine. Valve gear was C-300 hardware. Intake manifold was the “over the valve covers” long ram – modified to be a short ram.

The Ramchargers worked their magic to qualify a 61 Dodge for OS/S.  They came runner up in the final, but the winners disqualification did not result in a new winner being certified.

Frank Dade pulled off an unlikely win in A/Stock at Indy with Chryslers temperamental 3-speed stick shift.

The 413 cui and 383 cui Long Ram ‘Sonoramic’ manifolds made good torque…to shift the heavy 300 series cars….but only over a narrow power band.  They also powered the 60 & 61 Dodges & Plymouths. 

Ray Christian made it an A Stock double by winning A/SA in his 60 Plymouth – Who said those long rams couldn’t run?

MEETS

Winternationals – Pomona, CA – February 19 – NHRA started its expansion to the west coast with the establishment of the Winter Nationals, run at the Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California. It would soon be known as the ‘Big Go West’. An estimated 40,000 fans attended. 

 Nationals – Indianapolis, IN – September 5 – Equally important news was the move of the US Nationals to Indy race way – It became known as ‘The Big Go’.   This gave competitors two National events to strive to compete in, one on the East Coast and one on the West…..and both events were greeted with great enthusiasm by the rapidly growing fan base of drag racing,

Regrettably a technical disqualification to both drivers spoiled the Top Stock run off at the US Nationals, the most prestigious stock class final of the year. 

Pic courtesy of S/S 1,2,3

CLASSES

In 1961, cars ran off for Class trophies.Time trials were run to qualify for Class.

There was also a final ‘Elimination’ contest where qualifiers competed for the ‘Mr Stock’ or ‘Top Stock’ prize.

SUPER/STOCK – In 1961, the top class was intended to be S/S at 0 – 10.59 lbs./hp. power to weight ratio. The class was part of the Stock  factory car race division….S/S ran off in the eliminations with OS/S, S/S,S/SA, A/S, A/SA,B/S and B/SA.

Frank Sanders (Red Chev Biscayne) running Len Richey’s white Ford in S/S class.

OPTIONAL SUPER/STOCK  – OS/S ran the same weight break as S/S, but were allowed extra modifications.  It was was hastily factored in to the Stock classes when GM sent both Don Nicholson and Frank Sanders a new dual quad hi-rise intake between the Winters and the Nats – this brought about the inception of Optional Super Stock- as did the limited release of the Pontiac 421 Super Duty dual quad carburettor engine.

NHRA could see a need to provide a class for the latest ‘modified’ factory  stockers.  Take a 61 S/S 409 cui  Chev Biscayne, add wider tires, aftermarket exhaust headers, traction bars and a cold air scoop and you have an OS/S car. The Genie was out of the bottle…and Factory Experimental class was just a season away.

Perhaps the most famous motor of 1961, the Chev 409 cubic inch making 380 horsepower in single 4V carb state.  Dual quad carburettors and a hi riser intake (as pictured) bumped HP to 409HP at the end of 61.

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Flag starters slowly developed into a cult all themselves through the 1960s. Some acquired radical techniques, others practiced strange rituals…one even performed an ‘anti-rain’ dance in full native American head-dress! The starter pictured was clearly practicing the limbo!

RULES