Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins 1930-2012: The Great Drag Racer Makes His Final Pass

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•One of the great racing innovators and drivers,
Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins has passed away at the age of 81.
•Jenkins won the first NHRA Pro Stock race.
•His innovations included the tube frame chassis.
•He was active in the sport from the mid-'50s until recently.


MALVERN, Pennsylvania — One of the great racing innovators and drivers, Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins has passed away at the age of 81. He died early Thursday morning, according to a report on the National Hot Rod Association's official Web site, NHRA.com.

A native of Malvern, Pennsylvania, Jenkins had been a ferocious drag racing competitor since the early '50s and was still occasionally active as an advisor in the sport at the time of his death. During his heyday, which stretched through the '60s and into the '70s, he revolutionized the sport with his engine and chassis innovations in the stock, naturally aspirated and gasoline-fueled classes. The Pro Stock class was practically invented for Jenkins and he won the first Pro Stock event, the 1970 Winternationals, in his 1968 Camaro. Along the way at that event he also made Pro Stock's first 9-second run with a 9.98-second blast down the quarter-mile at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds strip in Pomona.

Though early in his career Jenkins used Chrysler equipment, his greatest success came in Chevrolets. Jenkins was a brilliant tuner of Chevy small- and big-block V8s, willing to buck conventional wisdom and experiment with unconventional setups. For example, he used a 327-cubic-inch small-block Nova in 1966 to successfully compete with the 426-cubic-inch Chrysler Hemis. Or, most notoriously, he took advantage of weight allowances in the NHRA rulebook to build a 331-cubic-inch small-block and install it in a short-wheelbase Chevrolet Vega. He used that combination to overwhelm the competition during the 1972 Pro Stock season, winning six of eight Nationals events.

Among his engine innovations were the first drag racing dry-sump oiling system, the "kick out" oil pan and gas port pistons. But his greatest engine legacy may well be the rigorous testing regimens he established.

But of all the "Grumpy's Toys" Chevrolets, it's "Grumpy's Toy XI" that did the most to change drag racing. Built in 1974, this Vega used a tube frame chassis and MacPherson strut front suspension optimized for drag racing. It looked like a Vega, but it was a pure drag racing machine. Virtually every Pro Stock entry since that car — and almost every truly quick door-slammer in many classes — is built around a similar chassis and suspension system.

Jenkins brought a scientific mind to drag racing. Trained as a mechanical engineer with a degree from Cornell University, he was methodical and obsessive in his testing and designs. That sometimes led him to be gruff in his manners, which, combined with his less-than-towering stature, is what earned him the nickname "Grumpy."

After a total of just 13 wins in Pro Stock, Jenkins retired from driving in 1976 to concentrate on engine and chassis development. With drivers Larry Lombardo and Ken Dondero, however, he did take a pair of NHRA and AHRA Pro Stock championships.

Jenkins was named to the Car Craft All-Star Drag Racing team more than 20 times. And he was named individually in three different categories at the inaugural Car Craft awards in 1967. He was inducted into the Don Garlits Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 1993, the Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1996 and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2008.

Those of us who love drag racing will always be grateful to "'Da Grump" for the high standards of professionalism he maintained and the amazing innovations he pioneered.