[Verdoro 68]

Lost my uncle over the weekend. Although my family has always been into cars, he was the one who set the bar. He taught me to drive a stick and gave me my first memorable ride in a muscle car. Trusted me enough at 13 years old to wax my cousin's freshly painted '70 Mach 1 (don't wax flat black decals, BTW).

Back in the '60s he ran one of the few Holman-Moody prepped A/FX Mustangs with a SOHC 427 named the "Jersey Rattler" (the car is still around lettered up as "Long Gone"). That gave way to an ex-Wayne Gapp car called the Super Cat which was a SOHC-powered Cougar. I think that eventually became a Rattler too. His exploits continued into the '70s running several funny cars and as owner of Raceway Speed Center in Bordentown, NJ. I have an old moth-eaten t-shirt from the shop my dad gave me tucked away somewhere. Later on I believe he got into dirt track racing with my cousin.

Admittedly, I didn't have much contact with him after I went to college and eventually moved out to California, but his shadow loomed large over my interest in cars and his racing history was the stuff of legend to me.

Several years ago an old family friend who is also an accomplished automotive author published his story in Total Performers-Ford Drag Racing in the 1960s and he made a few appearances at nostalgia events. It was nice to see him get some credit. I know he was proud of his racing history.

I imagine he's already building another cammer with my grandfather up in the sky.

Via the Jersey Rattler website:

John Skistimas was a man with such a passion for all things automotive. He has the distinction of growing up at the right time, a time when cars were king and a young man could indulge his passion for racing. These were times when it didn’t take a huge bank account to be a success in drag racing and John is a prime example of that. A young man who traded off his mechanical and driving skills, pitting them against others, on the drag strips of the northeast.

It would be hard for today’s drag racing fans to imagine the world as it existed when John first began racing in his 1956 Thunderbird. There were no sophisticated starting or timing systems, a man with a flag told the racers when to leave the starting line, and races were run at almost any facility that could be arranged, including the straightaway of Old Bridge Speedway where John got his start. A mere 330 feet long, the Old Bridge Drags allowed many who would later become very successful drag racers to hone their skills at getting a car off the mark first and John was one of these racers.

Graduating to facilities that were actually designed to accommodate the growing popularity of drag racing John did what young men of his era almost always did, he built quicker and faster cars with which to compete. When Raceway Park opened its doors in 1965 John would count himself one of the first to make a pass down the state of the art drag racing facility in Englishtown, NJ. This would be the first of thousands of runs, in cars that became faster and more sophisticated as John became a feared competitor in the north east.

Obituary: https://www.parkermortuary.com/obituary/john-skistimas

[4dblnkldude]

OMG, how phucking cool. We all owe a debt of gratitude to guys like this!

[1_Wild_Cat]

I am sorry for your loss - quite an influence. Must have been larger-than-life to a youngster.

[misterp266]

Sorry about your uncle but it looks like he was very cool, thanks for posting.

[Tom Vaught]

I remember both of the cars, Mustang and the Cougar.

Never saw then run but was interested in the 427 Cammer Engines at the time.

RIP Sir.

Tom V.

[b-man]

Farewell.

Rest In Peace Mr. Skistimas.

What a great life he lived.

[Verdoro 68]

Originally Posted by Tom Vaught

I remember both of the cars, Mustang and the Cougar.

Never saw then run but was interested in the 427 Cammer Engines at the time.

RIP Sir.

Tom V.

Neat that you remember them. I can’t imagine there were too many cammers running around.

I remember my dad saying he ran the Mustang down the track once and he floated the valves LOL. It had a Clutchflite trans in it which is a pretty interesting set up. I think it was a low 10s car.

I remember one time when I was visiting we pulled off the road to inspect an orange ‘67 Cougar that was for sale and him talking about his old race car. There’s a bunch of info on the Super Cat at the site Wayne Gapp’s son set up. Pretty interesting car. My dad said the cammer got too expensive to run so it ended up with a Hemi. Neat times in the golden age.

https://www.gapponline.net/tag/mercury-cougar/

My grandfather was a machinist and part of the pit crew. You can see his nickname on the side of the Cougar - “Hike”. Supposedly because he walked everywhere when he was younger.

