I remember meeting Arnie Beswick the first time and wondering how this guy could be so old and so full of energy. Maybe it’s the fact that he had never really stopped racing at the time, but whatever the secret he needed to figure a way to bottle and sell that energy. His cars are some of the most famous Pontiac race cars in drag racing history, and he certainly has kept the brand alive. Check out this great video from our friend Tommy Lee Byrd, the Hot Rod Hoarder, to see this amazingly historic match racer on video.
Video Description:
Arnie Beswick got the nickname “The Farmer” because of his farming roots in rural Illinois, but he truly made a name for himself on drag strips all across the country in the 1950’s and 1960’s. He linked up with Pontiac to campaign several factory-backed Super Stockers, including the famous Super Duty cars with aluminum front ends, as well as a Swiss Cheese ’63 Catalina. He also ran a pair of ’63 Pontiac Tempests, a coupe and a station wagon, both with 421 Super Duty engines. But this video focuses mainly on Arnie Beswick’s introduction into the early days of funny car, which was a quickly evolving time in drag racing history.
It began with altered wheelbase cars and nitro burning full-bodied cars being built simultaneously, and then the two build styles converging into a wild match race series that attacked small and large tracks, looking to draw a crowd. The unpredictable action and the wild combinations made for an exciting few years before funny car racing was formalized. The match race days were special and Arnie Beswick was a key player, as he almost always campaigned two cars. During 1966, he ran his altered wheelbase ’63 Tempest called the Tameless Tiger, and he ran a purpose built all fiberglass ’66 GTO called the Star of the Circuit.
We’re digging into the details on the ’66 GTO, which still survives to this day. The car is now fully restored and fully functional, having run mid 8’s in its current configuration.
