Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, the brilliant engine tuner and NHRA icon, has died. He was 81.Jenkins' legacy dates to the earliest days of Pro Stock, where he was an accomplished racer, known as well for his stick shift mastery behind the wheel as for his gifted wrench-spinning under the hood.
In the 1960s, more than 30 Jenkins-prepped cars set national records. At the 1970 Winternationals, he achieved the first nine-second run in Pro Stock, hitting 9.98. Chevrolet fans will fondly remember Jenkins' small-block racers besting many Hemi-powered Mopars.
"Jenkins' competition cars were always the ones to beat," said Jim Pickering, editor of American Car Collector magazine.
Among the pioneering innovations brought to drag racing by Jenkins are full tube chassis, strut-style suspensions, dry sump oiling systems, kickout pans, gas port pistons, cool cans, and slick-shift manual transmissions.
Underlying Jenkins' famed gruff demeanor was a true devotion to the hard work of drag racing.
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