I would like to preface this story again by saying it is through my eyes and I am not trying to make any excuses. In my eyes there is no excuse for losing, but we all do and we take our lumps and go on from there. Again we are running two cars. O.C.M.P and the Orange car. I would like to say this was not and easy job for Jim Fox and Dennis Holding and our crew. They did not have a crew of 20 people for each car like the big boys or girls have now, plus the two cars were very different. The Orange car had the 354 and the O.C.M.P. car had a 392. Although both chassis were built by Rod Pepmuller.
    Now back in 1964 NHRA did things different. On Saturday they ran class elimination's. A/FD and AA/FD. A/FD got a trophy. AA/FD got to sit out elimination's and ran the winner of the low 8 cars on Sunday. I won A/FD on Saturday, beating Logghe, Steffy and Marsh in the final round. In AA/FD in the O.C.M.P. I lost to Bobby Vodnick in The M&R car in the first round. He ran 8.18 @ 187.50. I ran 8.11 @ 184.42. I got another whole shot put on me, after Garlits did the same thing to me when I lost the # 1 spot to him a couple weeks earlier, to say the least I was not feeling to good about my driving ability!!!! plus the 8.11 put the O.C.M.P. car in the 9th spot and they only took the low 8 cars.
   Sunday. S&H was low qualifier at 7.86 and the Orange car was in at a solid 7.96 and Kenny Safford was #8 at 8.10. Now the fun begins. For some reason Garlits did not qualify, That really broke my heart <Wide evil nasty grin>, about two hours before the first round Garlits comes running up to me with his firesuit and helmet and says let me drive your car. As I said I was really down on myself and I told him let me talk to Jim Fox and Dennis Holding, although I had already made up my mind. I owed to much to Jim and Dennis to let them down again. So we put "The Rat" in the car. The word in the pits spread like a wild fire. Garlits is driving for the Frantic Four.
   Now the really, really fun begins. Here comes T.V. Tom Ivo and he is not a happy camper and I get the ass chewing of my life. I want to make this very clear, it was not that I put Garlits in the car that had him upset. It was that I would put anyone in the car. I would like to say everything he said, but it is not for print.<grin> In essence he told me if I wanted to feel sorry for myself, just hang it up for good. He also said you are the hero for that car and I better start acting like it. Well the first round Garlits red lights and drives the car out the back light and hangs 8 rods out the bottom of the pan. Thanks to T.V. I was able to get my act together and win a few more races.<grin>. Next story. 1964 Indy Nationals.