Ed McCulloch’s Top 5 Most Influential Funny Cars
MyRideisMe.com has your Funny Car hookups! We asked 3 current NHRA superstars in funny car and top fuel what funny cars are their “Top 5” most influential of all time, and why. Look for the Top 5 from Ed McCulloch, Ron Capps and Don Schumacher.
Let’s get started with the Napa Auto Parts funny car crew chief, Ed “Ace” McCulloch.
The “Ace” has a drag racing career stretching back more than 30 years. A socal boy living right in the middle of where hot rods and drag racing really took off. It’s no wonder he’s driven everything from top fuel to funny’s.
During those early days racing all over the country at whatever track was paying, he learned what it takes to make a nitro burning beast go fast and more importantly, win. He’s got 18 wins in funny car and another 4 in top fuel and he won at Indy 5 times.
“Ace” is truly a legend in funny car and a perfect kick off for MyRideisMe.com’s 5 Most influential Funny Cars…
Ed “Ace” McCulloch’s Top 5 Funny Cars
“Going back some years, probably ‘Jungle Jim’ Liberman would be included. He was a great showman, just a natural. When we used to match race, that was what it was all about, putting on a show. I guess one of the most influential would definitely have to be ‘Jungle Jim’ Liberman.”
“Another one would be the Blue Max, with Raymond Beadle. They were a really good group of guys on that car.”
“(Paul) Candies and (Leonard) Hughes would be one of the top ones, too. Really competitive cars. They always ran hard.”
“Even though I hate to do it, I have to put Don Prudhomme and the Army car in there because he was good in his day, won a lot of races for a long time.
“I could put five of mine in front of those four already,” he added. (note: I’m trying to get some of Ace’s private stash of pictures to post.)
“Obviously, on today’s circuit and going back in time with Austin Coil’s career and then his going on to John Force Racing, they would have to be in the top five.
“There’s probably a lot of cars there that are equally as good that I haven’t mentioned, but based on what they’ve done, the fame they earned and the way they presented themselves, those are probably my top five.”
“It depends on how you want to position this. I mean, do I think any of my time with Capps is good enough for my top five, probably not. Not yet. I’ve got a wider stretch to choose from.
“Blue Max and Jungle Jim had a lot of cars over time and they were always very dominant and had very good race cars. I can’t single it down to just one specific time frame or year or car. I’m looking at it over a period of time. As for the Snake, probably his Army car, in my opinion, was his dominant car. The rest of them it’s just what I think were influential over time.”
MyRideisMe.com thanks 70sfunnycars.com, draglist.com, monza.homestead.com, bluemaxfunnycar.com and fastmachines.com for the pictures shown.
Another big thanks to Judy Stropus from Don Schumacher Racing and her intern Leah Vaughn for getting the info out of these Funny Car legends.
What’s your top 5? Leave a comment and let us know!
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Ed the Ace left out half the showmanship of Jungle Jim… Jungle Pam! When Jim came to the line crew members abandoned the pits to watch Jungle Pam guide Jim back from the burnout.
At about 12 years old this was a life lesson.
Wow, those are cool funny cars, takes me waaay back.
MY picks for top 5 are…
1. Don “Snake” Prudhomme’s yellow funny car.
2. Tom Mc Ewen’s red Mongoo$e Funny car.
3. The 2nd Hawaiian funny car.
4. Ed McCulloch’s Revolution Funny car.
5. Voted the best paint, Rich Goshin(?) Pure Hell Demon Funny car.
Thanks, this was fun!
Don.
My Favorites were:
Don Nickelson,
his funny cars could out run anyone, and did many times.
Jack Christman, had no equal, he knew what he was doing, and could also beat
anyone on any given day and did just that, many times.
Bruce Larson, could out run anyone on any quarter mile, his abilities to handle a
funny car were unmatched, he very seldon broke , no show, just all go, first to the
finish line.
Larry Reyes in the Kingfish Barracuda was one fine driver who could beat any
driver and team. When Reyes car was in top shape, and it was 97% of the time
he was almost impossible to beat.
Tom Grove was as good a driver as anyone from the early 60’s to 2012, Tom Grove left nothing to chance, when you came up to the lights aganist Tom Grove
you better know what you are doing, and your car better in the best shape it has
ever been or, you were going to lose to Tom Grove, he was that good and better.
The days I’m referring to were the best of times for drag racing, each and every
funnycar in the 60’s and early 70’s were one of a kind and each funny car running
the NHRA curcuit brought it’s own excitement. There will never be again in drag
racing the personalities that made that era so exciting. I was there, I guess I ought
to know. I hope you there also, if so, you know what I talking about.
Ed McCulloch is drag racing. He shows the ability to drive , and work on his car, the way racing was. Without a doubt, like most “old school” racers he knew every aspect of the car, not like today. NHRA today, is not a sport, nor a real competition , just a “show” like the circus. Too many computers, big money, and the lack of small teams being able to compete , as well as 1000′ racing, is killing the sport. In time it will die, or be unable to sustain the large amount of money needed to keep it (NHRA) going. Take off all the electronics, 1 pump, 1 mag, make the driver be a driver, and the tuner be the same.
As for the top 5, that is a small number to try to pick from. I agree with the “ACE” on his 5, but somewhere the Kenny Bernstein “batmobile” was terribly dominat , as well as Joe Amato, when he came out with the tall wing concept