Bill Owen

Bill’s first efforts in drag racing were conducted at Ubly Dragway in 1962 with a G/SA ‘59 Buick Electra 401 Nailhead. It was a car that his dad had given to him. After high school, Bill obtained a ‘63 409 Biscayne, which he considers his first legitimate drag car. It ran in A/S, and Bill had had moderate class win success with the car at eastern MI dragstrips throughout 1966.
During this same time, Bill had purchased the ‘62 327 Impala wagon that had been a successful NHRA car for Ron Kendall of the famed Lansing Chevair Team. Bill took this car to Central Michigan Dragway in late ‘66, and won a Stock title the first time out. By 1967, he had the desire to move up to a higher level of competition by racing the NHRA events. In the spring of ‘67, he won a Stock title at Motor City Dragway with the ‘62 wagon over some of the Detroit “heavy hitters” of the day, including Royal Pontiac, Mancini Racing, Booth and Arons, and Bob Ford. He competed at the NHRA Division 3 Points Meet at Indy in ‘67, going four rounds in Stock. The next race was the ‘67 NHRA Springnationals at Bristol, TN. Bill raced to a class runner-up at that event against eventual ‘67 NHRA Stock World Champ, George Cureton. Bill recalls that he literally raced the car as a profession that year, putting in large amounts of travel and time spent. He made money, but jokes that “it cured him from wanting to be a full-time racer”, especially when you try to do it all alone. He sold the ex-Chevair team car at the end of ‘67.

‘79 NHRA U.S. Nationals-J/S Class winner, ‘80 NHRA U.S. Nationals-I/S Class winner, “80 NHRA Sportsnationals-I/S Class winner.
In 1982, Bill bought an existing ‘67 Camaro G/SA race car from Ed Kelhiefer from Pennsylvania. It had been been built by Ed Quay with a 327 engine by North Carolina’s engine legend, Bobby Warren. It was the fastest car in it’s class in the nation. Bill went straight to Suffolk, VA to a NHRA Division 2 Points race after picking the car up. He qualified #2 in Stock, and set his National Class record that event. Other highlights with the Camaro, which remains as Bill’s race car yet today:

1982 NHRA Nationals at Englishtown, NJ-G/SA Class winner
1982 NHRA U.S. Nationals, INDY--G/SA Class winner
1982 Finished #3 in NHRA Division 3 Stock season Points
1983 NHRA U.S. Nationals, INDY--G/SA Class winner
1984 NHRA U.S. Nationals, INDY--F/SA Class winner
1984 Finished #8 in NHRA Division 3 Stock Points
1986 Point Champion for the Midwest Stock-Super/Stock Association
1987 Finished #10 in NHRA Division 3 Stock Points
1988 Finished #7 in NHRA Division 3 Stock Points
1982 NHRA U.S. Nationals, INDY--G/SA Class winner
1982 Finished #3 in NHRA Division 3 Stock season Points
1983 NHRA U.S. Nationals, INDY--G/SA Class winner
1984 NHRA U.S. Nationals, INDY--F/SA Class winner
1984 Finished #8 in NHRA Division 3 Stock Points
1986 Point Champion for the Midwest Stock-Super/Stock Association
1987 Finished #10 in NHRA Division 3 Stock Points
1988 Finished #7 in NHRA Division 3 Stock Points
