Every one of us hot rodders have a particular car we want in our driveway. Sometimes we get it, sometimes we don’t. Richard “Cricket” Clonch is one of the lucky ones to find that car and bring it home to live with him. It was the car he always wanted and as fate would have it, he found just the car he wanted online, right down to the colors he wanted. There was a bit of a false start acquiring the car, as the owner had already agreed on selling the car to another buyer, but Clonch was determined, and kept in touch with the owner just in case the deal would fall through. The car was obviously meant to be his as the deal did, in fact, fall through and Clonch became the proud owner. As he had to travel down south across the Mississippi river to pick the car up, Clonch considered naming the car the “Mighty Mississip” but instead settled on “Mother Nature” because it was kind of rusty and had a lot of patina on it. And in keeping with Clonch’s competition number, 247, both Mother Nature and the car are out there 24-7.
The car in question is a 1957 Chevy Bel Air 2-door hardtop, powered by a 355 cu.in. small block backed up with a powerglide transmission. Transferring the power to the ground is a Ford 9-inch rear housing 4:11 gears. Instead of restoring the car, Clonch instead opted to keep it in its’ original condition, preferring the character of the car over a flashy look. Clonch is no stranger to racing having raced in the Busch Grand National North Series Late Model, Super Stock, Street Stock classes before his wife got him off circle track racing and into drag racing, where he looks like a natural. On the day of this interview, “Mother Nature” had been running consistent 12.12s and just won the first round of competition with the East Coast Gassers, eventually going on to win the race. Just like Mother Nature, this car will be in the memories of those who see it 24-7.
techrat77 