Swamp Rat 13: While at Naperville during a match race, the frame on SR 12-B was damaged, TC and I rushed back to Seffner to build a new car, Swamp Rat 13. As we pulled into the gate, Swingle was leaving, we explained the problem, but Swingle said that he couldn't help out this time as the "King fish were running!" TC and I tried to build a car in a few days for the 1969 NHRA Springnationals at Dallas, but just plain ran out of time. SR 13 was a good car, won the 1969 Smokers US Fuel and Gas Championship at Long Island's New York National Speedway and it was there that TC and I decided to install a two speed tranny. The tranny worked well, winning many races, but was soon to be a major problem. At long Beach CA for the 1970 AHRA Grand American, in the final against Richard Tharpe, the tranny exploded, cutting the car in two and severing my right foot. I sold the wreckage to TC and Connie Swingle, who repaired the car while I was recuperating. They took #13 on tour and I joined them at Bristol TN for the AHRA Spring Nationals. I made one run in the car for them, setting Top Time and Low ET in the process and I was back! I drove for TC for the rest of the year on percentage! During the fall of 1970, TC sold the car to Art Malone, who later sold it to a Bracket Racer. I spied it at Bradenton a few years later, purchased it and TC and I restored the old girl back to "the way she was" in 1970, the day of the "Accident". It is on display in the Drag Racing Museum.
