Al Joniec – Pulpaddict

Some of the most significant competition cars have been carefully preserved and are on display in the HAJEK MOTORSPORTS MUSEUM OF NASCAR AND DRAG RACING HISTORY in Ames, OK.

HAJEK MOTORSPORTS MUSEUM OF NASCAR AND DRAG RACING HISTORY

When I was writing FORD TOTAL PERFORMANCE in 2015 for Motorbooks, I had the pleasure of communicating with consummate carguy, Brent Hajek. There were several drag racing cars, as well as at least one land speed record Bonneville Mustang, that I was featuring, and needed some background and timeline information. These were cars that had ended up in Hajek’s private collection. I hadn’t realized at the time that he owned around 100 competition cars.

According to John Gilbert, who visited the collection and covered it for Hemmings, “The population of Ames, Oklahoma, hovers around two hundred people, so it’s kind of funny when one realizes that there are more racecars in Ames than there are passenger cars.”

The 2020 census recorded just 193 people, which translates into Brent Hajek owning more cars than are registered to Ames’ total population!

The HAJEK MOTORSPORTS MUSEUM OF NASCAR AND DRAG RACING HISTORY occupies an old schoolhouse that had closed years ago. Many of the cars on display were purchased before people started realizing the history, heritage, and value of old racecars that had at one time set records and been showcased in enthusiast magazines. Many had been record holders, driven by high-profile drivers and campaigned with factory support.

“At any given time, the HAJEK MOTORSPORTS MUSEUM OF NASCAR AND DRAG RACING HISTORY has around 80 cars on hand and another 20 cars spread out on loan at locations like the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, CA, and the NASCAR Hall Of Fame in Charlotte, NC,” reported Gilbert.

Some of the racecars I showcased in FORD TOTAL PERFORMANCE and are in Brent Hajek’s collection include Al Joniec’s ‘68 Cobra Jet Mustang, winner of Super/Stock Eliminator at the NHRA Winternationals, Connie Kalitta’s blown Boss 429 Bounty Hunter Mustang Funny Car, and Bob Tasca’s Boss Mustang powered by a 494-inch, Boss 429 motor built to Can-Am racecar specs.

Since I had been with Mickey Thompson and Danny Ongais when they were contesting land speed records at Bonneville with three half-chassis Holman & Moody ’68 Mustangs with 1969 sheet metal and small & big-block engines, the blue big-block Bonneville car, top photo, in Hajek’s collection was of particular interest. During two trips to Bonneville. Thompson & Ongais set 295 land speed records!

HAJEK MOTORSPORTS MUSEUM OF NASCAR AND DRAG RACING HISTORY Al Joniec puts the hurt on Dave Wren in his Plymouth to win the final round of Super/Stock Eliminations at the 1968 NHRA Winternationals. One of the first 50 Cobra Jets built for drag racing, Joniec ran 120.6 mph in 11.49 seconds and won SS/E and Super/Stock Eliminator gold.

In 2008, Hajek campaigned a modern Mustang Cobra Jet, painted to match Joniec’s original Winternationals-winning ’68 CJ Mustang. Both cars are on display in his museum.

Connie Kalitta was an early adopter of the Boss 429 engine for blown fuel racing. In 1969, he campaigned both his Bounty Hunter fuel dragster and Mustang Funny Car. Brent Hajek owns the Mustang.

Under the hood of legendary Ford dealer Bob Tasca’s one-off Boss Mustang is one of Holman & Moody’s 494-inch, dual-Holley Can-Am Motors. The engine was built using an aluminum block, 4.52-inch pistons, and a 3.85-inch stroke steel crank and lightweight Boss 429 heads. It ran 11.0s at 136 mph on street tires!

Read John Gilbert’s Hajek Museum coverage @ https://www.hemmings.com/stories/nascar-and-drag-racing-history-enshrined-at-the-hajek-motorsports-museum/?uemlid=e323c71347790f699ba35a9dc01d49ac3f938885a7df6321087c8c9b4c0dd333

The HAJEK MOTORSPORTS MUSEUM OF NASCAR AND DRAG RACING HISTORY is open by appointment only, https://www.travelok.com/listings/view.profile/id.3285

In February 1968, 1968½ Cobra Jet Mustangs swept Super/Stock Class and Eliminator titles at the NHRA Winternationals. FORD 428 COBRA JET & BIG BLOCK HERITAGE! is showcased here, and in the latest edition of Over-Drive Magazine.

Ford’s primary performance car for 1968 was the mid-year 428 Cobra Jet Mustang, with Toploader four-speed manual or beefed C-6 automatic transmissions. The powertrain option was available in coupe, convertible and fastback SportsRoof models. In 1968 the Mustang was pretty much a carryover vehicle with small trim, suspension and safety updates, and important powertrain changes. Ride and handling was improved and, if you ordered a V-8, you could opt for Michelin radial tires for the first time. Gone was the 289 small-block, including the venerable 271 horsepower solid-lifter version, replaced by a new 302 small-block. You could order a 390/325 big block or wait for the mid-year introduction of the potent 428 CJ engine.

