A Ron Capps Memory - Primm Closing (8 Viewers)

[Jim]

Couple stories about Primm Resorts closing. How many remember Ron Capps' first win (on a Monday - at Seattle if memory serves me). Criminy, I think I got my results on Compuserve way back then... Randy Goodwin might confirm<G>
.

Last Primm casino-resort, gas stations and The Lotto Store to shutter

The last fully operational casino-resort, two gas stations, and The Lotto Store in Primm will permanently cease operations.

www.fox5vegas.com

 

[mick]

ok i'll take a stab at it. i recall the primm TF'r coming on the scene in early 90's. frank bradley was crew chief initially i think?
it was his first venture into tuning after hanging up the firesuit? pretty sure del worsham drove for a couple years? then ron
stepped in and got his first win in seattle. i don't think frank was CC for ron, i think frank went to the andersons?
was the primm TF'r somehow associated with the JCIT effort when ron drove it? i remember terry manzer tuned the JCIT FC
somewhere in that era, with wilk driving it ..... or maybe it was the guy who owned the montana express, cuz didn't ron drive for
him next? grubnic drove that car briefly too. john mitchell i think was his name?
...... those were great years. still young back then waiting at the mailbox every week for the digger to show up.

 

[Chili]

ok i'll take a stab at it. i recall the primm TF'r coming on the scene in early 90's. frank bradley was crew chief initially i think?
it was his first venture into tuning after hanging up the firesuit? pretty sure del worsham drove for a couple years? then ron
stepped in and got his first win in seattle. i don't think frank was CC for ron, i think frank went to the andersons?
was the primm TF'r somehow associated with the JCIT effort when ron drove it? i remember terry manzer tuned the JCIT FC
somewhere in that era, with wilk driving it ..... or maybe it was the guy who owned the montana express, cuz didn't ron drive for
him next? grubnic drove that car briefly too. john mitchell i think was his name?
...... those were great years. still young back then waiting at the mailbox every week for the digger to show up.

Roger Primm ran TAD himself before jumping to Top Fuel. Ron Capps worked on Darryl Hitchmans TAD before getting the job as driver for John Mitchell’s Montana Express. Larry Dixon was the driver for Mitchell but went to work for Snake on his final strike season. After I think one year in TAD, he was tabbed to drive for Primm in Top Fuel. I don’t remember anyone else driving before Capps but could be wrong since they didn’t run every race. The plan was for Primm to drive the car but had an issue pop up and never did return to the drivers seat.The car was indeed tuned by Bradley. Worsham drove and I think Rance McDaniel after Capps left for Snake’s FC ride. The Primm car wasn’t associated with JCIT (John Costanza) that I know of.

JCIT had the nitro car with Wilkerson and an TAD originally driven by Bill McCormick and then John Costanza. There were another couple drivers mixed in including Jaren Mott briefly. It’s been a long time since a lot of this happened but those are the connections I remember.

 

[Chili]

Roger Primm is still around the sport. He is involved with the Chris Morel funny car out of Reno.

 

[Just Paul]

i don't think frank was CC for ron

Correct, it was Terry Manzer in 1995.

 

[CS]

Sad to see the place close I always stopped there in my travels between LA and Vegas.

 

[mick]

just got to thinkng if del was on 300mph list. he is. 10/3/93. i also see rance's name, 4/23/93.
i'm guessing del's is in the primm TF'r? i think rance did it on his own, as frank put 4 drivers into that club,
and rance is not one of them.

 

[Chili]

just got to thinkng if del was on 300mph list. he is. 10/3/93. i also see rance's name, 4/23/93.
i'm guessing del's is in the primm TF'r? i think rance did it on his own, as frank put 4 drivers into that club,
and rance is not one of them.

Rance was driving his TFX dragster when he got his 300 MPH run. I believe Dan Olsen was the crew chief but not positive.

 

[mick]

dan olsen seems right on chris. not sure if this is right or not, but joe and allen hartley told me this. as rance ended his career,
and the hartleys were just getting into TF, they were able to buy rance's trailer. i think rance was in the trailer business? and his was
his own built to his specs., very nice at the time; anyways, the hartleys said bernstein wanted it, but they somehow had first dibs on it
and they got it.

i was wrong with earlier comment/s regarding timeline. i think frank went to kalittas first after retiring from driving, then andersons,
then to roger primm? ...... i think? ...... and i found these. my polaroid scrapbook says '93. pretty sure that is frank's son jim bradley working on engine. side opposite of jim you can see the skuza trailer. primm's trailer had two logos on it. i think one was 'whiskey pete's casino' and can't remember what other one was called. you can see the two logos on the trailer.

 

[Chili]

dan olsen seems right on chris. not sure if this is right or not, but joe and allen hartley told me this. as rance ended his career,
and the hartleys were just getting into TF, they were able to buy rance's trailer. i think rance was in the trailer business? and his was
his own built to his specs., very nice at the time; anyways, the hartleys said bernstein wanted it, but they somehow had first dibs on it
and they got it.

i was wrong with earlier comment/s regarding timeline. i think frank went to kalittas first after retiring from driving, then andersons,
then to roger primm? ...... i think? ...... and i found these. my polaroid scrapbook says '93. pretty sure that is frank's son jim bradley working on engine. side opposite of jim you can see the skuza trailer. primm's trailer had two logos on it. i think one was 'whiskey pete's casino' and can't remember what other one was called. you can see the two logos on the trailer.

Interesting story. I wonder what happened to the Hartley family. Joe was married to Cristen Powell’s sister, Carrie. Bradley was one of those guys who moved around a bunch. Hard to keep track of who he helped and when. The other casino they had on the car was the “Primmadona”.

 

[Rich D]

Interesting story. I wonder what happened to the Hartley family. Joe was married to Cristen Powell’s sister, Carrie. Bradley was one of those guys who moved around a bunch. Hard to keep track of who he helped and when. The other casino they had on the car was the “Primmadona”.

Tons of details about how the Powell TAD/Top Fuel deals came together, as well as the Hartley family connection. Interesting stuff.