{{Short description|Canadian drag racer and crew chief}} {{sources needed|date=April 2026}} [[File:DaleArmstrongWorkingOn BernsteinDragster.jpg|thumb|right|Armstrong (left) working on Kenny Bernstein's car]] '''Dale Armstrong ''' (1941 – November 28, 2014) was a Canadian drag racer and crew chief. After winning 12 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and 12 International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) events in the 1970s,<ref name="CMHF">{{cite web|url=http://www.cmhf.ca/member_DALE_ARMSTRONG.html |title=Dale Armstrong |year=1995 |publisher=Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame |accessdate=14 March 2010 }}{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> including the Pro Comp title in 1975, he became Kenny Bernstein's crew chief.<ref name="2010ClassNASCAR">{{cite web|url=http://www.nascar.com/2010/news/business/03/02/akulwicki.motorsports.hof/index.html?eref=/news/business|title=Kulwicki part of '10 class to be inducted in MHOF|date=March 2, 2010|publisher=NASCAR|accessdate=13 March 2010}}</ref><ref name="NHRA10" /> The combination produced four consecutive national championships in Funny Car (1985 to 1988) and another in Top Fuel.<ref name="2010ClassNASCAR" /><ref name="NHRA10" /> Bernstein became the first driver to top the 300 miles per hour mark in an engine tuned by Armstrong.<ref name="2010ClassNASCAR" /> Armstrong has been inducted in numerous halls of fame. He died on November 28, 2014, at his home in Temecula, California, at the age of 73. He had sarcoidosis.
==Career== Armstrong was born in Holden, Alberta, in 1941.<ref name="SportsIllustratedOctober191992">{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1004362/2/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026071939/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1004362/2/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 26, 2012|title=Mr. Greatwrench|last=Hymon|first=Steve|date=October 19, 1992|publisher=Sports Illustrated|accessdate=14 March 2010}}</ref><ref name="NHRA10" /> He bought his first car, a 1936 Ford Coupe, for five dollars at age 14.<ref name="SportsIllustratedOctober191992" /> In 1957, he began drag racing the car on a dragstrip at an airport near Calgary.<ref name="SportsIllustratedOctober191992" /> It took him five attempts to make a {{convert|60|mph|km/h|adj=on}} pass; he took out non-essential pieces of the car such as the back seat to lighten the load.<ref name="SportsIllustratedOctober191992" /> His reputation for repairing cars quickly grew and soon there were cars lined up for repairs behind his family's garage.<ref name="SportsIllustratedOctober191992" /> He began drag racing in NHRA's Northwest division in a Chevrolet Z-11 in the B/Factory Experimental class in a front-ended machine that had 11-second passes at {{convert|115|mph|km/h}}.<ref name="NHRA10" /> Armstrong and a friend towed his dragster to Southern California for the February 1964 Winternationals.<ref name="SportsIllustratedOctober191992" /> In January 1965, he moved to Southern California and began campaigning a Chevrolet II at local tracks since he could compete up to five nights per week.<ref name="SportsIllustratedOctober191992" /> He converted the car into a Funny Car and began running the car in early 1966 using the nickname "The Canuck".<ref name="NHRA10" /> The car appeared on the cover of Hot Rod Magazine in December 1966; the article in the magazine said "Even a diehard Chevy lover would have trouble telling just what had been the original vehicle".<ref name="SportsIllustratedOctober191992" /> The supercharged engine achieved runs in the 8-second bracket with a top elapsed time (e.t.) of 8.89 seconds.<ref name="NHRA10" /> In 1969 he drove a Chevrolet Camaro in the Super Stock class and he followed it up with making passes in Funny Cars "Travelin' Javelin" and Tom Strum's Swapper.<ref name="NHRA10" />
