Joe Hrudka RIP (3 Viewers)

[Nunz]

My dad raced at Niagara Drag Strip quite a bit in the 60's-70's, and he would often see the Hrudka Bros. there racing and selling gaskets out of their truck.

Joseph "Joe" Hrudka, founder of Mr. Gasket, passes away at age 87

Hrudka, the legendary racer, entrepreneur, and performance pioneer best known as the founder of Mr. Gasket, passed away on May 24, 2026.

nhra.com

 

[Prestaged]

I often passed by the Hrudka household when I was a kid growing up in Parma, Ohio (I think they actually lived in nearby North Royalton). Saw the brothers race at Dragway 42 and later Norwalk when my dad or brother would take me to the races. That was a long time ago. RIP, Mr. Gasket.

 

[SoCal Racer]

Remember seeing those guys race at various tracks with the "chopped top" Camaro in Northeast Ohio when I lived there. RIP Mr. Gasket!

 

[J. S.]

I'm surprised the article doesn't mention Joe's role in the resurgence of NHRA Top Fuel at the 1984 US Nationals. According to Chris Martin's Top Fuel Handbook, page 114 talks about Garlits returning to Top Fuel after a 4 year layoff, and also Joe Hrudka's Cragar Weld Top Fuel Classic, the first of many Top Fuel and Funny Car specialty races to come, where 8 Top Fuelers would battle it out during Saturday qualifying for a big payday. Joe's companies put up the prize money. Garlits return, and the Top Fuel Classic, stimulated racer and fan interest in what had become a moribund class, and the rest is history. Similar specialty races-within-a-race, such as the long-running "Big Bud Shootout", became staples at NHRA events for years to come.

 

[ch streetcars]

I talked to Joe a couple of times when he was helping out in the Manufacturers Midway, probably at U. S. Nats. He was at the height of his business success and was acquiring many companies, but was a perfect gentleman who always would interact with fans. Now many of our performance companies are owned by private equity companies. Joe loved Drag Racing !

 

[Butch]

I remember when Joe bought Rupp Industries. ( Snowmobiles )
Used to joke about my Mr. Gasket sled. Lol
He also raced at the Toledo municipal Airport in the 60's with many eventually well known racers. Dick Titsworth, John Mihalko, Bob Gottachalk.
RIP Joe.

 

[cknight]

I remember when Joe bought Rupp Industries. ( Snowmobiles )
Used to joke about my Mr. Gasket sled. Lol
He also raced at the Toledo municipal Airport in the 60's with many eventually well known racers. Dick Titsworth, John Mihalko, Bob Gottachalk.
RIP Joe.

Also, Gene Schwartz and Ron Hassel.

 

[Prestaged]

Also, Gene Schwartz and Ron Hassel.

Ron Hassel. Wow! Never thought I would see that name pop up again. He was maybe my first drag racing hero (for lack of a better word) when I was a kid. He ran a D/G 56 Chevy, which ran well but was nothing special in the looks department. But then he showed up one fine spring morning at Dragway 42 with a candy apple red '40 Willys B/G. It was a gorgeous. And it obliterated the B/G national record. Like I said in an earlier post -- that was a long time ago.