Member Inducted 2006
Dennis Stone
History
Dennis Stone got hooked on Drag Racing after visiting the 1964
Dragfests at the insistance of his son Dave who had been reading
Hot Rod Magazine and building model dragsters for some years.
Dennis was involved in circuit racing at the time but the sight and
spectacle of the American dragsters convinced him that drag racing
was the way to go and he made the first of many visits to Santa Pod
when it opened in 1966. He entered his trusty E-Type Jag which he
thought would be unbeatable but was brought back down to earth when
he came up against some of the American muscle cars run at the Pod
by US Servicemen at the time and decided that for drag racing it
had to be a Yank V8. At the end of 1969 Dennis bought the Chevy
powered Opus One competition altered and both he and Dave pulled it
apart and rebuilt it with a few of their own ideas for the 1970
season. The extra power Opus One was now producing was having it's
effect on the 98" wheelbase Opus chassis pulling violent
wheelstands off the line so Dennis and Dave made up some wheelie
bars. On one occasion at Blackbushe one side of the bars broke
sending Dennis onto the grass where it did another wheelstand
breaking the other side and sending him back on the track! A new
set of wheelie bars were made up this time incorporating shock
absorbers. Dennis and Dave later took it in turns to drive Opus One
and after winning the final at Santa Pod Dennis drove back to the
start line to receive the trophy from Bob Phelps. Commentator Brian
Taylor couldn't tell if it was Dennis of Dave driving due to the
dark full face helmet visor and when he took it off Brian announced
"Oh it's Daddy" and the name Daddy Stone stuck from then on. In
1972 Opus One was replaced by Tee Rat which was developed over the
years into a full blown Fuel Altered in 1974. By now Dave was doing
all the driving of t he Altered but Dennis was kept busy driving
Tender Trap, a Chevy pow ered Escort which ran in Super Street. A
third car in the Stone's team was the Hemi Hunter slingshot powered
by a Chevy Rat, the Stones loved their Chevys. This car ran in Top
Dragster and then the new Pro Comp class and was later replaced by
rear engined rails. 1976 saw the Stones team replace Tee Rat with
the ex-Don Schumacher Stardust Baracuda Funny Car and yes another
Chevy Rat went into it. Stardust was 3 years old and running nearly
a second slower than some of the modern Funny Cars at the time but
with a bit of luck and consistent mid 7 sec ETs the Stones had a
fantastic year in 1976. First time out at the Easter
Springnationals Stardust won the Funny Car Eliminator. Second time
out at the May Day meet the blue and yellow 'Cuda did it again.
They nearly did it a third time at the July Internationals when
they met Allan Bootsie Herridge with Gladiator in the final and
both cars lost fire off the line and coasted up the strip. The
older, heavier Sta rdust slowed down quicker and Bootsie tripped
the beams first but at the Tor Line Internationals in October the
Stones were in the final of Funny Car again
alongside Gladiator and this time Bootsie red lit giving the
win to Stardust. 1979 saw the Stones team take over the running of
the ex-Raymond Beadle Blue Max Mustang Funny Car which they renamed
Stardust and slotted another Rat between the frame rails. This car
came to an end at the 1983 Big Go after a fireball through the
traps which totalled the car. Throughout the late 70's and into the
90's the Stones team successfully campaigned their Hemi Hunter
Dragsters in Pro Comp travelling all round Europe and Scandinavia.
Dennis Stone co-ordinated the Pro Comp and Top Methanol class and
was founder member of the European Top Methanol Racers Association
serving the class until his death in 2005