Chester “Chet†Herbert, a member of the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame who helped develop an exhaust header that blew smoke away from a dragster’s rear tires to improve traction, died Thursday. He was 81.
Herbert died of pneumonia at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, according to Sara Fensterer, a spokeswoman for Herbert’s son, Doug, who followed his father into professional drag racing. The elder Herbert lived in nearby Villa Park.
Herbert was stricken with polio at age 20 and lived the rest of his life in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the chest down.
“My grandmother told me he was so wild about racing, that if he didn’t have polio to slow him down, he probably would have died,†Doug Herbert said in a statement. “When my dad was 12, my grandma bought him a trumpet and hoped he’d learn to play. But he traded the trumpet for a Cushman motorscooter and it was life in the fast lane ever since.â€
Lying in a hospital iron-lung for six months in 1948, Herbert developed ideas for manufacturing racing parts in his head…Â Details
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At some point Jack Roush has to shed a car to meet NASCAR’s four-team limit, and speculation has centered on Jamie McMurray. What should the championship car owner do?
David Caraviello: It’s just an odd situation. You talk to NASCAR, and they seem to hold a very firm line on this. You talk to Roush, and they seem like it’s all going to work itself out. We still don’t know what exactly is going to happen.
Dave Rodman: Since he has a satellite-team-in-waiting, Yates Racing, there is no hurry on Jack’s part. Of course, some in the media have no such compulsions.
Joe Menzer: The …Â Details
It was an interesting question that drew a quick response from IndyCar driver Will Power.
Now that Helio Castroneves has returned to the Team Penske family, does Power’s deal with Roger Penske allow the driver to talk to other teams?
Power straightened up and appeared to shudder. “I’m with Penske,†he said.
Even if it is just for one more race, that being THE race, Power knows that even a part-time ride with Penske is worth more on the résumé than full-time rides with most other IndyCar teams.
Besides, Penske doesn’t make decisions on the whim. …Â Details
Over 20 Grand Prix and Formula One racing cars from the private collection of Formula One Management CEO Bernie Ecclestone will provide a stunning exhibition throughout this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix meeting. This rare and exclusive collection has never before been seen in public and underlines the relationship which the Bahraini people and the Grand Prix organisers have with Mr Ecclestone.
In his youth, Bernie Ecclestone competed in two-wheeled motocross before graduating to four-wheeled motor racing with…Â Details