Another Tampa Racing Legend Passes

[ancrdave]

Got word that Jack Arnold passed away last night in Brooksville, FL... Jack just about always ran Fords or Ford-powered cars and he was nicknamed the "Chevy Killer" back in the '60s at Golden Gate Speedway.. His 1960 "Seafood Special" Ford Starliner was one of the iconic race cars to run at the Gate and other tracks around FL... He won the 1971 Governor's Cup, oddly enough in a Chevy... a ride he picked up just days before the race...

[Trash Inturn4]

The Chevy you refer to Ancrdave was the "112" owned by Cotton Seward and built by my brother John Wachtel. It was the first year we ran the car, the regular driver Butch Johnston, who drove Figure 8's and Tornados at Sunshine had trouble adapting to the car. Cotton knew Jack Arnold, and with his experience at the Gate, asked him to race the car in the 71 Governors Cup race. He qualified 9th, they inverted 9 cars putting him on the pole, Jack led all 200 laps. Radios were not used back then, you had to communicate with the driver with a sign board, i was only 16 at the time, but got to be the guy who would go out to the edge of the track to display the sign to Jack, something i will always remember.

God Bless Jack with his always present cigar , we lost a Great one.