Page 5 - NMFall_2019
P. 5

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
   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10