
Ray R. Nichels
1922 - 2005
Nichels Engineering
Ray R. Nichels
by Wm. LaDow
In
1938, at the age of 15, Ray Nichels, went on the road
as a midget car crew chief, racing at tracks across America.
From 1938-1948, the drivers of the Ray Nichels prepared
midgets (campaigned by his father Rudy Nichels) were Ted
Duncan, Tony Bettenhausen, Johnnie Parsons, Paul Russo, Mike
O'Halloran, and Ray Richards (All members of the Midget
Racing Hall of Fame.)
Following his time midget racing, Nichels moved on to
Indy cars and eventually participated in 12 Indianapolis 500
races, as a chief mechanic and crew chief. In those twelve
500's, Ray Nichels won one Pole (1957 w/Pat O'Connor),
garnered two top-five finishes (a 3rd and a 5th w/Paul
Goldsmith), and five top-ten finishes. Most notable of his
top-ten finishes was the 9th place showing in the 1950
Indianapolis 500 of the Russo-Nichels Special. Paul Russo
and Ray Nichels constructed this car in the basement of
Russo's Hammond, Indiana home during the winter of
1949-1950. Qualifying in the 7th row, the Russo-Nichels
Special captured the imagination of the American racing
public by running with the leaders for much of the day,
before the rain-shortened race ended at 345 miles. The
Russo-Nichels Special soon became affectionately known as
“Basement Bessie” as it was campaigned on the AAA
Championship Trail during the 1950 season. In December,
Nichels with Johnnie Parsons behind the wheel, won the first
ever Indy car race at the newly built Darlington Raceway. On
the season, Ray Nichels and Paul Russo and their hand-built
"basement" creation missed the chance to win the National
Championship only after a season-ending injury to Russo in
the November AAA Indy car race in Phoenix.
Nichels then toiled as chief mechanic for Johnnie
Parsons’ entries in the 1953 and 1954 Indy 500 races. In
June of 1954, Ray Nichels joined the Firestone Tire and
Rubber Company as its chief mechanic for all race tire
testing. In their first test together, he and driver Sam
Hanks teamed up to set a new world's closed-course speed
record of 182.554 mph at Chrysler Corporation's newly built
Chelsea, Michigan proving grounds in a Nichels prepared
Chrysler Hemi-powered Kurtis-Kraft roadster. It would be the
first of many world speed records that Nichels and his cars
would set over the next 20 years.
In 1957, Ray Nichels and Indiana-based Nichels
Engineering won the pole (w/Banjo Matthews) and won the race
(w/Cotton Owens) at the NASCAR Grand National Beach Race at
Daytona. Two months later, Nichels traveled to Monza, Italy
on behalf of Firestone, and set a series of world speed
records on the world's highest-banked oval with driver Pat
O'Connor behind the wheel of the Chrysler Hemi-powered
Kurtis-Kraft roadster. Nichels and O'Connor then returned to
the United States where they won the Pole position for the
world's most important race, the Indianapolis 500. It is
believed Ray Nichels remains to be the only mechanic to ever
win the pole at both Daytona and Indianapolis in the same
year.
With his 1957 Daytona win, Nichels expanded his stock
car racing business becoming the "house" racecar builder for
Pontiac from 1956-1963. Working directly for Pontiac Gen.
Mgr. Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen, Nichels managed Pontiac's
involvement in stock car racing from his operations in
Highland, Indiana. By 1961, under Nichels’ guidance, Pontiac
dominated American stock car racing. Nichels Engineering
driver, Paul Goldsmith captured the USAC National
Championship with 10 wins, 7 poles and 16 top-five finishes
in 19 races. Overall Pontiac performance in USAC was 14
wins, 10 poles and 38 top-five finishes in 22 races. In
NASCAR, overall Pontiac performance was 30 wins in 52 races.
In 1962, Pontiac's dominance under Nichels became even
further evident as Nichels and Goldsmith won their 2nd
consecutive USAC National Championship with 8 wins, 6 poles
and 15 top-five finishes in 20 races. Overall Pontiac
performance in USAC was 10 wins, 10 poles and 34 top-five
finishes in 22 races. Four Nichels Engineering drivers
(Goldsmith, A.J. Foyt, Rodger Ward, and Len Sutton) finished
in the seasons Top Ten. In NASCAR, overall Pontiac
performance was 22 wins in 53 races, with Joe Weatherly
winning the National Championship driving a Nichels
Engineering built, Bud Moore prepped Pontiac.
