Ed McCulloch

McCulloch grew up in Oregon.[1]

McCulloch started racing in a Chevrolet-powered Top Fuel dragster, which he built with his brother, Dan, in 1964.[2] The car ran well, but in only his second race, at Woodburn Dragstrip, McCulloch failed to lift off the throttle and hit the mount for the timing light; the car flipped, and McCulloch refused to drive again.[3]

It did not last. He partnered with Jim Albrich in building another car, and they hired a driver, who they could not afford to pay, so McCulloch took the seat.[4] He proved his skill by being named #1 on Drag News' Mr. Eliminator list on 13 June 1965, after defeating "Sneaky Pete" Robinson at Woodburn.[5] McCulloch would hold the ranking for most of 1965 and part of 1966, before losing it to Robinson.[6] Racing in the northwest, McCulloch beat Jerry "King" Ruth, thereby earning his nickname "The Ace".[7]

McCulloch moved to Funny Car in 1969.[8] Art Whipple had been slated to drive a new Chevrolet Camaro FC, powered by a big-block Chevy; McCulloch, intending only to do trial passes, qualified #1 at Woodburn and won the event.[9]

Whipple sold the Camaro, and McCulloch his dragster, in 1970, to build their first funny car together.[10] It promptly set national records of 7.19 seconds and 211 mph (340 km/h) at OCIR.[11] Bound for the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, the trailer caught fire and the car was destroyed.[12] McCulloch began racing the funny car across the U.S., which dragsters did not allow.[13] He won in his first Funny Car start.[14]

In 1971, McCulloch, his brother, and Whipple rebuilt the car, brought Ed Wills (of "Mr Ed") aboard that year.[15] and made it to Indianapolis, NHRA's biggest race of the year;[16] McCulloch won the FC class, his first national event victory.[17] He and his brother went on to wins at Gainesville and Columbus.[18] McCulloch also attracted sponsorship from model kit maker Revell, piloting the Plymouth Duster funny car, Revellution, beginning with the NHRA Supernationals at Ontario that year;[19] other drivers had only ever gotten royalties from Revell kits based on their cars.[20] (Revelloution would appear with a variable, and decreasing number, of "R"s as its career went on.) McCulloch's other major sponsor was Castrol.[21] McCulloch continued to campaign the car until 1977,[22] when the Revell deal expired.[23]

McCulloch parted ways with Whipple in 1972, after winning at the first race of the season, the Winternats,[24] but recorded wins at the U.S. Nationals, Winternationals, Bakersfield, Gatornationals, and Springnationals, plus being runner-up to Don Schumacher at the Summernationals.[25] During 1972 and 1973, McCulloch attended over 100 race meets; this record was matched only by "Jungle Jim" Liberman and "TV Tommy" Ivo.[26] He was edged out of a third straight national event win by Don Prudhomme at the U.S. Nationals in 1973.[27] His success earned him Car and Driver Driver of the Year in 1973.[28]

Despite the punishing schedule, McCulloch says, "I loved it."[29] He wished for an NHRA schedule of 30 national events a year, saying, "I'm sure I'm the only racer who would like that."[30] By 2017, there were 24.[31]

Between 1971 and 1973, McCulloch won five national finals of seven entered, but his edge faded after that.[32] He reached the final round several times, only to be runner up: to Dave Condit at the 1974 World Finals; at Bakersfield in 1973 (though he won there in 1974), three times in a row to Don Prudhomme in 1976, and to Denny Savage at the 1978 Summernats.[33]

The lack of success led McCulloch to take a break in 1979, and act as an occasional hired driver for the Super Shops funny car.[34]

He came back with a win at Indy in 1980, beating Tom Ridings with a holeshot, but an inability to get sponsorship meant he was unable to continue, and he was out for three more years.[35]

McCulloch's Miller-sponsored Funny Car doing a burnout in testing.

Larry Minor, then running a successful Top Fuel dragster team, picked McCulloch to drive a new funny car in 1984, and (with tuning by Bernie Fedderly and Dan Olson) he would put the Miller Beer-sponsored car in at least one national event final round every year until his retirement, scoring twelve wins in 29 races.[36] Of those, he won at Indy, He also took the Car and Driver award, again in 1988.[37]

In 1987, McCulloch faced a rookie John Force in his first TF/FC start. He was runner-up to national champion Force in 1990, with 5 wins of 9 events.[38]

McCulloch was in the top five Winston points-scorers seven years in a row, from 1984 to 1991.[39]

Going back to his roots, McCulloch switched to driving a TF/D in 1992, in Minor's McDonald's-sponsored car, and took his sixth U.S. Nationals win, his first in a Top Fuel dragster.[40] That year, he reached the final round five times, and won three times, coming fifth in the points standings.[41]

His twenty-second NHRA win, his last, was the NHRA Nationals in Houston, Texas, in 1993; he was also runner-up at the Gatornats and eighth in points.[42] That year, he also joined Slick 50's 300 mph (480 km/h) Club, with a pass of 301.70 mph (485.54 km/h), the twelfth driver inaugurated.[43]

McCulloch retired from drag race driving in 1993.[44] Then 51, appeared at an exhibition event, the Fast Masters Championship, competing in a Jaguar XJ220 at Indianapolis; he faced a number of other drivers, all over age 50, including oval track stars Gary Bettenhausen, Bobby Allison, Fred Lorenzen, Jim McElreath, Troy Ruttman, and Dick Trickle.[45]

The McDonald's-sponsored fueller in the pits, with wing removed

After the second race of 1995, Scott Kalitta's tuner, Dick LaHaie (working for Connie's team), asked McCulloch to be test driver; this time, he did not end up taking over the seat, but became a tuner for the senior Kalitta, after Dave Settles quit.[46] McCulloch helped Connie Kalitta to two final round placings.[47]

At the last race of 1999, McCulloch took over tuning for Ron Capps, and has aided him to two wins in 10 finals.[48] He took over tuning of Doug Kalitta's TF/D in 1998 and most of 1999, gaining two wins in seven events.[49]

Most recently, McCulloch acted as tuner for Prudhomme's Funny Car team, after Prudhomme added a second car in 2001, gaining one win in two final rounds.[50]

In his career, the only thing McCulloch had not achieved, as of 2001, was a Winston points championship win.[51]

McCulloch was named to the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 2000.[52]

In 2001, he was named #19 on NHRA's 50 Greatest Drivers list.[53]

He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2011.[54]