Polar Raceway 1984

[Area 907]

Earlier this year I converted the vintage Polar Raceway VHS tapes of Dwayne's to digital video. Didn't know I still had some 6 hours worth from 1984 (I believe) left on my hard drive so instead of just deleting it I condensed about 2 hrs worth into 30 minutes....should have been one full day that was captured...I still have another 4 hours worth but out of time to mess with it. So here's a call out to all of you "Grey Beards" that were around at that time to start naming some of these folks that you remember. Please leave a comment with the name, car & most importantly the time in the video. I intentionally left enough room to use the annotation feature You Tube has to insert comments in the vid... there can be a short cut link placed in the description as well.
If you care to take the 30 year Memory Lane Express and have any stories of these individuals please share some with the rest of the interested lurkers out there. Enjoy



Updated 12/6/14
Location in Video-
Top Eliminators:
3:05 Derek Snelson dragster
5:45 Orville Moore BB/FC
9:20 Randy Harris "Glacier Shaker" BB/FC
10:54 Bob Lopetrone - bad azz blown Vega
11:53 Clarence LaMay dragster
12:22 Derek Snelson & John Childs dragsters
12:57 Orville Moore "Big O " & Randy Harris "Glacier Shaker"
14:02 Darrel Coker dragster
19:07 Bob Lopetrone -blown Vega
20:15 Orville Moore BB/FC
28:07 Orville Moore BB/FC & Derek Snelson Dragster

Bikes:
1:32 Dave Stacey
3:35 Carmen Kellog & Dave Stacey
11:13 Squeaks O'Connor & Dave Stacey
14:31 Squeaks O'Connor
14:52 Ron Webb & Jimmy Trueblood
22:03 Ron Webb
22:20 Squeaks O'Connor & Dave Stacey

[dwl5x18]

Randy, the video is set private....

[Area 907]

Nov 16, 2014 19:40:14 GMT -9 dwl5x18 said:

Randy, the video is set private....

Oooops! Thanks Dwayne...should be public now

[White Lightning]

Randy, thank you so much for this! I saw The American Way twice on there....third car to burn out at the beginning and at 12:41 running, I believe, a 7.766 @ 191.08. Fantastic! Thanks again for the vid, it's great to see the old cars running. There's even a few 'survivors' still running out there.
History; Back then I believe John Childs was driving the car. It was running a BBC and it looks like it was injected, I'm not sure if it was gas or Alky. Jay and John have told me that, back in the day, the car was the first NA Dragster in the State of Alaska to break into the 7's and had later run something like a 6.40 something @ well over 200 MPH with an all aluminum blown Alky SBC and a Glide.
I've had the car for about 4 years now and have been converting it to BBF and a full length Glide. I plan on running it on gas when it debuts (hopefully this season) with a 466". I'm expecting it to run in the high 7's/low 8's at about 170+.
Rob

[pumpgas540]

Ok I'm going to tell you the ones I know for sure. Ken Sidel (Bounty Hunter), Dave Stacey and Carmen Kellog (Bikes), Larry Woodke (Tight Mouse), Spike ? (Grenade), KC Hooks green cougar), Bob Richardson (Blue Cutlass), Rick Nissen, (Black and Green Camaro), Bob Livingston (Daddy's Car), Orville Moore (Big O), Jim Hienz (Fast Getaway), Greg Huffman (Yellow Anglia), Randy Harris of course, Skip Gosh (White Challenger), Clarence Lamay, Darrel Coker, George Waters, Big Charlie Coffman, Derek Snelson, Ron Webb, Gene Lamay and I believe the first red Anglia was Wade Vanderhieght but not positive. Sorry if I got anyone wrong.... Nice footage...

[SPRSTK]

I agree, this is great footage!

[Area 907]

Thanks Rob & Rick! Great info and history. I started adding names to the vid but can't seem to find Larry Woodke (Tight Mouse),Jim Hienz (Fast Getaway),George Waters, Big Charlie Coffman or Ron Webb. If someone can give me a time in the vid where they appear and what car to look for I'll add their names.
Grenade...I thought I heard Ken Barney on the PA...Dwayne can you verify the driver for '84. Also who is driving the blown yellow Vega...I believe that is the one you (Dwayne)drove for while as well isn't it.

Questions...
1. 4:10 in video is a Topolino running against KC Hooks...any idea who is driving?
2. Were the funny cars Alky in 1984? I read the evolution of BB/FC to TA/FC started when the NHRA dropped the AA/GS class in'72. They then became the ProComp & BB/FC (briefly FM/FC...Federal Mogul) which were originally a gas class. The article stated in early 1980's they started running Alcohol. If running Alky did they ever run just gas and if so what was the performance difference...(ET & MPH). Just curious.

The other 4 hrs has a lot more racing...I'll see if I can get another vid chopped down in a couple weeks when I'm back from Slope.
Looking for more stories about the racers so chime in folks! Also identify any vehicles in the vid that are still around 30 yrs later.

