Hey all, I just saw the following thread over on the FBBO site (a few of the B-body guys play our NHRA "Pick 'Em" game). I thought it needs to be posted here as well so I just copied it:
Hello Everyone,
My friend, and friend to many of you, "Akron" Arlen Vanke is working very hard to recover from a very serious stroke. He's in a rehabilitation facility in New Mexico and doing four hours of physical therapy/rehab a day. Arlen was just inducted into the "Mopar Hall of Fame" but had to have a relative accept on his behalf as he was too ill to attend.
For your reference, here's some information about Arlen:
Arlen was one of the "greatest Super Stock racers of all time, "Akron Arlen" Vanke is often overlooked. "That's why he's referred to as the Forgotten Hero," says Phill Hayenga, a lifelong fan of Vanke.
...
In fact, Chrysler hired Vanke to test their performance technology. In 1967, Arlen modified the RO23 Hemi intake manifold for racing. "NHRA rules allowed racers to modify the intake manifold, so I made the stock manifold into a plenum chamber manifold, " he said.
...
One of the cars that Vanke built to run Nostalgia Super Stocks is a 1965 Plymouth Hemi Belvedere I, built the way Arlen would have back in the '60s, and featuring his yellow and black paint scheme. Vanke talked to us this week from his home in New Mexico. He told us that he borrowed this car in 1998 from Tony Depilo of Dayton, Ohio. He made the car lighter, replacing the glass windows with lexan and getting rid of the window regulators, ("reduced the weight of the doors by 150 pounds," he told us.) He also rebuilt the Hemi engine, and went through the transmission ... reversed the valve body and changed the power pressure. For the next two years, 1998 and 1999, Vanke campaigned this Hemi Belvedere in Nostalgia drags all over the country. He said he remembered running it at Milan, Mid-Michigan Motorplex, Quaker City, Dragway 42, Cecil County and Merton raceways. And his best run was 10.13 at 130 miles per hour at Norwalk.
Phill and Donna Hayenga of Byron, Illinois, now own the car, and have recently put it up for sale. (See the 1965 Plymouth Hemi Belvedere I in the Mopar Muscle Car Section of the Cars On Line website.) He says he and his wife still race the car occasionally at Nostalgia Racing events. They also own Vanke's first Mopar, the 1963 Plymouth Max Wedge Savoy that Vanke named "Old Brownie.
...
After starting his career with Chevrolet and Pontiac, Vanke was intrigued with the Wedge cars that Chrysler was putting out. His first Mopar was a 1963 Plymouth Max Wedge Savoy that he called "Old Brownie. He drove it to the NHRA Super Stock Championships in C Class in the mid-'60s at the Pomona Winternationals.
Later, it was a 1965 Plymouth Hemi Belvedere I that Vanke piloted to set the Super Stock C class record in 1969. It happened at National Trails Raceway in Columbus, Ohio running a quarter-mile time of 10.64. Vanke said, "I set the record on the final run for the NHRA Divisional Championship. It's not often that you would set the record late in the day when there are 128 cars competing. But it was on my final run when we won SS Eliminator Class that we set the record. The best time before that had been 11.26 so Vanke set a new standard for that class. Vanke always has some good inside stories to tell about his victories.
...
Vanke always had preferred a 4-speed, but Chrysler wanted him to run against the Chevy's that had been winning in the SS/C automatic class. He won the Eliminator at the Divisional Championship again in 1970.
In 1966 Vanke won three classes at the NHRA Spring Nationals with three different cars. In the Stock Eliminator race he literally ran against himself because he owned both cars in the final.
Vanke's Hemi, along with the Sox & Martin team, gave Mopars so many victories in the late '60s that they dominated the scene in Super Stocks. In 1968 he won the Nationals in August at Indy running SS/B with his 1968 Plymouth Hemi Cuda. He reset the record again with a 10.61 at 140 miles per hour in the Cuda in SS/A at the Winternationals in Pomona, California.
In 1971, Vanke was a member of the United States Racing Team, an organization that included all the top names in Pro Stock racing. "Somebody came up with the idea to take it on the road, have our own tech inspections and run exhibitions for the fans across the country," Vanke explained. The team ran in 1971 and 1972, and along with Vanke included such names as Ronnie Sox, Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, Dick Landy, Don Nicholson, Dave Strickler, Don Carlton, Wally Booth and Herb McCandless.
...
Arlen told us he has run his last race. "No more racin'," he
said. "I worked long and hard at it for 50 years. I didn't hold anything back. He says he still loves to go to the Mopar car shows, though, and talk to his race fans. On the back bumper of the Hayenga's 1965 Plymouth Hemi Belvedere I is a sticker that says, "The older I get, the faster I used to be. "I got that one from Arlen," he told us.
...
Arlen gave us a tremendous gift with his racing history and talent. He and his peers gave us the very heritage we use for our hobby and to make a living.
Please consider sending him a "get well," "feel better," "we care about you," or any kind of kind note. It would be wonderful to let him know how many people care about him.
