Legends in Hot Rodding: The Quarter Mile Gasser of All Time – the 1940 Willys of Stone, Woods and Cook
While Stone, Woods and Cook may sound like an upscale bistro or possibly a law firm, for drag racing fans and historians that troika of names only means one thing — the blown, blue, and bad ’41 Willys coupe that not only dominated the early 1960s Gasser Wars, but also helped propel NHRA into the modern age.
And not only on the track. As Stone, Woods & Cook broke records on the tarmac it also toppled racial barriers by being the first prominent African American race team. The team’s roots date back to NHRA’s founding year, 1951, a time when races began with a flag and ended with a stopwatch.
Thomas Woods, a towering black man who owned the very successful LA-based Woods Construction Company, was a committed racer. In 1951 he campaigned a new Oldsmobile in the D/Gas class. Another Gas-class Olds followed, upgraded with a Cadillac V8. However, by the late 1950s, the compact 1940 Willys coupe, with its frightening if inefficient short wheelbase, became the Gasser weapon of choice.
Woods made the switch. Starting with a dead stock 1940 Willys coupe, he put together his first B/GS Swindler (a name associated with all of Woods’ Willys). He kept the original steel body, adding only a bespoke tube grille. Ruben Palazuelos applied the distinctive blue metallic hue. None other than Ed “Big Daddy” Roth handled the lettering, and famed trimmer Eddie Martinez stitched the upholstery. Mag wheels added to the aggressive countenance, as did the blower intake, jutting up through the hood like an emerging volcano of speed.
The car’s potential erupted at its debut at Lions Dragstrip in early 1961, breaking both ends of the national B/GS record.
K.S. Pittman had been Woods’ primary driver, but since he was also piloting his own C/Gas machine, he was soon replaced by Doug Cook. At the same time, Fred Stone, a construction colleague of Woods, joined the team as a sponsor and publicity agent. Thus, the moniker Stone, Woods & Cook emerged.
From 1961 to 1966, the Stone, Woods & Cook Willys dominated both as a fan favorite and competitor. To capitalize on this success, Stone orchestrated a clever publicly stunt — unheard of during this early era. He wrote open letters to drag racing newspapers daring other big-name Gassers, like “Big John” Mazmanian and his Willys. to join the fray. The letters, written and signed by Fred Stone, created immediate attention in the press, juicing interest. Moreover, the rivalry between Stone, Woods & Cook and Big John supercharged a rivalry between Engle and Isky camshafts — battle of the bumpsticks? — with Engle supporting Stone, Woods & Cook, and Isky backing Mazmanian.
Over the years, more than one Stone, Woods & Cook Swindler was built. The original B/GS car, as described earlier, was near show-car quality, sporting plenty of chrome touches, custom metal work, and a full interior. Unfortunately, it was partially destroyed returning from the ’61 Indy Nats when the trailer flipped and the Willys took flight.
Faster than you can say Stone, Woods, and Cook, a near-identical clone was constructed. This version picked up the baton of B/Gas dominance and popularity — so much so that in 1963, Revell introduced a plastic model kit of the car.
This second B/GS edition was so fast it often outpaced the supposedly quicker A/GS cars. When NHRA tweaked weight limits of the two classes, the team decided to build a new, lighter car strictly for an A-class challenge. Thie car featured light fiberglass fenders, hood, and doors; a custom tube frame; and a lightweight black interior. Under the hood both cars ran supercharged Oldsmobile motors. After the ’64 Winternationals — where Cook beat Mazmanian for the title — both Stone, Woods & Cook cars underwent Chrysler Hemi transplants.
No matter which class or version, Stone, Woods & Cook dominated B and A Gas Supercharged classes for nearly a decade. The Swindlers were the first Gassers to break into the 10s, then the 9s, and top the 150-mph benchmark. The A/GS car was retired in 1966, but not before running mid-9s nearing 160 mph. And, per the NHRA Gas class rulebook, it competed in street-legal trim.
The late motorsports journalist and historian Pat Ganahl reported a secret technical trick that tamed the Willys’ notorious short-wheelbase instability upon launch. When asked by Ganahl what about the trick, Cook said, “I didn’t really have any secrets, except I put a Positraction rearend under the car. Others ran spools and live axles.”
The legacy and fame of Stone, Woods & Cook’s all-conquering Willys manifested itself in many ways. In 1982 Hot Rod Magazine named it the most famous drag car of all time, and two decades late readers of NHRA National Dragster’s honored it as their Favorite Car Ever. It has also been memorialized in model kits, Hot Wheels, and a permanent parking spot at the Wally Parks NHRA Museum.
But no account of Stone, Woods & Cook history should ignore its status as the first successful black drag racing team. Remember, the team’s success took place in the shadow of the Civil Rights movement and the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. At times, team members were not allowed into the pit area, relegated to segregated grandstands. We’ve come a long way and Stone, Woods & Cook played a significant role in opening those doors in motorsports.
