The next place I ran was at The Empire Drag way in New York, I had never see a track as smooth as that track I planed on going 170mph again so I lifted the throttle and hit it one more time. The run felt fast so I was august to get my time card I could not believe my eyes when I read it 215mph in 6 seconds in fact I went quicker then Shirley Muldowney that day.
After the race my wife and I went to a party at Carl Moors beautiful home. Carl was the chairman of the board of IHRA. There were a number of professional drag racers there. My Wife had a few too many drinks. She really liked her Scotch. Anyways she and I were standing together when Richard Thorp came over to us and said I want to drive that Go Kart. My wife said you don’t have the balls to drive that Kart. All of a sudden Richard pulled his pants down. The placed was packed. We all soon found out Richard Thorp didn’t have any underwear on. Well my wife she was just a little gal and she kept on drinking Scotch when she went into the bath room she locked the door but when she tried to leave she count unlock the door. So she started beating the door down well so I thought we had better go back to the Motel before she got into any more trouble. That turn out to be a big mistake because she was done raising hell when she got the Motel she took her frustrations on fire extinguisher that was in a glass case on the wall with her fist, well the glass broke and she severally cut her hand. So now we ended up going to the emergency room at the hospital her hand was bleeding real badly. After about a half hour I saw a Doctor walking down the hall so ran down there grabbed a hold of him and dragged him down to where my wife was. It seams the Doctor didn’t appreciate it, so he called the Cops, well all of a sudden I get arrested and they hauled me down to jail They started to take everything out of my pockets and said why are you doing that he said because we are going to jail. And I said what I can’t I have to race my rocket powered go kart to morrow I can’t go to jail. Just then the Police Captain said are you Captain Jack McClure? I herd the ads on the radio. I really lucked out they let me go.
The next day we went out to the track and we all had hangovers, especially my wife she was sicker then a dog. Richard Thorp looked at us all and said are ready to let me drive Rocket Kart yet?
After the race my wife and I went to a party at Carl Moors beautiful home. Carl was the chairman of the board of IHRA. There were a number of professional drag racers there. My Wife had a few too many drinks. She really liked her Scotch. Anyways she and I were standing together when Richard Thorp came over to us and said I want to drive that Go Kart. My wife said you don’t have the balls to drive that Kart. All of a sudden Richard pulled his pants down. The placed was packed. We all soon found out Richard Thorp didn’t have any underwear on. Well my wife she was just a little gal and she kept on drinking Scotch when she went into the bath room she locked the door but when she tried to leave she count unlock the door. So she started beating the door down well so I thought we had better go back to the Motel before she got into any more trouble. That turn out to be a big mistake because she was done raising hell when she got the Motel she took her frustrations on fire extinguisher that was in a glass case on the wall with her fist, well the glass broke and she severally cut her hand. So now we ended up going to the emergency room at the hospital her hand was bleeding real badly. After about a half hour I saw a Doctor walking down the hall so ran down there grabbed a hold of him and dragged him down to where my wife was. It seams the Doctor didn’t appreciate it, so he called the Cops, well all of a sudden I get arrested and they hauled me down to jail They started to take everything out of my pockets and said why are you doing that he said because we are going to jail. And I said what I can’t I have to race my rocket powered go kart to morrow I can’t go to jail. Just then the Police Captain said are you Captain Jack McClure? I herd the ads on the radio. I really lucked out they let me go.
The next day we went out to the track and we all had hangovers, especially my wife she was sicker then a dog. Richard Thorp looked at us all and said are ready to let me drive Rocket Kart yet?
Jack did you ever have any trouble with a track promoter?
Well One day Billy Herndon the owner of the local drag strip called me to tell me to come over to his house to meet Ira Leache the promoter of US 30 Drag strip. I told him about my Rocket Powered Go Kart. Ira told me he brings in a number of acts to the track that he calls his freak show Ira went on to say that he had a guy that had a motorized bath tub and he would drive it down the drag strip while taking a bath. I started laughing and told Ira I was no freak show. Well I talked Ira into hiring me into running at his Drag strip When I got there I found out he also booked in Art Arfons to run against me with his Green Monster Jet Car.
I told Ira I can’t run against that Jet it would blow me right off the track. Ira says you have to. We do things a little bit deferent around here. We bet on all the races so you have to run side by side.
Just then this big black guy pulls up in a pink Cadillac and gets out wearing an all white suit. And said I came hear to make some money. Things started to get real tense Ira said he had spent allot of money promoting a side-by-side race with The Green Monster Jet Car. I told Ira I didn’t feel like getting killed. After all the dust settled we all agreed to make single runs and who ever had the quickest elapsed time would win. I went 213mph on the return road in front of the spectators Big Willie the local drag racing celebrity.
picket me right out of my Go Kart and put me on his shoulders. The crowd stood up and started screaming, they just went wild. I became their new drag racing hero.
I left laughing, and no one got hurt.
Jack Did you ever get any Sponsor Money?
Yes my main sponsor was Witco Chemical. They manufactured Amalie pro Pennsylvania racing oil they also produced Kendal oil they came they came over and talked to me at Bristol Tennessee when I racing there.
Bob Zogle in charge of their racing program asked me if he could put a decal on my Go Kart. Bob said they want to do something as far as sponsorship went next year because they spent there advertising money for the year But we will paint truck, van, and Go Kart They also provided racing uniforms for me and the crew That really made my operation look professional They put my a contingency program were ant time a magazine or news paper would do an article and you could see there Amalie decal they would give me fifty dollars. The next year Amalie gave me $10.000.00 also another company by the name of Proctor Press Inc. in Dallas Texas printed ten thousand four color handouts hand outs, calling
cards, and letter heads,
I truly believe if you still raced your Go Kart you could out draw any big name racer at any track in the country.
I brought the kart out to California to talk to Wally Parks the President of NHRA and Jack Hart, to try and get the Rocket Kart licensed so I could run on NHRA tracks. They said it was too dangerous and risky to license it so I never did run on a NHRA track. While I was out in California I ran the Kart at Orange County Raceway, as you know every just about every big name in racing was there that night, and the spectator stands were full. I remember that you were there Ky, and you said how fast will this thing go? And I said, "I don’t know?" And you said lets find out, and then you cranked up the regulator to where I was afraid the tank was going to blow up. I don’t remember the speed but I did go faster then any Dragster or Funny Car that night. “Yaw Ky them were the good old days.”
From there we went up to Fremont California I head Glen Blakely install some pieces of titanium under the kart so they would drag on the ground they would make a show of sparks as I went down the track. After that run I had spectators come running up to me and said they thought the Kart blew up and I was going to crash.
Jack what was the quickest you ever run with the peroxide Kart?
The quickest run with the peroxide Kart was at the AHRA Spring Nationals in Phoenix Arizona. You see if I wanted to go quick I would hold the fuel pedal down until I ran out of fuel.
If I wanted to go fast then would hit the pedal, than lift and coast for a second then I would hit it again I would drive it all the way through the timing lights then I would get a high speed but my E.T. was not as quick. So at this event I had the 1500 lb thrust motor in it and I made three five second runs 5.90 5.95 and 5.99 E.T.
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