Pete Robinson
One of the greatest innovators in drag racing history, Pete Robinson did it all: designer, driver, engine builder, and manufacturer. He was one of the few racers capable of taking a new idea all the way to the finished product all by himself; then hopping into a dragster and personally testing the device. An early advocate of weight reduction, Robinson and his small block, thin-tubed “Tinker Toy” came out of nowhere to win the 1961 US Nationals in the 1962 World Series of Drag Racing accelerating the demise of twin-engine dragsters. “Sneaky Pete” went on to develop rear-wheel jacks, magnesium blowers, and various aerodynamic devices. His combination of a redesigned SOHC Ford engine and a unique “vacuum wing” produced an unprecedented 6.50 seconds ET in early 1971. At the subsequent NHRA Winternationals Pete’s ground effects fueler when airborne in the lights impacted the guardrail and exploded, mortally wounding the 37-year-old engineer. Appropriately his final pass was the quickest qualifying run of the day.