[semi serious]

thanks Randy, very cool!!

[dwl5x18]

The fiat topollino is Ted Queen 3:46(pure poison), the yellow blown vega is 10:56 Bob Lopetrone and yes that is the one I had in the late 90'S. The Grenade was driven Spike Simpson early then by Stan Barney and then late 80's by my self. George "Butch" Waters 4:22 drove the dark red 66-67chevy II, Tight mouse 2 is with the grenade 2:24 it was a 1965 chevelle convertible. Larry woodke won a nhra national event in that car. Big Charlie Coffman is driving the Red with blue,yellow,orange strips. Jim Hienz is in the Blue with gray 69 camaro. Ron Webb14:56 is on the Blue nitro motorcycle and jimmy Trueblood on black motorcycle, Squeaks O'connor 14:39 is on the black nitro motorcycle and Bill livingston4:32 is driving Daddys Car,Dave Stacey 1:40 is on the Red turbo motorcycle, Steve Bell 1:15 Ford falcon and Skip Gosch in the GTX, Ernie Nitifer 2:58 in the red and gold Vega and Chip Strong in the blue alter which became Ron Bowermans car and then Jennifer Hansens, Derek Snelson 3:10 in the dragster, Rick Nesson 4:08 Black and green camaro with Bob Richardsons blue Olds 442, Rick Pelkie 5:32 white charger whick became Pat Logan and Greg Thornsleys car, Karen Nelson 5:42 in the pink with strips duster/demon, Gene Lemay 9:25 Red Angela, Clerance Lemay 12:00, John Childs 12:33, Darrell Coker 14:03 Nitro dragster......
I will watch it again and come up with more names, times and cars. I think those are all correct.

[pumpgas540]

Thank you Dwayne...

[Area 907]

Thanks for the Gold mine of info guys! I believe I got all of the names put in correctly this morning. If there is an error please let me know to make changes. The video times let me go straight to them so please keep using them. Still a lot of cars in there that need names so need lurkers that visit that know someone to chime in as well. Looking for any stories about these folks.... car histories,engine combos, wrecks, other cars they ran earlier or later. Sky is the limit. Headed to work today but will be checking it the evenings for updates. If I have time I'll work on shortening the other vids as well.

[DanRoche]

Thank you for doing this Randy. And thanks to everyone who added some info. This will help me a bunch.

[oldbluegoat]

Dwane how could you not reconize my GTO NL17:52 running the yellow charger just because it looked like a beat up china man yellow black and blue same car I have today the grim reaper is the same car that Skip is still running it was black and green. the trans am early in the video :058 was Forest goodheart had a 403 olds from the factory in it.I was politicaly in correct back then the beat up oriental gentalman I am going to shut up for now cause that sounds sexist.

[oldbluegoat]

:042 Roy Toy is driving the white looking demon actualy silver It is the same car that Bill mook ran and I think Skip has it now it had a 383 built to SS specks.I also see tinker toy camero jim vombosie driving the avalanch challenger or cuda.3:51 KC Hooks is still running the last fast cat green cougar.

[oldbluegoat]

17:43 Black and white 67 442 convertible is Dale Reeder 455 th350 ran cheater slicks ran low to mid 13s. Pelky is correct spelling for dancing lady driver car was running a 383 3500 stall converter ran 12.30s car was bought at an impound auction with a 4 speed puck clutch vertagate shifter clutchles hemi trans for 600$. Jimmy moore is driving the 1 black altered before it was crashed he is orvils son.gray alterd is Gary Wooderd. Gernade is driven by Stan Barney the gernade and tight mouseII were the last super stocks in the state they were 283 autos and ran 12.20s sub index for the class SS/NA. root beer express brown 66-67 chevelle was a stock class car 283 2bbl.The owner died in a plane crash. the car years later sold at an impound auction in the mid 90s. I chatted with Bill livingston Daddys car he is still racing it back then it had a 317 CID small block called the big little motor 5 speed trans. Mistic motion is Dancing lady. Charlie still has the nova. Skip still has the reaper and I still have the GTO and race in wichita kans. at KID. The red angla was wade vanderhide and was sold and rolled the next year.Rolled while running Pelkey in the charger in 85. The dragster Clarence is driving was wrecked just past the guard rail in the right lane.The something Special 442 was the old forget me not running the orange mustang in another video on the site. Beth almost bought the mustang at one time the wheels on the rear of it are on my GTO. Last owned by jay Eaton. Steve bell later ran the tok bandit dragster. He won the class championship in the falcon. I think 19:58 I also see joanne rollers challenger in one shot Randy is probably driving it. .13:36 evans and albert drywall 65 chevelle was later owned by Bob Richardson and ran the 10.90 class big block PG. TH 400 was sold to some one in F.B.later. Jim Vombosie is at18:15 10:35 gary woodard in the gray alterd FL they put him in the right lane as the car went hard right on launch car was later driven by John Postichek he also had butches nova when it was blue.