Jay Roach passes

[jl222]

  
 Jay passed away in his sleep this morning from a heart attack.

 Jay's business J@S East Valley Garage in Montecito Ca. is the shop the DRM lakester ''fast freddy'' and several
others do and have raced out of.

  Jay has been involved with Bville for many years through engines and the repair of aluminum blocks and heads.

  Jay could machine and repair anything, from cranks to making his own Top Fuel heads.

  We were just there for his yearly shop Chrismas party and he looked just fine. Just a shocking phone call this morning and Jay will be missed by many.

        JL222

           
 

[dw230]

I did not know Jay very well but, his reputation preceded him.

God Speed

DW

[jdincau]

Sad news, Jay was one of my heros.

[Freud]

That's probably the end of an era in his neighborhood.

Gated estates aren't proud of a '40's style shop in the neighborhood.

When you say Hot Rodder..... it included Jay. He did it all himself.

He also engineered a lot of starting line excitement.

He will be missed in many ways.

FREUD

[jl222]

  Jay had just sold the business to one of his employees ''Hunter" so at least that is less of a problem.

  There is a memorial Sat 10-5 at the shop,were going down.

           JL222

[desotoman]

Sorry to hear of Jay's passing. He was a good guy. Godspeed Jay.

Tom G.

PS. What was the name of the beer he liked so well? Was it Keystone?

[dw230]

EVERYBODY from the LSR community in Santa Barbara area drinks Keystone at the salt. Ask Fast Freddie about his old dragster - the Beer Can Special.

DW

[jl222]

EVERYBODY from the LSR community in Santa Barbara area drinks Keystone at the salt. Ask Fast Freddie about his old dragster - the Beer Can Special.

DW

  I hawled it to the 1959 Smokers March meet in the back of my bosses poultry Van [used to pick up crates of iced and tressed chickens ect not live chickens]. I think Fred was about 23 at the time but a lot of us were under age. We had
3 kegs of beer in back. In those days the fans drank LOTS of beer. The cans at the fences were 2-3 ft deep from fence.
  This put a bit of a wait at the porta-potties. Hey after emptying one of the kegs we had our own private porta poty
  That sucker was full at the end of the day and as we were empting it on the ground [its getting dark] these guys come along and say ''hey these guys are throwing away beer'' dip there fingers in it and say ''yep its beer alright''

  Jay and Donny Torgeson at that time were running a Model A sedan.... blown Olds gasser with a railroad track mounted under the rear window and held several track records with it.

                  JL222

[jl222]

 
  There was an unbelievable amount of friends at Jay's shop yesderday, the side streets were packed and
lots of Drag and Bville racers.

                 JL222

[Freud]

Donny used to drive that A Model to the San Fernando Drags and then drive it home.

I think it had a Chrysler in it and I also think he was Top Eliminator one time.

JL222 will straighten me out if I am wrong. That will be akin to permanently taking the bend out of a pickle.

Freddie would know. Donny introduced me to Freddie.

Gary Harms from Spokane introduced me to Donny and at that time Donny had a Top Shop.

FREUD

[jl222]

Donny used to drive that A Model to the San Fernando Drags and then drive it home.

I think it had a Chrysler in it and I also think he was Top Eliminator one time.

JL222 will straighten me out if I am wrong. That will be akin to permanently taking the bend out of a pickle.

Freddie would know. Donny introduced me to Freddie.

Gary Harms from Spokane introduced me to Donny and at that time Donny had a Top Shop.

FREUD

 Blown Olds...I don't know about driving home from drags but Donny did hop in, fire it up and help push the tow truck
over the grapevine on the way home from the taft or Bakersfield drags [ thats over the mountains on I-5 for those that don't know, very steep grade in spots] zooming by every body at high speed

            JL222

[Freud]

Thanks JL.

I lost my mind changing his power from Olds to Chizler. He was bold as Dick Tracey in the Corvair

on the return run for the record. I just know Donny was incredible and he had a

pair of hands that could strip the barbs off of rusty barbed wire and never bleed.

We lost him WAY TOO SOON

FREUD

[jl222]

Thanks JL.

I lost my mind changing his power from Olds to Chizler. He was bold as Dick Tracey in the Corvair

on the return run for the record. I just know Donny was incredible and he had a

pair of hands that could strip the barbs off of rusty barbed wire and never bleed.

We lost him WAY TOO SOON

FREUD

   Thats were you got confused . Olds in Model A drag car and Chrysler in Bville Corvair.

                  JL222