Armstrong switched to the Injected Funny Car class in a 1973 Barracuda before moving to the new Pro Comp class in 1974.<ref name="NHRA10" /> He joined Ken Veney's team and beat Veney in the finals of his first A/Fuel event at the Winternationals.<ref name="NHRA10" /> He also won the AA/Altered U.S. Nationals for Jim Foust that season before moving to Pro Comp in 1975.<ref name="NHRA10" /> While competing in Foust's Alcoholic BB/Funny Car, he won the Pro Comp championship including wins in the U.S. Nationals and Worlds.<ref name="NHRA10" /> Armstrong continued racing in Pro Comp for three more years. During that time, he won eight more National events including the 1977 U.S. Nationals.<ref name="NHRA10" /> In 1976, he won seven of nine IHRA Pro Comp National events and the championship.<ref name="DragRacingOnline2000">{{cite web|url=http://www.dragracingonline.com/innerview/armstrong_1.html|title=Dale Armstrong|last=Hawthorne|first=Darr|year=2000|publisher=Drag Racing Online|accessdate=14 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113133745/http://dragracingonline.com/innerview/armstrong_1.html|archive-date=13 January 2010|url-status=usurped|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
He moved to Funny Car in 1980 and 1981 and had three final-round loses.<ref name="NHRA10" /> He used Mike Kase's Dodge Omni at the 1981 World Finals to set a national record with a 5.891 second pass to break Bernstein's 5.90 mark.<ref name="NHRA10" /> During the 1981 season, he had two accidents. Armstrong described the fiery 240 mph crash of his Dodge Challenger at Columbus, Ohio: "Yeah, that was kind of a bad one," he said. "It told me it was time to get out of driving."<ref name="SportsIllustratedOctober191992" />
===Crew chief=== thumb|right|Bernstein's 1987 Funny Car after running a 5.364 pass, then the quickest pass in Funny Car history Armstrong joined Bernstein's team as his crew chief in 1982.<ref name="NHRA10" /> In late 1983, he took their new Ford Tempo-bodied Funny Car to a wind tunnel and found additional speed after some modifications.<ref name="NHRA10" /> Bernstein had a 5.80 e.t. with an all-time-best {{convert|260.11|mph|km/h|adj=on}} pass in the 1984 Gatornationals finals to beat John Collins.<ref name="NHRA10" /> Bernstein ran third in points that season in his Budweiser Tempo.<ref name="NHRA10" /> Armstrong tested an on-board computer to see when the clutch was engaged and when the spark plugs were firing.<ref name="SportsIllustratedPage3">Sports Illustrated, "Mr. Greatwrench", page 3</ref>
Bernstein won the 1985 championship after winning six of 12 national events and reaching nine finals.<ref name="NHRA10" /> The Armstrong-wrenched Tempo set two national records during the season.<ref name="NHRA10" /> Bernstein continued winning in 1986; he won five of 14 events.<ref name="NHRA10" /> He qualified number one eight times, set the low e.t. ten times, and reached eight finals.<ref name="NHRA10" /> Bernstein had the first Funny Car 270 mile-per-hour pass at the U.S. Nationals ({{convert|271.41|mph|km/h}} / 5.50 seconds) and lowered the record e.t. into the 5.4 second range with a 5.425-second run at the Chief Nationals.<ref name="NHRA10" />
Armstrong continued as Bernstein's crew chief in 1987 and they used a controversial Buick LeSabre body.<ref name="NHRA10" /> Bernstein won a record-tying seven national events and achieved their third consecutive Winston points title.<ref name="NHRA10" /> The Buick had the first 5.3 second run at the Winston All-stars race with a 5.39-second e.t.<ref name="NHRA10" /> Bernstein tied another Don Prudhomme Funny Car record when he won his fourth straight championship in 1988.<ref name="NHRA10" /> His Buick Reatta made six finals, winning three times, achieved six low e.t., and qualified number one five times. In 1989, Bernstein finished third in Funny Car before moving up into the Top Fuel class in the following season.<ref name="NHRA10" />
