Year:  1968
Driver:   Don Clark
Photo Contributed by:  Bob Ely Photo Credits:  Ely Photos
The Back Story: 

The original #731 was the $$ owned by Eddie Bramen.  The car was wrecked into the entry gate, and Eddie gave it up.  My two brothers in law, Gary & Wes Pulsifer, plus me, bought the car and straightened it out.  We had no experience in stock car racing, and I had no experience as a driver.  This car was a tank, weighing 3,200 lbs.  We raced it part of the end of one year with very little success.  We built a new car weighing in at legal weight of 2,650 lbs. which was much better, but we knew nothing about handling.

It was a learning experience for all of us.  I drove for a few years and gradually was doing better.  When I first drove, we couldn't qualify for a feature very often.  Last time I drove we were qualifying for every feature and moving up in finishing order, but I never won a feature.

So, Steve Danish built the original chevy v8 for Eddy Bramen, but refused to help us with the engine repairs.  I bought a "How to build a chevy race engine book", and taught myself how to build the engines.  I built all the engines in the #73

The only reason I got into racing was so I could drive, that was my goal.  However, my two partners voted me out of the drivers seat, and hired Dick Hanson.   Yes, I'm not ashamed to admit Dick was way more experienced and a better driver than I was.  But, I was still learning, getting experience, and eventually, I could have done better, but it was not to be.   Having taken away the driving from me, I had little desire to just

work for nothing, so I got out of it.

This is probably a lot more than you wanted to know.

 

Don Clark, part owner, driver and engine builder...and research & development.

Middleville NY

 

 

 

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