2008 All Star Game In The Bronx
I am so excited. The 2008 All Star Game will be held in the Bronx at the house that Ruth Built. That’s right. It’s gonna be at Yankee Stadium. 2008 is the last year for the current Yankee Stadium before they tear it down 
and build a new one across the street. And since 2008′s All Star Game is scheduled to be played in an American League ballpark, Major League Baseball has chosen to play it in Yankee Stadium. Now I have something else to buy tickets for (if I can get them). I’ve been to a World Series game at Yankee Stadium. I’m planning on going to the last regular season game at the current Yankee Stadium and the first game at the new Yankee Stadium. The only thing missing from being a true die hard Yankee fan is going to an All Star Game at Yankee Stadium. The only thing that could make it even better would be if they had a Yankee in every position for one inning at the same time playing against the National League.
Gene Hedden said,
Wrote on January 18, 2007 @ 11:47 pm
I originally posted this in your page about the Briggs/TK LS6 Chevelle, but I didn’t know if you would see it so I posted it on the most recent page I could find. GH
Hi Dave,
My name is Gene Hedden. I grew up in Dunellen. My family used to live next door to your grandfather, Frank Stinner on Orange Street. I was a little kid when your dad, Jerry, as we knew him, was racing and was involved with Truppi-Kling in Piscataway & Green Brook in the 60’s-70’s. I was very much into drag racing as a little kid – still am, at 45. Always as a fan though – never raced, except my Aurora slot cars!
I used to love it when your dad would park some of TK’s race cars in the side yard at your grandfather’s house. I would climb all over and under the cars, inspecting every inch – I was probably 8-9 at the time. I probably bugged him every time I saw him about when he would have another car parked next to our driveway. I specifically remember a 69 Camaro super stocker – white, I think – though I can’t remember the driver or car name. Not Jenkins, though! I do remember that the rear quarter had the old Truppi-Kling logo, inside the Chevy bow tie, with “Truppi” on top, “Competition” in the middle, and “Kling” on the bottom. It stands out in my memory because the letterer misspelled “Kling” as “King” on one side of the car, so it read, vertically, Truppi-Competition-King, and I thought it was the name of the car!
Your grandfather once gave me an old, OLD, slot car around that same day when I was crawling on the Camaro race car – best I can tell it’s from the late 50’s, a very simple home set car with rubber band drive. I am an avid Aurora H.O. slot car collector, and I still have that very slot car to this day, in my collection!
I very much remember Ray Allen’s car, and I had been following the recent developments, the restoration and sale of it. I was actually looking for some pics of it from Barrett-Jackson when I found your website, and I knew I’d found a contact for my old neighbor. I always wondered if Jerry had stayed in drag racing to some extent, but I could never find a contact. How is he? What was his specialty in drag racing – did he ever drive? I always thought he was the coolest because he was in drag racing.
I wonder if he remembers us – my father’s name is Jack Hedden, he was a computer programmer, and a mechanic, part time, and used to work on friends cars in the driveway, and my mother, Sachiko, is Japanese. And I was the car crazy little kid. they still live in Dunellen. Please tell him I said “hello”.
My father used to take me to the TK shop to say hi, and see the cars. I remember names like Ray Allen, of course, Claude Urevig, John Lingenfelter(I remember a 73, or maybe 74 Corvette that I believe Lingenfelter raced with a 350 smog-motor, and he killed them in Super Stock with it. SS/EA I think. It was parked right outside the shop – I hope I have my facts right on this). Is there still a TK shop there?
Check this out – When I was in 5th grade, I got a little paperback book on drag racing, through the school, called “Drag Racing”, oddly enough. Among all the pics of great drag racers of the time(late 60’s-early 70’s), here was a pic of a Corvette – maybe a 63, 64, 65(?)at some track – not E-Town – and it was a sports class car,(NHRA had classes for sports cars back then) with a big racing number on the side, 3 digits as I remember, Truppi-Kling Competition, and it said on the front fender, “Chief Wrench – Jerry Stinner”. Well, I just jumped out of my seat in class, and I told everybody I knew the guy whose name was on this race car in my book! Nobody cared…
Well, fast forward a couple years, and here comes your dad to visit your grandfather, and he’s driving the very same car! The decals and numbers had been removed or primered over, but I knew it the instant I saw it. Boy, I was impressed! Do you know what ever became of that Vette?
I also remember your uncles Denny and Skip, and your aunt, Louanne. Skip had a tough Chevy Blazer with headers – yellow and black. It passed through a couple more owners in Dunellen before it rusted away. I used to see Denny at a restaurant in Somerville back in the 80’s – La Cuchina, I think. He was the manager as I recall. He also worked at a cafe in the Sears in Watchung when he was young, or maybe it was a department store in Plainfield -it has been a long time!
Well Dave, that’s my blast from the past – I’m sorry to take up your time with my sentimental journey. I think of your dad when I see old S/S pictures from the 60’s and 70’s and whenever Truppi-Kling is mentioned. I would really like to know how your dad is doing, and if he is at all involved in the sport anymore, as I see Tommy Kling is still out there. How about Ralph?
Regards,
Gene Hedden
Cranbury, NJ
Gene Hedden said,
Wrote on January 18, 2007 @ 11:48 pm
Dave – My email is afxrodshop2@comcast.net, or thunderjetgene@yahoo.com
Gene Hedden
Cranbury
stinner dot com - just some guy from Jersey » It’s Official said,
Wrote on February 1, 2007 @ 10:27 am
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