Address at the rehab center is:
Rehabilitation Center of Southern New Mexico
"Akron" Arlen Vanke
4441 E. Lohman Ave.
Las Cruces, NM 88011
Room 418
Thank you,
Shirley (at MCG)
Hello Everyone,
My friend, and friend to many of you, "Akron" Arlen Vanke is working very hard to recover from a very serious stroke. He's in a rehabilitation facility in New Mexico and doing four hours of physical therapy/rehab a day. Arlen was just inducted into the "Mopar Hall of Fame" but had to have a relative accept on his behalf as he was too ill to attend.
For your reference, here's some information about Arlen:
Arlen was one of the "greatest Super Stock racers of all time, "Akron Arlen" Vanke is often overlooked. "That's why he's referred to as the Forgotten Hero," says Phill Hayenga, a lifelong fan of Vanke.
...
In fact, Chrysler hired Vanke to test their performance technology. In 1967, Arlen modified the RO23 Hemi intake manifold for racing. "NHRA rules allowed racers to modify the intake manifold, so I made the stock manifold into a plenum chamber manifold, " he said.
...
One of the cars that Vanke built to run Nostalgia Super Stocks is a 1965 Plymouth Hemi Belvedere I, built the way Arlen would have back in the '60s, and featuring his yellow and black paint scheme. Vanke talked to us this week from his home in New Mexico. He told us that he borrowed this car in 1998 from Tony Depilo of Dayton, Ohio. He made the car lighter, replacing the glass windows with lexan and getting rid of the window regulators, ("reduced the weight of the doors by 150 pounds," he told us.) He also rebuilt the Hemi engine, and went through the transmission ... reversed the valve body and changed the power pressure. For the next two years, 1998 and 1999, Vanke campaigned this Hemi Belvedere in Nostalgia drags all over the country. He said he remembered running it at Milan, Mid-Michigan Motorplex, Quaker City, Dragway 42, Cecil County and Merton raceways. And his best run was 10.13 at 130 miles per hour at Norwalk.
Phill and Donna Hayenga of Byron, Illinois, now own the car, and have recently put it up for sale. (See the 1965 Plymouth Hemi Belvedere I in the Mopar Muscle Car Section of the Cars On Line website.) He says he and his wife still race the car occasionally at Nostalgia Racing events. They also own Vanke's first Mopar, the 1963 Plymouth Max Wedge Savoy that Vanke named "Old Brownie.
...
After starting his career with Chevrolet and Pontiac, Vanke was intrigued with the Wedge cars that Chrysler was putting out. His first Mopar was a 1963 Plymouth Max Wedge Savoy that he called "Old Brownie. He drove it to the NHRA Super Stock Championships in C Class in the mid-'60s at the Pomona Winternationals.
Later, it was a 1965 Plymouth Hemi Belvedere I that Vanke piloted to set the Super Stock C class record in 1969. It happened at National Trails Raceway in Columbus, Ohio running a quarter-mile time of 10.64. Vanke said, "I set the record on the final run for the NHRA Divisional Championship. It's not often that you would set the record late in the day when there are 128 cars competing. But it was on my final run when we won SS Eliminator Class that we set the record. The best time before that had been 11.26 so Vanke set a new standard for that class. Vanke always has some good inside stories to tell about his victories.
...
Vanke always had preferred a 4-speed, but Chrysler wanted him to run against the Chevy's that had been winning in the SS/C automatic class. He won the Eliminator at the Divisional Championship again in 1970.
In 1966 Vanke won three classes at the NHRA Spring Nationals with three different cars. In the Stock Eliminator race he literally ran against himself because he owned both cars in the final.
Vanke's Hemi, along with the Sox & Martin team, gave Mopars so many victories in the late '60s that they dominated the scene in Super Stocks. In 1968 he won the Nationals in August at Indy running SS/B with his 1968 Plymouth Hemi Cuda. He reset the record again with a 10.61 at 140 miles per hour in the Cuda in SS/A at the Winternationals in Pomona, California.
In 1971, Vanke was a member of the United States Racing Team, an organization that included all the top names in Pro Stock racing. "Somebody came up with the idea to take it on the road, have our own tech inspections and run exhibitions for the fans across the country," Vanke explained. The team ran in 1971 and 1972, and along with Vanke included such names as Ronnie Sox, Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, Dick Landy, Don Nicholson, Dave Strickler, Don Carlton, Wally Booth and Herb McCandless.
...
Arlen told us he has run his last race. "No more racin'," he
said. "I worked long and hard at it for 50 years. I didn't hold anything back. He says he still loves to go to the Mopar car shows, though, and talk to his race fans. On the back bumper of the Hayenga's 1965 Plymouth Hemi Belvedere I is a sticker that says, "The older I get, the faster I used to be. "I got that one from Arlen," he told us.
...
Arlen gave us a tremendous gift with his racing history and talent. He and his peers gave us the very heritage we use for our hobby and to make a living.
Please consider sending him a "get well," "feel better," "we care about you," or any kind of kind note. It would be wonderful to let him know how many people care about him.
Address at the rehab center is:
Rehabilitation Center of Southern New Mexico
"Akron" Arlen Vanke
4441 E. Lohman Ave.
Las Cruces, NM 88011
Room 418
Thank you,
Shirley (at MCG)