Armstrong continued as Bernstein's crew chief in Top Fuel, and the combination produced six wins in 1992 which tied a class record.<ref name="NHRA10" /> In 1993, Wes Cerny developed a cylinder head / magneto combination that Armstrong tuned for the first 300 miles per hour run.<ref name="NHRA10" /> At the Gator Nationals qualifying, Bernstein also set the record e.t. with a 4.823-second pass at {{convert|301.70|mph|km/h}} during qualifying for the Motorcraft Gatornationals in Gainesville.<ref name="NHRA10" /> Armstrong said:
{{quote|Being the crew chief on the first car to run 300 means more to me than any national event win or any Winston championship. There isn't any question at all. People will forget what years we won the Winston championship, but they'll never forget when the first 300 was run and who did it.<ref name="NHRA10" />}}
At the 1994 season-ending Winston Select Finals at Pomona, Bernstein broke the 310 mph barrier with 311.85 and 314.46 passes.<ref name="NHRA10" /> In 1996, Bernstein won the Winston Top Fuel championship.<ref name="NHRA10" /> In doing so, he was the first driver to win Winston championships in Top Fuel and Funny Car.<ref name="NHRA10" /> Armstrong became one of the few crew chiefs to win titles in both classes.<ref name="2010ClassNASCAR" />
Armstrong and Bernstein parted ways in 1997 after being together for 16 season; Bernstein had won 48 events and five championships with Armstrong.<ref name="NHRA10" /> Armstrong joined Don Prudhomme's Miller Lite team at the end of that season.<ref name="NHRA10" /> Larry Dixon drove Prudhomme's dragster on the first 4.4 second pass (4.486) at the Matco Tools SuperNationals. In 2000, Armstrong joined Jerry Toliver's World Wrestling team in Funny Car - the team led the Winston points in August before finishing third.<ref name="NHRA10" />
==Innovations== Armstrong became the first chief to test Funny Cars in a wind tunnel.<ref name="2010ClassNASCAR" /> Other innovations included equipping dragsters with data recorders, installing a two-stage lockup-style clutch, and a fuel delivery system with two sources.<ref name="NHRA10" /> He developed dynamometer testing for nitromethane.<ref name="NHRA10" /> Some innovations later outlawed because they were too costly or too fast for the track included a three spark plug per cylinder magneto and a two-speed supercharger.<ref name="CompetitionPlus">{{cite web|url=https://www.competitionplus.com/featured-stories/6566-dale-armstrong-interview-the-best-plan-for-slowing-top-fuel-dragsters-and#https://www.competitionplus.com/featured-stories/6566-dale-armstrong-interview-the-best-plan-for-slowing-top-fuel-dragsters-and#|title=Dale Armstrong Interview - The Best Plan for Slowing Top Fuel Dragsters and Funny Cars|last=Asher|first=John|date=July 4, 2008|publisher=Competition Plus magazine|accessdate=14 March 2010}}</ref>
==Legacy== Armstrong was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 1995.<ref name="CMHF" /> He was named eleven times to Car Craft magazine's All-Star Drag Racing team;<ref name="CompetitionPlus" /> he received their Ollie lifetime achievement award with Bernstein in 1997.<ref name="NHRA10" /> In 2001, the NHRA ranked him tenth on their Top Fifty drag racers of all time.<ref name="NHRA10">{{cite web|url=http://www.nhra.net/50th/top50/D_Armstrong10.html|title=No. 10: Dale Armstrong|year=2001|publisher=NHRA|accessdate=14 March 2010}}</ref> He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2010.<ref name=MSHoF>[http://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/dale-armstrong.html Dale Armstrong] at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Dale}} Category:Racing drivers from Alberta Category:2014 deaths Category:People from Beaver County, Alberta Category:1941 births Category:Dragster drivers Category:Deaths from sarcoidosis Category:Canadian racing drivers