Don Gay Jr vs. Ed McCulloch | Don Gay Jr the Gay Pontiac … | Flickr

Contents:

• DON GAY, DRAG-RACG LEGEND, LAID TO RT
• THE DAY FUNNY CAR’S DON GAY, JR. NEARLY DIED AT DENVER 30 YEARS AGO
• DON GAY JR VS. ED MCCULLOCH
• RIP DON GAY, SR.
• OLR/ FATTER - NIWEZIJDS GAY SNA
• DON GAY JR RACG
• WHERE TO GO WHEN IM YOUNG GAY? - AMSTERDAM FOM
• TRAVIS SHUMAKE STRIV TO BEE FIRST OPENLY GAY NHRA FUNNY CAR DRIVER

DON GAY, DRAG-RACG LEGEND, LAID TO RT

Don Gay died June 30 of heart disease at his home League Cy. Courty photoDon Carl Gay, former profsnal funny-r racer known as the "Texas Teenager" and nsired a pneer by the Natnal Hot Rod Associatn, was laid to rt Tuday died June 30 of heart disease at his home League Cy. He was a teen, Gay watched dozens of rac at the now-closed Hoton Internatnal Raceway Dickson.

Gay boldly drove off wh the blue 1958 Bonneville that graced the showroom floor of his father's r alership and won his first race.

THE DAY FUNNY CAR’S DON GAY, JR. NEARLY DIED AT DENVER 30 YEARS AGO

AdvertisementArticle ntu below this adAt that moment, Gay knew hot rods were for him. "When my grandparents got back to town he showed them the trophy, " said Gay's son Don Gay Jr.

DON GAY JR VS. ED MCCULLOCH

"A year later, Gay beme one of the youngt drivers drag-racg history to w a natnal tle. AdvertisementArticle ntu below this ad"Gay began his drivg reer his teens wh a Pontiac stocker, " the NHRA obuary stat, "and later swched to altered-wheelbase mach that ultimately beme today's funny rs... Later, Gay and his parents teamed wh the Angel brothers, Greg, Gary and Glenn, to found the Hoton Raceway Park Baytown more than 20 years ago.

"Hoton has never had a nice facily, " Gay said a 1988 Hoton Chronicle article. "Gay also worked for the fay r alership until recently, his son said.

RIP DON GAY, SR.

Jt a few days before Gay died, a fan stopped off at the alership to ask for Gay's tograph, Don Gay Jr.

Is also survived by his mother, Marie Gay; three other sons, Shane, Darren and Glenn; two grandchildren; and former wiv Dawna Gay and Peggy Gay. Among those the p area was a young Don Gay, Jr., whose father, Don, Sr.

OLR/ FATTER - NIWEZIJDS GAY SNA

The send-generatn Gay had peted prevly Competn Elimator and Top Alhol Funny Car, where he’d won three tim before steppg up to the nro ranks 1989. The then-20-year-old Gay, Jr. Wh mimal experience a vehicle of this liber unr his belt, Gay, Jr.

The Safety Safari, unaware that Gay, Jr. In a still-ighteng scene all the years later, the fire bottl the nose of the chassis, which were never released by Gay, Jr., me unr creasg prsure om the heat of the fire and epted like a pair of bombs — thankfully dog so before the Safety Safari uld return to the scene.

In a heroic move, Pdhomme, still clad his fire su and helmet, climbed om his mache and dove to what remaed of the burng Pontiac, assistg the Safety Safari removg Gay, Jr. The footage ptured at the scene went far closer to the panmonium than what was shown on the Diamond P verage, pturg great tail the Safety Safari’s race agast time to brg Gay, Jr.

DON GAY JR RACG

Gay, Jr. His brother, Shane Gay, later raced Super Comp and Top Alhol Dragster.

’s reer-endg accint, the Gay fay had teamed wh the Angel brothers to found the Hoton Raceway Park, another of the new super-tracks of the sport along wh the all-new Bandimere facily. The Gay fay remaed volved at the Hoton track until the early 2000s. Don Gay, Jr.

WHERE TO GO WHEN IM YOUNG GAY? - AMSTERDAM FOM

The day Don Gay, Jr. Longtime drag racg fans know well the story of Meyer, how the Texas lad began racg nro Funny Cars as a teen and went on to bee a huge succs and today owns the fabled Texas Motorplex, but before we get to his story and the stori of the others the lumns ahead, let’s take a step back a earlier to another Texas teenage terror, Don Gay, who wowed fans Funny Car and, cintally, also beme a racetrack owner. He passed away June 30, 2007, at age 60, but his legacy liv ’s parents, Carl and Marie, owned the succsful Gay Pontiac alership Dickson, Texas, on the Gulf Highway halfway between Galvton and Hoton.

As Detro began focg on high-performance rs, the Gays echoed their support by purchasg nearby Freeway Drag Strip, which they rechristened Hoton Drag Raceway (and later beme known as Hoton Int’l Speedway, then Hoton Int’l Raceway; check out a tribute to the track here) Don had been a fe athlete junr high, playg both baseball and basketball, but his terts changed the day that his father booked Hayn Profft and his Mickey Thompson-owned, 421-powered alumum Pontiac Catala factory experimental at the Hoton track 1961.

(Above) The Gay Pontiac fleet nsisted first of a tr of rs, an A/Stock Pontiac Catala sedan, an A/Modified Productn Catala statn wagon, and a B/Stock GTO. (Below) Don Gay won A/S class honors Indy Dickson High School stunt stunned everyone by wng A/S class Indy 1964, back when wng class was as big as (and, for some people, bigger than) wng the natnal event might well have stayed the Stock ranks had his father not changed his life aga by bookg Pontiac powerhoe Arnie Bwick and his blown GTO to the track 1964.

TRAVIS SHUMAKE STRIV TO BEE FIRST OPENLY GAY NHRA FUNNY CAR DRIVER

” (Gay later admted that his first choice for the r’s name was Satan’s Chart. A lot of those same veterans would n at the Hoton track, wh full hospaly om the Gay fay.

"For the 1966 season, the Gays ntracted famed chassis builr and racer Jay Howell to provi a new full tube-chassis r wh a fiberglass body (aga a GTO), and Roy got the hand-me-down origal r. Bee NHRA did not yet regnize Funny Car as an official tegory, Gay and other early Funny Car mpaigners had to pete Competn elimator’s Fuel Dragster class at natnal events, but that wasn’t their ma foc – playg to tens of thoands of fans at wild match rac across the untry was. (Above) Although the Gays ran their Infy GTOs at NHRA natnal events -- petg Comp's Fuel Dragster class before the advent of Funny Car -- the real money was match racg (below).