Thanks, Spib! This post gets into some detailed stuff...I thought it was important to show because it wasn't until early this morning that I realized the truth behind a 46-year-old trick (or it could have been a plain old mistake), so I figured it to be worthy of mention as I am sure there are others who have been as unaware as I was that this picture is wrong! It became a brain-teaser but I figured it out.

I've been working on this for a couple of weeks. Something kept bugging me about it...other than the little circular decal on the air foil up front next to the Valvoline decal that I couldn't figure out what it was, there was just something about the picture that was gnawing at me. Something was strange. Something wasn't quite right.

This morning when I woke up, it hit me like a lead pipe. On all of the pictures I'd seen of slingshot dragsters from the 60s, the steering mechanism comes out of the cowl and runs up to the front axle on the LEFT side of the car. This picture had that feature on the RIGHT side...it's backwards! I got online and double-checked everything at the Frantic 4 site and sure enough, the Car Craft cover from May 1964 has that picture "flopped"...reversed...a mirror image of the actual photograph. I've been looking at that picture since the day it was published and I never noticed it until this morning. I drew the whole thing that way, too.

I went back to my original drawing and flipped it over horizontally, then I took the decals I drew and flipped them over to the right side, and repositioned them so they fit properly in place on the corrected illustration. Now it's right...here are the images.

Cheers, WC1

Way Cool!!!!!!!!!!

WC1 I am no longer amazed, just awe struck at your artwork

Thanks, Carl! Over the last couple of days I've been working on a graphic for Rapid. His first request was to have the car exploding in a ball of fire...I couldn't resist drawing it, though...I've seen this car run and it's the wildest thing I ever saw set its slicks on a drag strip. Rapid is a quiet, polite, soft-spoken gentleman until he straps into that beast and then all hell breaks loose...dude can drive nitro, no doubt about it...he puts on a hell of a show. I have an explosion version in the works but it's awful hard to do. Here's the one I sent him tonight...he's thinking about changing the explosion deal to this. Cheers, WC1

Very cool!!!!!

Rapid is a great guy and I hear stories about him and laugh.

The man can drive that is for sure!!!!

D@mn W.C.! All I can say is"Impressive"!

Many thanks, guys. When I got home early this morning (played a show at the civic center in Aransas Pass last night, 200 miles down the road), there were a bunch of emails from Rapid and Gary, who will be making the decals, and it appears that the version posted above is approved and will be applied to the back of Rapid's helmet soon. A t-shirt version will be in the works some time this summer. I'm glad he went with this because I don't even want to think about a car exploding, much less one with Rapid in it. Not that he couldn't get it stopped and get out of it without so much as a scratch on him, but it's just the thought of it blowing up that disturbed me about it. Know what I'm saying? I know it's different for the Rapid1, he's hung it over the edge enough times to know what he's talking about...but from where I sit, I just want the car in one piece...thanks again, WC1

It would be cool to have Randy as a member here to share some of his experiences and stuff.

I know what you mean about an exploding car...it may look cool to the observer but no place to be if your in the driver seat and no way would I want to see that with Randy's car.

I'll be talking to Rapid over the next few days and I'll let him know about HRT. He could have his own section...he's got a gorgeous old Vette that he built and he'd be a solid COM contender...good idea. Cheers, WC1

Hell Yeah he could have his own section.

His vette is friggin awesome.

One day I would like to be able to meet Randy and party with him, I know he has to be a hoot.

Rapid's off-track personality belies his on-track behavior, there is no doubt about that. You'd never meet a more laid-back guy...his preparations for a run are methodical, quiet, serious and intense. He works on the car...of course, they all do, but it ain't a Chinese fire drill. It's an organized, choreographed exercise in precision and consistency. We stay out of the way. Right up to the instant they fire that thing up, you can hear a pin drop in that pit space except for the ratchets and footsteps. They treat the beast with great respect and concern. I've seen Rapid make 3 runs, all at Eddyville. One was in the Nitro Madness AA/FA in 2006, and the other 2 were last July in the Rear Gears Plastic Fantastic N/FC. They were all death-defying spectacles. The wildest was last July when he was match-racing the Twin Cities Shaker. On a freak of nature day (it was cool in mid-July, didn't get over 80), they both got out of shape on a track that had too much bite with both cars set on a hot weather tuneup. I saw the Rear Gears logo on the side of that Maverick show up at 600 feet for a split-second. Both cars got all 4 wheels off the ground all the way downtrack. The Twin Cities Shaker came over into Rapid's lane and they went through the lights next to each other in the right lane, close enough to reach out and shake hands. I was back at the starting line next to Rapid's wife Laura, and I blurted out "THAT was the WILDEST drag race I ever saw!" She calmly turned to me and said "Oh. You haven't seen him race very much, have you?" Rapid is insane on track...he does 600-foot burnouts, points at the crowd, points at his opponent, gesticulates wildly, pumps his fist, does dry-hops before staging, in general he creates total mayhem out there and he brings the crowd to its feet. He stays in it no matter what, right up to and past the point of no return...but in the total of 12 seconds that I've witnessed his driving, I could clearly see that he steers to prevent movement, instead of reacting to it. He's riding the bucking bronco of drag racing and he's got it under control. In short, he has incredible driving skills. I'm breathless after he makes a run. I can't imagine what he must be feeling! I gotta see if I can get him in here. Cheers, WC1

WildcatOne wrote:I'll be talking to Rapid over the next few days and I'll let him know about HRT. He could have his own section...he's got a gorgeous old Vette that he built and he'd be a solid COM contender...good idea. Cheers, WC1

damn nice car

I should be hearing from him tonight. I found this video of the first round of the race I described above. The track was so tight they couldn't get a decent burnout, and then they bounced down the track and crossed the stripe in the same lane...it was crazy, I tellya. Enjoy! WC1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq9Kxe-YUAs

Yeehaw....now we are talkin!!!!!

Man what a ride that must be

It is exciting to see that run again,Cat.Who ever filmed it must have been right behind me in the stands.When Rapid did the first dry hop,everyone in the stand jumped,Very funny.Susan and I knew he was going to do it,so we watched the crowd

It was great being there with you and Susan, Boyd! That was the race of the year for me! Looking forward to the next one...