‘55 Bel Air Nomad Drag Racer Restored in Memory of Driver
Jun 30, 2008
Danny Cummins’ dirt-stained helmet dangles on a hook in the race car he once drove.
Cummins, a Mobile drag strip racer in the 1960s and 1970s, was known in racing circles as “Dirty Dan” for his aggressive driving style and fierce competitiveness on the track.
While Cummins’ helmet still shows battle scars from his racing days, his car doesn’t bare markings from years of drag racing and sitting in an enclosed garage since 1975.
These days, the two-door 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad station wagon Cummins raced looks ready to line up on the drag strip for one more lap around the track.
But if that happens, Cummins won’t be behind the wheel of the car called the “Wompin Wagon.” Cummins died in 2004 after battling cancer.
More than 35 years after Cummins parked his racing station wagon, his lifelong friend, Peter Pearce, pulled it out of storage and restored the car to its original look, something Cummins wanted to do but never had the time.
“I know he’d be proud,” said Pearce, standing next to the shiny blue race car in the garage at his west Mobile home.
A sticker near the driver’s window reads: “In Loving Memory Danny Cummins In Our Hearts Til We Meet Again.” Another placard displays the message: “Sorrowfully Missed” and lists the names of Cummins’ family.
Pearce said once word spread about the car people started contributing money to help with the project. More than 40 people donated money.
“This is who I did it for,” said Pearce, standing in his garage at his west Mobile home, pointing to photos of Danny during his racing days.
“He would be totally overwhelmed by it,” said Sharon Cummins, Danny’s wife. “That’s the worst part of it, the fact he won’t be here to see it.”
“I was in the car a couple of times,” she said. “I don’t think he liked anything more than drag racing.
“He always said before he died that he wanted to race just one more time.”
For Pearce, who has restored old cars most of his life, this one was special.
“It’s in Danny’s memory,” said Pearce. “It’s from my heart.”
