People around Lakeport know John Peters from coffee shop conversations. Around the country, they know him for a car he built with Nye Frank — a dual engine rail dragster known as “The Freight Train.” Driven by the likes of Bob Muravez (aka Floyd Lippencott), Jerry Glenn, Craig Breedlove, Mickey Thompson and Tom “Mongoose” McEwen, The Freight Train won the Winternationals, the Springnationals, the Gatornationals and dozens of other races. Four iterations of the car dominated dragstrips from 1960 to 1972, until the NHRA dropped the top gas eliminator series. His car was the first gas dragster to top 200 miles per hour. It battled Roland Leong’s “The Hawaiian.” When he bolted on a pair of Chrysler Hemis, the car was almost unbeatable. The final version of the car, raced between 1968 and 1972, was the fastest of all time in the class. All the while Peters worked at Engle Cams. In 1980 Peters moved to Lake County and set up a racing engine shop. He and his son build engines for race teams around the country, including for some of the NASCAR divisions.
1. Mongoose (Tom McEwen) or Snake (Don Prudhomme)?
I know both of them personally, so it’s a 50-50 deal. They are great guys. They’ve contributed so much to the sport.
2. How dangerous was drag racing back in the ‘50s and ‘60s?
It is probably 75 percent less dangerous now. Guys are crashing now at 300 miles per hour and they walk away. In the old days they were running 150-160, but when you crashed you didn’t survive.
3. Do you watch drag racing now?
Very seldom.
4. You hit 200. Did you ever think cars would top 300?
No, we never did. They said at one time that it would be impossible to run over 150. Now they are doing 330.
5. How much has engine building changed?
Oh, man — a thousand percent compared to the welded cranks and stock blocks. The cam design, the connecting rods — everything has changed.
6. What is it about cars and speed?
What attracted me was Jack Engle telling me that a dual engine wouldn’t work. I don’t like people telling me something won’t work. I’ll do everything to prove them wrong.
7. Did you ever drive the car?
No. I never had the desire to drive a dragster. I used to street race back in the day, when you would find a deserted highway and the police would kind of escort you. Now they would escort you right to jail.
8. Which Freight Train was your favorite?
Probably this one [points to the 1968 car]. But they were all special because they were unique, they were different than everyone else’s.
9. What did it mean to win?
Back then winning a national event pretty much paid for everything. And there was the prestige. We went on tour one year across the country. We won a race in Wisconsin and they had guaranteed $1,600. That was in 1967. That was a lot of money in 1967. Winternationals pretty much paid for the year. Match races, for a weekend you could win $750.
10. Every gonna stop working on cars?
Probably when I die.
