Remember When Jay Leno Drove A Pro Stock Car In The 1990s? (And Blew The Clutch Out Of It?)


Remember When Jay Leno Drove A Pro Stock Car In The 1990s? (And Blew The Clutch Out Of It?)

Recently there was a big deal made about Jay Leno’s first episode of the CNBC version of “Jay Leno’s Garage”. In one part of the show he went to the Frank Hawley Drag Racing School and with some help from Erica Enders-Stevens he made some dragster runs and got a good feel for what it was like to really rocket down the track. This was not the first time Jay attempted quarter mile glory, though. Some of you may remember the time back in the 1990s when he literally strapped into Mark Pawuk’s Summit Racing Equipment pro stocker and made a run at Pomona before the Winternationals as part of a Tonight Show skit. The result? One mangled clutch and one great PR opportunity for Summit Racing Equipment.

It is tough to find the video of the actual skit that was completed but what does exist is an NHRA Today episode that documents the entire operation from the goofy stuff that the guys filmed before Jay got into the car to the first attempted burnout that destroyed the clutch, to Leno actually making a herky-jerky run down the track. It should be noted that these were the first runs that the guy ever made down a drag strip. Talk about jumping into the deep end of the pool, eh?

Despite the clutch issues, Leno had a great time, Pawuk claims that he had a great time, and frankly how could you not? Hanging out with one of the most famous car guys on the planet while fooling around at Pomona before the start of the season? Kind of like a dream scenario for sure. It should be noted that Enders-Stevens and the Elite Motorsports team were smart enough to save their clutch program from the potential wreckage of a repeat from the experience 20 years ago.

The video cannot be embedded but if you click on the image of Leno below you can watch it!

CLICK ON THE IMAGE OF JAY LENO BELOW TO WATCH THE VIDEO

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