Bill Jenkins (drag racer) facts for kids
William Tyler Jenkins (born December 22, 1930 – died March 29, 2012) was a famous drag racer and engine builder. People often called him "Grumpy" or "The Grump." From 1965 to 1975, he won 13 big races in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). He won most of these races using a four-speed manual transmission. In 1972, he made 250 race passes in a row without missing a gear change!
Jenkins studied mechanical engineering at Cornell University for three years. He used this knowledge to build amazing race car engines. He is in many motorsports halls of fame because of his engine skills. He was especially famous in the NHRA Pro Stock class.
He invented many new parts for race cars. These included special oil pans, improved suspensions, and better ways to cool engines. He also made manual transmissions shift faster. Many people call him the "Father of Pro Stock." Engines built by Jenkins helped win five NHRA Pro Stock championships. They also won three American Hot Rod Association (AHRA) championships.
He got the nickname "Grumpy" because he was very serious at races. He focused on making cars faster and didn't have much time for small talk.
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Racing Career
Bill Jenkins was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Malvern, Pennsylvania. He started working on engines by fixing his neighbor's tractor. He began drag racing in a 1955 Chevrolet car. This was before he went to Cornell University to study engineering. He left college after his third year.
He became well-known after helping to build 30 cars that set national records. In the early 1960s, he became famous for building engines for racer Dave Strickler. Jenkins and Strickler won a big race together in 1963 with a special Chevy car. In 1964 and 1965, Jenkins drove powerful Hemi-powered Dodge cars. This was after Chevy stopped supporting drag racing. In 1964, Jenkins and Strickler even went to England. They were part of the U.S. Drag Racing team. They raced in the First International Drag Festival.
In 1965, he won a race at the 1965 NHRA Nationals in Indianapolis Raceway Park. He drove a 1965 Plymouth gasser car. His winning speed was 130.24 mph (209.60 km/h). He also won another race in 1965 at the Winternationals. He drove a Hemi-powered Plymouth called Black Arrow. He won by starting faster than his opponent.
In 1966, Jenkins decided to race a Chevy car on his own. He built his first Grumpy's Toy car. It was a Chevy II with a smaller engine. This smaller engine meant the car was lighter. This helped it beat bigger, heavier cars. He set a class record with an 11.66-second pass.
Chevrolet added him to their team in 1967. He became known as the best engine builder for cars without superchargers. He won a big race at the 1967 Nationals. When NHRA started the Pro Stock class in 1970, Jenkins joined. He won the first two Pro Stock events that year. He drove a 1968 Chevrolet Camaro and won the national title. His 1970½ Camaro was the first Pro Stock car to be on the cover of Hot Rod Magazine.
Jenkins didn't win any races in 1971. But in 1972, NHRA changed the rules. This allowed lighter cars with smaller engines. Jenkins used a small engine in a Chevrolet Vega. This car had the first special tube chassis in its class. He won five of the first eight races that season. He also won six of eight national events. Jenkins earned a total of $250,000 that year. This included money from races and car makers. He was even featured in Time magazine. He was the first drag racer to get such big national attention.
In 1973, Jenkins drove his Vega to set Pro Stock's first official speed record. He reached 148.76 mph (239.41 km/h) at the Winternationals.
In 1974, Jenkins built another Vega car, called Grumpy's Toy XI. This car had new features that changed drag racing. It had the first dry sump oiling system and a special front suspension. This car helped him win 13 Pro Stock races that year.
Car Owner and Engine Builder
Jenkins stopped driving race cars himself. He hired Larry Lombardo and Ken Dondero to drive his cars. This let him focus on inventing and improving parts. Lombardo took over driving in 1976. He won the NHRA Winston Pro Stock championship that year. Dondero won the AHRA title.
Lombardo raced for Jenkins until 1979. Jenkins reduced the team's races in the early 1980s. His last season as a team owner was in 1983. Joe Lepone won a big race in 1985 with a Jenkins Pro Stock engine.
Jenkins mostly focused on engines for the Comp class. Many racers used his engines. He also helped develop new cylinder heads for GM's Chevrolet engines. These were used in the new Pro Stock Truck category in 1998. Larry Kopp won the 1998 Winston drag championship with a Jenkins engine. Many other racers also won with his engines that year. Jenkins-built engines are still used today. In 2005, Dave Connolly won a race with a Jenkins engine in his Pro Stock Cobalt. In 2006, two-time Pro Stock champion Jim Yates also used a Jenkins motor.
Jenkins also worked on some NASCAR engines. He built the engine that Donnie Allison used to get the fastest qualifying time in the 1975 Daytona 500. Mike Swaim used a Jenkins motor to get the fastest qualifying time for a 1987 Busch Series race at Daytona.
Awards and Halls of Fame
- Jenkins was put into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2008.
- He was put into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1996.
- He was put into the Don Garlits International Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 1993.
- In 2001, NHRA ranked him eighth on their list of the Top 50 Drivers of all time.
- He was named to the American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association All-America Team in 1972.
- He won Chevrolet's Award of Performance in 1984.
- Jenkins was chosen 21 times for the Car Craft all-star drag racing team. He also won "Man of the Year" and the "Ollie Award."
Personal Life
Jenkins had a daughter named Susan with his first wife, Alexandra Newman. He later married Polly Wood. They had a son named William and a daughter named Dani-El.
Death
Bill Jenkins passed away in 2012 from heart failure in Paoli, Pennsylvania.
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