The Grocery Getter
Race Schedule
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May 9 – “Pinks All Out” in Memphis, TN; broadcast on Speed TV
May 30 – Muncie, Indiana
June 26-27 – Nostalgiafest at Cordova, IL
July 8-11 – Pontiac-Oakland/GTOAA Co-Vention in Dayton, OH
July 18 - “Night of Thunder” at Columbus, OH
July 25 – “Night of Fire” at Cedar Falls, IA
Aug 7-9 – Pontiac Nationals at Norwalk, OH
Aug 28-29 - “World Series of Drag Racing” at Cordova, IL.
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2008 was extremely successful; with a new ¼ mile record (7.677 sec @ 180.57 mph) along with excellent reliability. One engine went the entire year without any significant repairs required. We have developed reliable nitrous tuneups for several power levels. Our next significant performance gains will come from a combination of clutch, gearing & chassis tuning. Computer data shows us that the higher power levels spin the tires more on the 1-2 shift. We made a couple of changes of Lenco gearing that proved to be beneficial. We’re also trying to hit the shift rpm closer; since minor variations in rpm have a dramatic effect on the centrifugal load on the clutch.
Events and Activities
Mike and I (again) participated in the SkillsUSA Regional competition. This annual event has students from area high schools and technical schools competing for a chance to move up to the state competition. Mike served as one of the event organizers and I judged one of the test stations. Additionally, Mike will work as a judge at the state SkillsUSA competition and traveled to Texas to write test questions for ASE Certification tests.
Boss Bird
 The nitro funny car has made tremendous progress over the winter! We took delivery of our first set of billet Pontiac heads (our own design). These heads are patterned after the legendary Ram Air V and promise to mix ruggedness with the correct nostalgia tie-in. We now have almost all of the parts required to finish the engine assembly; and have performed trial assembly of most of the components. I’ve attached a couple of pictures of the engine test-fitted into the chassis (please do not use, copy or circulate the pictures….they belong to a professional photographer). Firewall, sheetmetal and paint will come next. Our goal is to have the car show-ready in July and (hopefully) some shakedown runs at the track before the season ends.
 The Grocery Getter team has been drag racing Pontiacs for over 20 years. When it was time to do something bigger, better and cooler than they had ever done before, it was a natural to build an Arnie "Farmer" Beswick car. After purchasing the rights from Arnie and picking up his spare body (not an original Pontiac Super Duty station wagon) in 1994, the team got started. The Grocery Getter features a traditional Pontiac engine, assisted by nitrous oxide injection. This engine was retained (as opposed to using a modern Pro Stock engine) to be true to the legacy of Pontiac racing. It also presents a much bigger challenge to make big power so it is a more interesting project to the team. Arnie remains the teams’ most important advisor and they match race him and the "Tameless Tiger" several times each year.
The original Grocery Getter was one of six Pontiac factory-built drag-race-only Tempest station wagons. Pontiac was serious about going after the other guys factory lightweights that had  a weight advantage over the Super Duty Catalinas. The wagons (and their companion coupes) came equipped with 421 Super Duty engines, aluminum front sheetmetal, aluminum bumpers and a unique clutch-operated 4-speed transaxle. This transaxle arrangement placed more weight over the rear tires and allowed clutchless shifting, much like the modern Lenco transmission. The small housing limited the ring gear to a small diameter 3.90 ratio that had to be replaced frequently.
The Super Duty Tempests were built over the Christmas holiday of 1962 and delivered just prior to the GM corporate racing ban of Jan 23, 1963. The Grocery Getter was delivered to Arnie "Farmer" Beswick and quickly became the most successful and recognizable of the wagons. Arnie raced the car through 1965, competing and match racing at tracks across the country. The Grocery Getter name was inspired during the week-long racing at Daytona, when Arnie, after winning on consecutive nights, was declared by the announcer to have ".....taken home the groceries again".
Team ASE is proud to be a sponsor for this unique and exciting race team. For all the details about the Grocery Getter team, go to www.grocerygetterwagon.com
2008 Year In Review
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