Prostalgia Funny Car Names Provide Unique Look Into Lives of Drivers

From "The Snake" to Grave Digger and everything in between, nicknames have a funny way of taking on a life of their own and sometimes growing into a persona larger than the individuals themselves.

And when you dig deeper into a nickname often times it reveals interesting insights into the lives and careers of many of today's top drivers.

Take for example the drivers of the new Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car class. When Nitro Jam officials asked the drivers of the new class to slap a name onto the side of their nostalgia bodies for the 2010 season drivers were delighted to come up with, and sometimes bring with them, a name that means something special.

And when the cars finally hit the track for the first time at Palm Beach International Raceway, that creativity led to an interesting assortment of colors, personalities and wild body styles – and that didn't even include the drivers.

"Names are a funny thing. A lot of times people identify more with a nickname and that often times leads to a better recognition of the cars and teams," said IHRA President Aaron Polburn. "Sure nitro funny cars are fun to watch, but when you throw on an older body and add vibrant colors and identifiable names you get a much more entertaining class."

And so far that has certainly proven the case.

From the rather obvious and uncomplicated names such as Poverty Stricken and Steve Nichols and the Mill Road Boys, to the more detailed and interesting Chicago Fire and McAttack, each name has a story all its own.

One of the older names on the tour belongs to that of Bob Floch and the legendary "Bullet Bob" machine. Starting out as "Cheyenne," a tribune to Floch's wife's home state of Wyoming, the car then changed to "Bob and Cathie Floch" before finally turning into the "Bullet Bob" machine everyone knows and loves today.

And that name came about from a chance meeting with an artist in Canada 21 years ago.

"We met and became good friends with artist extraordinaire Scott Herel at a Canadian event. I don't quite remember how it started, but we were talking with Scott about changing the name of our car and Scott came up with the 'Bullet Bob' moniker," Floch said. "In the beginning we had toyed with the idea of using a little western type cowboy character, but Scott had a better idea.

"We unveiled 'Sparky' on the side of the car shortly after and now everyone knows who he is. 'Sparky' will be turning 21 this year and he has really taken off. I even know a few people who even have tattoos of 'Sparky.'"


Another machine that has quite a history behind it is Mike Faser's "Chicago Fire" '78 Corvette.

Currently driven by ace Rick Krafft, the "Chicago Fire" name came about in 1974 through a promotion with the now defunt USFL football team of the same name. The promotion was short lived, but Faser continued to use the namesake competing in IHRA and UDRA events along with match races over the years leading to a fulltime gig on the Nitro Jam circuit this season.

"Over the years the car transformed from the original Vega bodied Funny Car to Chevy Monza's, a Nitro Fuel Altered, a one of a kind Prowler, a '23 T and now we are as excited as ever in converting the car back to its original state with a 1978 Corvette body," Krafft said. "We are looking forward to what this thing can do."

While the "Chicago Fire" and "Bullet Bob" machines have certainly made a name for themselves, one driver who has truly turned his car namesake into a business is John Dunn and the "Dunn & Gone" '73 Duster.

Dunn began his career with a car named "Thrill Ride," but his son had a different idea for the car that quickly took off.

"The name came from the genius mind of my youngest son Luke. He liked the old funny car name 'Color Me Gone' and wanted Dunn in the car name somehow," Dunn said. "I really liked the name of my original car and we hope to bring that back at some point down the road, but for now everyone knows us as the 'Dunn and Gone' team and that is how we will stay."

One of the newer names on the circuit this season is Mike McIntire's "McAttack" '69 Camaro. With a bright orange paint scheme and beautiful detail McIntire's funny car has become a fan-favorite – just be prepared when you ask him where the name originated.

"Imagine a few children, about seven or eight, sitting in a house playing G.I. Joe. Now imagine a boy strategizing against his friends to win the battle and doing whatever it takes to win. That boy was me," McIntire said. "Once we grew older we developed more mature games, but I kept the same mentality. Then one day a friend made the nickname 'McAttack' and I have had it ever since.

"From G.I. Joe to Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car racing that name has never left and after our win at Baton Rouge I feel the 'McAttack' is back."

While some names are the result of interesting happenings or stories, others are much simpler. Steve Nichols and Greg Jacobsmeyer are two of those drivers.

Nichols decided to put his name on the side of the car to recognize his family's excavation company and placed the "Mill Road Boys" name on the side in honor of his time spent as a crew member with the McClain brothers and their "Mill Road Boy's" dragster during the 70's.

Jacobsmeyer labeled his machine the "All-Star Dodge" after a dealership close to his home in St. Louis that has been with him for over 15 years.

Rounding out the Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car teams are the now well-known "Poverty Stricken" '74 Vega piloted by Peter Gallen and "The Joker" car driven by Army Armstrong.

Gallen says his inspiration came from a teacher he had in high school that had a drag car with the same name.

"His name was Tom Rebert and I worked on the car and eventually became the driver. Through the years we had great success with our cars and the 'Poverty Stricken' name," Gallen said. "Plus it is a reference to the way these cars keep us – poverty stricken."

Armstrong's machine will be the newest addition to the Prostalgia family when it is unveiled later this month at Rockingham Dragway. Armstrong began the year behind the wheel of the "Jungle Jim" machine, but has since began his own operation using "The Joker" moniker with ties to The Funny Factory.

"We are planning on having a cool paint job with a mad clown on the hood. It should be awesome," Armstrong said.

Whether complicated or simple, the names that accompany the drivers of the new Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car class have taken on a life of their own and are helping fans identify with the teams and drivers more than ever before.

The Prostalgia NFC class is a part of every Nitro Jam event and has already captured the hearts of race fans across the country. Check them out at a Nitro Jam event near you.