Marv Rifchin, the 94 year-old founder of the legendary M&H Tire Company has passed away. Rifchin can basically be credited with perfecting the drag racing slick in the form that we know it today.

The Watertown, Ma based company rose to prominence during the early 1960’s after Don Gartlis bolted on a set of Marv’s slicks and immediately pulled down Top Eliminator honors at a race in South Carolina.

Rifchin was still active in the sport of drag racing, attending nostalgia meets and rubbing elbows with many of the racers he had helped literally keep rolling during the 1960’s and 1970’s.  Rifchin was very proud that his little company was able to stand in the ring and trade blows with companies like

Goodyear and Firestone, both of which entered the slick market in the mid 1960’s.

The man was a bona-fide genius and there are lots of New England racers who walked into the Watertown headquarters of M&H, told Marv himself the specs of their car, watched him disappear into the warehouse and come back out with a set of tires just for them.

On a personal note, I had the opportunity to spend some time with him a couple years back and he was sharp as a tack and told some fantastic stories about the golden age of the sport. I’m glad I had those few minutes.

NHRA.com has a nice piece about Marv.

Click here to read it.