During the heyday of drag racing in the 1960s and 1970’s, the major American automakers pulled out all the stops in an effort to beat each other at the race track. Many famous names and famous cars came out of this era, which fueled America’s lust for horsepower and muscle cars. These racers were on the frontlines of a war that continues to this day.

Redline Dodge was able to catch up with one of Mopar’s mightiest legends, Herb “Mr. Four Speed” McCandless, who raced for the famed Sox & Martin team from 1970 to 1974. McCandless was found, where else, but at the annual Mopar Nationals in Carlisle, PA.

Mr. Four Speed was there with his freshly restored 1972 Pro Stock Dodge Demon. This was the same car that helped him win four out of the six U.S. Racing Team drag events in 1972. McCandless and his mechanic, Gale Mortimer, put the car together themselves, and did a lot of unique things to stiffen the chassis in an effort to put more power to the drag strip.

McCandless also shows why he got his nickname; his car is a four-speed, and unlike today, there is no clutchless transmission in those old cars. He did it old school, the Way of the Three Pedals if you will. As for what it was like to race back in those days? McCandless says there’s no high like “winning a big race” behind the wheel of a HEMI, and we can totally agree with that.