Dale Armstrong
Encyclopedia
Dale Armstrong is a Canadian drag racer and crew chief. After winning 12 National Hot Rod Association
(NHRA) and 12 International Hot Rod Association
(IHRA) events in the 1970s, including the Pro Comp title in 1975, he became Kenny Bernstein
's crew chief. The combination produced four consecutive national championships in Funny Car
(1985 to 1988) and another in Top Fuel
. Bernstein became the first driver to top the 300 miles per hour mark in an engine tuned by Armstrong. Armstrong has been inducted in numerous halls of fame.
. He bought his first car, a 1936 Ford Coupe, for five dollars at age 14. In 1957, he began drag racing the car on a dragstrip at an airport near Calgary
. It took him five attempts to make a 60 miles per hour (96.6 km/h) pass; he took out non-essential pieces of the car such as the back seat to lighten the load. His reputation for repairing cars quickly grew and soon there were cars lined up for repairs behind his family's garage. He began drag racing in NHRA's Northwest division in a Chevrolet Z-11 in the B/Factory Experimental class in an front-ended machine that had 11-second passes at 115 miles per hour (185.1 km/h). Armstrong and a friend towed his dragster to Southern California
for the February 1964 Winternationals. In January 1965, he moved to Southern California and began campaigning a Chevrolet II
at local tracks since he could compete up to five nights per week. He converted the car into a Funny Car
and began running the car in early 1966 using the nickname "The Canuck
". The car appeared on the cover of Hot Rod Magazine
in December 1966; the article in the magazine said "Even a diehard Chevy lover would have trouble telling just what had been the original vehicle". The supercharged
engine achieved runs in the 8-second bracket with a top elapsed time (e.t.) of 8.89 seconds. In 1969 he drove a Chevrolet Camaro
in the Super Stock class and he followed it up with making passes in Funny Cars "Travelin' Javelin
" and Tom Strum's Swapper.
Armstrong switched to the Injected Funny Car class in a 1973 Barracuda before moving to the new Pro Comp class in 1974. He joined Ken Veney's team and beat Veney in the finals of his first A/Fuel event at the Winternationals. He also won the AA/Altered U.S. Nationals for Jim Foust that season before moving to Pro Comp in 1975. While competing in Foust's Alcoholic BB/Funny Car, he won the Pro Comp championship including wins in the U.S. Nationals and Worlds. Armstrong continued racing in Pro Comp for three more years. During that time, he won eight more National events including the 1977 U.S. Nationals. In 1976, he won seven of nine IHRA Pro Comp National events and the championship.
He moved to Funny Car in 1980 and 1981 and had three final-round loses. He used Mike Kase's Dodge Omni
at the 1981 World Finals to set a national record with a 5.891 second pass to break Bernstein's 5.90 mark. During the 1981 season, he had two accidents. Armstrong described the fiery 240 mph crash of his Dodge Challenger
at Columbus, Ohio: "Yeah, that was kind of a bad one," he said. "It told me it was time to get out of driving."
Armstrong joined Bernstein's team as his crew chief in 1982. In late 1983, he took their new Ford Tempo
-bodied Funny Car to a wind tunnel
and found additional speed after some modifications. Bernstein had a 5.80 e.t. with an all-time-best 260.11 miles per hour (418.6 km/h) pass in the 1984 Gatornationals
finals to beat John Collins. Bernstein ran third in points that season in his Budweiser Tempo. Armstrong tested an on-board computer to see when the clutch was engaged and when the spark plugs were firing.
Bernstein won the 1985 championship after winning six of 12 national events and reaching nine finals. The Armstrong-wrenched Tempo set two national records during the season. Bernstein continued winning in 1986; he won five of 14 events. He qualified number one eight times, set the low e.t. ten times, and reached eight finals. Bernstein had the first Funny Car 270 mile-per-hour pass at the U.S. Nationals (271.41 miles per hour (436.8 km/h) / 5.50 seconds) and lowered the record e.t. into the 5.4 second range with a 5.425-second run at the Chief Nationals.
