Reliving the Glory Days with Herb “Mr. Four Speed” McCandless

Posted on August 11, 2011 by RLD

Legendary drag racer Herb “Mr. Four Speed” McCandless says it best, “when I drove for the Sox & Martin Racing Team, Ronnie (Sox) had the best job in the world and I had the second best!” We have to agree as Herb was right in the thick of the Super Stock and Pro Stock wars of the 1960s and early 70s. This was in an era when Detroit pulled out all the stops to win all the major NHRA national events. They knew a championship on Sunday would send fans (and customers) flocking into dealerships the following week looking to purchase a 440 Six Pack or 426 HEMI® powered Challenger, ‘Cuda, Charger, Road Runner or Super Bee.  During his time with Sox & Martin, Herb won many events but one of his most memorable wins was defeating fellow Chrysler racer Arlen Vanke in the first ever NHRA Pro Stock Eliminator at the 1970 U.S. Nationals. We recently ran into Herb at the All-Chrysler Nationals last month in Carlisle Pennsylvania where he was gracious enough to tell us a little about the glory days of travelling the country drag racing under the Dodge and Plymouth banner. He also gave us an inside look at his freshly restored 1972 Pro Stock Dodge Demon that he won four out of six United States Racing Team drag events that year. Check out the video and make sure to turn your speakers up because even idling, that high-compression twin-plug HEMI sure sounds angry!