Dirt
TRIBUTE
Richard Maskin
1947 – 2021 By Bill Holland
The motorsports world lost a friend and icon with the October 16 passing of Richard Maskin , a highlyrespected innovator , engine builder and racer whose accolades included being inducted into the Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame and a Lifetime Achievement award from NHRA . Maskin was 74 .
Maskin first achieved national prominence in 1970 with a ’ 68 Camaro called the “ Mouse Pack ” that was the small-block answer to the big-blockpowered “ Rat Pack ” entry of fellow Detroit area racers Wally Booth and Dick Arons . Maskin won several important races as a driver , but opted to focus on the mechanical side in future endeavors . He campaigned several AMC Pro Stockers , the most noteworthy of which was the “ Hornet X ” driven by Dave Kanners and employed numerous innovations . A few decades later Maskin came to dominate the Pro Stock class as an engine builder and crew chief , winning multiple NHRA world championships with Jim Yates and Jeg Coughlin Jr . behind the wheel .
Maskin is perhaps best known for his many engineering contributions to Dart Machinery ,
the high-performance cylinder head and engine block manufacturing company he founded in 1981 . An early success was the industry-first “ Dart II ” high-performance cast iron replacement head for the smallblock Chevy , as well as aluminum heads for the fabled Chrysler Hemi engine . Dart heads were employed by Kenny Bernstein to eclipse drag racing ’ s 300 mph barrier . Dart ’ s exploits with the big-block Chevy engine lead to the development of the record-setting “ Big Chief ” cylinder heads . Many other innovations were to follow .
The company has expanded substantially over the years , with engine blocks becoming an important part of the business . Various configurations of both cast iron and aluminum blocks are offered for Bowtie SBC , BBC and LS applications , plus small-block Ford . This year a Chrysler Gen III Hemi block joined the ranks .
In 2018 , Dart became part of the Race Winning Brands family , with a dedicated cadre of employees carrying forth Maskin ’ s visions and quest for excellence .
After Maskin ’ s passing , veteran Dart teammate Kyle Scheel said , “ While he will no longer be with us to see all of his ideas through , all of us at Dart want to maintain his legacy and continue to move the company he founded forward into the future as a leader in the performance industry .”
Bob Bruegging , the CEO of Race Winning Brands , added , “ What a life he had – doing it ‘ his way ’ for 50-plus years ! Competitor , innovator , friend , family man … he will be truly missed .” DI
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