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Asphalt Elephant 529
Summary Always a fan favorite whenever it comes out of the trailer, the Asphalt Elephant 1962 Dodge Dart combines the unique styling of early 60’s Chrysler Corporation vehicles with very high performance to make it half of the most attention-grabbing NSS duos currently running, along with its companion car, the Asphalt Angel.
Owner and Sponsors Owned by John Grinwald of Watertown, Wis. / sponsored by Almost NOS, LLC, and Jim’s Car Shop of Fond du Lac, Wis. Driver John Grinwald is married to Denise, and has two children, Chelsea and Nic. Grinwald, a former Dodge dealer, now owns several businesses, including Grinwald Ford Mercury, Watertown Body Shop and is a co-owner in Almost NOS, LLC. Also an expert in classic muscle car restoration, Grinwald, along with partner Rich Berlisk, won Best of Show three times with three different cars over a six-year period at the Mopar Nationals. Grinwald, whose nickname is ‘Gentleman John,’ drove the Asphalt Angel five years in ET bracket racing before taking over the Asphalt Elephant.
History With an East Coast origin, there is evidence the Asphalt Elephant was first painted blue and owned by legendary racer Bill ‘Grumpy’ Jenkins. “It’s more than a rumor,” Grinwald said. Owned by Denny Guest in the early 80’s, the 4,000 original miles machine acquired red paint and a reputation on the Chicago street scene as being able to ‘hook up’ and win anywhere before being bought by Tom Ponder, who authored the name. First replacing a mild 440 with an 11-second combo, Ponder then changed to an Indy 572 motor and floater rear suspension, eventually posting a 9.48, 142 mph best in NSS. After watching the car run at the Monster Mopar NSS Nationals at St. Louis in 2002, Grinwald acquired ownership and has continued the improvement process. “We’ve done a lot of experimenting and now are working on consistency,” he said.
Technical Indy Maxx iron high deck block / Indy aluminum heads / Indy 2x4 NSS intake manifold with period-correct Carter carbs / 580 cubic inches, 902 horsepower, 787 ft.lb. torque / ATI 9-inch alcohol torque converter / Pro Trans with 904 internals / Dana 9 ¾ rear member / 4.10 ratio Performance For ¼-mile, runs on 9.00 AA/FX index at 148 mph / for 1/8-mile, 5.66 at 121 mph / all-time bests, 8.93 (club record) and 150.8 mph / for 60-feet, 1.28 all-time best
Results/Achievements Quick qualifier, Mopars At The Strip 2007/Class champion AAA/FX, Chrysler Classic Bowling Green, Ky. 2007/Top class mph, NHRA Hot Rod Reunion 2006/Two-time Monster Mopar NSS Nationals A/FX class champion 2004-05 |