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Features
Retooled Authentic Body Parts
Expanded Decal Options
Lettered Drag Slicks
Vintage Box Art
Small Block Chevy 350 Engine
Dual Quads
Solid Wheels
Racing Headers
Bucket Seat
Pro-Stock Hood Scoop
Roll Cage
Pro-Stock Gutted Interior

William Tyler Jenkins (December 22, 1930 – March 29, 2012), nicknamed “Grumpy” or “The Grump”, was an engine builder and drag racer.[1] Between 1965 and 1975, he won a total of thirteen NHRA events.[2][clarification needed] Most of these wins were won with a four-speed manual transmission. In 1972 he recorded 250 straight passes without missing a shift.[2]He was formally trained as a mechanical engineer at Cornell University, and he used his training and skills to build engines.[3] He has been inducted in numerous motorsports halls of fame for his engine building skills in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock class. His innovations include drag racing’s first kickout oil pans, Pro Stock strut-style front suspension, and dry sump oiling system, and cool cans, electric water pump fan, gas port pistons, and slick-shift manual transmissions.[3] Considered the “Father of Pro Stock”, Jenkins-built engines were used to win five NHRA Pro Stock championships and three American Hot Rod Association (AHRA) championships.[4]He was nicknamed “Grumpy” for having a no-nonsense attitude at races.[2] The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America said: “his continual search for improved performance left little time for idle chatter with his racing colleagues.”He became known in national circles as the engine builder for Dave Strickler in the early 1960s. Jenkins teamed with Strickler to win Little Eliminator at the 1963 Nationals with an A/FX 427 Chevy.[7] He drove hemi-powered Dodges in 1964 and 1965 after Chevy left drag racing early in the 1963 season. In 1964, Jenkins and Strickler travelled to England, as part of the U.S. Drag Racing team, to take part in the First International Drag Festival, a series of six events held that fall.He won the A/MP (A/Modified Production) class in a 1965 Plymouth gasser at the 1965 NHRA Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park, with a pass of 11.11 seconds at 130.24 mph (209.60 km/h).[8] He would also win S/SA at the 1965 Winternaionals in a hemi-powered Plymouth named Black Arrow.[9] His winning pass in the final round was an 11.39 second e.t., overcoming Dick Housey’s 11.37 with a holeshot[9]Jenkins couldn’t agree on terms with Chrysler for 1966, so he decided to run a Chevy independently by making his own Chevy engine package.[3] Without factory support, Jenkins developed his first Grumpy’s Toy, a 327 cubic inch / 350 horsepower Chevy II. When he found the compact car was to be placed in the same class as the 426 ci/425 horsepower hemi Dodge and Plymouth muscle cars, he commented it “looked like a pretty good gimmick at the time”.[3] The lower displacement engine in the smaller car, hence lighter minimum weight, enabled it to outrun the larger-engined but heavier cars. He set a class record[clarification needed] with an 11.66 second pass.[3] He was added to Chevrolet’s team in 1967. He became known as the premiere normally aspirated drag race engine builder after his Super Stock victory at the 1967 Nationals.[2] He entered Pro Stock when NHRA started it in 1970, and won the first two events of the year (the Winternationals and Gatornationals) in a 1968 Chevrolet Camaro,[2] ultimately taking the national title.Jenkins went winless in 1971. NHRA changed the 1972 rules to allow drivers with a small block wedge engine to run a lighter car. Jenkins used a small block-based 331 cu in (5.4 l) in a Chevrolet Vega fitted in the class’ first tube chassis,[2] which debuted at the 1972 Winternationals. He had a subpar 9.90 second pass in the untested Vega, qualifying 17th of the 32 entries at the season-opening event. After tuning the chassis, the car clocked low-9.6 second passes on race day and Jenkins won the event.[3] Jenkins used the car to win five of the first eight events of the season (some of them regionals) and six of eight Nationals.[3][3] Jenkins earned a total of $250,000 that year, including event and manufacturer support.In 1973, following an NHRA rule change to allow records to be set at any national meet, Jenkins drove his Vega to Pro Stock’s first official record, a 148.76 mph (239.41 km/h) pass, at the Winternationals; “Dyno Don” Nicholson set the e.t. record with a 9.33.[11]Jenkins built a Vega in 1974 (dubbed Grumpy’s Toy XI) that had several firsts which impacted future drag racing cars, including the first dry sump oiling system and a MacPherson strut front suspension.[3] This car would give him thirteen wins in Pro Stock that year.