I was at the races in Reading when one of Nicky Boninfante’s friends, Bob Rosetty, walked in to say hello and handed me a magazine, Speed and Supercar, June, 1970. On page 42 is a story about my dad, Dave Oberhofer. I had never seen the story before. It was so cool to see. People ask me all the time how I got into drag racing. It was because of Dave "O". He knows Connie from back in the day. Scott and the team would stay at my dad's shop in Dallas when they were travelling through.
 
That is how I got to know Connie and Scott and what got me a job with Kalitta Motorsports. Dave "O" has had many race cars over the years, from Junior Fuel to Top Fuel and one that he even buried. I thought the story about the buried race car was bogus until it confirmed by my Grandma "O". Evidently my dad was really irritated, to say the least, with his 1948 Fiat Topolino, so one day he got a shovel and starting digging a big hole in the yard. Once the hole was at the right size, he pushed the Fiat in the hole and buried it. Grandma "O" told me that the people who bought her house found it when the dug a hole for a swimming pool. She told them that was her son was mad at his race car and decided to bury it. The new owners had even called the police because they were worried that the unearthed car might have been involved in some criminal activity…after all, it’s not often that you dig up a car in your yard.
 
Dad was the 1968 and ’69 points runner-up in Junior Fuel in AHRA. From 1971-73, Dave "O" along with driver Jim Grace and Frank Johdos ran the “Pleasure Seekers” Top Fuel car. From 1974-76, dad ran the “Nirvana” Top Fuel dragster with Chip Brown and driver Hank Endres.
 
I get people telling me all the time to say hello to your Dad for me and ask what he is doing nowadays. He now lives in the Dallas area with my Mom, Sue "O". It's nice to hear the stories that people tell me about racing with or against Dave "O". The car in the magazine was a cool car that he did really well with. He won the AHRA 1969 Summer Nationals in “B Fuel” and the Spring Nationals when it was at E-Town with that car.
 
I want to also wish everyone a Happy and safe Holiday Season.  
 
Jon"O"