Dave Strickler was an American

drag racer Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most c ...

during the 1960s. Nicknamed 'Strick', his best friend, Martin Strand, taught him how to drive. 'Strick' rapidly proved himself to be a master of the Stickshift and 'power shifting'. He rapidly became regarded as the equal of the best in the game, including Ronnie Sox, Tommy Grove and Don Nicholson. At the

1962 NHRA Winternationals The 1962 NHRA Winternationals were a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) drag racing event, held at Auto Club Raceway, Pomona, California on 18 February. History The 1962 Winternationals were historic for the appearance there of NHRA's first ...

at Pomona (A meet made famous by

Carol Cox Carol Cox was a pioneering American woman Drag racing, drag racer. She was the first woman to win at a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) national event. History Cox was based in Whittier, California.Burgess, Phil, ''National Dragster'' editor ...

), Strickler, driving the Ammon Smith-owned Chevrolet, lost to "Dyno Don" Nicholson in Stock Eliminator,Nicholson raced his B/FX Chevy wagon named 'Ugly Duckling' and Strickler raced his Super Super/Stock Chevy 409cid/400hp car. At 1963's

U.S. Nationals United States nationality law details the conditions in which a person holds United States nationality. In the United States, nationality is typically obtained through provisions in the U.S. Constitution, various laws, and international agree ...

Indianapolis Raceway Park Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (formerly Indianapolis Raceway Park, O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, and Lucas Oil Raceway) is an auto racing facility in Brownsburg, Indiana, about northwest of downtown Indianapolis. It includes a ov ...

, Strickler racing an A/FX (Factory Experimental) Z11 Chevrolet Impala claimed Little Eliminator with a win ove
Jim Wangers driving a ‘Swiss Cheese 421cid Pontiac Catalina
To get there, he defeated Tommy Grove in a 63 Plymouth Maxwedge for the A/FX trophy. In the early days, Strickler's engine builder was Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, who was rapidly establishing a reputation as a good driver and a great engine builder/tuner. Strickler teamed with Bill Jenkins under a Chrysler racing contract for 1964. The team was named the Original Dodge Boys and Strick’s lightning reflexes combined with the might of the newly reased A864 Race Hemi, made for a deadly pairing. Strick won A/FX over Tommy Grove's Plymouth Melrose Missile, running the qtr mile in 11.4 seconds. Strickler visited Beeline Dragway in 1964, taking Top Stock at the AHRA Winter Nationals in a 1964 Dodge, Driving a 2 July 1965

match race A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head. In sailboat racing it is differentiated from a fleet race, which almost always involves three or more competitors competing against each other, and team racing where teams cons ...

Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009 due to sponsorship reasons) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Concord, North Carolina. It has hosted various major races since it ...

, in a 1965

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

owned by

Ronnie Sox Willard Ronald Sox (December 17, 1938 – April 22, 2006 in Richmond, Virginia) was an American drag racer. His family ran a Sinclair (SOX SINCLAIR) station on Church St. in Burlington, North Carolina, where got his start in drag racing in th ...

, Strickler beat the Petty Enetrprises #43Jr. 1965

Plymouth Barracuda The Plymouth Barracuda is a two-door pony car that was manufactured by Chrysler Corporation from 1964 through 1974 model years. The first-generation Barracuda was based on the Chrysler A platform, Chrysler A-body and was offered from 1964 unti ...

Richard Petty Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937), nicknamed "the King", is an American former stock car racing driver who competed from 1958 to 1992 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most nota ...

, in his brief foray into drag racing. For whatever reason, Strickler's career fell out of the limelight, in 66, however he continued as a 'hired gun', racing for teams as prestegious as Sox & Martin. Strickler's career highlight was the 1968 World Finals, where he beat his old team-mate Bill Jenkins for the World Championship title. Strickler raced a SS/F class Z28 Camaro, while Jenkins steered his SS/D Chevy II. While Strick's Elapsed Time was slower -(11.89 to 11.48) - his handicap saw him cross the tape first. He continued to race Chevrolet Camaros tuned by Jenkins through 1969, however they were slowly becoming less competitive against the Chrysler Hemi - there was now a .5 second difference between Ronnie Sox's car and the fastest car Chevrolet had for sale - although neither were in any way 'stock' cars. Strickler went to the 1970 NHRA World Finals at

Dallas International Motor Speedway The Dallas International Motor Speedway (DIMS) was a racetrack located in Lewisville, Texas. It operated from June 1969 to 1973. The racetrack served as the site for such events as the NHRA Springnationals, NHRA World Finals, and the Texas Inte ...

, where he was eliminated in round two by eventual Pro Stock winner Ronnie Sox. Some of Strickler's early cars were known as ''Old Reliable''. For the 1971 Winternats, Strickler qualified #20, but did not race.Ultimateracinghistory
(retrieved 3 October 2018) Strickler died in 1985.

References

Year of birth missing 1985 deaths Dragster drivers {{US-autoracing-bio-stub