In 1961, Nichels Engineering prepared and ran two
1962 Pontiac Catalinas, setting one lap, 500 mile and 24
hour world stock car speed and endurance records at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway. The
Nichels Engineering driving team consisted of Rodger Ward,
Paul Goldsmith, Len Sutton, Fireball Roberts, Joe Weatherly
and Marvin Panch. Nichels mechanics for these historic speed
and endurance runs were Ray Nichels, Dale “Tiny” Worley, Bud
Moore, Cotton Owens and Smokey Yunick.
In 1963, Nichels and driver Paul Goldsmith delivered
one of the most lopsided victories in Daytona Speed Weeks
history, in the Challenge Cup 250, when Goldsmith piloted
the Nichels Engineering #50 Super Duty 421 Pontiac LeMans to
victory, beating 2nd place finisher A.J. Foyt by over 5
miles.
Later in 1963, Ray Nichels and Nichels Engineering
became the "house" racecar builder for all of Chrysler
Corporation. Nichels role with Chrysler was identical to his
with Pontiac. Working for Ronney Householder, Nichels was
commissioned to build the fastest and safest stock cars in
the business, disseminate racing knowledge and design
technology to all Chrysler teams in support of their
collective racing efforts. Working with legendary stock car
racers Cotton Owens, Ray Fox, Harry Hyde, Norm Nelson, and
Petty Enterprises, Nichels Engineering did just that. It is
no coincidence that the most prolific period in Chrysler
stock car racing history was 1964-1970. Nichels
Engineering-built stock cars won national stock car
championships in USAC, NASCAR, ARCA and IMCA, several years
running, setting speed records at tracks across America.
Ray Nichels and Nichels Engineering won three (3)
National Stock Car Championships in USAC. Paul Goldsmith and
Ray Nichels combined to win titles in 1961 and 1962. Then in
1967, Nichels and all-time winningest USAC Stock car driver
Don White teamed-up for the USAC national championship.
In 13 years of NASCAR competition, Nichels
Engineering campaigned cars raced 223 times, garnering 89
top-ten finishes, 62 top-five finishes, 12 Poles and 11
victories. Nichels Engineering was a winner at tracks such
as Daytona, Bristol, Rockingham, Michigan, and Talladega.
Nichels also won NASCAR pole positions at Daytona,
Talladega, Charlotte, Rockingham, Darlington, Michigan, and
Riverside.
Nichels Engineering was a seven (7) time NASCAR
winner at Daytona from 1957-1970. Winning drivers were
Cotton Owens, Bobby Isaac, Paul Goldsmith (2), AJ Foyt, Sam
McQuagg and Charlie Glotzbach.
The list of drivers who piloted cars built by and/or
campaigned by Ray Nichels and Nichels Engineering is
synonymous with American racing excellence .... they are
Bobby Isaac, A.J. Foyt, David Pearson, Bobby Unser, Al Unser,
Roger Penske, Paul Goldsmith, Rodger Ward, Don White, Tony
Bettenhausen, Richard Petty, Dan Gurney, Junior Johnson,
Buddy Baker, Bobby Allison, Gordon Johncock, Pat O'Connor,
Paul Russo, Mario Andretti, LeeRoy Yarbrough, Jim Hurtubise,
Fred Lorenzen, Charlie Glotzbach, Glenn “Fireball” Roberts,
Joe Weatherly, Marvin Panch, Cotton Owens, Banjo Matthews,
Sam McQuagg, Joe Leonard, Len Sutton, Darel Dieringer, Troy
Ruttman, Dave Marcis, Richard Brickhouse, Ramo Stott, Ernie
Derr, Jimmy Pardue, James Hylton, Butch Hartman, Roger
McCluskey, Bobby Johns, Ray Elder, Norm Nelson and Lloyd
Ruby
On April 25th, 1996, Ray Nichels was inducted into
Mechanics Hall of Fame within the International Motorsports
Hall of Fame located in Talladega, Alabama. On the same day,
Indiana Governor, Evan Bayh, awarded Ray Nichels the
“Sagamore of the Wabash,” the highest distinguished service
honor bestowed upon an Indiana citizen by its governor.
