Campbell inducted into drag racing hall of fame
After 14 years of earning trophies, setting records and feeling the acceleration of the engine, Columbia native Billy Campbell will be inducted into the 2010 Kentucky Motor Sports Hall of Fame.
Campbell participated in drag racing for 14 years, earning more than 60 trophies and setting new speed records for drag racing.
Campbell fell in love with racing as a child.
“I just love the hot rods,” said Campbell.
Campbell was raised in Adair County and his interest in fast and fancy driving started here. As youngsters, he and his best friend Tom Faulkner welded wheelie bars on riding lawn mowers and competed with each other to see who could perform the longest wheelie.
Campbell also attempted to do wheelies on his tractor at the family farm. At 17, he lost his license for racing on public streets.
Faulkner and Billy’s brother Frankie Campbell would later go on to help Campbell in his drag racing career.
Campbell moved to Louisville, where his racing hobby began to blossom. He would race around in Louisville in his 55 Chevy that he named “Clyde the Camel.”
Campbell’s first official race was in Bullitt County in 1963 where he earned his first trophy. From there, he was hooked on drag race competitions. Campbell’s daughter Sheri remembers going to Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green and Ohio Valley Raceway growing up. Campbell entered the top brackets in elimination meets in the Ohio Valley Raceway.
“We grew up in Ohio Valley,” said Sheri.
Sheri remembers a time when she went to one of her dad’s races. She heard his name over the intercom and thought he had crashed.
Popcorn went “everywhere” said Sheri, and they rushed to go check on him. Campbell avoided the crash, but his opponent didn’t. His opponent was not injured.
Campbell earned more than 60 trophies in his life. Despite that he wasn’t worried about the trophies or records when racing.
“I wasn’t worried about records. I was worried about the next set of tires I could afford,” Campbell said.
Campbell’s interest in motor sports took him in different places across the country. He competed in New York, Miami, Florida, Dallas, Texas, Indianapolis, Ind., and more. His skills in motorsports gave him the opportunity to compete against known drag racing stars like Don Garlits, who is considered the father of drag racing.
Campbell competed against Garlits in the Gateway Nationals at St. Louis, Mo., and finished runner up.. Campbell eventually eliminated Garlits in the Popular Hot Rodding Nationals at the U.S. 131 Dragway in Martin, Mich in 1974.
The following weekend, at Bristol, Tenn., Campbell would retire from racing for good. He would not step foot on a track again until this past June 20, some 35 years later.
Campbell went to Beech Bend in Bowling Green less than two weeks ago when a friend called and said he should go because someone was there wanting to talk to him. Beech Bend was holding an exhibition for veteran dragsters. Campbell saw Garlits signing autographs and the two visited for the first time in decades.
During the Beech Bend visit, the Campbells saw how the industry has changed.
Campbell’s wife Sue saw cars powered by nitromethane fuel for the first time. Nitromethane fuel is used for top fuel racing, a class of drag racing that uses a fuel mix of 90 percent nitromethane and 10 percent methanol. She said the sound surprised her.
Campbell still remembers the first cars and many races he participated during his racing career.
Campbell built his first car, an A/alter in 1963 with the help of Nile Wheeler. The next year, he and his friend Huey Darnell built the first Gladiator car.
In 1966 Campbell, Darnell, Dale Funk, Walter LeVold and Dickie built an A competition dragster. A competition is the class where the drag cars are fueled by gasoline. That same year they won the nationals at Indianapolis and won best appearing car.
Campbell’s favorite car is the Gladiator #2, he built by himself. It was another top fuel dragster. He first raced this car in the Ohio Valley Raceway on Labor Day weekend in 1967.
This car helped gain Campbell recognition in publications. Campbell was featured in an article entitled “Drag Racer points for Nationals.” At the time of the publication, Campbell held records at both Ohio Valley Raceway and Beech Bend International Raceway. Campbell would continue racing with his Gladiator#2 until the AA dragster models were done away with.
His driving career’s greatest success came when he signed on to drive the Golddigger for Jack Hart. In this car, he won several International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) national events and was driving this car when he won the Popular Hot Rod Meet in Martin, Mich.
Campbell retired from Kroger after 33 years in 1989 and moved back to the Sparksville community. He now raises beef cattle on his farm with his wife Sue and lives in the same house that used to be his schoolhouse growing up.
Campbell still keeps his first trophy in his home and still thinks about racing today.
“I miss it,” Campbell said.
His induction into the 2010 Kentucky Motor Sports Hall of Fame will be held at the Swope Museum in Elizabethtown on Aug. 15.
By Dean Childers
Voice Intern
