Marv’s Garage: The secret legend.
Floyd Lippencott Jnr was one of the top driver's of drag racing's golden era, driving a twin-engined rail known as Freight Train for the way it demolished the competition. Lippencott Jnr owned the NHRA Top Gas class between 1962-1967, winning more than 600 races in his career, but disappeared after his retirement in 1971.
And that is because he never existed. Floyd was actually Bob Muravez, the youngest son of a successful washing machine man from Los Angeles. The son who was forced to choose between his love of drag racing or be excommunicated from his family when his father feared one of his 2 sons would die on a drag strip.
His dad, Ralph Muravez, was a Czechoslovakian immigrant who built a washing machine empire in LA, but wasnt a warm, doting type. Youngest son Bob had discovered drag racing on the streets of Burbank with his fellow Road Kings members (including TV Tommy Ivo) but quickly realised the track was the place to play.
In 1961 Bob Muravez started driving John Peters' and Nye Frank's twin-engined Freight Train dragster. This was during the NHRA Fuel Ban when Nitro was outlawed so twin (or more) engined diggers gave the thrills needed. But after Bob won Top Gas at the Bakersfield Fuel & Gas Championship in March '62, Frank forced him to choose: family or FEDs.
While he tried giving up, nobody could tame the Freight Train like Bob. After setting a speed record at 185mph and winning the 63 Winternationals Bob realised he needed to drive. It was reporter Steve Gibbs, doing another winner's interview with Bob, who invented Floyd.
The legend grew so quickly the NHRA gave Bob a licence undet Floyd's name with no image, while Bob's friends would often stand in for him when photographed on the podium. It lasted til he won the Springnationals in May '67 and one of Frank's mates saw him. It was all over.
He kept racing til 1971, and still runs the washing machine business today. Amazingly both Bob Muravez and Floyd Lippencott Jnr were inducted into the Motorsport Hall of Fame.