Cars tagged for the new CJ option automatically received special attention at the San Jose, CA and Metuchen, NJ assembly plants. Those cars were given reinforced front shock towers, nine-inch rears with 31-spline axles, and four-speed Mustangs were equipped with stagger-mount rear shocks. All CJ Mustangs were factory fitted with a functional fiberglass hood scoop with ram-air induction capability. Under full throttle acceleration, a vacuum-controlled flapper on the air cleaner assembly opened up, allowing air to go directly to the carburetor. Under normal driving, air was channeled through the air filter.

Before there was a production 428 Cobra Jet, the CJ Mustang was first conceptualized by Bob Tasca, working with John Healey and Bill Lawton, and presented to Ford. Tasca had built his own “Cobra Jet” – a KR-8 “King Of The Road” Mustang powered by a 428 engine with 390 GT cam and valve train, heads from a low-riser 427, 428 Police Interceptor intake manifold with a 735-cfm Holley and 390 GT exhaust manifolds. He felt that Ford didn’t have a suitable Mustang to compete with Chevrolet’s new Camaro that could be optioned with a 396/375 solid-lifter big-block engine. He had built a Mustang that would give any stock Camaro nightmares! Tasca’s KR-8 Concept was well received and became the inspiration for the production 428 Cobra Jet Mustang.

Prior to regular production, Ford built 54 Wimbledon White Mustangs with 428 Cobra Jet engines specified by Domestic Special Order number DSO-892017 at the Dearborn plant. They were ordered specifically for NHRA Stock and Super/Stock competition. Essentially, they were base Sportsroof Mustangs, not GTs, built without radios and heaters and with trunk-mount batteries, Police Interceptor drivetrains and 3.89 limited-slip rears with traction bars. Just 20 were produced without any seam sealers or sound deadening materials. Two different engine packages were employed – one rated at 335 horsepower for C/Stock; the other with horsepower north of 360 for Super Stock/E. Distribution of the first Cobra Jet Mustangs included Ford dealers involved in drag racing programs in the U.S and Canada, with Tasca Ford receiving the most – ten CJs. Approximately ten were assigned to Dick Brannan’s group at Ford Special Vehicles Activity.

Dynamometer testing at Ford revealed that a 335-horsepower CJ engine with headers, open exhausts, maximum tuning specs, and without air cleaner or alternator, produced 411 horsepower. A red ’68 Mustang CJ engineering car was evaluated at the Kingman, AZ proving ground and clocked a best time of 108-plus mph in 13.4 seconds.

A small fleet of Cobra Jet Mustangs was reserved for the model’s California introduction at the AHRA Winternationals at Lions Drag Strip on January 28 and the NHRA Winternationals at Pomona on February 2-4, 1968. Those cars were shipped to Holman-Moody-Stroppe in Long Beach for race prepping. Engines used in the C/Stock Mustangs had “stock” specs and utilized forged 11-to-1 pistons, 427 steel rods and .509-inch-lift, 282-degree-duration hydraulic-lifter cams and valve trains and headers. These cars had 4.44 rears with Detroit Lockers, traction bars and Goodyear slicks. The modified engines permitted in Super/Stock were built with 11.6-to-1 pistons, GT40 forged steel rods, deep oil sumps with windage trays, steel cranks, .600-inch-lift, 380-degree-duration solid-lifter cams and Crane valve trains, lightweight valves and a dual-inlet 735-cfm Holley on a 427-aluminum intake manifold. Rear end gearing on the S/S cars was 4.71 with a Detroit Locker and bigger Goodyear slicks.

The Cobra Jet had a less-than-successful launch at the AHRA Winternationals when Hubert Platt red-lighted in the C/Stock Mustang, clocking a 12.62 in the first round of Top Stock. It was another story at the NHRA Winternationals when five Ford Drag Team drivers – Jerry Harvey, Al Joniec, Don Nicholson, Hubert Platt and Gas Ronda – showed up with six cars for C/SA, SS/E and SS/EA. Dearborn was there in force to showcase the hottest new “production” Ponycar. It would be the first NHRA National meet that Ford dominated. It’s all part of FORD 428 COBRA JET & BIG BLOCK HERITAGE!

It was Al Joniec, right with NHRA’s Wally Parks, driving the Rice-Holman SS/E Cobra Jet, Vin # 5050, that established the new Cobra Jet Mustang as the car to beat. Four of the six CJs made it to their respective class finals and Al Joniec beat teammate Hubert “Georgia Shaker” Platt’s CJ to win SS/E. He ran 120.6 mph in 11.49 seconds. Following that, he beat Dave Wren’s Plymouth for Super/Stock Eliminator.

“My CJ Mustang was capable of running in the low-11s in the 122-mph range, though I didn’t have to run it that hard to win,” said Joniec during a recent interview. “Since it was the official introduction of the Cobra Jet, I didn’t want to lower the record and lose any advantage at future events.”

Bob Gerometta and the folks at Over-Drive Magazine have done an outstanding job covering FORD 428 COBRA JET & BIG BLOCK HERITAGE! in their latest edition. Read the feature @ https://over-drive-magazine.com/2024/06/19/fords-cobra-jet-what-took-them-so-long/