Former Disney animator, Robert McKimson, based the "Taz" character on the
real-life Tasmanian devil of Australia, though the most noticeable resemblance between the
Australian mammal and the cartoon creation is their ravenous
appetites. In fact, this appetite serves as the impetus for McKimson's "Devil May Hare"
(first released on June 19, 1954). In the cartoon short, Taz
stalks Bugs Bunny, but due to his
dim wits and inability to frame complete sentences, he serves as little more
than a nuisance. Bugs eventually gets rid of him in the most logical way
possible: matching him up with an equally insatiable bear trap kissin' female
Devil. The character's speech, peppered with growls, screeches, and raspberries, was provided
by the late Mel Blanc. After the short entered theaters, producer Edward Selzer, head of the
Warner Bro's. animation studio, ordered McKimson to shelve the
character since it was "too obnoxious". After a time with no new
Devil shorts, Jack Warner asked what had
happened. He then saved Taz's career when he told Selzer that he had received
"boxes and boxes" of letters from people who liked the character and
wanted to see more of him. Taz was resurrected and McKimson went on to direct
four more Taz shorts before the Warner Bro's. animation studio closed in 1964. -en.wikipedia.org
During this same time period, a mechanical incarnate of the
cartoon character was growing in popularity on the drag racing scene.
Drag racing was in its early days
and fans knew the favorite cars and their crews by their nicknames. Don Garlits was "The Swamp Rat", Connie Kalitta was "The Bounty Hunter" and Snizek & Dodge were "The Pacers" who ran "The Tasmanian Devil." Their self-sponsored racing team out of Pacers Auto in
Oceanside, Long Island created a powerful machine worthy of it's nickname. Snarling
while standing, it was deafening as it roared down the track leaving behind its hazy smoke trail
the whole way. Racers feared the sound of its growl as it passed them
& crowds loved it as it devoured anything in it's way every weekend.
Driver,
George Snizek, and Crew chief, Charlie Dodge set numerous track, class, and NHRA speed records and were legendary in the 1960's dragracing scene for their consistency of strong tire smokin' performances. The Snizek & Dodge Racing Team amassed over
150 career wins plus, a few National Records. The team from Pacers were
engineers & innovators in their field by using second hand parts or creating their own. They were credited in CARS Magazine as being the first to use
silicone as an dependable engine sealant. Most of the time, the innovations came
about out of necessity. If it wasn't available, Snizek &
Dodge designed & fabricated it. If it didn't hold up, they made
it better. They were always testing, always tuning, always pushing the
limit, always setting the pace. As their ET's
& MPH's increased, they reached the numbers
normally turned in by dragsters, and as a result, the Tasmanian Devil became
the first car to require a parachute in a class outside of dragsters.
Pacers
Auto was one of the first racing teams to incorporate both
"show & go" at the drag meets with
their fully coordinated cars & crew. They initiated the polished team professionalism
which is now commonplace within the sport. They carried this thinking over to
the team transport as well. They were
one of the first racing teams to build & utilize a fully enclosed car hauler (which jokingly housed 1000 horses) and their tow trucks wore the same paint as well. Snizek
& Dodge were founding members of the CARS Magazine Racing Team as well as the Official Road Test Consultants for the magazine, as well as
Speed & Custom Magazine. Pacers Auto was the East Coast distributor
of Nitromethane Racing Fuel during the 60’s.
Snizek
& Dodge even found themselves the subject of Walter
Ungerer's dragracing documentary, "The Tasmanian Devil" which was all about the AA/A
roadster and the crew that built it to become the number one race car in
its class. It was filmed on location when they backed up the run
that set their first National NHRA speed record in 1963.
Some
of The Pacers Snizek & Dodge Racing Team's
accomplishments with the Tasmanian Devil Roadster include:
- Over 150 Career Wins.
- NHRA Record AA/Altered 154.90MPH. Atco, NJ June 16th, 1963.
- Popular Hot Rodding's "Best Appearing Crew" 1963 NHRA Nationals.
- NHRA Record AA/Altered 161.87 MPH @ 9.56 SEC. 1964 NHRA Nationals.
- "Best Appearing Car" NHRA 1st Regional Meet of 1965. Cecil County, MD in A/FD Class 8.81SEC.
- NHRA CLASS Record CC/FD 165.13 MPH @ 9.34 SEC. Island Dragway May 22nd, 1966.
- AA/FD Top Fuel Eliminator and CC/FD Super Eliminator Doubleup Titles,
- East
Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame Inductee, Henderson, NC 2008.
After
a long absence, the Rumble of the Raging Lil' White Roadster from Pacers
Auto is ready to shake the drag strips once again.
Just
as Jack Warner resurrected Taz for his fans, AAA Firefighting Equipment's Jerry Joaquin, under the guidance of George Snizek, has literally put Phoenix mythical magic into action by tasking the
drag racing experts at South West Custom Trucks in Apache Junction, Arizona to resurrect a brand new "Tasmanian Devil II". Taz II is
a Supercharged-Hemi-Powered '23T built to spec of the Original Tasmanian
Devil while incorporating 2008 NHRA tech specs. Its debut took place at Nancy Wilson's 2007 East Coast
Drag Times Hall of Fame Reunion and the featured coverage with Brett Kepner can
be seen on the
The "Tasmanian Devil II" has been designed to be MUCH
LIGHTER & MORE MEANER!!! to delight race fans all over again.
This site is a tribute to Pacers Snizek & Dodge Racing Team. I hope you enjoy it. Many thanks to all of you who have helped. -Scott Snizek
Charlie "Dodge" Hagenmayer (1931-2002)
- Pacers Auto History -
