R.I.P. Don Woosley

According to Bob Frey report on DRC, Don passed in his sleep (doesn't say when) at a young 63.
He was a good racer and fun guy in the pits.

R.I.P. Don, maybe I can tell a good Indy story tomorrow if anyone wants to hear it.

 

Here is the story for those who would like to read it.

http://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCStory.asp?ID=197706#indextop

Woosley was one of the pioneers of the Top Alcohol Class. I never met the man but his reputation was rather legendary. And as a kid growing up, he was one of my favorite racers.

My condolences to his friends and family.

Tim

PS: And yes Bob.... I for one could listen to all your stories. I would love to know more about him.

 

Don

Was it Don who had the yellow Ale 8 Alcohol Dragster in the 80's?

 

Yes, Saw him race many times on the east coast. Shared some of that lovely beverage with us up at Sanair. Think he was a Tim Richards Racing Engines customer at one point. Rest in Peace Don,

 

Woos!

He was not a Tim Richards customer. It was Woosley Sharp and Reynolds. What a great and fun guy. We all will miss you! After talking to Kosky I guess they were customers of Tims before I was I had just forgot. In any case He will sure be missed!

 

Richards

Yes they were a Richards customer at one time. Don was probably the best there was at the time. He now joins his good buddy the left us to soon Al Dapozo. I will now miss both of them R.I.P.friends. Lots of racing in heaven today . Mike Kosky

 

In the mid 80's, the late Larry Lay would host a "JETFUEL" party/barbie that was refered to as the "first round losers/non qualifiers gathering"
Those still in didn't stay too long, but those who fit the reference above partied long into the night.
I can't remember the year, but I think Don was still in, but of course, had to drop by to be social.
About the time what seemed like the first drum of "Jetfuel" was consumed, Woosley disappeared somewhere. Sharp and Reynolds asked for help in finding him, but nobody could. They hated to leave without him, but figured he needed his sleep and caught a ride with someone who left earlier.

Next morning, they pulled in looking perplexed, asked if anyone had seen Don, because he wasn't at the hotel and they had not found him. They decided they better get the car out and get ready, hoping he'd show up.

As they opened the back door of the trailer, all of a sudden a big wad of parachutes comes rolling down the door and when it gets to the bottom, it starts to move, then trash about, then an arm comes out along with some nasty words! A cold front had moved in that night and got pretty chilly. It turned out Don went to take a nap until everybody was ready to leave, got cold and the only thing he could find to bundle up was the chutes after the guys left. I think it took about 5 minutes to extract him from all the tangled shroudlines. I don't think he was laughing, but anybody who saw him roll down the door did!!!

I have severe CRS, but that's how I remember the story (and I'm stickin' to it).

R.I.P. Don, and say hello to Larry for me.

 

The Woos

Bob, Very good memory that's how it happened I was there, back in the day you needed to be in the staging lanes at Indy by 7:00 AM they were scrambling! My neighbor Larry (self proclaimed Easy Lay) had some good party's! Doesn't show our age, RIP guys.

 

Goodby Wooz.... I hope I am not racing you next week

I have been away from Winchester for a long time and now live in Australia for the last 18 years. Wooz’s passing now means I have another name to delete from my phone book. I will miss him.
Wooz and Billy Sharp and I all went to high school together. Wooz and I were always competitors, we had to be, he was a Chrysler guy and I was a Chevy guy.
Once back in Winchester I had a rented garage and there was a torrential down pour that flooded my workshop. As I waded in waist chest Wooz came roaring down the drive in his tow truck proclaiming he was on a marine salvage mission and he was there to proclaim the law of the sea. If it sunk and you find it, then it was yours. In fact he was there to help.
I first me Don through his older brother Jim whom I had met at a local model car contest when we were just 14 years old. Don was nuts then too. In our high school year book there is a photo of him hanging by one hand from the roof supports in the gymnasium. He was crazy then too.
One night a good friend of mine (Danny McCord) and I were in my dad’s ‘56 Chevy pick up and I was driving like I thought AJ Foyt may drive and I wound up in a ditch and stuck. Wooz happened to driving by in his 59 Plymouth and gave us a tow out. Dad never found out.

And there was the time Wooz had a contract to service the local phone company service trucks with hydraulic buckets on them. A neighbor of Wooz’s who lived upstairs over his business, next to Wooz’s workshop gave him a lot of grief about the noise. Wooz’s would do things just to harass him, on one occasion using the phone company bucket truck and knocking on his upstairs bed room window scaring the hell out of the old guy. Wooz’s was still crazy.
I guess you can sum up Wooz’s by saying, he never let an opportunity to have fun slip away. Drag racing is lucky to have had Wooz there. Last time we were in opposite lanes was Stanton Michigan 1986.

 

don and i were great friends, he had gotten pretty envolved in the ford deal in recient years and would attend almost every mustang event held at beech bend, at night without fail he would always come and visit me at my go kart track, we spent many hours re living the 70's and the many rounds he whipped us good in my old funny car, what a great guy. i will miss him. spivey williams.

 

saw woos in august him and sharp were hanging out at woos garage the car they beat armstrong was my old b gas dragster they bought from got the travling magic show and bill reynolds with the purchase and went on to make history . all 3 i considered to very good friends . will miss him a lot ron bales