Wm. LaDow / LaDow
Publishing –
www.RayNichels.com
Make
sure you check out LaDow Publishing's Ray Nichels Website & Book:
www.RayNichels.com
In
1938, at the age of 15, Ray Nichels went on the road as a
midget car crew chief, racing at tracks across America. From
1938-1948, the drivers of the Ray Nichels prepared midgets
(campaigned by his father Rudy Nichels) were Ted Duncan, Tony
Bettenhausen, Johnnie Parsons, Paul Russo, Mike O'Halloran, and Ray
Richards (All members of the Midget Racing Hall of Fame.)
Following
his time midget racing, Nichels moved on to Indy cars and eventually
participated in 12 Indianapolis 500 races, as a chief mechanic and
crew chief. In those twelve 500's, Ray Nichels won one Pole (1957
w/Pat O'Connor), garnered two top-five finishes (a 3rd and a 5th
w/Paul Goldsmith), and five top-ten finishes. Most notable of his
top-ten finishes was the 9th place showing in the 1950 Indianapolis
500 of the Russo-Nichels Special. Paul Russo and Ray Nichels
constructed this car in the basement of Russo's Hammond, Indiana
home during the winter of 1949-1950. Qualifying in the 7th row, the
Russo-Nichels Special captured the imagination of the American
racing public by running with the leaders for much of the day,
before the rain-shortened race ended at 345 miles. The Russo-Nichels
Special soon became affectionately known as “Basement Bessie” as it
was campaigned on the AAA Championship Trail during the 1950 season.
In December, Nichels with Johnnie Parsons behind the wheel, won the
first ever Indy car race at the newly built Darlington Raceway. On
the season, Ray Nichels and Paul Russo and their hand-built
"basement" creation missed the chance to win the National
Championship only after a season-ending injury to Russo in the
November AAA Indy car race in Phoenix.
Nichels then toiled as chief
mechanic for Johnnie Parsons’ entries in the 1953 and 1954 Indy 500
races. In June of 1954, Ray Nichels joined the Firestone Tire and
Rubber Company as its chief mechanic for all race tire testing. In
their first test together, he and driver Sam Hanks teamed up to set
a new world's closed-course speed record of 182.554 mph at Chrysler
Corporation's newly built Chelsea, Michigan proving grounds in a
Nichels prepared Chrysler Hemi-powered Kurtis-Kraft roadster. It
would be the first of many world speed records that Nichels and his
cars would set over the next 20 years.
In 1957, Ray Nichels and
Indiana-based Nichels Engineering won the pole
(w/Banjo Matthews) and won the race (w/Cotton Owens) at the NASCAR
Grand National Beach Race at Daytona. Two months later, Nichels
traveled to Monza, Italy on behalf of Firestone, and set a series of
world speed records on the world's highest-banked oval with driver
Pat O'Connor behind the wheel of the Chrysler Hemi-powered Kurtis-Kraft
roadster. Nichels and O'Connor then returned to the United States
where they won the Pole position for the world's most important
race, the Indianapolis 500.
It is believed Ray Nichels remains to be the only mechanic to ever
win the pole at both Daytona and Indianapolis in the same year.

With
his 1957 Daytona win, Nichels expanded his stock car racing business
becoming the "house" racecar builder for Pontiac from 1956-1963.
Working directly for Pontiac Gen. Mgr. Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen,
Nichels managed Pontiac's involvement in stock car racing from his
operations in Highland, Indiana. By 1961, under Nichels’ guidance,
Pontiac dominated American stock car racing. Nichels Engineering
driver, Paul Goldsmith captured the USAC National Championship with
10 wins, 7 poles and 16 top-five finishes in 19 races. Overall
Pontiac performance in USAC was 14 wins, 10 poles and 38 top-five
finishes in 22 races. In NASCAR, overall Pontiac
performance was 30 wins in 52 races. In 1962, Pontiac's dominance
under Nichels became even further evident as Nichels and Goldsmith
won their 2nd consecutive USAC National Championship with 8 wins, 6
poles and 15 top-five finishes in 20 races. Overall Pontiac
performance in USAC was 10 wins, 10 poles and 34 top-five finishes
in 22 races. Four Nichels Engineering drivers (Goldsmith, A.J. Foyt,
Rodger Ward, and Len Sutton) finished in the seasons Top Ten. In
NASCAR, overall Pontiac performance was 22 wins in 53 races, with
Joe Weatherly winning the National Championship driving a Nichels
Engineering built, Bud Moore prepped Pontiac.