Armstrong continued as Bernstein's crew chief in 1987 and they used a controversial Buick LeSabre
body. Bernstein won a record-tying seven national events and achieved their third consecutive Winston points title. The Buick had the first 5.3 second run at the Winston All-stars race with a 5.39-second e.t. Bernstein tied another Don Prudhomme
Funny Car record when he won his fourth straight championship in 1988. His Buick Reatta
made six finals, winning three times, achieved six low e.t., and qualified number one five times. In 1989, Bernstein finished third in Funny Car before moving up into the Top Fuel
class in the following season.
Armstrong continued as Bernstein's crew chief in Top Fuel, and the combination produced six wins in 1992 which tied a class record. In 1993, Wes Cerny developed a cylinder head
/ magneto
combination that Armstrong tuned for the first 300 miles per hour run. At the Gator Nationals qualifying, Bernstein also set the record e.t. with a 4.823-second pass at 301.7 miles per hour (485.5 km/h) during qualifying for the Motorcraft Gatornationals in Gainesville. Armstrong said:
At the 1994 season-ending Winston Select Finals at Ponoma, Bernstein broke the 310 mph barrier with 311.85 and 314.46 passes. In 1996, Bernstein won the Winston Top Fuel championship. In doing so, he was the first driver to win Winston championships in Top Fuel and Funny Car. Armstrong became one of the few crew chiefs to win titles in both classes.
Armstrong and Bernstein parted ways in 1997 after being together for 16 season; Bernstein had won 48 events and five championships with Armstrong. Armstrong joined Don Prudhomme
's Miller Lite
team at the end of that season. Larry Dixon
drove Prudhomme's dragster on the first 4.4 second pass (4.486) at the Matco Tools SuperNationals. In 2000, Armstrong joined Jerry Toliver's World Wrestling team in Funny Car - the team led the Winston points in August before finishing third.
. Other innovations included equipping dragsters with data recorders, installing a two-stage lockup-style clutch
, and a fuel delivery system with two sources. He developed dynamometer
testing for nitromethane
. Some innovations later outlawed because they were too costly or too fast for the track included a three spark plug
per cylinder magneto
and a two-speed supercharger
.
in 1995. He was named eleven times to Car Craft
magazine's All-Star Drag Racing team; he received their Ollie lifetime achievement award with Bernstein in 1997. In 2001, the NHRA ranked him tenth on their Top Fifty drag racers of all time. The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
inducted him in their hall of fame in 2010.
National Hot Rod Association
The National Hot Rod Association is a drag racing governing body, which sets rules in drag racing and host events all over the United States and Canada...
(NHRA) and 12 International Hot Rod Association
International Hot Rod Association
The International Hot Rod Association, also known as IHRA, is the 2nd largest drag racing sanctioning body after the NHRA.-The Carrier Era:The IHRA was formed in November 1970 by businessman Larry Carrier. Throughout this period the organization was operated primarily in the south-eastern United...
(IHRA) events in the 1970s, including the Pro Comp title in 1975, he became Kenny Bernstein
Kenny Bernstein
Kenny Bernstein is an American drag racer and former NASCAR and IndyCar team owner. He is nicknamed the "Bud King" for his success in the Budweiser King dragster, he has also been nicknamed "The King of Speed," because he was the first driver to break 300 miles per hour in the standing-start...
's crew chief. The combination produced four consecutive national championships in Funny Car
Funny Car
Funny Car is a drag racing car class. In the United States, other "professional" classes are Top Fuel, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle. Funny cars have forward-mounted engines and carbon fiber automotive bodies over the chassis, giving them an appearance vaguely approximating manufacturers'...
(1985 to 1988) and another in Top Fuel
Top Fuel
Top Fuel racing is a class of drag racing in which the cars are run on a mix of approximately 90% nitromethane and 10% methanol rather than gasoline or simply methanol. The cars are purpose-built for drag racing, with an exaggerated layout that in some ways resembles open-wheel circuit racing...
. Bernstein became the first driver to top the 300 miles per hour mark in an engine tuned by Armstrong. Armstrong has been inducted in numerous halls of fame.
