Vic Edelbrock Jr. with his 2012 Z06 Corvette outside of Edelbrock headquarters in Torrance, CA. (Image/Super Chevy)
NORWALK, OH. — As cars and trucks roared down the track, and show cars filed in to Summit Motorsports Park for Summit Racing’s Super Summit 2017 show, everything in the hot-rodding universe seemed just right Saturday morning.
But the truth is, the racing and rodding industries will never be the same following the death of Vic Edelbrock Jr. Friday evening.
Edelbrock Jr., legend, icon, and friend of the automotive enthusiast, passed away June 9. He was 80.
“Vic was an innovator in the industry and always tried to do things the right way,” said Ray Tatko, president and CEO of Summit Racing Equipment. “In many ways, our success over the past 50 years has been tied to Edelbrock’s success.”
Edelbrock Jr. took over as president and CEO of Edelbrock at the age of 26, following the untimely death of his father in 1962.
The younger Edelbrock held both positions until 2010 when he stepped down as president but remained chairman of the board of directors until his passing.
Edelbrock Jr. grew the company into a major brand in the aftermarket automotive industry.
He served as president of SEMA from 1971 to 1974, during a period when the government crackdown on vehicle emissions threatened to kill the aftermarket automotive industry. He guided the organization and his business through tough times, helping to preserve the hobby for automotive enthusiasts in the United States.
“Vic was a great guy who worked hard to raise our industry standards,” said Paul Sergi, owner and founder of Summit Racing.
As customers and fans filtered through the Edelbrock display at Super Summit on Saturday, Steve Whipple, Edelbrock’s vice president of sales and marketing, couldn’t help but reflect on Edelbrock Jr.’s love for fellow hot rodders.
“He truly loved the consumer, including Summit Racing customers,” Whipple said. “When the Power Tour was a couple of weeks away, Vic was still hoping to go to Kansas City just to sign autographs and meet people. He was tireless.”
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From left: Scott Peterson, general manager of Summit Racing; Steve Whipple, vice president of sales and marketing for Edelbrock; and Ray Tatko, president and CEO of Summit Racing at Super Summit 2017.
He would have loved a day like today—a chance to meet with customers and fellow enthusiasts.
For Vic Edelbrock Jr., that’s what it was all about.
Summit Racing sends its condolences to the entire Edelbrock family.
[…] An Icon in the race industry. He kept all his manufacturing right here in america. RIP Vic Vic Edelbrock Jr. Passes Away at Age 80 – OnAllCylinders __________________ Fact is stranger than […]
A true icon in the automotive aftermarket. A husband,father, mentor, racer and philanthropist – he will be remembered by all who have met him or have used many of his family named products.
Vic jr. will definitially be missed rip.Sad day!
Deepest condolences on your loss.
John l. Sullivan son of George Lee.
Our deepest condolences to Vic’s family. He was so gracious to meet me and my family after a tour of his plant. He will always be remembered as a great inovator in performance equipment.
[…] Vic Edelbrock Jr. Passes Away at Age 80 […]
From all of us here at Grabiak Chevrolet/Grabiak Performance Center, we would like to extend our deepest condolences to Vic’s family.. He was a first class gentlemen and always took time to make you feel important. He will be missed by all that knew him and the industry that he helped develop.
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I have Edelbrock components in ALL of my projects that I do. From manifolds and carbs to little do-dads. I know that Heaven is richer now that Vic Jr is there. Words cannot ease the grief but he shall remain alive as long as we remember him and I feel happy to have been a customer of his company as the quality was readily apparent in that this was a passion of his that he genously shared with the world. He has bestowed his love upon and left his fingerprints on SEMA and indeed his tinkering DNA has enhanced all of us “gearheads”. May he rest in peace and God Bless him, his family, friends and company.
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[…] Vic Edelbrock Jr. Passes Away at Age 80 […]