PHOENIX VIDEO

[Bob Drury]

  While looking at the Al Teague video's on YouTube I got to thinking about Carl Heap and the Marvelous Phoenix.
  I punched in "Phoenix at Bonneville" and found a really nice tribute to Carl before his death (Brain Cancer).
  For those of you unlucky enough to have never seen or heard the Phoenix run, I can only describe it as a 285 mph Diesel Locamotive running on a 90' wide surface of salt rather than rails.
  Thinking of Carl and Bob still makes me choke up when I see that truck run...........  Bob

[manta22]

It was awesome! I feel priviledged to have been able to be at Bonneville that year to see it run---- Phoenix left a trail of black diesel smoke for 5 miles.

Regards, Neil  Tucson

[GH]

How about the year that they raced an airplane???

[Glen]

I timed almost every run Bob and Carl made. The record run was one of my highlights of being the chief timer, that memory and having the honor to announce the run was beyond awesome. Being part of their history and many others is why we have salt fever and return every year. I miss being in the timing venue but now being a crew member for team Vesco is a dream come true. Thank everyone for the great memories and with the new ones coming this year.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Nancy and I got to see the Phoenix run a bunch of times, and Glen's right -- as are Bob and Rex.  I can remember dang near every little detail of those runs - which we saw from the 4 mile and the line and on and on.  Heck -- you could be at the line and see just when Carl would shift gears - but the short interruption of the black smoke trail.  I think, by the way, that Carl must have learned quick shifting from Al Teague .

Seeing the Phoenix run -- well, like it says on the back of our pickup -- "We've got cool stories to tell".

[Tman]

I saw it run once and was in awe. Growing up around trucking and seeing things like the Bandag Bandit as a kid did not compare to seeing Phoenix run (2002)

[Ron Gibson]

 If any of you have one of the cards John or Tim handed out of the Speedway liner in the 90's, check the background.
 Back against the mountains is the black smoke trail of the Phoenix after a pass. That was when Bob was driving and before they put the transmission in it. In the early days they pushed to 80 MPH, let the clutch out and stood on it. Direct drive, no shifts.

Ron

[GH]

How about the Chevrolet pickup truck they had with a Detroit Diesel under the hood, the radiator was out in front of the grill.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

One run we saw -- maybe a bunch of 'em -- the push truck was a retired semi tractor that had been converted/repowered for drag racing.  A pair of stacks straight up out of the hood, some nitrous, and massive amounts of black smoke.  The pilot of the push truck would get the nod from Jim Jenkins (or whomever) and simply stand on it.  Couple that smoke with the cloud from the Phoenix per se -- and sometimes it was a minute or two before folks at the line could see the receding green truck.

Wow, it was great.  Glad we got to see it.  We even met up with the Phoenix team in Smith's store a few times -- when they'd be in there buying food for the crew.  Nice folks there, too -- and ALWAYS wearing green t-shirts.

[don]

This was posted over on the HAMB. Thought a few of you might find this interesting.

THE PHONEIX IS OUT!!!!!! As far as I know its been 9 years since the public has seen this truck and it will be on display at this years fair.....

http://ktvl.com/shared/news/top-stor...A%22wall%22%7D

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=526065