At legendary Lions Drag Strip in Long Beach, California, Dick's '65 Dodge Coronet wows the packed house. Lions remains one of drag racing's most hallowed tracks and is remembered fondly by anyone who raced there or viewed its many events. Note how close to the action the spectator seating is. The car was powered by a Landy-built, gas-burning 426 Hemi Dodge using a pair of Holley carburetors. That setup quickly gave way to Hilborn fuel injectors with long intake-ram tubes and a blend of nitromethane and alcohol fuel for increased power output. Dick's car carries equipment typical for its day: multiple-leaf rear springs with a pinion snubber to control wrap-up. Also visible is a simple hoop-style rollbar, M&H Racemaster rear slicks, and American magnesium wheels. With this seemingly crude combination, Dick nipped into the low-9s at 150-plus mph, all this while rowing the Hurst stick on a four-speed transmission. This race car and others like it were the forebearers of the entire Funny Car movement.
During this upheaval, Dick continued working closely with the Mopar engineers to develop new products for the 426 Hemi engine. Among the projects Dick was involved with were the new twin-plug Hemi cylinder heads and the dual drive ignition distributor to fire them. He also participated in the many phases of intake manifold and carburetion development explored by Chrysler's fuel systems group. These included the transition from cast-aluminum intake manifolds to fabricated sheetmetal manifolds. In addition, he helped the effort by flogging Chrysler's true IR (Individual Runner) intake system. This utilized Holley's Model 4500 four-barrel carburetors with each venturi supplying a single intake runner and cylinder. Also researched were varying depths of plenums that yielded the optimum design for the carburetors used. All this R&D effort was directed towards the continuing improvement of the venerable 426 Hemi. Unfortunately, at least in Pro Stock, the tens of thousands of man hours devoted by Dick Landy and many other Chrysler racers and engineers were wasted by the continuing meddling of sanction body tech rule makers. Collectively, the pencil pushers effectively neutered what could have been the high benchmark of intermake drag racing competition.
To counter the oppressive rules aimed at the 426 Hemi, Chrysler also tried the small-block engine in a lightweight chassis approach. To do so, they lured Ford stalwart Bob Glidden to build and race an LA engine Plymouth Arrow subcompact. Bob's jump to the Mopar camp was surprisingly successful, and Dick also began building his own small-block-powered Charger. He completed this car and ran it in a series of match races with Brad Yuill and Kenny Dondero sharing the driver seat, finally parking the car in 1981. Fearing another Mopar-dominated season and more pressure from GM and Ford, the associations, most notably NHRA, again began legislating weight into the Mopars. For Chrysler's factory backed Pro Stock effort it was the final straw.
Dick Landy's efforts with the 426 Hemi did bring him AHRA Pro Stock world championships in 1973 and 1974. These came after he posted wins in both seasons on the AHRA circuit, where the rules were not as disadvantageous to the Hemi as others.
Two of Chrysler's bright star racers square off at the NHRA Springnationals at National Trail Raceway, Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Representing Dodge Division is California veteran Dick Landy; in the opposite lane is Don Grotheer in a Plymouth 'Cuda. Both cars are powered by 426 Hemi race engines. Dick's choice of tires is Goodyear mounted on Cragar's Super Trick spun-aluminum wheels, while Don's Plymouth runs Firestone Drag 500s on Fenton aluminum wheels.
If sanctioning body meddling wasn't enough of a burden, the tides in Detroit were also shifting. In 1972, the infamous Muskie Law (named for its author, Senator Edmund Muskie) mandated the switch to no-lead fuels. Dick and his drag racing peers found themselves in a brave new world that required adjustment for survival. Dick coped with the changes easily, maintaining his close ties with the factory, even though his racing activities were restricted. Chrysler and its Performance Parts group continued to design and produce high-performance engine and drivetrain products, and DLI (Dick Landy Incorporated) worked closely with the engineers to design, test, and improve various items for Mopar racers.
Landy and his DLI facility were also busy becoming the West Coast headquarters for everything Mopar. He was also working closely with the numerous performance enthusiast magazine editors that were headquartered in the greater Los Angeles area. In this capacity, Dick and his DLI staff excelled at providing inside information and the wealth of hands-on technical experience that a lifetime career of racing provided. Dick was a favorite with the editors, and that close working relationship with media figures earned the Chrysler marque considerable product exposure via the pages of the magazines.
While Dick's racing career ended after the '81 season, his influence remained considerable among his peers. He continued to head up DLI, working closely with the engineering staff at Chrysler Corporation and with the racing and enthusiast media.
Dandy Dick Landy's drag racing career was a lengthy, colorful, and exceptionally successful one that encompassed nearly five decades. He leaves as his legacy the DLI business operation in Northridge, California. Racers, fans, and enthusiasts who value and respect Mopar vehicles, engines, and racing programs will forever owe a great debt to Dick Landy and his devotion to Mopar.