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WWW.ROSSPISTONS.COM Story by Connell R. Miller • Photos provided by Boss Bird team
(310) 536-0100 Morrison, Illinois in the early him in 1954 after he took a Stock FoMoCo’s Mercury Division with
1950s was a sleepy burg of only a class win at the first World Series a Comet, but didn’t bolt from the
few thousand situated among the of Drag Racing in his newly- Pontiac brand completely, also
farmlands in the northwest part of purchased Oldsmobile. continuing to race the GTO which
the state. There, a young soldier was followed by a 421 cu. in.-
returning from military service A few years later, Beswick would powered Tempest burning nitro.
would normally fit right back into change his allegiance over to the
work either on the family farm or Pontiacs and, with his aptitude as a The next few years saw Beswick’s
one of the area’s agriculture-based mechanic that matched his driving cars grow progressively toward the
businesses, as his dad and his ability, he soon possessed what tube-chassied, flip-top ‘glass-bodied
father before him had done. every racer desired back in the day configuration tagged as “Funny
– a manufacturer’s sponsorship. Car” by the racing world. Staying
One such returnee from combat He was very competitive at the with his beloved Poncho brand, the
duty as a forward artillery observer wheel of his “goat” – a Pontiac 1971 season found Arnie strapped
DRIVER: BRENDAN MURRY
Photo Courtesy Of: Sherm Porter in Korea did just that, but his sights enthusiast’s endearing term for into a replica of a 1970 Firebird he
were set on more than sitting the brand – and raced often, with called the “Boss Bird.”
behind the wheel of a tractor on wins at events such as the 1961
ULTRA-HIGH PERFORMANCE his family’s 400-acre farm. Young U.S. Nationals. In 1963, however, This is where our story now takes
Arnie Beswick came home with a G.M. edict that banned the a several decade leap…..
FORGED RACING a passion for anything with four company from involvement in drag Spring Valley, Ohio’s Eric Larson,
wheels that went fast. His first
racing and Arnie lost his factory
love was circle track racing, where support. He continued to race his a mechanical engineer in the
aerospace industry, working on
PISTONS he was able to take a few turns at cars and, in 1964, brought out a everything from specialized unique
the wheel with cars owned by his
new, supercharged GTO that saw
projects to performing advance
Ross carries hundreds of proven, race winning piston buddies. Drag racing came a bit plenty of match race action. The testing of engine components, has
designs to fit virtually any engine combination. Along later with the bug really biting following year he moved over to long been a lover of everything
with an extensive line of piston accessories and coatings,
Ross has over 40 years of experience, in the design and
manufacturing of custom piston applications!
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ROSSPISTONS @ROSSPISTONS
+ PISTON COATINGS, RINGS & MORE!
Along with custom and off-the-shelf forged racing
pistons, we carry everything you need to build
the strongest piston setup for your build! We even
have multiple piston and skirt coating options
available to meet customer demands for more
efficient engine designs!
PISTON RINGS WRIST PINS PISTON COATINGS
PERFORMANCE AND DURABILITY YOU CAN COUNT ON! TRUSTED BY TOP DRIVERS FOR OVER 40 YEARS!
Fall 2019 Nitro Madness Magazine 5