Career
Armstrong was born in Holden, AlbertaHolden, Alberta
Holden is a village in central Alberta, Canada. It is located south of Vegreville. The village is named after former Alberta MLA James Holden.-Demographics:...
. He bought his first car, a 1936 Ford Coupe, for five dollars at age 14. In 1957, he began drag racing the car on a dragstrip at an airport near Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
. It took him five attempts to make a 60 miles per hour (96.6 km/h) pass; he took out non-essential pieces of the car such as the back seat to lighten the load. His reputation for repairing cars quickly grew and soon there were cars lined up for repairs behind his family's garage. He began drag racing in NHRA's Northwest division in a Chevrolet Z-11 in the B/Factory Experimental class in an front-ended machine that had 11-second passes at 115 miles per hour (185.1 km/h). Armstrong and a friend towed his dragster to Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
for the February 1964 Winternationals. In January 1965, he moved to Southern California and began campaigning a Chevrolet II
Chevrolet Nova
The Chevrolet Chevy II/Nova is a compact automobile manufactured by the Chevrolet division of General Motors produced in four generations for the 1962 through 1979 model years. Nova was the top model in the Chevy II lineup through 1968. The Chevy II nameplate was dropped, Nova becoming the...
at local tracks since he could compete up to five nights per week. He converted the car into a Funny Car
Funny Car
Funny Car is a drag racing car class. In the United States, other "professional" classes are Top Fuel, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle. Funny cars have forward-mounted engines and carbon fiber automotive bodies over the chassis, giving them an appearance vaguely approximating manufacturers'...
and began running the car in early 1966 using the nickname "The Canuck
Canuck
"Canuck" is a slang term for Canadians. Its origins are uncertain.-History:The term appears to have been coined in the 19th century, although its etymology is unclear, it usually referred to those who worked in a forest, usually cultivating wood....
". The car appeared on the cover of Hot Rod Magazine
Hot Rod Magazine
Hot Rod is an American monthly magazine devoted to hot rodding, —modifying automobiles for performance and appearance.-History:Hot Rod is the oldest magazine devoted to hot rodding having been published since 1948. Robert E. Petersen founded the magazine and his Petersen Publishing Company...
in December 1966; the article in the magazine said "Even a diehard Chevy lover would have trouble telling just what had been the original vehicle". The supercharged
Supercharger
A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,...
engine achieved runs in the 8-second bracket with a top elapsed time (e.t.) of 8.89 seconds. In 1969 he drove a Chevrolet Camaro
Chevrolet Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro is an automobile manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand, classified as a pony car and some versions also as a muscle car. It went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed as a competing model to the Ford Mustang...
in the Super Stock class and he followed it up with making passes in Funny Cars "Travelin' Javelin
AMC Javelin
The Javelin was a production version of one of the AMC AMX prototypes shown during the 1966 AMX project nationwide tour. Intended to rival other pony cars such as the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. American Motor's Javelin debuted on 22 August 1967, for the 1968 model year...
" and Tom Strum's Swapper.
Armstrong switched to the Injected Funny Car class in a 1973 Barracuda before moving to the new Pro Comp class in 1974. He joined Ken Veney's team and beat Veney in the finals of his first A/Fuel event at the Winternationals. He also won the AA/Altered U.S. Nationals for Jim Foust that season before moving to Pro Comp in 1975. While competing in Foust's Alcoholic BB/Funny Car, he won the Pro Comp championship including wins in the U.S. Nationals and Worlds. Armstrong continued racing in Pro Comp for three more years. During that time, he won eight more National events including the 1977 U.S. Nationals. In 1976, he won seven of nine IHRA Pro Comp National events and the championship.
He moved to Funny Car in 1980 and 1981 and had three final-round loses. He used Mike Kase's Dodge Omni
Dodge Omni
The Dodge Omni and the similar Plymouth Horizon were front wheel drive cars introduced by the Dodge and Plymouth divisions of the Chrysler Corporation in North America in 1978, and were based on a European Simca-based design of the same name...
at the 1981 World Finals to set a national record with a 5.891 second pass to break Bernstein's 5.90 mark. During the 1981 season, he had two accidents. Armstrong described the fiery 240 mph crash of his Dodge Challenger
Dodge Challenger
The Dodge Challenger is the name of three different generations of automobiles marketed by the Dodge division of Chrysler.The first generation Dodge Challenger was a pony car built from 1970 to 1974, using the Chrysler E platform and sharing major components with the Plymouth Barracuda. The second...
at Columbus, Ohio: "Yeah, that was kind of a bad one," he said. "It told me it was time to get out of driving."
