Lone Star Boat Racing Association

[Master Oil Racing Team]

What a weird co-incidence. Our first real season was 1966. We had a DeSilva on order during the winter of 65-66 and we joined NOA. I had applied for the number T-65, but they rejected it...said someone else had it. So I picked T-73. I guess Cleabern didn't run NOA. Nobody ever told me that it used to be someone else's number. And I never DID see a T-65. BTW, which of the boats that David posted were you referring to.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I had a lot of road time yesterday on the way to & from Chihuahua (Texas, not Mexico), & I thought about the Memorial Day race at Highlands, Texas in 1975. Couldn't believe it was 30 years ago. I stuffed my D Hydro on the back straight doing about 90 or 95. Spent 10 days in the hospital and was out for the season except for the last race at our house in October. There were three funny stories that came out of that crash.

I came to in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. I had been chewing Dentene gum and decided to take it out of my mouth. I reached in, pulled it out and handed it to one of the attendants. Instinctively he reached for it then suddenly recoiled, pulled his hand away and had a look of horror on his face. My face had blood on it and there was a big gash on my chin. I said to him "I don't feel like chewing this anymore." Then he calmed down and got a cup or something for me to put it in. I guess at first he thought it was a piece of jawbone or something.

My Dad had one of our pit men drive him to the hospital. He had a Chrysler with a big 440 engine---lots of power. They were on the access road behind a guy driving a step van. He was putting along about 20 or 25 mph oblivious to everything else. Jim was honking his horn and flashing his lights, but the guy wasn't paying any attention. My Dad was cussing, & he told Jim to drive around him on the dirt. Jim pulled over into the bar ditch and gassed it. That Chrysler started trenching the grass and they took off. There was a loaf of bread on the dash board and my Dad was going to bash the driver with it as they passed. He was angry, frustrated and worried all at the same time. Just when they got even with the driver, my Dad slung the loaf but it hit the doorframe of the car and split the bottom open. Here is this guy just Groovin' along having a wonderful time when suddenly he is pelted with about 20 slices of bread and dirt and rocks bouncing off his windshield. The poor guy was startled and swerved to the right, probably wondering what that was all about.

After about a week in the hospital, they made me get up and start walking down the hall. It was a Catholic hospital, so there were nuns frequently in the hallway. I had long hair then parted down the middle, and I had just started growing my beard because I couldn't shave. I was barefoot and wearing one of those hospital gowns. My Dad used to like to joke that whenever I passed one of those nuns in the hall, they would cross themselves.

[SixCylRunabout]

The boat I was refering to would be the hydro. I blew it over at Alexandria on April 23 or at least that is what I was told later. I don't remember much about the whole thing. I had a concussion and no other injuries, other than being real sore for about a week. It cracked some paint off of my new BELL helmet and broke one of the clips on the leg strap of my Lifeline jacket. Needless to say I hit the water pretty hard and don't plan on doing it again. Dwayne T-73

[jrome]

Below, you will find the pictures of Artie Lund and crew, Charlie Bailey and Robert, Joe Henderson, and Papa Smith with me.

[Coon Chance]

Wayne, I remember that crash. I think a spectator boat made a wake that caused the crash. I remember my grandfather (Jack Chance) being so upset that you were hurt, he was ready to quit racing that day..

I had a lot of road time yesterday on the way to & from Chihuahua (Texas, not Mexico), & I thought about the Memorial Day race at Highlands, Texas in 1975. Couldn't believe it was 30 years ago. I stuffed my D Hydro on the back straight doing about 90 or 95. Spent 10 days in the hospital and was out for the season except for the last race at our house in October. There were three funny stories that came out of that crash.

I came to in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. I had been chewing Dentene gum and decided to take it out of my mouth. I reached in, pulled it out and handed it to one of the attendants. Instinctively he reached for it then suddenly recoiled, pulled his hand away and had a look of horror on his face. My face had blood on it and there was a big gash on my chin. I said to him "I don't feel like chewing this anymore." Then he calmed down and got a cup or something for me to put it in. I guess at first he thought it was a piece of jawbone or something.

My Dad had one of our pit men drive him to the hospital. He had a Chrysler with a big 440 engine---lots of power. They were on the access road behind a guy driving a step van. He was putting along about 20 or 25 mph oblivious to everything else. Jim was honking his horn and flashing his lights, but the guy wasn't paying any attention. My Dad was cussing, & he told Jim to drive around him on the dirt. Jim pulled over into the bar ditch and gassed it. That Chrysler started trenching the grass and they took off. There was a loaf of bread on the dash board and my Dad was going to bash the driver with it as they passed. He was angry, frustrated and worried all at the same time. Just when they got even with the driver, my Dad slung the loaf but it hit the doorframe of the car and split the bottom open. Here is this guy just Groovin' along having a wonderful time when suddenly he is pelted with about 20 slices of bread and dirt and rocks bouncing off his windshield. The poor guy was startled and swerved to the right, probably wondering what that was all about.