In
1961, Nichels Engineering prepared and ran two 1962 Pontiac
Catalinas, setting one lap, 500 mile and 24 hour world stock car
speed and endurance records at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and
Darlington Raceway. The Nichels Engineering driving team consisted
of Rodger Ward, Paul Goldsmith, Len Sutton,
Fireball Roberts, Joe Weatherly and Marvin Panch. Nichels mechanics
for these historic speed and endurance runs were Ray Nichels, Dale
“Tiny” Worley, Bud Moore, Cotton Owens and Smokey Yunick.
In 1963, Nichels and
driver Paul Goldsmith delivered one of the most lopsided victories
in Daytona Speed Weeks history, in the Challenge Cup
250, when
Goldsmith piloted the Nichels Engineering #50 Super Duty 421 Pontiac
LeMans to victory, beating 2nd place finisher A.J. Foyt by over 5
miles.
Later in 1963, Ray Nichels
and Nichels Engineering became the "house" racecar builder for all
of Chrysler Corporation. Nichels role with Chrysler was identical to
his with Pontiac. Working for Ronney Householder, Nichels was
commissioned to build the fastest and safest stock cars in the
business, disseminate racing knowledge and design technology to all
Chrysler teams in support of their collective racing efforts.
Working with legendary
stock
car racers Cotton Owens, Ray Fox, Harry Hyde, Norm Nelson, and Petty
Enterprises, Nicholls Engineering did just that. It is no
coincidence that the most prolific period in Chrysler stock car
racing history was 1964-1970. Nichels Engineering-built stock cars
won national stock car championships in USAC, NASCAR, ARCA and IMCA,
several years running, setting speed records at tracks across
America.
Ray
Nichels and Nichels Engineering won three (3) National Stock Car
Championships in USAC. Paul Goldsmith and Ray Nichels
combined to win titles in 1961 and 1962. Then in 1967, Nichels and
all-time winningest USAC Stock car driver Don White teamed-up for
the USAC national championship.
In
13
years of
NASCAR competition, Nichels Engineering campaigned cars
raced 223 times, garnering 89 top-ten finishes, 62 top-five
finishes, 12 Poles and 11 victories. Nichels Engineering was a
winner at tracks such as Daytona, Bristol, Rockingham, Michigan, and
Talladega. Nichels also won NASCAR pole positions at Daytona,
Talladega, Charlotte, Rockingham, Darlington, Michigan, and
Riverside.
Nichels Engineering was a
seven (7) time NASCAR winner at Daytona from 1957-1970. Winning
drivers were Cotton Owens, Bobby Isaac, Paul Goldsmith (2), AJ Foyt,
Sam McQuagg and Charlie Glotzbach.
The list of drivers
who piloted cars built by and/or campaigned by Ray Nichels and
Nichels Engineering is synonymous with American racing excellence
.... they are Bobby Isaac, A.J. Foyt, David Pearson, Bobby Unser, Al
Unser, Roger Penske, Paul Goldsmith, Rodger Ward, Don White, Tony
Bettenhausen, Richard Petty, Dan Gurney, Junior Johnson, Buddy
Baker, Bobby Allison, Gordon Johncock, Pat O'Connor, Paul Russo,
Mario Andretti, LeeRoy Yarbrough, Jim Hurtubise, Fred Lorenzen,
Charlie Glotzbach, Glenn “Fireball” Roberts, Joe Weatherly, Marvin
Panch, Cotton Owens, Banjo Matthews, Sam McQuagg, Joe Leonard, Len
Sutton, Darel Dieringer, Troy Ruttman, Dave Marcis, Richard
Brickhouse, Ramo Stott, Ernie Derr, Jimmy Pardue, James Hylton,
Butch Hartman, Roger McCluskey, Bobby Johns, Ray Elder, Norm Nelson
and Lloyd Ruby.
On April 25th,
1996, Ray Nichels was inducted into Mechanics Hall of Fame within
the International Motorsports Hall of Fame located in Talladega,
Alabama. On the same day, Indiana Governor, Evan Bayh, awarded Ray
Nichels the “Sagamore of the Wabash,” the highest distinguished
service honor bestowed upon an Indiana citizen by its governor.
Copyright© 2005 -– Wm. LaDow /
LaDow Publishing
Make
sure you check out LaDow Publishing's Ray Nichels Website & Book:
www.RayNichels.com
Exclusive Interview: Ray Nichels
Pontiac's Unsung Hero of
Stock Car Racing Speaks Out for the First Time in More Than 30 Years
Pontiac High Performance Website Page
Part I: The Early Days
By Don Keefe
, William LaDow -
Photography: LaDow Publishing
To many Pontiac fans under
the age of 50, the name Ray Nichels may not ring any bells, but were
it not for this pioneer of stock car racing, Pontiac's early factory
motorsports efforts might not have been anywhere near as successful
as they were. Nichels was a key part of General Manager Semon E.
