April 2008 - Cowtown Mopars

UPCOMING MEETINGS
April 12th, 2008
MAALT Transportation - 4PM Goody Bag
Stuffing Party.
No Meeting this month, but don’t forget
about our show April 19th at
Moritz Chrysler Jeep
MORITZ
Jeep.
www.moritzchryslerjeep.com
Cowtown Mopars Performance Team
PO Box 162413
Fort Worth, Texas 76161-2413
Rush To:
Place
Postage
Here
April 2008
THE STARTING LINE
The Official Monthly Publication of Cowtown Mopars
GARY DON BRADSHAW
February 9, 1944 - March 19, 2008
Gary was born in Fort Worth, Texas on February 9, 1944 to G. W.
and Dorothy Bradshaw. He was one of three children along with
Linda and Stan. Gary grew up in Fort Worth and attended Poly
High School. Even at age 16 Gary was an avid street racer, his
siblings fondly recall him borrowing the family 1956 Chevy Convertible one night. Gary had been grounded and he and Stan borrowed mom’s car so that Gary’s 1947 Plymouth Business Coupe
would not be missing. A neighbor caught the two at the Dairy
Queen with a car full of girls. Needless to say they were
not able to drive any car for a while.
After High School, Gary enlisted in the Navy and was stationed in
Jacksonville, Florida. Once discharged Gary came home to Fort
Worth and met and married his best friend and wife of 42 years,
Jean.
Of this union two children were born, Gary Jr. and Cyndy. As a family they enjoyed dirt biking and would often go
camping in Weatherford. During his thirties Gary took up bowling and excelled so quickly he had aspirations of turning pro.
In his later years Gary became a charter member of the Cowtown Mopars Performance Team and was an active member for over 20 years. He built and raced many Mopars but he was most remembered for the Plymouth Station Wagon
known as “The Grocery Getter”, and the 1963 Plymouth Post. Over the years Gary bought, sold and or traded many
parts and cars. Many people sought him for advice, others he gave it to without their asking.
Most recently, Gary and Jean thoroughly enjoyed camping, both being a member of the Long Tall Texans RV Club.
You could find him sitting at a game table in the clubhouses playing Mexican Train or other such games, and if he won
he certainly didn’t mind rubbing it in, however he wasn’t the world’s best loser.
Gary will be missed by many family and friends and is probably already talking Mopar with “The Big Guy”.
Please take a moment to visit the club message board
online. Your fellow members have posted messages, photos, and some great stories about Gary.
The club will continue to take donations from anyone that
wishes to help out the Bradshaw family in this time of
need, just see any board member.
From The Desk of El’ Presidente
Last Time People
It’s 5 O’clock somewhere and I’m headed to Margaritaville!!!
Hey yall, it’s been a Cool Ride this past year with all of yall!!! I have enjoyed being your President
and representing you to the public in the name of The Cowtown Mopars Performance Team. The
first thing that I want to say is “Thanks,” to those who let me lean on them all through the ride. They
are Ken Key, Kirk Maisenbacher, Mike Miller, Dan Robinson, and Kelly Hilla. I couldn’t have done
it without all of them. Mark Buchanan also gave me some good pointers that help me out a lot too.
It’s important to have good team work and I believe that we were a pretty good team. As some of
you know, the Mopars At The Motorplex evolved from an idea that I had last year when we did the
race last August at North Star Dragway. Thanks to Mark Buchanan and Ron Dillenger it has grown
to something huge and I sincerely wish the event to be successful. We also were able to secure
Moritz Chrysler Jeep as our new sponsor and I’ve enjoyed the friendship I gained with Burr Bisch.
Hopefully they will want to stay on board with the club for a long while. It’s been a lot of fun and a
lot of work and I faced the challenge head on and didn’t back away from it. I put my best foot forward and went in the most positive direction that I could. I took the words of Davy Crockett and followed them. He said, “If you think you’re right, then go ahead.” I truly believe in that statement. I
really appreciate all of the words of encouragement from all of you. To be President had its moments, it wasn’t hard to do, but very time consuming. There were moments that were a lot of fun,
such as the Christmas Party and then there is the moment that was very tough. That was when I
learned that we lost Gary Bradshaw, a gentleman to whom I was very close to. Informing the Club
about Gary was the hardest thing that I had to do. I know that all of us will miss Gary very much and
he will be in our prayers. As I stated, I’ve enjoyed the position on the Board and who knows, maybe
I’ll run again in the future. But for now we have four new Board Members, Mike Bearce President,
Frank Smith Vice-President, Kevin Alexander Secretary, and Sandi Powell Activity Director. I ask
that you stand behind them and give them all of your support too.
On another note, we are having our picnic in May and I believe we voted on having a Fish Fry then.
We will have had both our Annual Show and the Mopars At the Motorplex by then and will be ready
to focus on the rest of the year. We still need volunteers to help with the show and if you want to
help, you can contact any of the Board Members and we can let you know what areas we need help
with. Also, if you are able, we ask you to go by any retail business or restaurant to see if they will
donate something for a door prize for the show. Please remember to get photos of your cars to Kirk
for “Car of the Month.” Well, that’s ‘bout all I have. It’s time to go and do some Saturday Night
Bracket Racing. Come on out and join us at Texas Raceway. As Kelly told me, I’ll be hangin’
‘round, I won’t be hard to miss. As Elvis Presley said in his last concert, “’Till we meet again, May
GOD BLESS, Adios.”