[will slow gto]

Thanks for sharing his cool story, sorry for your family’s loss.

[72projectbird]

RIP.

He had excellent taste in cars!

[brut4s]

RIP

[JSchmitz]

Sorry for your loss! Very cool cars and man! You're are fortunate to have had that influence in your life. RIP

[sdbob]

RIP.Prayers sent. Thank you for the story.

[mgarblik]

RIP to your uncle. Although I never met him, I remember seeing his cars in a number of books I have about lost drag strips, match racing, funny cars and AFX type cars. Running a Cammer put him in elite company. I spoke to Arnie Beswick 2 days ago and I bet he knew your uncle and likely raced against him several times. I keep in touch with him and will ask next time we talk. I want to emphasize again to all my forum friends, it's never too late to seek out these special pioneers of our sport. They have such great stories and memories of their racing days and making a personal connection, hearing them first hand is wonderful for everyone involved. These are the people who shaped the hobby we love, the hero's of the muscle car era. Arnie is 92 years old and sharp as a tack. You are a lucky guy to have a famous uncle.

[camerjeff]

Sorry for your loss, for me it was my older brother (17 years older) who started it for me. Gave me a few memorable rides in his 69 3-speed manual 442, and a 71? 340 Demon. He also let me drive that Demon a few times before I was 16. And he was able to teach me how to drive a manual transmission.

I hope you have great memories of Him.

[GT182]

My condolences to you and the family. It's a hard thing to lose family that was thoughtful enough to teach what they knew. May he RIP.

[geeteeohguy]

Very sorry for your loss. Your uncle lived a very, very full life and had a lot of positive impact on others that will continue to live on.

[napster]

Sorry for your loss. RIP to a very cool guy and influence to you.

[Verdoro 68]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

RIP to your uncle. Although I never met him, I remember seeing his cars in a number of books I have about lost drag strips, match racing, funny cars and AFX type cars. Running a Cammer put him in elite company. I spoke to Arnie Beswick 2 days ago and I bet he knew your uncle and likely raced against him several times. I keep in touch with him and will ask next time we talk. I want to emphasize again to all my forum friends, it's never too late to seek out these special pioneers of our sport. They have such great stories and memories of their racing days and making a personal connection, hearing them first hand is wonderful for everyone involved. These are the people who shaped the hobby we love, the hero's of the muscle car era. Arnie is 92 years old and sharp as a tack. You are a lucky guy to have a famous uncle.

I was always shy when asking about his racing history. At the time it felt like old news as he had taken on a different job and moved from NJ to Missouri. I grew up and started my own family so my focus was elsewhere. In time I learned that he had a lot of pride in that period. I regret not reaching out, asking more questions and hearing more stories. I do feel really fortunate that he had good friends who documented his legacy in several books. Every so often a new pic surfaces which puts another piece in the puzzle. I just found a couple on eBay the other day.

Oddly enough, when he had shirts made a few years ago the artist put Rally IIs on the Rattler which was kind of a weird crossing of the streams of our interests.

As I rebuild the engine for my Goat, I'll definitely be doing it with him and my grandfather in mind.

[bird72]

RIP........... remember both cars. Bad as bad could be. Loved old A/FX as a young man. dreaming of owning something that awesome. Always liked they were real cars, just pushed to the limit. Thanks for pics.

[455firebird1969]

Ken,

Sorry for the loss, but thanks for posting this. RIP Rattler.

Growing up in MD, I had a friend who’s uncle was part owner, or team member, of the Funny Car “Brief Encounter”. One day, in the seventies, the Brief Encounter on a rollback was parked in front on my buddies house, on Joppa Farm road, in Joppatowne MD.

We got to go to Cecil County the next day, and the Brief Encounter beat Jungle Jim in a match race.

My buddies last name was Lister.

I found info online of a unique Sidewinder car that he apparently ran, back in the sixties.

Have you ever heard of either of these cars?