Gene Adams
Gene Adams, one of the most innovative thinkers in the sport, was involved in drag racing nearly as long as the sport’s existence. His dad took him to Saugus Drag Strip in 1952 to race the families 1950 Oldsmobile against a friends Hudson Hornet. Young Gene was hooked. The addition of a LaSalle floor shift, 4-71 blower, Hilborn injectors, and a manhole cover bolted in the trunk made the dark blue fastback prototype for the tough supercharged Southern California gassers. The same gassers setting records at every local strip, as well as the NHRA national mark. After spending 1958-1959 in the Army, it was dragsters only for Adams from then on. Gene’s engine went in Ronnie Scrima’s modified Chassis Research frame, and with athletic Leonard Harris driving, the legendary Albertson Olds dragster was born. In barely six months they won 17 Top Eliminators. After Harris was tragically killed in another car, Adams joined Tom McEwen for two years, finishing runner-up at the 1961 Nationals and the 1962 Winternationals on gas and making the Bakersfield semis on fuel. A new Woody car in 1963 teamed Gene, his brother Gary, and John Rasmussen. Running both gas and fuel, the car literally paid for itself, winning numerous local Top Eliminator as well as back to back Top Gas wins at the 1965-66 Hot Rod Magazine meets with Rick Stewart and Billy Scott at the wheel. Late in 1966, Adams teamed with car dealer Jack Warye and driver John Mulligan on the first dragster in the 6’s at more than 200 mph. After more than two decades at Hilborn’s, Gene opened his own business in 1983, continuing to provide innovative engine building and fuel systems for customers with nearly any engine combination. In 1992 Adams tuned Roger Odell’s unblown fueler to an unheard of 5.77 ET at 253 mph. In 1996 Keith Stark used an Adams designed fuel system to up the ante with an incredible 5.38 ET 270.51 mph blast.