Pro Stock Mt. Rushmore ? (1 Viewer)

[twostep]

Just like any Mt. Rushmore conversation there will be locks and there will be some that barely make the cut. I personally feel like Pro Stock is the "easiest" to come up with four but the fifth one is the debate.


My personal four are Warren Johnson, Bob Glidden, Greg Anderson, Grumpy Jenkins with Erica being the 5th choice. WJ with all of his technical innovations in the shop, the wins and championships, the performance barriers he busted and not to mention the fact that the DRCE engines that he helped design are still used in the class to this day. Bob Glidden's record speaks for itself. What he accomplished with his family while proudly carrying the Ford banner was unmatched for a long time. Greg Anderson because his fingerprints have been involved with countless victories and championships for the better part of 40 years as a driver, crew member, crew chief, engine builder, tuner. I've always wanted to ask Lewis Bloom, how many race wins and championships has he had some part in. And Grumpy Jenkins for being the godfather of the class and what he did in the early years behind the wheel and behind the wrenches. Of course with Jenkins there may be consideration for Ronnie Sox as well. As far as Erica goes, when her Pro Stock career is all said and done, she may crack the top four. Outside of Jeg I believe one of the best pure drivers ever in the class. Not to mention the barriers she has busted down by being a woman.

I forgot completely about WJ. So let's put five up there.

Erica has been an exemplary performer despite the 2024 slump but I don't know that I'd lump her in with the barrier-busting crowd. Try to take that title away from Shirley and she'll be on you like a rat on a Cheeto. She's had flareups with Anderson, Connolly and Tanner Gray but I honestly don't recall her ever being relegated to junk-bond status because of her being a woman. And 6 championships speaks for itself.

 

[Professional Fan]

Sox, Jenkins, Glidden, Shepherd. That's the order in which those four won their first Pro Stock race. Don't put the modern-day champions in with them; they're great champs in their own right but these four are the pioneers that will always be remembered, not Anderson, Enders or Coughlin.

Slightly unrelated topic - when discussing Pro Stock runs, this one (Pomona 2014, semifinal) sticks out in my head more than any other and led to Erica Enders' first Championship. Dave Reiff and Mike Dunn absolutely lost it on this one.

On the pioneer theory then Force would not be on the Funny Car Mt Rushmore and Sarge would not be on the Top Fuel Mt Rushmore? I would agree with others: WJ, Glidden, Grump, Greg.

 

[sammi]

Jenkins, WJ, Glidden, Anderson

Jenkins-the tube frame Vega
WJ-DRCE
Glidden-proving epic work habits are the key to success
Anderson-modern engine and testing technologies

 

[twostep]

On the pioneer theory then Force would not be on the Funny Car Mt Rushmore and Sarge would not be on the Top Fuel Mt Rushmore? I would agree with others: WJ, Glidden, Grump, Greg.

You're right. FC pioneers would include Dick Harrell, Jack Chrisman, Jim Lieberman, Don Nickelson, Dick Landy, Arnie Beswick and the Ramchargers. Force deserves a spot but not as a pioneer. More like the greatest achiever of all time. Hell, if there's room, stick him up there.

Garlits leads the way but there's so many TF pioneers you'd need every mountain in the Rocky Mountain chain to showcase them all.

 

[Randy]

I go with the early pioneers who started off with no frame of reference. Jenkins for his tube frame Vega, for example. No disrespect meant for the more recent great drivers, what would you say are significant accomplishments in the development of pro stock worthy of being memorialized?

 

[65 Goatboy]

I forgot completely about WJ. So let's put five up there.

Erica has been an exemplary performer despite the 2024 slump but I don't know that I'd lump her in with the barrier-busting crowd. Try to take that title away from Shirley and she'll be on you like a rat on a Cheeto. She's had flareups with Anderson, Connolly and Tanner Gray but I honestly don't recall her ever being relegated to junk-bond status because of her being a woman. And 6 championships speaks for itself.

Uh oh, you forgot about the professor??!!

 

[twostep]

I go with the early pioneers who started off with no frame of reference. Jenkins for his tube frame Vega, for example. No disrespect meant for the more recent great drivers, what would you say are significant accomplishments in the development of pro stock worthy of being memorialized?

Glidden, virtually unbeatable for a decade, singlehandedly pushed Ford and Ford engines to the forefront of Pro Stock competition (his Fairmont was never defeated in competition), work habits and dedication beyond compare. Lee Shepherd - a stunning number of accomplishments including winning every NHRA event on the circuit at least once, winning PS and IHRA's MMPS championships, both of them, 2 years in a row; known for his starting line prowess and for his cylinder head expertise. Experimented with different combinations before NHRA went 500-inch in 1982 - small inch big blocks, big inch small blocks, and deadly with all of them amassing an 173-47 round win record (many against Glidden) while resetting both ET and speed NHRA national records 14 times.

Ronnie Sox: Nobody shifted a 4 speed like Ronnie Sox. Need I say more?

 

[twostep]

Uh oh, you forgot about the professor??!!

I am ashamed and deserve to be forever banished from the Pro Stock Mount Rushmore development committee.

 

[LasVegas87]

Sox, Jenkins, WJ, Glidden, Sheppard, Anderson all changed the class performance-wise with sweat, wrenches, and grit. With the aforementioned video of the Pomona 2014 semi, I think Erica could get some credit for changing the class via the starting line. RTs have become unreal since Double Oh, Double E rolled into the class. But overall, I think the pioneers of power would get my nod for the mountain.

 

[twostep]

Sox, Jenkins, WJ, Glidden, Sheppard, Anderson all changed the class performance-wise with sweat, wrenches, and grit. With the aforementioned video of the Pomona 2014 semi, I think Erica could get some credit for changing the class via the starting line. RTs have become unreal since Double Oh, Double E rolled into the class. But overall, I think the pioneers of power would get my nod for the mountain.

Erica has slipped a bit in the RT department this year but as everyone knows that's not always the driver's fault. That car has seen lots of subpar (as in .990) 60-foots and that's an indication that something's not right with the setup. Not like her to suffer a bunch of holeshot losses thanks to RT's in the .050s and .060s. Nonetheless, if you're a PS racer and you draw Enders, bring your A-game. You'll need it.

 

[chop]

Erica has slipped a bit in the RT department this year but as everyone knows that's not always the driver's fault. That car has seen lots of subpar (as in .990) 60-foots and that's an indication that something's not right with the setup. Not like her to suffer a bunch of holeshot losses thanks to RT's in the .050s and .060s. Nonetheless, if you're a PS racer and you draw Enders, bring your A-game. You'll need it.

Part of her sub par RT & performance could be related to her crew chief being sick and having a double lung transplant.

 

[camaro]

The Elite Vs KB TiTan performance Pendulum seems to constantly swing back and forth, with it swinging towards KB at the end of the season, when earlier this year it seems Erica / Stanfield / Jeg were running at the very top of the class. It's interesting, if one wants to race pro stock these days, there's 3 options, a KB or Elite car or produce your own program with the latter being the most expensive and time consuming. And the problem with the first two choices, is there always seems to be a pecking order in play, in terms of performance, on each team. I don't know if that's is a reality, but the numbers seem to say so