After about a week in the hospital, they made me get up and start walking down the hall. It was a Catholic hospital, so there were nuns frequently in the hallway. I had long hair then parted down the middle, and I had just started growing my beard because I couldn't shave. I was barefoot and wearing one of those hospital gowns. My Dad used to like to joke that whenever I passed one of those nuns in the hall, they would cross themselves.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Western Division Championships for Watermelon Eating. Marine Creek Lake, Fort Worth 1978.

1. All eyes are on the clock at the approach.

2. Good Start! No gun jumpers.

3. Joe Cohen takes the lead over his closest competitor.

4. Ray Yates, Jr. floods out in the turn.

5. Joe Cohen, Texas transplant from Minnesota, takes the win and moves into the top seed position.

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

In the early seventies about the time of the first oil embargo and the 55MPH speed limit inception, everyone was getting speeding tickets right and left going back and forth to the boat races. Baldy showed up at a race he was promoting at Dayton Hydrobowl driving his usual Surburban but this time there was a 48" inch long florescent lite tube on the top of the dash right behind the windshield. The tube was wrapped with copper wire very neatly wound very tightly from one end to the other of the tube, and there may have been some electronic gizmo attached to the end of the wire, I don't remember now but knowing Baldy, I wouldn't be surprised. Anyway everyone there of course was very curious about the purpose of the light tube and immediately wanted to know what it was for, me included. Baldy went into a long explanation about how police radar at that time could be fooled into thinking that a car was not traveling over the speed limit, but within the legal speed, by a combination of the effect of the gas inside the tube in conjunction with the distance between the coils wound around the tube and the relationship between that distance and the waveform or some such BS of the radar wave being aimed at you by the cops. Anyway, it made you "stealthy" way before the term came into wide use and caused you to either not appear on the radar or if you did at some speed below the legal limit so you didn't have to worry about getting a ticket. Since Baldy was involved in the promotion to the race, he arrived early, probably at least by wednesday before the weekend. This gave plenty of time for a large number of boat racers to get to the local hardware/electrical stores near to the lake and buy lite tubes and copper wire. There was much discussion the next few days about just how far the coils of wire had to be apart when wound around the tube and the correct placement of the tube on the dash behind the windshield to be completely effective and render you invisable to police radar so you could drive home as fast as you wanted with out getting a ticket. The race went off and sunday afternoon late as Baldy was packed up and pulling out to go back to Barbon, he happened to stop at a trash barrel next to my trailer, and pitched the lite tube in it. I immediately asked why he was disposing of it, and he gave me that s**t eating grin and said, "got ya again, didn't I", and then laughed that laugh you would never forget if you heard it once.Well he did of course, but not only me but a bunch of other guys also. There were many other "gotchas" from Baldy over the years I knew him, but never mean, just in great fun. I really miss him.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Bill Van--That flourescent tube scheme came from my brother-in-law who was stationed at Fort Benning, and some radar guys told him about it. The real convincer was when Frannie Patrillo rigged one up on his blue pickup with a camper shell. Someone had a radar gun and it would not pick him up. So, like you say a bunch of guys went out and rigged one up. By the time we got to LaCrosse for the nationals the following weekend I think everyone had a ticket except Frannie. Turned out that he had a cop friend back in New Jersey check out his pickup and for some reason it was stealthy with or without the tube. We had a lot of good laughs, & that was one I always will remember.

[lizzie henderson]

Some people would think we were crazy to spend a weekend getting beat up, standing in water for hours on end,skimming and flying plywood (as Jim McKean said) over the water at bone breaking speeds for 20 bucks.

Dale Sellers not only did all that, but if memory serves me correctly he hung red iron for a living. He helped build the original Six Flags over Texas--the tall tower you drop from.

He is standing hundreds of feet above the ground and the wind starts a big beam spinning around. I ask him "what do you do?" He said "They let one end bang into the building." He also added that you have to pay attention.

Dale....Here are some photos for you.

Hey, I know that little gal driving the #86 boat! I sure had great fun all those years I raced against those Wilson boys and everyone else. Had fun building that boat and painting it too. I have your dad to thank, Wayne, for helping me get started with my rig. And, oh yes, "Goldie Locks Henderson" too for helping me get it set up at my first race. That got us started and after 27 years, we are still together, and still racing.

[lizzie henderson]

Hey, I know that little gal driving the #86 boat! (top of #3 set) WOW, I sure had great fun all those years I raced against those Wilson boys and everyone else. That boat was the first of many that I would help Denny build over the next few decades. I have your dad to thank, Wayne, for helping me get started with my first rig. And, oh yes, "Goldie Locks Henderson" too, for helping me get it set up at my first race. That got Denny and me started, and after 27 years, we are still together and still racing.