Remembering Stone, Woods and Cook Dark Horse 2 Funny Car

In 1967, many drag racing fans were surprised to learn that the team of Stone, Woods and Cook was trading in their popular AA/Gas Willys coupe for a fun Mustang car. The team dominated the A/GS ranks with Swindler A Willys, and many people expected them to continue competing in the gasser ranks.

Fun car racing was where all the money was, though, and the “Pebble, Pulp and Chef” gang was ready for a new challenge. So they dropped the Willys in favor of a blown-up Mustang they dubbed the Dark Horse 2.

Although fiberglass flip-top style fun cars were beginning to come into their own, the SWC Mustang was not a flop. Instead, the team mounted a steel Mustang body on a lightweight tubular chassis, complete with a long fiberglass front clip. Driver Doug Cook entered the car through the opening doors, while the clip could be removed to work on the engine.

Following the same pattern as their famous gasoline engines, the SWC team selected a burnt-out vintage Chrysler hemi for power. Because Stone, Woods, and Cook were so successful in the gas-powered classes, some people mistakenly refer to the Mustang as a gasser. At first the car ran on alcohol, with a little bit of nitro. As time went on, the team tipped the can and used increasing percentages of nitromethane.

The fun Mustang car immediately followed in the footsteps of the Willys gassers, winning the 2400-pound class at the famous Bakersfield March two days in a row. From there, the team went on a breakneck tour that has rarely been equalled.

It seemed like every single drag racing fan wanted to see the Stone, Woods and Cook Mustang in action, and every track owner wanted to fill the stands by reserving the match racer. Pick up any copy of 1967 Drag News and you’ll likely find numerous stories recounting the exploits of Stone, Woods, and Cook on different tracks.

In addition to racing on most five-star tracks, Dark Horse 2 also featured in small hole-in-the-wall venues; race tracks with uneven asphalt, dim night lighting and inadequate enclosed areas. The fans wanted to see Doug Cook in action and the team was more than willing to grant their wish.

Competing several times a week, SWC raced against most of the famous fun cars of the day, going up against the lighter injected drop-cars as well as other steel bodied blown entries. Cook wasn’t always victorious, but he racked up an impressive win-loss tally.

Just when the team of Stone, Woods and Cook seemed to be at the top of their game, tragedy struck. An accident destroyed Dark Horse 2 in Alton, Illinois. Doug Cook, one of the most popular and respected racers of all time, suffered back injuries that ended his racing career.

However, Stone, Woods and Cook weren’t done. They built a new Mustang that was almost a copy of the original. The Ghost of Dark Horse 2 continued the torrid pace of the race, with several contract drivers replacing Cook behind the wheel.

By 1969, even the SWC team could not remain competitive with a steel-bodied car, and they built an unsuccessful Mustang, assigning the driving duties to Dee Keaton. In the early 1970s, Tim Woods built the first Pinto fun car and drove it under the Stone, Woods and Cook banner with Mike VanSant as driver. Still later, a Chrysler-powered gasoline Corvette toured under the Stone, Woods and Cooke banner. That’s not a typo; on the ‘Vette, the name Cook was spelled with an e at the end. Reportedly, none of the original trio were actively involved with the Corvette.

Eventually, all three members of the colorful team retired from racing. Doug Cook passed away in 1999.

However, the legacy of Dark Horse 2 continues. Mike Cook, son of the famous driver, is rebuilding Dark Horse 2. Pictures of the car’s build, as well as photos of the fully restored Swindler A and Swindler B Willys coupes, can be seen on Cook’s website.

Four decades have passed since the Dark Horse 2 Mustang broke into drag racing history. It’s good to know that Mike Cook has no intention of letting the famously fun car be forgotten.