"Bunkie" Knudsen's reinvention of the ailing Division. After seeing
Nichels in action, Pontiac's chief knew that Ray would be exactly
the right man for the job. He also knew that the job wouldn't be
easy. Nichels just made it look that way.
Ray Nichels was born on
September 8, 1922, in Chicago, the second of four children. His
father Rudy came to America from Austria in 1908 at the age of 10
and worked hard to achieve the American Dream.
A born entrepreneur, Rudy
purchased a small tire store in Chicago and parlayed the profits
from that business into others, including a restaurant in Highland,
Indiana, near Griffith, where the Nichels family had moved just
before the stock market crash of 1929. The entire family worked
hard, with mother Gladys and older sister Grace operating the
restaurant.
From there, Rudy opened a
filling and service station in Highland, as well as a tavern. More
service stations followed and the family's diligence was paying off.
The Nichels' work ethic was
also passed on to Ray, who juggled jobs and education from grade
school right through high school. He would eat dinner right after
coming home from school and then go to bed. He would arise again at
11:00 p.m. and go to work at the garage until it was time for
school. He would often repair cars outdoors, even during the bitter
Midwestern winters.
With the family businesses
being fairly diverse, the elder Nichels decided he needed an
advertising plan that could effectively promote all of his
businesses. After careful research, he decided that campaigning a
midget racer would best fit his needs. He purchased a proven winner
from Wally "The Human Cyclone" Zale and, after rebuilding it, put
Teddy Duncan behind the wheel. The crewchief and one-man crew was
none other than 15-year-old Ray Nichels.
Ray quickly learned the ropes
and was put on the road with Duncan, campaigning the green #9
midget. They were very successful and the wins were paying off
handsomely. With the racing going so well and his role as crewchief
so important, Ray did not return to school for his junior year.
Rudy and Ray built another
car after selling the #9 midget. It was an ultra-lightweight machine
that was outboard-powered like #9 was. Soon, two more cars and
drivers were added to the team and Rudy began focusing his energies
on racing exclusively. In 1940, Rudy Nichels sold off his other
businesses to concentrate on racing.
The invasion of Pearl Harbor
came on December 7, 1941. Since the entrance of the United States
into WWII put a ban on all forms of racing, the Nichels racing
operation was put on hold. Ray enlisted in the Coast Guard and was
awarded a second-grade mechanics license. He was initially stationed
near his home, on Lake Michigan, on a fire-fighting tugboat based in
East Chicago, which allowed him to come home on weekends. He met his
wife Eleanor on one such visit. Later on he was on the East Coast
and then Greenland.
When the war was over, the
Nichels family jumped back into midget car racing, which was
enjoying a huge surge in popularity. Rudy became heavily involved in
promoting races and organized the Mid-West Racing Association in
1945.
In the years that followed,
Ray Nichels began branching out from midget cars and fielded an
entry in the '50 Indianapolis 500. "Basement Bessie," as it became
known, was built in a Hammond, Indiana, basement with his lifelong
friend Paul Russo. During the mid-'50s, he and drivers Sam Hanks and
Pat O'Connor set a series of world speed records with the Firestone
Kurtis-Kraft test car at Chrysler's Chelsea proving grounds and the
high-banked oval of Monza, Italy. In 1957, he was named Indianapolis
500 Pole Mechanic of the Year.
Also in 1957, Pontiac,
looking to strengthen its performance image, was interested in
entering the NASCAR Winter Grand Nationals at Daytona. Knudsen asked
Ray Nichels to help prepare a Pontiac for Daytona. Though only 35 at
the time, Nichels had 20 years of crewchief experience under his
belt and had amassed a huge amount of knowledge in that time. Driver
Cotton Owens raced the Nichels-prepared Chieftain on Daytona's famed
beach course. Much to everyone's surprise, and Pontiac's delight, he
won.
It didn't take long before
Nichels found himself working nearly full-time on Pontiac's newly
created motorsports program. Pontiac was considered an underdog, and
when the car won, it gained a new respect within the racing world.
Soon, Pontiac was collecting
wins on a regular basis, and its performance image was growing. In
the time between the first win with Pontiac and the '63 GM Racing
Ban, Ray had built Nichels Engineering into one of the most
successful racing operations in the history of all of motorsports.