Crew chief
Ford Tempo
The Ford Tempo is a coupe/sedan car model that was produced by Ford Motor Company for model years 1984 to 1994. It was a downsized successor to the boxy Ford Fairmont that introduced "jellybean" styling, which would later be shown on the larger 1986 Ford Taurus. and was replaced in 1994 by the...
-bodied Funny Car to a wind tunnel
Wind tunnel
A wind tunnel is a research tool used in aerodynamic research to study the effects of air moving past solid objects.-Theory of operation:Wind tunnels were first proposed as a means of studying vehicles in free flight...
and found additional speed after some modifications. Bernstein had a 5.80 e.t. with an all-time-best 260.11 miles per hour (418.6 km/h) pass in the 1984 Gatornationals
Gatornationals
The Gatornationals is an annual National Hot Rod Association national drag racing event held each March at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida. The event was held for the first time in 1970...
finals to beat John Collins. Bernstein ran third in points that season in his Budweiser Tempo. Armstrong tested an on-board computer to see when the clutch was engaged and when the spark plugs were firing.
Bernstein won the 1985 championship after winning six of 12 national events and reaching nine finals. The Armstrong-wrenched Tempo set two national records during the season. Bernstein continued winning in 1986; he won five of 14 events. He qualified number one eight times, set the low e.t. ten times, and reached eight finals. Bernstein had the first Funny Car 270 mile-per-hour pass at the U.S. Nationals (271.41 miles per hour (436.8 km/h) / 5.50 seconds) and lowered the record e.t. into the 5.4 second range with a 5.425-second run at the Chief Nationals.
Armstrong continued as Bernstein's crew chief in 1987 and they used a controversial Buick LeSabre
Buick LeSabre
1959LeSabre and all other 1959 Buicks not only got new names, but all-new styling as well, adopting the new GM B- and C-body used on all of the corporation's full-sized cars...
body. Bernstein won a record-tying seven national events and achieved their third consecutive Winston points title. The Buick had the first 5.3 second run at the Winston All-stars race with a 5.39-second e.t. Bernstein tied another Don Prudhomme
Don Prudhomme
Don 'The Snake' Prudhomme, is an American drag racer.-Racing career:In 1962, Prudhomme was a partner in the Greer-Black-Prudhomme digger, which earned the best win record in NHRA history, before switching to Funny Car. He would win the NHRA FC championship four times in his thirty-five-year career...
Funny Car record when he won his fourth straight championship in 1988. His Buick Reatta
Buick Reatta
The Buick Reatta was the first car Buick advertised as a two-seater since the 1940 Buick model 46. It was a hand-made luxurious sports coupe produced at the Lansing Craft Centre in Lansing, Michigan and sold by the Buick division of American automaker General Motors from early 1988 to 1991...
made six finals, winning three times, achieved six low e.t., and qualified number one five times. In 1989, Bernstein finished third in Funny Car before moving up into the Top Fuel
Top Fuel
Top Fuel racing is a class of drag racing in which the cars are run on a mix of approximately 90% nitromethane and 10% methanol rather than gasoline or simply methanol. The cars are purpose-built for drag racing, with an exaggerated layout that in some ways resembles open-wheel circuit racing...
class in the following season.
Armstrong continued as Bernstein's crew chief in Top Fuel, and the combination produced six wins in 1992 which tied a class record. In 1993, Wes Cerny developed a cylinder head
Cylinder head
In an internal combustion engine, the cylinder head sits above the cylinders on top of the cylinder block. It closes in the top of the cylinder, forming the combustion chamber. This joint is sealed by a head gasket...
