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1999 California
Hot Rod Reunion
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REUNION IX
2000 CHRR honorees
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Nick Arias Jr., Robert "Bones" Balogh, brothers Dave and Tim Beebe, Cloy Fitzgerald, and Bob Noice are the Lifetime Achievement honorees for the ninth annual California Hot Rod Reunion presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California on Oct. 6-8 at Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif.
Said NHRA Event Director Greg Sharp, "This group of honorees combines with [previously announced] grand marshal Danny Ongais to give us a diversified reflection of hot rodding history. It includes drivers, engine builders and tuners, aftermarket suppliers, and sanctioning body representation."
Nick Arias Jr.
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Piston pioneer Arias was among the original group of post-World War II hot rodders. He attended the first organized drag race in Goleta, Calif., in 1949, and was a longtime racing ally of cam grinder Howard Johansen. He ran GMC six-cylinder-powered entries at the dry lakes and Bonneville and helped Lou Baney run his first Cadillac-powered Yeakel-sponsored dragster.
He also helped campaign the Baney/Don Rackemann roadster at the Rusetta Timing Association dry lake meets in the 1950s. Both Arias and fellow Screwdriver's Car Club member Joe Pisano worked at Frank Venolia's piston-manufacturing facility before going on to form their own respective businesses.
Robert "Bones" Balogh
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Primarily known for his driving stints with "Big John" Mazmanian in many memorable matches against the Stone-Woods- Cook team, Balogh was one of the pioneer pilots in the AA/Gas Supercharged glory days of the 1960s. His other rides included Don Long's altered, the Culver Sandblasting Ardun Willys, the J&J Muffler Corvette, the J&J Muffler Willys, the latter of which was later campaigned by the Mallicoat brothers, and the Bones, Dubach & Pisano '33 Willys.
Among his NHRA national event career highlights was winning Junior eliminator at the 1962 Winternationals.
Tim and Dave Beebe
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The Beebe brothers earned fame with Dave behind the wheel and Tim wielding the wrenches. They first collaborated on the J&S Speed Shop roadster and later the Beebe Bros., Vinson & Sixt Top Fuel dragster, which with they earned runner-up honors against Pete Robinson for the 1966 Top Fuel world championship in Tulsa, Okla.
When Dave later elected not to participate in extensive national touring, he was replaced in the driver's seat by John "Zookeeper" Mulligan, and the duo dominated Top Fuel until Mulligan's fiery fatal run at the 1969 Nationals.
Cloy Fitzgerald
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Dave continued to campaign primarily on the West Coast, dominating many local events with Funny Cars for such owners as Mazmanian and Rich Guasco. Beebe won the 1973 Springnationals with a Guasco-owned entry.
Fitzgerald was Division 7's longtime technical director, and his association with NHRA spanned over three decades. A former racer who had campaigned a '51 Olds, '54 Buick, and '56 Nomad, Fitzgerald first did tech inspections at Half Moon Bay in California, and he was hired as the Division 7 area director in the early 1960s. He later became assistant tech director and assumed the top post in 1972, which he held until his retirement in 1989.
Bob Noice
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Noice has been a major presence at both the dry lakes and in drag racing for many years. He began his dry lakes career in the early 1960s, and his Glendale-based Accessories Limited-sponsored D/FD held its own against blown gassers in early '60s Top Gas competition. It was a predecessor to the later established Jr. Fueler class. From there, he quickly moved on to Top Fuel, where he drove for Jim Brissette and others.
He later served as a crew chief for several Top Fuel teams, including John Mitchell's Montana Express and Tommy Johnson Jr.