By the time he closed his doors in 1973, Nichels' "Go-Fast Factory"
had amassed an unbelievable number of USAC, NASCAR, IMCA, and ARCA
national stock car championships in the hands of the greatest
drivers of all times.


Paul Goldmith, Ray Nichels,
Joe Weatherly
Ray Nichels, Paul Goldsmith
Now 82,
and still living in Indiana with his wife Eleanor, Ray Nichels has
broken his silence of more than 30 years and has agreed to an
interview in HPP.
HPP: Were you interested in
cars and racing before your father got involved with midget cars?
Nichels: No, I was only a little kid! I was
born in 1922 and he got involved in racing in 1937.
HPP: It must have been
exciting to be involved with all that as a kid.
Nichels: Well--coming through the
Depression--just to get something to eat was exciting!
HPP: Pontiac really didn't
have much in the way of a performance image like Olds or Chrysler.
Did you ever doubt that Pontiacs could be competitive?
Nichels: I was just dumb enough to think that
you could make anything go!
HPP: From a racing
standpoint, what were the strong and weak points of the Pontiac
V-8s?
Nichels: No, it was all bad! (laughs) We
started working on them and everything started breaking. It's like
working on a chain; every time a link would break, you make it
better and eliminate the weak points. Eventually, you have all the
links beefed up and you have a good one. You had to work with the
stock pistons, stock rods, and all that. You had to sort through
everything and pick out the good ones.
HPP: You were certainly able
to make them winners though.
Nichels: It was really just a matter of
working out the bugs.
HPP: You were already a
seasoned veteran by the time Bunkie Knudsen came calling. How did
you meet and why do you think he chose your operation to get
Pontiac's racing activities underway?
Nichels: I met Bunkie down in Indianapolis. I
was working for Bill Ansted [owner of the Ansted Rotary Engineering
Special Indy team], and everybody was having oiling problems at the
time with the Offy engines. We could run fast, but we couldn't keep
enough oil in them. There were about six teams in the same position,
so we agreed amongst ourselves that the first guy to find the
problem would share it with the others. Bunkie was around there when
that was all going on and I was lucky enough to find it first and
share it with everybody. And then I didn't see Bunkie. I was under
contract to Firestone and I'd run tire tests. Bunkie called me and
wanted me to go to Arizona. He said they had Pontiacs out there
trying to run high speeds but blowing oil. He thought of me and got
a hold of me that way, and I told him, "I can't go out there. I'm
under contract." (laughs) Right in the middle of it, he contacted
Raymond Firestone who then called me and said, "Did you get a phone
call from a guy named Bunkie Knudsen?" I said, "Yeah." He said,
"What did he want?" I said, "He wanted me to go to Arizona 'cause
they're having trouble with oil." Firestone then asked me, "What did
you tell him?" I said, "I told him I couldn't go." He said "What are
you doing?" I said, "I'm right in the middle of a tire test." He
said, "Shut the test down and go to Arizona!" So that's how I got in
with Bunkie.
HPP: You had some top-rate
drivers working with you. Paul Goldsmith was amazing and you had
greats like David Pearson and A.J. Foyt running in USAC back then.
What was it like working with them?
Nichels: They were all great. Let's see, I had
Penske driving one, and Rodger Ward, Len Sutton. I always had good
chauffeurs.
HPP: Besides Paul Goldsmith,
do you keep in touch with any friends from your racing days?
Nichels: All of them. I talk to all of them occasionally. Of course,
a lot of them aren't around anymore. They were all good friends.
That was the tough part of doing the book with Bill--reliving all of
the bad memories.
HPP: Was there a big learning
curve developing the Pontiacs into competitive race cars? Did
Pontiac provide any engineering support?
Nichels: I worked directly for Bunkie Knudsen, so I had a lot of
support. I'd meet with the Engineering Department, though I didn't
know all their names. I do remember Russ Gee. I guess he got to be a
big wheel there. Real nice.
HPP: We did an interview with
him recently. He's retired now, but he made it pretty high up the
ladder at GM.
Nichels: He was a kid when I first met him. He was a Project
Engineer at the time. Pontiac was very helpful with that sort of
thing. We even had access to metallurgists. They were always willing
to help improve things.
HPP: Back in the days with
Pontiac, stock meant stock, and the cars raced were actual
production cars. Other than engine preparation, what sort of work
was necessary to make them competitive race cars?
