DIALED IN directly behind a car that looked identical to the one that had brought them so much happiness nearly 30 years earlier .
Suddenly , it was 1987 all over again . When Rudisill ’ s win light came on in the finals , something magical happened right then and there . Orndorff . 66 , and Eckman , 74 , were together again at the drag strip , and by all accounts very thrilled to be there . They have plans to attend many more races together with Jeff , his team , and of course , with the race car that looks and feels just like the real thing .
The tribute that Jeff Rudisill so passionately created might just be the quintessential example of how decades of accomplishments and triumphs will never be forgotten .
Drag Illustrated managed to corral Orndorff and Eckman at Cordova for a quick discussion about their careers and what they ’ ve been up to lately .
How did you two meet ?
Bill Orndorff : When I was 16 years old in 1966 I answered a newspaper ad that claimed you could make “ big money ” in your spare time . The job involved soliciting subscriptions for a newspaper . The ad was placed by none other than Jerry Eckman , who was like eight years older than me and that ’ s how we met . He was 24 years old at the time . I took the job and Jerry was my boss . He recruited kids who hustled subscriptions and I was one of them .
Did you , in fact , make “ big money ,” as the ad suggested ? Jerry Eckman : I did ! ( laughing ) BO : It did teach me how to be good in sales . JE : I actually had kids who worked for me who made $ 50 and $ 60 a week ; I ’ m talking seven year olds in some cases . That was good money in the 1960s ! My top salesman , whoever got the most ‘ starts ’ we called it , got ice cream on Saturdays . I ’ d buy it for the winner and then I ’ d invite them to sit up in the front seat of my car with me and I ’ d always make them turn around and eat it in front of the other kids . It was quite the motivator for them to get out and get ‘ starts !’ How did your racing involvement begin ? BO : Pretty soon after I took the newspaper subscription job , Jerry and I found out that we were both gear heads . I had a 1955 Chevy that didn ’ t run . I had collected all the parts and pieces , but didn ’ t know how to put it all together . Since Jerry and I had become friends through the subscription selling job , I now had this 24 year old working on my car and suddenly I was a real factor ! A little later Jerry helped me with a 1969 Nova . The first time we took it to the track and I let the clutch out I thought I was going to the moon ! I had never experienced anything like that .
Are there any other notable cars you guys raced within the sportsman ranks ?
BO : We had this 1965 Corvette that had been back-halved by Willie Rells . It had a big block , Lenco and also had power windows .
JE : I clocked 9-flat in that car on the quarter mile , which was extremely fast in those days . Then I ’ d stop to get the time slip and I ’ d roll down the electric window ! What led you to join Pro Stock ? BO : We were thinking about getting a tube chassis car and Jerry said , “ We should just get a Pro Stock !” In the latter part of 1980 we again contracted Willie Rells to build us one of the new 1981 Camaros and we took the engine out of our Corvette and put it in the Camaro . Our very first race was at the Golden Gate Nationals in late 1980 and we actually qualified .
JE : Yep , we bumped out Grumpy Jenkins on the very last qualifying attempt ! It was Pro Stock that actually led us to Ohio ; we moved there to-
60 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 117