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We need info on this wild looking A/XS machine! -- David Dilbeck
(Updated September 2002) Thanks to Dennis Neal for sending us Joe Hood's name. He said that his father, Howard Neal, had match raced Joe at Calhoun Dragway in 1967. -- David Dilbeck
(Updated November, 2002) I'm sad to say that I found an article in Drag News (12/08/67) that reports a crash of Joe Hood's Hemi-Cuda at Warner Robins on November 5, 1967. Joe Hood (Chattanooga, TN) succumbed to injuries incurred in the crash. -- David Dilbeck
(Updated July, 2003) As was stated in your information Joe was killed in a crash at Warner-Robins in this car. The Hemi-Cuda was owned by Doug Potter, Joe Hood and Eddie Cross all from Chattanooga, TN. We raced the old 'Southern Match Race' circuit. Her best time was a high 9 at Miami Raceway. Shortly after this picture was taken we extended the front end 18" and it helped the handing of this car a lot. By the way Joe was know as Wildman because sometime he would have to drive the Hemi-Cuda in it's short form a half-mile to cover the quarter.
Doug still lives in Chattanooga and I live in Knoxville.
Thanks for the picture and the memories. I can still hear the sounds and smell the fuel. My eyes will sometime still burn and my ears will ring as I think back to those days of youth and the glory of the A/FX cars and crews.
By the way the Hemi-Cuda's slowest time was at a strip in Georgia. We were against the Moonlighter in the final round and they did not fire. Our transmission failed about 6 inches across the line and Joe pushed it through. It took about 20 minutes. That might be one for the record book :) ...
Thanks so much for your site -- Clark Eddie Cross
(Updated February, 2005) Regarding the statement written by Clark Eddie Cross as to the ownership of the car. The car was owned and built by Doug Potter, Joe Hood, and Russell Heffner at their garage in East Ridge, TN, aptly known as Fort Knox due to the amount of money that had been spent there. After Joe's death, Russell Heffner never had anything else to do with race cars and Doug Potter turned to boats and boat motors and started his own business.
Joe's 2 boys were so proud to see their Dad's race car on the internet. It also brought back lots of memories of trips to races when we had to win or borrow money to get back home on. Houston and Hubert Platt, Shirl Greer, Robert Nance, Howard Neal, Sox and Martin, and others are all familiar names to me and I hope they are all alive and well.
Sincerely,
Frankie Hood, widow of Wild Man Joe Hood
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