Just got home from the track and unsure of the mans name, but I will find out. He has ran a studebaker for a long time called the chickenhawk. He lost a motor, took out the guardrail, rolled and landed on the et stand. He was awake and responding as they were cutting him out of the car. I will get his name.

Was that the guy that was in HOT ROD a while back? A super charged Studebaker i think?

Yes, he also runs a car in pure stock. I think his first name is Ted.

Ted Harbit, is his name.

Ted Harbit is a Legend. He has been drag racing since before most of us were born and won several NHRA national events in the 60's. Hot Rod did a feature on him about 3 years ago. If you google his name, there is plenty to read.
Besides his 10 second stude the Chicken Hawk, ( which is sadley now apparently totaled), he runs a very compeetive Stude with a factory blower and a 4 speed in the Pure Stock Drags and in the F/S class at some of the F.A.S.T. events.
I have met Ted, and he is a great guy. I hope that he is OK.

I have pictures on my phone of what is left of the car, but cant figure out how to get them to my computer. The car looks a lot worse then the pictures look.


They were racing 1/8 mile because we had 30-50 mph wind gust here. He launched and to me it looked as if it may have lost a head gasket because white smoke was coming out of the right bank. He was behind the car in the other lane, crossed the center line, hit the guard rail, barrell rolled down the rail, took out the et stand and came to a rest at the base of it.
There isnt much of the chickenhawk left, which is really upsetting because he has raced it for probably 45 years. I havent heard any updates on him and I keep checking the muncie dragstrip website.

Hope everything is OK with him, thanks, and keep us updated...

prayers for the man...

legends must live on...

Let's hope he's OK

I found this on a Stude board:

Just got this from Bob Palma... The car is a loss. But at least the legend himself is okay. Hang in there Ted. We're all pullin' for ya.







I just received a call from Mary Ann Harbit and have her permission and blessing to pass along the following information:

Ted Harbit is being treated at Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie IN for the following major injuries following his accident this evening at The Muncie Dragway. In addition to bumps, bruises, and scratches, he received one collapsed lung, a broken right scapula, and two broken lumbar bones. (They told her lumbar bones, not lumbar discs. I clarified that with her in that I had not heard of lumbar bones either.)

He never lost consciousness and was talking to her from the Emergency Room. She said it would be OK for Cari and I to come visit him tomorrow (Sunday) early afternoon after church, so that's what we will do.
As for what happened: He rolled The Chicken Hawk TEN TIMES just after completing the eighth-mile at The Muncie Dragway this evening, in that they were running only the eighth tonight.

They told her something let loose in the engine room and sprayed the underside of the car with oil. It lost traction and he lost control. It hit the guard rail hard enough to flip over the guard rail and begin rolling. It rolled so many times that he ultimately hit the sign posts holding the signs that signal the times and ETs...and the sign posts are located at the end of the quarter-mile strip!

We should not assume "the engine blew" or anything, because that is not known. It might have been something as simple as an oil line to a turbocharger letting go. I'll find out tomorrow if Ted knows what happened.

Needless to say, after 47 years of running who knows how many times at The Muncie Dragway, The Chicken Hawk has been destroyed. Ted turned 74 years of age this past weekend, and the number of times that car has blistered The Muncie Dragway drag strip surely numbers in the thousands.

Mary Ann said they plan to keep him at least a week, so if anyone wants to send a card or other well-wishes, here's the address:

Ted Harbit
c/o Ball Memorial Hospital
2401 West University Avenue
Muncie IN 47303-3428

The Chicken Hawk is/was equipped with a full roll cage, and, of course, Ted wears a professional body harness and full helmet at all times. Those and the Grace of God have enabled us to still have our friend Ted Harbit with us.

Keep him in your prayers. (For those of you on The Studebaker Drivers Club Forum, as you know, the forum has been down. But when it is up, I'll post this report.)

Good night & God Bless. Bob Palma

Amen. glad to hear he is doing good/great after watching it happen at the track.

Back in the day my dad ran a WO car for a guy out of Muncie that was scared to drive it. This was back when there was still class racing in 1967. Dad said the only car there no one wanted to race was the chickenhawk. He would say I am not kidding you I had to spot him over 11 seconds and have to run him down. We moved away from here when I was ten. I went to the track about 7 years later and Ted was running in the mid 11's then which would of made it about 1988 or so. I told Dad the Chickenhawk was now running in the mid 11's and he was

Thank God for safety equipment.

Best wishes to him for a speedy healthy recovery.

Ted is a great guy, I wish him a speedy recovery. In '83 I started going to Muncie Dragway, the ChickenHawk was always a car that guys didn't want to line up against, Ted would put you on the trailer nearly every time.
Last year at the FAST/Factory Stock Muscle Car Drag Race in Martin Michigan, my Road Runner transmission went out and was stopped just before the timing shack. Ted pulls up with his other Studebaker and offers to get his tow strap out and pull me back to the pits! Instead, I accepted a ride back to the pits with him, what a gentleman.
See you at the track soon Ted.
Dave Watt

Her is the link to Teds crash http://perfectrun.com/v-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=12240

"lumbar bones" = Lumbar vertebrae (ie,,,bones of the spine located in the lumbar region,,which is the lower back)

Very lucky,,,74 y/o with those injurys

Glad to hear he is OK....

I imagine he sure is sore... heres to a speedy recovery