Dyno Don: The Cars and Career of Dyno Don Nicholson. Doug Boyce

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       This decal on the window warned competitors what they were up against. Nalley opened its Atlanta doors in 1955 and remained in business until 2004, when it was sold and renamed Airport Chevrolet. During the 1950s and 1960s, the dealer had a direct line to Chevrolet that included all of the rare and one-off performance goodies that the manufacturer had to offer. (Author’s Collection)

      On May 12, Don took the Impala to Tampa, Florida, where he claimed the number-9 position on the Drag News Top Stock list by defeating Ed Garlits in a best-of-three match. Ed, brother of “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, was a respected driver in his own right and was driving the Dodge sedan of Don’s on this day. Nicholson went on to win the Super Stock Eliminator the same day by beating the Z11 Impala of Bob Tucker in the final round, setting the track record in the process with an 11.96 at 119 mph.

      The Drag News Top 10 Stock list was started in 1962, bringing some organization to the match-race scene and boosting racers’ status. The way the list worked was that anyone could challenge those in positions 2 through 10, but to challenge for the number-1 spot, you had to be in the top 10 already. Once he was challenged, the spot holder could shop for a venue, and then take the challenge to any drag strip he chose for the two-out-of-three match. Obviously, money mattered and the racers went to the track that paid the most. Don grabbed the number-1 spot on the list July 7 by defeating the Chevy of Frank Sanders in two at Ohio’s Dragway 42 during the Drag News Invitational. By this point in the year, Don’s Chevy had already been hitting 11.80 times. Prior to the race, Don was protested and, upon inspection, found to be legal. In the match against Sanders, Don ran quick enough to win: 12.33 at 115.53 mph and 12.23 at 116.42 to Sander’s best of 12.52 at 114.64. Dyno retained the top spot on the list for the next five months before losing it in December to the Pontiac of Arnie Beswick. Driving his 1962 Chevy, Dyno dropped the match to Beswick in three with a best of 11.83.

       Don shows off some of the Impala’s winnings outside of the Nalley Dyno Shop he operated. The expansive shop was located at the rear of the dealership and featured not only a Clayton dyno but also a loaded machine shop. (Photo Courtesy Nicholson Family Collection)

      In what seems amusing today but was not so much in 1963, Don was tossed at the NHRA Nationals after red lighting on a bye run. It was the first national event where the Christmas tree replaced the flagman start and the two B/FX favorites, Don in his 1962 Bel Air and Arnie Beswick in his Pontiac, were about to face off. Beswick had two cars at the race, a Tempest and a Swiss-cheese Catalina, and had just completed a run in the Tempest. While making the run, a crewman moved the Catalina up the staging lane, preparing for Beswick to take the wheel when he returned from his run. A little-known rule of the day stated that the person who moved the car through the staging lanes had to be the one to race the car. When the car pulled to the line, Beswick hopped in, and he was waved off. Sorry, Farmer, rules are rules and you’re disqualified! Don, all set, hit the loud pedal and ran the Bel Air through the quarter. The only problem was, Don failed to wait on the green. Not familiar with the bye run rules on the tree, he left the line after staging. Is it any surprise that when asked about the new start system at the time, he stated he hated it and preferred the flag start.

       The Impala’s high-in-front, low-in-back stance came courtesy of spring spacers and cut coils. Back in the day, the going theory was that this helped weight transfer. Dyno’s relationship with Chevy was informal. Unlike the Ford and Chrysler racers, he had no paperwork or reporting to do. He was under no obligation to the manufacturer, which supplied necessary parts but never money. (Photo Courtesy Robert Genat)

       Detroit Dragway used to hold a big Stocker meet during the weekend prior to the NHRA Nationals. Drawing the biggest names in the nation, I guarantee there isn’t one racer noted on this flyer that Don, referred to here as “Mr. Chevrolet,” hadn’t beaten. (Photo Courtesy Robert Genat)

      In what seems amusing today but was not so much in 1963, Don was tossed at the NHRA Nationals after red lighting on a bye run. It was the first national event where the Christmas tree replaced the flagman start and the two B/FX favorites, Don in his 1962 Bel Air and Arnie Beswick in his Pontiac, were about to face off. Beswick had two cars at the race, a Tempest and a Swiss-cheese Catalina, and had just completed a run in the Tempest. While making the run, a crewman moved the Catalina up the staging lane, preparing for Beswick to take the wheel when he returned from his run. A little-known rule of the day stated that the person who moved the car through the staging lanes had to be the one to race the car. When the car pulled to the line, Beswick hopped in, and he was waved off. Sorry, Farmer, rules are rules and you’re disqualified! Don, all set, hit the loud pedal and ran the Bel Air through the quarter. The only problem was, Don failed to wait on the green. Not familiar with the bye run rules on the tree, he left the line after staging. Is it any surprise that when asked about the new start system at the time, he stated he hated it and preferred the flag start.

       A nice shot of the Impala’s suspension at work as Don launches off the line at Detroit. Dyno set track records wherever he went. At Cecil County in June, he did the trick, turning an 11.83 while defeating Bud Faubel’s 1963 Plymouth in a best-of-five match race. His biggest win with the 1963 came at Daytona, where at the NASCAR Winternationals Don won overall Stock. (Photo Courtesy Robert Genat)

      Don stated the best combination he ever had was the 1962 Bel Air with all the Z11 parts. “It was 421-ci with a .060-over bore and step seal rings. The car was quicker than the 1963 Impala. With the aluminum front end, it was probably close to the same weight.” After the Nationals in 1963, Don went back to the Bel Air. He had lent the Bel Air to a СКАЧАТЬ