John Randell's * Re -Entry *

 

 

 

 We did a story on John Randell and his rear engine dragster in the past and now we are going to step back in time and go in-depth with him about his new (FED) front engine dragster that's named Re-Entry !   Did you know that John became the first Type 1 Diabetic to drive a Front Engine Dragster! Well on March 2nd, 2022 he created  history at Bakersfield, C.A. where he got licensed! 

  John tells us in his own words what transpired after that life changing event. On March 3rd, 2022, I qualified for my first March Meet! However, it wasn’t the history or the achievement I wanted, it was the opportunity to unveil Re-Entry! 

 

Re-Entry was an altered my Father Jim Randell and his best friend Terry Roche ran in the early 70s! In 1972 Terry took the car to St. George,U.T. for a race and unfortunately ended up being the last race for Re-Entry. Terry passed away in 2008 and my brother Greg Randell did Re-Entry 2 on my nephews Jr. Dragster as a tribute. In 2019 when I bought my Front Engine Dragster it was no doubt I was going to bring back the name! 

 In 2021 I started to talk a gentleman named Spencer Sharp who is one of my fathers friends, little did I know he was the original owner of the Re-Entry Altered before Terry had it. So when I mentioned to him that I was going to use the name, it was one of my proudest moments, as that name was forgotten for almost 50 years! 

When I designed the car I used  Pete Robinson's car as a reference, his car was simple and clean. With the new Re-Entry car I wanted to have that true nostalgic look. When I designed the cowl I made it as a passing of the torch. Brad Woodard owned the car before me so the cowl artwork was just the perfect story since Sharp & Roche owned the altered and Woodard & Randell owned the Front Engine Dragster! 

                                                                The show quality paint job was laid down by Findlay Customs in Henderson, N.V.
 

 

 So on that March 2nd, 50 years after the wreck it finally saw a racetrack again! This was one of the biggest moments I’ve had, and I was very nervous because, all eyes were on me. People doubted I could drive a Front Engine Dragster and on my second pass I went for it and showed why you should never doubt me! 

Every racer and photographer loved the look of the car and I was proud because, I designed it! That day was extremely emotional for me because it brought back memories not only for my father but everyone who was apart of the original car. 

Re-Entry is powered by a 408 cubic-inch small-block Chevrolet with mechanical fuel injection.  Gear changes are handled by a heavy-duty Reid Aluminum case transmission built by Hughes Transmissions. Getting the power down to ground is a set of 4:88 gears stuffed into the rear end.

John's best time so far was a 7.46 at 176 m.p.h, all while the plugs were misfiring! His best RT was a .001 with only 5 passes under his belt. You would think he was a seasoned veteran but he is just in the shakedown phase with this car, John states that there is a much better motor getting ready for next season and they expect it to much faster .

 

 

                                                    John is grinning because he just qualified for his first March Meet !

 

John said this would be the last time Re-Entry would ever be on a car, but he thinks it will be much more appreciated in Nostalgia Top Fuel in the future!

Thanks John for sharing your story, not only with me but with my readers as well !

I love what your doing by continuing your fathers legacy with the new Re-Entry Front Engine Dragster. And we look forward to adding more as your journey continues.

Photo's courtesy of Randell Racing 2022 !