Kennedale’s First
accident on the
new surface,
during the
TMCCC Race .
Luckily the driver
walked away, but
the car didn’t fare
too well.
Events Calendar
April 12th - Goody bag stuffing party / Saturday Cruise night - 4pm at Marty Robertson’s shop, MAALT Transportation, on the
corner of Wilbarger and Carey Street in Fort Worth, (Exit Wilbarger St from Loop 820 East).
April 13th - TMCCC Challenge Rusk—See the race page for full details and where to meet up if you are going to convoy out.
April 19th - Cowtown Mopars Roundup - - 9am - 2pm at Moritz Chrysler Jeep on the corner of West Loop 820 and Highway 80 in
Fort Worth.
May 10th - Mopars At The Motorplex - The Motorplex at Ennis - Time trials are set to start about 10am.
May 17th - LatchKey Kid benefit car show - 1 to 5 pm, 2301 Hwy 1187, Mansfield Texas
Silent Auction Items
Below is a list of items so far that we are putting up
for silent auction at the car show. All funds will
benefit the Ronnie Sox Foundation
1:18 Scale Sox & Martin ‘68 Barracuda E-Stock Die Cast
1:18 Scale Sox & Martin ‘70 Superbird Die Cast
Don Garlits Pictorial (sent to us by Big Daddy himself)
1970 Challenger R/T Bourbon Decanter
Star Trek Motion Pictures 6 DVD set
House Of Hotrods - LatchKey Kids
The House Of Hotrods in Mansfield Texas is holding their 2nd Annual Latchkey Kids benefit car show at their place of business on
May 17th, 2008. They are located at 2301 Hwy 1187, Mansfield Texas. Entry to the show is a canned good or non-perishable item,
and there will be $1 hotdogs with proceeds benefiting the Latchkey Kids. For more information on Latchkey Kids visit
www.myspace.com/houseofhotrods for more information.
Cowtown Mopars will be accepting canned goods and non-perishable items the day of our car show at Moritz. Please be
sure to bring something to donate.
2008 MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
Everybody should know by now that the annual CMPT car show is right around the corner. April 19th will be
here before we know it.
Simply put, we need volunteers to make the show work. Lots of volunteers. Whether it is helping with parking, the registration table, handing out door prizes, selling 50/50 tickets, or being on one of the judging teams;
we need you. Remember...this is YOUR show!
Say hello to our two newest members: Wayne Brown of Ft. Worth; and Ron Smith of Haltom City. Make
'em feel welcome!
CMPT membership dues for 2008 are still being accepted. Shocking, isn't it? If you have had any changes
to your personal data, such as addresses, phone numbers, or e-mails, then please fill out a membership application so I can get the correct information into our data base. Applications are included with each newsletter, or
can be printed from the CMPT website.
Club dues:
Initial - single $25.00, family - $35.00
Renewals - single $15.00, family - $25.00
Ken Key
Contact info: Cowtown Mopars Performance Team
PO Box 162413
Fort Worth, Texas 76161-2413
www.cowtownmopars.com
[email protected]
Remember to check for up to date events and club news at
http://www.cowtownmopars.com
Also, remember to check the club message board at:
http://www.aimoo.com/forum/freeboard.cfm?id=415517
Or click the “Message Board” link on the club website.
The Go Fast(er) Department
Mark Buchanan - Race Team Coordinator
HEY SIX TIME TMCCC CHAMPIONS!!!!
We now have completed 2 races and done well, but it is
going to be a fight this year with the mustang club. After
Kennedale we were 4 points ahead. We hope to know the
results from Denton soon.
Congratulations to all of our winners!!!!
Kennedale:
Chuck Buchanan----winner king muscle
Steve White-------runner up pro muscle
Denton:
David Huffman-----runner up street muscle
Danny Gordon------winner super muscle
Grady Hentz-------winner king muscle
See ya at Rusk April the 13th. Call me if you are going Sunday morning and want to meet on 175 and convoy to the
track. 972-617-2068
We have made final arrangements with the track for the MOPARS AT THE MOTORPLEX. The gates will open at
9:00am, time trails will start at 10:00am or sooner. Spectators get in for $10 and children 12 and under get in free.
There will be a FUNNY CAR MATCH RACE AND A PRO MOD MATCH RACE. There will be classes for everyone to run in. Go to www.moparsatthemotorplex.com and see what Mike has added. IF YOU HAVE NOT
STARTED GET BUSY AND START SPREADING THE WORD. COWTOWN MOPARS AND THE DALLAS
MOPAR CLUB IS PUTTING ON A RACE AT ENNIS. IF YOU LIKE MOPARS DON'T MISS THIS!!!!!
Don't forget to check out our ad in the June issue of Mopar Collectors Guide that will be out this month. Mike did a
GREAT job!
