[Craig Hendrickson]

These are some great stories, guys!!!

I'll add another one to keep things going.

In early 1973, before H-O Racing got going, I had just purchased a 1970 GTO for cheap from somebody who knew virtually nothing mechanically about it. It's problem was that it had headers which were smashed in on the bottom, so it would not breathe out the exhaust side at all. I fixed that by putting in another set of headers.

On the Sunday following my purchase and fix of this GTO, my wife at the time drives me down to Kern's shop in this GTO to do some work on on our E/MP Tempest. About 1/2 hour after that the California Highway Patrol calls and states that my wife has been in an accident on the I-405!

Kern and I jump into his truck and rocket up the I-405. My wife is OK since she saw the rear end-er coming. The 1970 GTO had a high back seat and my wife was only 5'2" and traffic had stopped ahead of her, she saw the guys coming at her from the rear, so she braced herself before the impact. No one was seriously hurt, although the GTO was smashed like collapsed accordian (totaled).

BUT... the first thing my wife said to me was: "Honey, I'm sorry I wrecked your new GTO!!!". I could have cared less about the GTO (it was not new since this was 1973), so I told her that I was only glad that she in particular and the other people were OK.

My wife was a "car person." She completely supported my leaving the USAF and starting H-O Racing. Without her support, H-O would not have happened.

Craig