Nichels: Mostly safety-related stuff. We'd put
in rollcages and racing belts, that sort of thing. The cars really
had to be stock back then.
HPP: I noticed that the
injected engine in the vintage ad is the same engine that was
featured in the April '60 issue of Sports Cars Illustrated [later
known as Car & Driver] and used in your Firestone tire-testing
Kurtis Indy car. It put out 475 hp. You had a lot of custom
magnesium castings to get the weight down to 580 pounds. Did the
Pontiac V-8 make a good sports car engine?
Nichels: This was the Indy car engine your talking about. It was
fuel-injected, dry sump, and all of the parts were made out of
magnesium.
HPP: It must have been a huge
project getting those magnesium parts developed.
Nichels: Well, we didn't think it was that big. It never was a good
sports car engine though. It was just too heavy.
HPP: Is the car or engine
still in existence?
Nichels: They both are, but I'm not sure
where.
HPP: It was suggested that
you were prepared to build 25 such engines per year for customers.
Did that actually happen?
Nichels: That never came about. We only built
the one.
HPP: When Pontiac went to the
421 engine with the 3.25-inch mains, the bearing speeds went up
significantly. How were you able to keep those engines together for
500 miles with the larger bearings?
Nichels: That didn't bother anything--not a
thing. We didn't even blink an eye on that one.
Author's Note: Please join us
for Part II of "Exclusive Interview: Ray Nichels." Conversations
with a Winner: The Ray Nichels Story, published by Pitstop Books
(info@pitstopbooks.com) is due to be on the shelves by June 2004.
The 300-page, 300-photo/illustrated hardcover book is the
culmination of four years' work by its author, Wm. LaDow. Utilizing
the Nichels Engineering Archives that have been sealed for more than
30 years, this book offers a glimpse into the never before
documented life of Racing Hall of Famer Ray Nichels. Containing
interviews with such legendary American racing personalities as
Cotton Owens, Chris Economaki, A.J. Foyt, David Pearson, Bud Moore,
Len Sutton, Bobby Unser, Don White, Ernie Derr, Paul Goldsmith,
Shirley Muldowney, and Arnie "The Farmer" Beswick, to name a few,
this volume promises to be the most wide-ranging narrative outlining
Nichels almost-40-year racing career.
A GTO in a Nascar
Race? Yes!

Randy Mitchell (RMitch1171@aol.com) of Bristol, Tennessee
writes: "A guy named Chris Vallo offered to put up a million dollars
to see a Pontiac GTO win a NASCAR race. Ray Nichols Engineering, a
very reputable car owner/builder built the 1971 GTO's that Pearson
drove. They were not very successful to start with and Vallo turned
out to have some shady dealings and disappeared for a few years
before he got caught doing bad things involving
Cuba,
I think. Nichols never saw a penny of the money and gave upon the
Pontiacs. Anyway, I recently saw a rerun of the 1971 Southern 500 on Speedvision and
caught only a glimpse of the GOAT. You will see
pictures of the car from the video below. David Pearson was the best
NASCAR driver ever. One year he ran only 17 races for the Woods
Brothers but won 11 of them!!!! Richard Petty said Pearson was the
best. Pearson is second on alltime win list with over 100 wins."


 


Ray Nichels Autograph

Grand National / Winston Cup Owner
Statistics
Year |
Driver |
Races |
Win |
T5 |
T10 |
Pole |
Laps |
Led |
Earnings |
Rank |
AvSt |
AvFn |
1957 |
Banjo Matthews |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
855 |
58 |
1.0 |
41.0 |
1957 |
Cotton Owens |
16 |
1 |
3 |
5 |
1 |
2139 |
179 |
12,784 |
14 |
8.7 |
16.8 |
1961 |
Darel Dieringer |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
230 |
0 |
3,150 |
35 |
11.0 |
10.5 |
1961 |
Paul Goldsmith |
2 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
239 |
0 |
6,050 |
45 |
12.0 |
6.0 |
1962 |
Paul Goldsmith |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
218 |
0 |
1,375 |
51 |
19.0 |
6.0 |
1962 |
Junior Johnson |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
648 |
34,841 |
20 |
8.0 |
31.0 |
1962 |
LeeRoy Yarbrough |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
420 |
0 |
3,485 |
36 |
22.5 |
18.5 |
1963 |
A.J. Foyt |
3 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
368 |
8 |
7,520 |
|
6.3 |
10.7 |
1963 |
Paul Goldsmith |
6 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
545 |
22 |
4,170 |
|
7.5 |
25.0 |
1963 |
Jim McGuirk |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
70 |
0 |
1,200 |
58 |
36.5 |
33.5 |
1963 |
David Pearson |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8697 |
0 |
24,986 |
8 |
34.0 |
26.0 |
1963 |
Pedro Rodriguez |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
54 |
0 |
400 |
|
9.0 |
25.0 |
1963 |
Len Sutton |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
274 |
0 |
1,175 |
|
17.0 |
34.8 |
1964 |
A.J.
