Bruce Allen (drag racer)

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Bruce Allen (born either 1949 or 1950) is an American retired drag racer.

Contents

Career

Early life and career

Allen was born around 1949 to 1950, and comes from Lapeer, Michigan. [1] He graduated from high school in Lapeer in 1968. [2] Allen first became involved in drag racing in 1964 when he attended a drag racing event in Ubly, Michigan. Allen grew up in an area where oval tracks were dominant but had showed no interest but gained an interest into muscle cars. Allen's first car for drag racing was a 1966 Oldsmobile 442 which engine kept breaking with Allen later switching to a Chevrolet L-88 engine. [3]

In 1970, Allen owned and operated a gasoline station and the same year saw him team up with Jim Hanley, a member of the Gratiot Auto Supply team, to run a 1964 Chevrolet Corvette in the D/MP and E/MP racing categories. The team later switched to the Gas and Altered classes with the team eventually racing with. [3] He began working for McLaren Engines based in Livonia, Michigan to the west of Detroit in the mid-1970s before resigning his job teaching repairs to small engines and giving auto-shop classes and constructing engines for the McLaren IndyCar team in August 1985. [2] [4] Allen later accepted the offer to drive the Dave Reher/Buddy Chevrolet Camaro in the Pro Stock Division after its regular driver Lee Shepherd was killed in an accident in Oklahoma. [5]

On October 7, 2005, during a qualifying event at the Texas Motorplex, Allen was competing against Kenny Koretsky in a qualifying pass when his car, a Pontiac Grand Am lost control half-way on the strip and swerved onto its side causing a collision with Koretsky's Dodge Stratus. The resulting collision caused Allen's car to make heavy contact and split his car causing an explosion which destroyed Allen's car with the 500-cubic-inch engine rolling down the strip. [6] The crash caused him to retire from the sport. [7]

Approach

In an interview with Drag Racing Online in 2000, Allen stated that his approach to drag racing was similar to that of an owner of a Baseball team. [8] He played racquet ball and did bicycle riding to maintain his fitness. [5]

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References

  1. ↑ Bostrom, Dom (September 11, 1986). "Bruce Allen travels in fast lane". The Morning Call . p. C1. Retrieved December 26, 2021– via Newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  2. 1 2 Walters, Bob (September 1, 1985). "Experience has Allen driving like a veteran". The Indianapolis Star . p. 2D. Retrieved December 26, 2021– via Newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  3. 1 2 "Where are They Now? Bruce Allen". National Dragster. July 16, 2010. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  4. ↑ Feducia, Stacy (October 15, 1997). "Revved Up Allen". Fort Worth Star-Telegram . pp. D1, D8 . Retrieved December 26, 2021– via Newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  5. 1 2 Fillion, Don (June 27, 1986). "Allen Dragging His Way to Top". The Burlington Free Press . p. C1. Retrieved December 26, 2021– via Newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  6. ↑ Stephens, Bill (October 8, 2005). "Allen, Koretsky survive frightening crash". ESPN. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Bruce Allen: Life After Drag Racing". Competition Plus. July 5, 2010. Archived from the original on 2016-07-21. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  8. ↑ Stratton, Rhonda (2000). "InnerView: Bruce Allen". Drag Racing Online. Archived from the original on 2012-07-06. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
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