VINTAGE SUPERCHARGED AND INJECTED 1956 CHEVY SLEEPER

The man posing next to the plain-Jane ’56 Chevy Bel Air is John Bandimere. That would be the same John Bandimere who, about a year after these photos were taken in April 1956, chose a parcel of land on the west side of Denver that he would transform into a place where local hot shots—including his own son, John Jr.—could race safely off the streets. “Thunder Mountain” still bears the name of its founder, and Bandimere Speedway is still running strong six decades later

- Steven Rupp & Drew Hardin

John Bandimere, Sr. was an avid racer with a history of hot cars that reached back to the 1930s. To help make power in the Rockies’ thin air, he became an expert on supercharging and even put his name on a few blower systems, which are now highly collectible rarities.