Bob Bird

The same day, June 4, 1967, as Mr. Lawson was killed, earlier in the day Robert ( Bob) Byrd was killed at Lake Hulah in OK at a drag race. Bob had run in and won a race in California earlier that year. His boat had two inline big block Chevrolet engines running on gas. They gave him a record from the race in California at the time for twin engine un-blown gas boats. He beat Buzz Coates twin engine boat that had small block Chevies but ran on fuel when he was in California. As was the case everywhere at the time, the races in OK were run in mile an hour classes. Any boat running a certain speed was placed in a class with other boats, no matter what hull type, engine, etc., with other boats running within the same 5-10 MPH range. Bob was in the final of his class against a blown fuel hydro of the day out of Texas (Ken Youngblood). Bob's boat started to lift during the race. He got out of the throttle and after the boat settled down he got back in the throttle while still at speed. The boat again came up and chined to the right and crashed. Bob was struck in the chest by the propeller and died. Bob started out racing a cracker box class boat. He then began serious drag racing with an injected Buick engine in a pure flatbottom. As you already know he stepped quite a ways up when he went to the power of the twin big block 427 Chevy engines in a flatbottom. Just FYI, the race Bob was killed at was sponsored by the Exchange Club Of Bartlesville OK as a promotion for the lake and area. I doubt if they would have a club archive to refer to but maybe so. I think the race itself was administered by the old Oklahoma City Drag Boat Association which has nothing to do with the current OKC Drag Boat group so I doubt if that would be an avenue to find out more information either. No one in the current OKC boat club was around in 1967. This is probably more than you wanted to know but I do think Bob's name deserves to be on your list for recognition of his involvement in drag boat racing. rising through many classes.