Dick Landy
Mopar fans would be shocked to learn that Dick Landy’s drag racing career began at the wheel of a 56 Ford pickup. More Fords followed with backing from his first sponsor, Andy Andrews, the man who gave him his first trademark cigar. HIs tune-up, driving prowess, and personal demeanor made him a natural for a factory deal. He was offered a 413 Plymouth in 1962, and it has been nothing but Chrysler ever since. Landy started the 1964 season with a wedge hardtop but, when the Hemi was introduced mid-year, things began to change rapidly. The factory performance wars were heating up and all kinds of tricks were tried to stay ahead of the competition, including solid axles and altered wheelbases. By 1965, the front and rear axles were moved so far forward that “Landy’s Dodge” was one of the first prompt the name funny car. His bumper scraping wheelstands, resin burnthroughs, and ever-present giant cigar made him a big hit with the fans. He traveled nearly 100,000 miles match racing the big Coronet. In a very short time, Landy so-called stockers had gone from 130 mph on gasoline to 196 mph on fuel. When the flip top tube framed funnies were produced, Landy and Chrysler had enough. They both felt race car should still have doors and be within the reach of the average enthusiast. Chrysler’s Product Planning Division decided to create a series of performance clinics at showrooms throughout the country, and Landy, back in a super stock, was selected as the Dodge representative. In 1967 alone, Landy conducted more than 70 clinics for 50,000 people in 29 states. Landy made a great many friends and customers for Chrysler and raced as many as seven different cars in a single season. In 1970, Landy was in on the ground floor of Pro Stock racing, winning AHRA Championships in 1973 and 1974.