Bill Jenkins, also known as “Grumpy” or “The Grump”, was a legendary drag racer and engine builder who helped shape the NHRA Pro Stock class with his innovations and achievements. He was considered one of the best drivers and tuners of his era, and was inducted into several motorsports halls of fame. He died on March 29, 2012, at the age of 81, of heart failure.
A Brief History of Grumpy’s Career
Jenkins was born in Philadelphia in 1930 and grew up in Malvern, Pennsylvania. He started working on motors on his neighbor’s tractor engine and began drag racing in a 1955 Chevrolet convertible at local dragstrips. He studied mechanical engineering at Cornell University, but left in his third year to pursue his passion for racing.
He became nationally known in the early 1960s as the engine builder for Dave Strickler, who drove the series of “Old Reliable” Chevrolets, including the first 1963 Impala Z11 lightweight car. Jenkins and Strickler won the Little Eliminator at the 1963 Nationals with an A/FX 427 Chevy. Jenkins switched to Dodge in 1964 and 1965, but returned to Chevrolet in 1966, without any factory backing, and started racing an L79 Chevy II in Super Stock.
In 1970, Jenkins became one of the founding fathers of the Pro Stock class, which featured production-based cars with modified engines and chassis. He converted his 1968 Camaro to the new rules and dominated the Pro Stock debut at the 1970 Winternationals. He introduced many innovations to the class, such as full tube chassis, MacPherson strut-type suspensions, dry-sump oiling systems, cool cans, electric water pump fans, gas port pistons, and slick-shift manual transmissions. He also set numerous records and won 13 NHRA national events.
Jenkins was known for his skillful shifting of the manual transmission, and in 1972 he recorded 250 straight passes without missing a shift. He also earned more than a quarter-million dollars racing that year, tying him with Wilt Chamberlain for the highest-paid professional athlete and landing him on the cover of Time magazine.
Jenkins started to phase himself out of the driver’s seat in the mid-1970s, preferring to focus on building and tuning cars and engines for other racers. He continued to campaign his famous series of Grumpy’s Toys cars, which numbered 17, until the early 1980s. He kept his shop in Malvern open until the mid-2000s, and made occasional appearances at drag racing events and shows.
The Cause of Grumpy’s Death
Jenkins died on March 29, 2012, in Paoli, Pennsylvania, of heart failure. According to Darwin Doll, who was working with Jenkins on a drag racing exhibit at the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing, Jenkins had suffered a couple of heart attacks in the weeks before his death, but was recovering from the second one when he passed away.
Jenkins was survived by his second wife, Polly Wood, and his four children, Susan, William, Dani-El, and Jennifer. He was also mourned by his fans, friends, and fellow racers, who remembered him as a grumpy but brilliant and influential figure in the history of drag racing.