Beep Beep!
See ya
Mark
2008 TMCCC Race Schedule
March 16 - Kennedale
March 30 - Denton
April 13 - Rusk
April 27 - Ennis
June 1 - Abilene
September 6 - Ennis (yes, a Saturday)
September 28 - Denton
October 5 - Crandall (if the track is completed)
October 26 - Kennedale
The CowtownMopars Race Team
is proudly sponsored by:
From the Office of your Secretary
Mike Bearce
Before anything else, I was very saddened by the loss of Gary Bradshaw and I as I know many others
are going to miss him. My prayers go out to his family. Now to more pleasant news,
Spring is here and it brings a lot of busy time for the club. The race season and show season have already begun with our first TMCC race and Christian Classics show being the same weekend along with
our March meeting and Board elections the same weekend. It made for a busy weekend for some of us.
We will have another TMCC race before this newsletter will come out. Of course, our car show is upon
us and the BIG MOPAR RACE – Mopars at the Motorplex is getting close. There are a lot of activities
coming up and I would love to see the Racers showing support for the Show team and the Show Team
showing support for the Race Team and show up at all the events.
This will be my last newsletter as Secretary as I will become your President next year at the end of our
Car Show and Kevin Alexander will be stepping into the Secretaries Position. I also welcome Frank
Smith as our Vice President, and Sandy Powell as our new activities director. I wish to applaud Ken
Castleman for a job well done last year and hope to continue where he left off and help the club grow
and become more active. I would like to see some younger interest in the club along with us old die
hard Mopar nuts. I am open to any suggestions you may have so feel free to contact me with any ideas
you may have. I promise I will bring them before the Board at our next meeting.
I hope to see all you at the upcoming events and at our May Club Meeting. Remember – NO Meeting
at Billy Bobs in April. Our Car Show is our meeting.
Mike Bearce
Secretary
CARS ROADSHOW EVENTS
One of our fellow club members, Jerry Light, has been taking
his 2007 Sublime Daytona Charger to the CARS ROADSHOW
since September 2007. So far he has won several awards including Best Of Show, Managers Pick, Best Of Class, and
CARS pick.
On March 15th, one day before he raced at Kennedale, he attended the STARS & CARS ROADSHOW at the American
Airlines Center and took home a TOP TEN award.
The only problem is that he feels a bit lonely, since no one else from the club is attending these shows….So
maybe we need to start checking them out and attending some of these shows. They are held all over the
metroplex at different places. Just check their calendar.
Visit the website at http://www.carsroadshow.com
April 2008 Car Of The Month
Ken Hurst’s 1968 Dart GT
This is my 1968 Dart Convertible, the same one I took to the
show at Huffines Dodge in Lewisville last spring. This photo was taken just
before Thanksgiving, it is in progress and hopefully will be rolling by Memorial Day. I have all the parts, at least the major ones, we are pretty much
through the frame ties and floorboard repairs and the rear axle is now
mounted.
Now on to the engine compartment……...
Ken Hurst
Send me your business cards, or email me high quality scans if you
would like your business card in this section.
Entry Form Cowtown Mopars Roundup 2008
Hosted By: MORITZ CHRYSLER JEEP
22nd Annual COWTOWN MOPARS PERFORMANCE TEAM
Roundup and Car Corral
REGISTRATION IS OPEN FROM 9AM to 11AM
Name: _____________________________________________
*Paid: ___________
Address: ___________________________________________
*Date: ___________
City: _______________________________ State:__________
*Show:__________
Zip Code: ______________ Phone:____________________ _
*Car Corral:_____
Email: ____________________________________________ _
*Swap Meet: _____
Vehicle: ____________________________________________
*For Official Use Only
Year: ________ Color: ____________
Engine: ________
*Rain Date TBA
Stock: ______
Race: __________
Modified: ______
Options Features: _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
REGISTRATION FEES (Circle One)
SHOW - $20.00
Corral - $15.00
Swap Meet - $10.00
Pre-Registration fee for car show is $15.00 if post marked by April 1st.
Return Completed Forms to:
COWTOWN MOPARS PERFORMANCE TEAM
P.O. BOX 162413, FORT WORTH, TEXAS 76161-2413
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
In consideration of the acceptance of the rights to participate, exhibitors and participants, by execution of this form, release
Moritz Chrysler-Jeep, COWTOWN MOPARS PERFORMANCE TEAM, City Of Fort Worth, Texas, The State of Texas, and
their officers, directors, employees, agents, representatives, and anyone else connected with the promotion, management or
presentation of this event from any liability resulting from damages, injuries, losses, judgments and/or claims from any cause
whatsoever that may be suffered by any participating or exhibitor resulting from the conduct of exhibitors, participants or
spectators. FAILURE TO READ THE “TERMS AND CONDITIONS” CLAUSE WILL NOT BE GROUNDS FOR ANY
LIABILITY WHATSOEVER.
I have read the above “TERMS AND CONDITIONS” clause and agree to all terms and conditions set forth. Also I agree to
observe and abide by all decisions of the event management.
Signature:______________________________________________ Date:_______________