Bunker's Beast Is Alive!
By Dave Wallace

Bob Bunker's steel-bodied '55 Chevy — a major player in drag racing's shoebox, Pro Gas and Top Sportsman movements — is back on the track. At age 59, the Folsom (Calif.) Flash was evidently lured out of retirement by the opportunity to upstage son-in-law Jeff Gillette, the reigning champion of Sacramento Raceway's dial-your-own Top Sportsman division.

This wildly popular car and driver have been together since 1961, when Bunker ran a 348 on the street. In 1972, they participated in history's first-ever Pro Gas program (Redding Drag Strip), and are credited with popularizing the type of heads-up, index racing that spawned Super Gas, Super Comp, etc. This is one "bracket car" that still draws a crowd.

Big John, Meet Big John