Speed Week starts Saturday on the white, salty surface of Bonneville Salt Flats.
A record number of cars are expected to attend. Upwards of 500, I'm told. The creativity and ingenuity that goes into these cars and true appreciation of this track by drivers makes this one of my favorite events.
Every time I set foot on the snowlike surface, I can't help but reflect back on the driving feats of Ab Jenkins, Utah's most decorated race car driver.
I look at drivers and cars today and wonder how Jenkins survived, let along set all those records.
The one that I find most amazing was his 24-hour endurance record set on the Salt Flats back in 1940 driving the now-restored Mormon Meteor III.
Jenkins drove for 24 straight hours and set an average speed of 161.180 miles per hour.
That record stood for 50 years.
Paul Newman brought in a team of mechanics, drivers and high-performance Ferraris to the salt on two occasions to try and break the record. After the two failed attempts, Newman reportedly said that Jenkins had something his team didn't.
And Newman had a lot of things Jenkins didn't.
In 1990, Chevrolet sent a team of drivers and two ZR-1 Corvettes to Fort Stockton, Texas. Switching drivers and cars over the 24 hours, they broke the record. "Almost 15 miles per hour faster," went the report. The new record was 175.885 miles per hour.
That team, too, had a whole lot of things Jenkins didn't, such as two cars instead of one, a tag-team of drivers and millions of dollars spent on high-tech equipment in order to build super-fast race cars. Jenkins drove the entire 24 hours and had to use 1940 technology and an old airplane engine to get his high speeds.
But there's more to this story.
Records show the Corvettes never came close to Jenkins' top speed of 196 mph. Where they won the record was in the pits.
With lightning precision, the Vets would drive into the pits and within seconds have new tires, a washed windshield and a new driver, and be out on the track again.
"Dad would have to shut off the engine about a mile from the pits and coast in," remembered Marv Jenkins, Ab's son. "Mom would bring Dad out a drink, and they'd talk while the crew checked the water and oil, changed tires, washed the windshield and refueled.
"Refueling was slow. Everything was gravity-fed. We tried to hurry, but we didn't have all the fancy equipment they have now."
And that's not all.
Drivers today are fitted with custom-fit fire suits, boots and gloves, a full-face helmet, a web of safety belts, and even air-conditioning units that can attach to the suits for cooling on super hot days.
Jay Leno once sat in the driver's seat of the Mormon Meteor III and asked Marv how anyone could drive in such a confining space with all the safety gear.
"Safety gear?" responded Marv.
He then produced a picture showing the racing attire of the times, which consisted of white slacks, white T-shirt and rubber-sole shoes. No helmets, no safety belts, no gloves, no fire-retardant suits and nothing but a cool drink given during pit stops to combat the heat.
I applaud the cars and drivers that show up on the salt. I'm in absolute awe when I think of what Ab Jenkins did on that very surface 66 years earlier.
E-mail: grass@desnews.com