Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins

Jenkins grew up in Malvern Pa. He began racing in the late 1950s, driving his famed “Grumpy’s Toy” Chevrolet to Pro Stock success in the mid-to late 60s.

Jenkins earned fame by helping revolutionize the Pro Stock class through innovations in engines, suspensions and other parts. He also was a successful driver, winning 13 NHRA national event victories and numerous other races under various sanctions.

Jenkins earned a mechanical engineering degree from Cornell, using that knowledge and his personal skills to transform the Pro Stock class. Known as the “FATHER OF PRO STOCK” Jenkins’s engines won five NHRA championships in a row.

Jenkins’s mechanical innovations included drag racing’s first Kickout oil pans, the Pro Stock strut-style front suspension, the dry-sump oiling system, the electric water-pump fan, gas-port pistons and slick-shift manual transmission.
In 2011, Jenkins was voted number 8 among NHRA’S greatest racers by a poll of drag racing experts and is a member of the Don Garlits International Drag Racing Hall of Fame, the Motorsports Hall of Fame and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.

Jenkins garnered the nickname “Grumpy” for his no-nonsense attitude.
Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins passed away March 29, 2012, at the age of 81 .