![]() Hrudka brothers ran tracks across the Midwest and other areas. Gasket logo appears on front fender of stock steel Willys front-end. Four-speed trans and injected small-block Chevy supplied 8,000 rpm power. These included Eddie Schartman, Ron Hassel, Sam Gellner, Gene Schwartz, Hill Brothers, Virgil Cates, David Meal, Mickey Hart, Dave Koffel, Arlen Vanke, Rodriguez Brothers and a long list of Gasser notables, all from Ohio.įellow Clevelander Dave Meal built this ’40 Willys C/Gasser, shown here at Cecil County, Maryland. They soon became part of an unofficial group of peers who became known in drag racing lore as “The Ohio Gassers”. The Hrudka’s began with a ’55 Chevy, but soon built a ’40 Willys coupe for C and D/Gas. ![]() An ambitious racer could run 4-5 times per week during the brief but busy warm weather season.Īll sorts of drag race vehicles were on hand, but the greatest number of cars were those in the Gas Coupe and Sedan classes. ![]() Northern Ohio’s harsh winters and brief warm weather months encouraged not only weekend but weeknight racing. Thompson, Dragway 42, Quaker City, National Trail Raceway and others provided racing opportunities and stiff competition. Their fast-company moved them from early street racing to the drag strip on Ohio’s many area tracks. Raised comfortably but not wealthy, their 1950’s circle of high school friends revolved around modifying and drag racing their cars. Rather than merely tinkering, they were actively and cleverly building and competing with them. The Hrudka brothers’ early years were spent in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. Although the Moon fuel tank is located ahead of grille, full street equipment was rules required! Note long rear axle traction bars and whitewall slicks on Halibrand and American magnesium wheels. The ’55 won the 1962 NHRA Nationals D/Gas Class at Indy. Joe and Tom Hrudka began serious drag racing with this ’55 Chevy. Joe and Tom Hrudka went from weekend drag racers in Ohio to Manhattan’s corporate boardrooms and then Wall Street.Īmerican business has many tales of unlikely heroes who became obsessed with a hobby, created a business to support the obsession and through sheer willpower, guided it from a dream into reality. The modest enterprise grew rapidly before becoming an iconic brand in the performance and racing industry. Fellow racers tried their gaskets, then asked to purchase them for their own cars. Encouraged, they set up in a home garage, crudely yet effectively manufacturing these and then other specialty gaskets. The stock gaskets were difficult to install and prone to failure. After identifying the problem they created a remedy for it. The Hrudka brothers saw a need for an item failing on their own cars, in this case, stock replacement exhaust gaskets. These guys were everyday drag racers and typical American teenagers from Cleveland, but their ingenuity and ability to foresee great potential in a racing business would one day propel them to astonishing career heights. Gasket Company, an exception is warranted. For the Hrudka brothers, Joe and Tom, founders of Mr. These stories typically deal with drag racing’s wildly varying personalities rather than with speed equipment businesses. The Willys used a blown, small-block Chevy with Hilborn injection and a manually-shifted, four-speed trans. The 1957 Bel Air finishes first with a 4.58-second finish time and 159.46 mph top speed while the 1955 Bel Air comes in second at 4.92 seconds and a 147.26 mph top speed.Joe Hrudka (left) turning the wrenches on the Hrudka Brothers’ ’33 Willys panel truck, C/Gas Supercharged, in 1966. While both cars appear to be in close proximity to one another for the duration of the race, as they approach the finish line, the boards show the finish times and reveal a clear winner. RELATED: This Might Just Be The Sketchiest Drag Strip In The United StatesĪs each car speeds away, the camera angle captures the view from the rear of both cars as they move away from the camera. The camera angle provides a close-up view of the '55 before each line up and take off from the starting point of the race. Their rumbling engines are a reminder of the size and capabilities these classic Chevys have under the hood. The '55 does a burnout that produces a sizeable cloud of smoke, gearing up to take on its rival of the same namesake which does a burnout of its own in the background. The 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air known as "Peppermint Twist" goes against the 1957 Bel Air "Shake Rattle and Run" in the first drag race of the video.
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