When Pete Robinson showed up at the 1961 Nationals, he was relatively unknown even though he had already been drag racing for more than ten years developing his skills and knowledge of the sport he loved. As he began to defeat some of the top names in the sport, he soon became one of drag racing's stars. Making the jump from unknown to rising star was one of the factors that contributed to his nickname, "Sneaky Pete." Pete defeated Tom McEwen in the AA/Dragster final and went on to claim the Top Eliminator title in that same 1961 Nationals and had low e.t. of the meet. In 1964, Robinson switched to the newly restored NHRA Top Fuel category and went on to capture runner-up positions at the 1965 Springnationals to Maynard Rupp and the 1967 Springnationals to Don "Snake" Prudhomme. "Sneaky Pete" also had three NHRA Top Fuel national event titles, including the 1966 World Finals against Dave Beebe and the 1970 Summernationals where he defeated Jim Nicoll. After his 1970 Summernationals win, Robinson left the cockpit to concentrate on manufacturing innovative drag racing components that included lightweight supercharger cases. At the time, Robinson had the only SOHC Ford powered dragster left in Top Fuel and named Bud Dabler as his new driver. After recording his quickest time ever, a 6.50 e.t. at an AHRA Grand American Series race three weeks prior, Robinson decided to go to the 1971 NHRA Winternationals to take the seat from his driver, who was not completely comfortable in "Sneaky Pete's" new dragster with its revolutionary ground effects system. After recording low e.t. of the day, a 6.77 second pass, Robinson's next run would be his last. During the run, Pete's dragster chassis twisted and the front tires spun off their wheels, forcing the car into the right guardrail. On February 6, 1971, drag racing would lose one of its most-liked personalities as well as one of the greatest innovators when Robinson, 37, succumbed to his injuries at a Pomona hospital later that day. Pete Robinson is still known today for his popularity among fans and fellow competitors, and many say he surely would have been involved in the sport today. In 1992, he was inducted into The Drag Racing Hall of Fame. Your 1320, Inc. Tinker Toy V replica is one of 5000 pieces and is fully licensed by Pete Robinson's family, his wife Sandra and daughter Kelly.

Home