RPM Q & A BREAD WINNER Bumbarger (left) doesn’t just write about street machines, he has owned and built several including this 1955 Chevy Sedan Delivery, dubbed the “Chevy Bread Truck.” RPM: Presumably you are hopeful that the book is made into a movie in time? JWB: Steve, it is what it is, I’m not about to speculate on something like that. It all comes down to whether or not the readers are inspired by my story. I’m too old to get excited about it…I just want my friends to enjoy what I have written. It was exciting to write the story…heck…I even get excited when I read the story, so I hope others will too. RPM: If it does hit the silver-screen can we expect to see you in a background shot or having a cameo role? JWB: Not sure at this time. I could be dead by then. Most artists don’t become famous until after they have passed on. RPM: You’re clearly a gearhead, what cars have you owned and enjoyed? JWB: Too many cars to mention; Camaros, ’70 Nova, ’71 Firebird, ’70 Chevelle, ’70 bowtail Riviera, ’65 GTO…and the list goes on. The argument of Ford vs. Chevy may rage on, but I made up my mind early on, for me

it was simple, I was a GM guy and that was the way it turned out. I couldn’t afford Fords, although I did have a stint where Mopar captured my attention when I owned a ’70 Dodge Challenger and a ’71 Dodge Coronet nicely equipped with a 440cid (the unproven motor) – and a four-speed. As an entrepreneur, most of my funds went into my business. During my years as founder and publisher of Hot Rod News, I owned a ’55 Sedan Delivery and the world’s fastest, hot-rodded, flamed Chevy Bread Truck. RPM: What was your best-ever ET in drag racing and what were you driving? JWB: I’m old and that was a very long time ago. I can tell you where it was and what I did it in but that is about the extent of it. Really I’ve spent the greater portion of my life serving the gearhead community, writing about their exploits and accomplishments. My first run was at Keystone Raceway in New Alexandria which is now Pittsburgh Raceway Park and I did it in a small tired, silver, blown small block 1969 Camaro. I raced several years in dirt cars too, as for remembering accomplishments let’s just say, I was there to compete and give guys fits trying to keep up. RPM: You currently have an idea for a TV series that you’re discussing which I’m sure would be of great interest to RPM Magazine’s readers – can you give us a little flavor of it?

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JWB: The promotion of the idea is still very much in its infancy but basically it is a reality TV show called Trading Races. It focuses on separate but collective target racing au-

diences: dirt racing and drag racing! The show will be set in garages and at race tracks specifically designed for racers and their crews, viewers will tune in to see which race crews can handle the pressure of swapping racing genre. Drag Racers will become Dirt Circle Racers and Dirt Circle Racers will become Drag Racers for one week to win bragging rights and sponsor dollars on national television and see which team will go away empty handed. Included in the show’s dynamic will be segments featuring life in the prepping of a car they know nothing about for a race week at a track that they know nothing about. They cannot solicit outside help and there is sure to be conflicting personalities that are certain to arise in confined spaces with the ever-present competition looming overhead. This is what I do best…serve the car community. I’ve had the good fortune of being part of both groups of gearheads over my lifetime. Truly they are a million miles apart when it comes to what makes their cars work. I just think it would be fun to put them in the camp they hate most and watch them flop around like fish out of water. The garage interaction and how they figure out what makes each other tick will certainly be what is most fun to watch. RPM: Finally, what are your plans for the future? JWB: I have a book in the works called “The Speed of My Life” that I am working on and several others in various stages of the writing process. I’m probably as ADD as they come, so multiple projects give me the ability to jump from one project to another and satisfy that tendency. Two Lane Blacktop Too: The Legend Lives is now available on Amazon for download for all e-readers or paperback is also available. Printed copies of the book or signed copies by JW Bumbarger are available by contacting Steve Wilson at steve55belair@aol.com.