Official Website of PACERS AUTO, INC.® aka SNIZEK & DODGE RACING TEAM
N.H.R.A. National Record Holder 1963-1964-1966
East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame Team
NNDRA Legion of Honor

The Tasmanian Devil:
A strong murderous beast with a ravenous appetite, possessing jaws as powerful as a steel trap. It eats tigers, lions, elephants, buffaloes, donkeys, giraffes, octopuses, rhinoceroses, moose, chickens, ducks, and especially rabbits. Whirling 'round like a tornado, slicing through trees like a circular saw, feasting on an entire ecosystem of jungle creatures, the Tasmanian Devil has but one thing on his mind: Eating. This carnivorous native of Tasmania has the power to devour everything and anything in a single gulp. When this furry, salivating beast comes a-runnin', giraffes scurry for their lives, alligators turn themselves into luggage to hide, and sharks literally leap out of the water. -looneytunes.warnerbros.com

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. It was known for roaring down the quartermile leaving behind its hazy smoke trail the entire 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.

The Pacers' Co-Owners, Driver, George Snizek, and Tuner, 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 Pacers were engineers & innovators in their field many times fabricating their own specialized parts like valves, heads, exhausts & manifolds...There was no mail order back then. CARS Magazine credited them as being the first to use silicone as an dependable engine sealant. Most of the time, innovations came about out of necessity and trial and error. If it wasn't available, Snizek & Dodge designed & fabricated it. If it a part didn't hold up, they made it stronger. They were always testing, always tuning, always pushing the limit...always setting the pace. As their ET's & MPH's increased, they achieved speeds normally turned in by dragsters, and as a result, the Tasmanian Devil became the first car to require a parachute in a class outside other than dragsters.

Pacers Auto was one of the first racing teams to incorporate both "show & go" PR 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 among the first racing teams to build & utilize a fully enclosed car hauler (which jokingly housed 1000 horses) and their 1957 Chevy push 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 for 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 AA/A class speed record in 1963.

Some of The Pacers Snizek & Dodge Racing Team's accomplishments with the Tasmanian Devil Roadster include:

 

 

 

 

 

© 2006-2010 Scott Snizek. The Official Website of Pacers Auto, Inc.®  Tasmanian Devil Character © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.