Foyt |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
287 |
14 |
13,400 |
|
18.5 |
12.5 |
1964 |
Paul Goldsmith |
14 |
0 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
2281 |
319 |
20,835 |
22 |
8.4 |
18.0 |
1964 |
Bobby Isaac |
13 |
1 |
3 |
5 |
0 |
2125 |
134 |
26,733 |
18 |
9.2 |
15.4 |
1964 |
Troy Ruttman |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
177 |
0 |
850 |
|
17.0 |
10.0 |
1965 |
Bobby Isaac |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
400 |
11 |
1,860 |
75 |
7.0 |
29.0 |
1966 |
Larry Frank |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
232 |
0 |
1,575 |
50 |
14.0 |
9.5 |
1966 |
Paul Goldsmith |
18 |
3 |
9 |
9 |
1 |
4600 |
436 |
54,609 |
5 |
6.1 |
13.6 |
1966 |
Sam McQuagg |
16 |
1 |
4 |
7 |
0 |
3575 |
175 |
29,529 |
15 |
8.8 |
17.6 |
1966 |
Don White |
8 |
0 |
3 |
5 |
0 |
1961 |
8 |
19,670 |
|
9.2 |
10.6 |
1967 |
Paul Goldsmith |
21 |
0 |
7 |
8 |
0 |
4851 |
398 |
38,731 |
11 |
8.6 |
15.3 |
1967 |
Don
White |
6 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
997 |
0 |
8,410 |
|
15.7 |
17.7 |
1968 |
Paul Goldsmith |
14 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
2730 |
304 |
24,365 |
30 |
9.3 |
21.1 |
1968 |
Don
White |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
585 |
0 |
2,105 |
|
18.0 |
12.5 |
1969 |
Richard Brickhouse |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
241 |
33 |
45,637 |
25 |
7.0 |
17.0 |
1969 |
Charlie Glotzbach |
4 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1001 |
80 |
37,515 |
37 |
6.2 |
11.8 |
1969 |
Paul Goldsmith |
10 |
0 |
4 |
5 |
0 |
1959 |
20 |
22,850 |
40 |
7.7 |
19.0 |
1969 |
Don
White |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
41 |
0 |
835 |
|
13.0 |
33.0 |
1970 |
Charlie Glotzbach |
17 |
2 |
7 |
8 |
4 |
3177 |
427 |
50,749 |
28 |
5.5 |
16.6 |
1970 |
Don White |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
16 |
0 |
880 |
|
14.0 |
39.0 |
1971 |
Fred Lorenzen |
14 |
0 |
7 |
9 |
1 |
3229 |
152 |
45,100 |
45 |
7.4 |
12.7 |
1971 |
Dave Marcis |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
507 |
0 |
37,582 |
21 |
7.5 |
18.5 |
1971 |
David Pearson |
7 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
495 |
0 |
32,010 |
51 |
10.7 |
33.9 |
1972 |
Bobby Unser |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
603 |
|
28.0 |
43.0 |
1972 |
Don White
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
114 |
0 |
1,745 |
|
21.0 |
38.0 |
13 years |
222 |
10 |
62 |
89 |
11 |
48850 |
3368 |
620,169 |
|
9.4 |
17.9 |
Saturday, November 26, 2005: Press Release: Ray
Nichels, one of the preeminent race car mechanics and car
builders of the 1950s and 1960s, passed away on Friday, November
26, 2005. Arrangements are being finalized later today by
his wife Eleanor. More information will be available early
tomorrow morning.
Visitation was Monday,
November 28th, 2005, afternoon and early evening at:
Lincoln Ridge Funeral Home
7607 W. Lincoln Hwy (US Route 30),
Schererville, IN 46375 (219) 322-6616
Mr. Nichels funeral was planned for early morning Tuesday,
November 29th at:
Our Lady of Consolation Catholic Church -
8303 Taft Street, Merrillville, IN 46410


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