Camaro, dubbed "America's honest sports car,"
is celebrating its 34th birthday this year and has never performed
better! The world was introduced to Camaro at Chevrolet Dealers
coast-to-coast on Thursday, Sept, 29, 1966 and has been a part of
America's landscape ever since. Camaro was the first Chevrolet
to feature the small-block 350 c.i. engine, standard equipment in
the new Camaro SS. The 1967 Camaro offered 15 colors, 17 different
interior colors and materials, three stripe options in three colors
and two vinyl top colors or three convertible top colors. What's
more, there were seven available engines, six transmissions, four
models, six equipment models and over 75 "free-flow" options, making
well over 15 million build combinations possible!
In NHRA history, to date the Camaro has won nearly 500 titles since
it began racing in 1967, more than any other Chevrolet model. FIRST CAMARO WIN Chevrolet drag racing legend Bill "Grumpy"
Jenkins put the Camaro in the NHRA record book with its first win
at the 1967 U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Ind. Racing against
the behemoth Chrysler Hemis and high-riser Fords that dominated Super
Stock eliminator in that era, Jenkins' victory made the 396-cubic-inch
Camaro a legitimate muscle car in the eyes of many enthusiasts. Competing
in the SS/C class, Jenkins' fleet F-body sprinted down drag racing's
most famous quarter-mile in 11.55 seconds to take the US Nationals
title. Jenkins was joined in the US Nationals winner's circle
by Ben
Wenzel, who won Stock eliminator with a brand-new B/Stock Camaro
Z28 powered by a 302-cubic-inch small-block V8. This double
win by Chevy's sports coupe established the Camaro as a legitimate
contender in drag racing. (Wenzel is still racing his rare Camaro
33 years later. Now competing in the E/Stock class, Wenzel's Chevy
is a regular on the Division 3 circuit.)
FIRST CAMARO CHAMPIONSHIP Dave Strickler drove a Jenkins-prepared
Z28 Camaro to the Super Stock World Championship in 1968, defeating
Jenkins in the final run for the title at the NHRA World Finals in
Tulsa, Okla.
CAMARO COMEBACK Kurt
Johnson put the Chevy Camaro back in the Pro Stock winner's circle
after a decade's absence with a victory in the Sears Craftsman Nationals
in Madison, Ill., on June 28, 1998. Harry Scribner was the last
Camaro driver to win previously in NHRA Pro Stock competition. He
defeated Don Beverley's Olds Ciera in the final round at the 1988
Autolite Nationals in Sonoma, Calif., on a holeshot, 7.498@184.50
to 7.493@194.25.
CAMARO FUNNY CAR FIRSTS Ron
Capps achieved several milestones in Don
Prudhomme's '97 Camaro Z28 Funny Car. Capps became the first
driver to top Rockingham, N.C., in April, 1997. The following
month, he recorded Camaro's first 300 mph run in national event competition
in qualifying for the Western Auto Nationals in Topeka, Kan.
Capps scored the fourth-generation Camaro's first Funny Car victory
at the Craftsman Nationals in Madison, Ill., On June 19, 1997, with
a winning time of 5.165@268.81 mph, Camaro's first funny Car win in
NHRA national event competition since John Collins won the Funny Car
title at the 1985 NorthStar Nationals in Brainerd, Minn.
Two fourth-generation Camaro Funny Cars raced in a final round for
the first time at the Atsco Nationals in Phoenix, Ariz., on Feb. 22,
1998. Chuck Etchells defeated Ron Capps in the all-Camaro final,
4.944@312.82 to 8.630@92.40.
Camaros captured eight wins in 22 events in 1998, ore than any other
brand. Capps won five races and Etchells won three.
So far, in 2000, Camaros have won five Funny Car titles, and five
Pro Stock titles. Happy
birthday, Camaro! Here's to 34 more!
Content by Judy Stropus. Edited
for the web and used with permission.
