ProStockJunkie
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SAN FRANCISCO — Jim McLennan, a pioneer in drag racing in the Bay Area, died at San Francisco General Hospital on Friday night of complications of diabetes, family members said. He was 74.
Born in Chicago in 1932, McLennan moved to San Francisco in 1942. He graduated from Balboa High School in San Francisco in 1950.
In 1957, McLennan started Champion Speed Shop on El Camino Real in South San Francisco as a performance shop, specializing in helping hot rodders get quality speed parts. After the business became more successful, it moved to a larger location on Old Mission Road.
He raced the legendary Champion Speed Shop Top Fuel Car from 1958 to 1963. McLennan was acknowledged one of the most successful small-block Chevrolet racers of that time, according to his son Bob. The car's best year was 1961, when it held the Drag News No. 2 position for more than 10 months.
McLennan was one of the first drivers to wear a fire suit (borrowed from the San Francisco airport) and developed one of the first cars to use a parachute to slow down.
During his career, he was not only a racer but a race track promoter, opening the Half Moon Bay Drag Strip and Cotati Drag Strip.
In 1963 he opened Champion Speedway, an oval track across from Candlestick Park. McLennan took over the ownership of Fremont Drag Strip in 1967, which gained national recognition as one of most racer-friendly drag strips in the country.
In 1985, Jim and his sons, Bob and Michael, were instrumental in resurrecting the nostalgia drag-racing scene. With the help of Roy Brizio, Jim recreated the two popular Champion Speed Shop cars: the twin-engine Chevrolet car, driven by son Michael, and the Kent Fuller car, driven by Sammy Hale.
In 1969, Jim was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Writers' Hall of Fame by the San Francisco Chronicle's Gordon Martin.
In 1993, McLennan was named to the National Hot Rod Associations Hall of Fame and was scheduled to be inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame in March.
Services for McLennan are pending, family members said late Friday.
Born in Chicago in 1932, McLennan moved to San Francisco in 1942. He graduated from Balboa High School in San Francisco in 1950.
In 1957, McLennan started Champion Speed Shop on El Camino Real in South San Francisco as a performance shop, specializing in helping hot rodders get quality speed parts. After the business became more successful, it moved to a larger location on Old Mission Road.
He raced the legendary Champion Speed Shop Top Fuel Car from 1958 to 1963. McLennan was acknowledged one of the most successful small-block Chevrolet racers of that time, according to his son Bob. The car's best year was 1961, when it held the Drag News No. 2 position for more than 10 months.
McLennan was one of the first drivers to wear a fire suit (borrowed from the San Francisco airport) and developed one of the first cars to use a parachute to slow down.
During his career, he was not only a racer but a race track promoter, opening the Half Moon Bay Drag Strip and Cotati Drag Strip.
In 1963 he opened Champion Speedway, an oval track across from Candlestick Park. McLennan took over the ownership of Fremont Drag Strip in 1967, which gained national recognition as one of most racer-friendly drag strips in the country.
In 1985, Jim and his sons, Bob and Michael, were instrumental in resurrecting the nostalgia drag-racing scene. With the help of Roy Brizio, Jim recreated the two popular Champion Speed Shop cars: the twin-engine Chevrolet car, driven by son Michael, and the Kent Fuller car, driven by Sammy Hale.
In 1969, Jim was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Writers' Hall of Fame by the San Francisco Chronicle's Gordon Martin.
In 1993, McLennan was named to the National Hot Rod Associations Hall of Fame and was scheduled to be inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame in March.
Services for McLennan are pending, family members said late Friday.
