Greetings blog fans from the Garden State! Once again the NHRA tour has dropped stakes in Englishtown. I’m sure that most of you know this is one of the most historic and storied events in the history of NHRA drag racing. Luckily for me, I get to let you guys and gals know about another little tidbit about this quintessential race track and two Jersey natives that we at Team Kalitta call the “O-Bros”.

Brothers Jim and Jon Oberhofer, crew chiefs on the Hillary Will-driven KB Racing, LLC Top Fueler and the Doug Kalitta-driven Mac Tools rail respectively, have been stalwart figures in Connie’s nitro army for many years now. The O-Bros have worked there way up from cleaning parts for a few bucks as a part-time gig to their positions today as the Bounty Hunter’s chief lieutenants. But, to borrow a query from my friend and NHRA announcer Bob Frey…Did you know…that the O-Bros are natives of the fine state of New Jersey? Yes, indeed. The only two sons of Dave and Sue Oberhofer, along with their singing sis Suzie, began their lives in the third of the original 13 colonies that formed the United States.

Now, some of you diehard Kalitta fans probably knew what I just told you, but did you know (Bob, a check for your residuals is in the mail) that the Oberhofer patriarch ran Top Fuel cars “back in the day”? Dave, along with his partners Frank Johdos and Jim Grace, who also served as the driver, campaigned both front and rear engine dragsters in the early 70s. The “Pleasure Seekers” raced up and down the east coast for several years until hanging it up in 1975.

Yesterday, a really cool thing happened here at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. A gentleman race fan summoned Jim-O to the ropes and handed him two photographs. Jim’s face lit up immediately because one of his best childhood memories was in his hands – photos of his dad’s dragster from here in Englishtown, circa 1973.

“Wow, I was about six years old when these were taken,” The elder “O” proclaimed. “Man, these bring back a lot of memories. We were too young to get in the pits here back then, so we have would sit in the stands with my mom all day. I’m sure she had her hands full!”

Jim took the prized photos around the Kalitta Motorsports pits like he was six again showing off his new toy to the other kids in the sandbox, giving each viewer his recollections without ever losing enthusiasm.

“I think the last time that car went down the track was in Columbus (Ohio) in ’75. It ran off the end of the track, through the sand, and into that guy’s yard. Somewhere there is a picture of that with my dad standing over the car with his head in his hands and a very disgusted look on his face. What’s really great about that photo is the guy that owns that house is in the background on his porch with a similar look on his face.”

I am ever-amazed at what one image or, in this case, a couple of images can tell and relive. I don’t think the cliché value of 1,000 words is really fair, do you? I know the O-Bros don’t.

Thanks for reading. See you at the drags!