/ magneto
Magneto
A magneto is a type of electrical generator.Magneto may also refer to:* Magneto , permanent magnetic alternating current rotary generator* ignition magneto, magnetos on internal combustion engines...
combination that Armstrong tuned for the first 300 miles per hour run. At the Gator Nationals qualifying, Bernstein also set the record e.t. with a 4.823-second pass at 301.7 miles per hour (485.5 km/h) during qualifying for the Motorcraft Gatornationals in Gainesville. Armstrong said:
At the 1994 season-ending Winston Select Finals at Ponoma, Bernstein broke the 310 mph barrier with 311.85 and 314.46 passes. In 1996, Bernstein won the Winston Top Fuel championship. In doing so, he was the first driver to win Winston championships in Top Fuel and Funny Car. Armstrong became one of the few crew chiefs to win titles in both classes.
Armstrong and Bernstein parted ways in 1997 after being together for 16 season; Bernstein had won 48 events and five championships with Armstrong. Armstrong joined Don Prudhomme
Don Prudhomme
Don 'The Snake' Prudhomme, is an American drag racer.-Racing career:In 1962, Prudhomme was a partner in the Greer-Black-Prudhomme digger, which earned the best win record in NHRA history, before switching to Funny Car. He would win the NHRA FC championship four times in his thirty-five-year career...
's Miller Lite
Miller Lite
Miller Lite is a 4.2% abv pale lager brand sold by MillerCoors of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Sibling beers include Miller Genuine Draft and Miller High Life.-History:...
team at the end of that season. Larry Dixon
Larry Dixon (drag racer)
Larry Dixon, Jr. is a professional drag racer in the NHRA. Larry is the son of Larry Dixon, Sr., who won one national event.-1980s and 1990s:...
drove Prudhomme's dragster on the first 4.4 second pass (4.486) at the Matco Tools SuperNationals. In 2000, Armstrong joined Jerry Toliver's World Wrestling team in Funny Car - the team led the Winston points in August before finishing third.
Innovations
Armstrong became the first chief to test Funny Cars in a wind tunnelWind tunnel
A wind tunnel is a research tool used in aerodynamic research to study the effects of air moving past solid objects.-Theory of operation:Wind tunnels were first proposed as a means of studying vehicles in free flight...
. Other innovations included equipping dragsters with data recorders, installing a two-stage lockup-style clutch
Clutch
A clutch is a mechanical device which provides for the transmission of power from one component to another...
, and a fuel delivery system with two sources. He developed dynamometer
Dynamometer
A dynamometer or "dyno" for short, is a device for measuring force, moment of force , or power. For example, the power produced by an engine, motor or other rotating prime mover can be calculated by simultaneously measuring torque and rotational speed .A dynamometer can also be used to determine...
testing for nitromethane
Nitromethane
Nitromethane is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a slightly viscous, highly polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent...
. Some innovations later outlawed because they were too costly or too fast for the track included a three spark plug
Spark plug
A spark plug is an electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of some internal combustion engines and ignites compressed fuels such as aerosol, gasoline, ethanol, and liquefied petroleum gas by means of an electric spark.Spark plugs have an insulated central electrode which is connected by...
per cylinder magneto
Magneto
A magneto is a type of electrical generator.Magneto may also refer to:* Magneto , permanent magnetic alternating current rotary generator* ignition magneto, magnetos on internal combustion engines...
and a two-speed supercharger
Supercharger
A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,...
.
Legacy
Armstrong was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of FameCanadian Motorsport Hall of Fame
The Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame was founded in 1993 by Lee Abrahamson and Gary Magwood assisted by Len Coates to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of the Canadian motorsport community....
in 1995. He was named eleven times to Car Craft
Car Craft
Car Craft is a magazine devoted to automobiles, hot rodding, and drag racing. It is published by Source Interlink Media. It was first established in 1953...
magazine's All-Star Drag Racing team; he received their Ollie lifetime achievement award with Bernstein in 1997. In 2001, the NHRA ranked him tenth on their Top Fifty drag racers of all time. The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a Hall of Fame and museum for American motorsports legends. It was originally located in Novi, Michigan and it moved to the Detroit Science Center in 2009.-Museum:...
inducted him in their hall of fame in 2010.