from a 2009 Natl Dragster article...

And you thought that Ed 'the Outlaw" Jones' stagecoach was the first Wild West-themed wheelstander … so did I!

Here's one that I have not only never seen, but also never heard about: the Wicked Wagon wheelstander, modeled after one of the iconic covered wagons of the old west. Photographer Jimmy Boyd sent the photo and a note to us in August 1974 that promised amazing things to come. "Revolutionary wheelstander of the Pete Frech family destined to be one of the most talked-about machines on the exhibition scene. The Wicked Wagon [has] a blown 426 Hemi on alcohol and maintained by Pete Frech Sr., one of the most knowledgeable men in drag racing."

Frech, who died in February 2001, was the father of Ohio Super Gas standout Mary Ann Jackson (and grandfather to statsmeister "Nitro Joe" Jackson). Frech, a former Motor Trend magazine Mechanic of the Year, was a longtime NHRA racer and member, and competed at the NHRA Nationals in Detroit. With daughter Mary Ann in his car, they made waves when she won D/SA class at the 1964 Nationals in Indy. Those success led to a factory Chrysler deal in 1968 (despite that he worked as a welder at GM at the time!)

According to "Nitro Joe," his grandfather ran the wheelstander only locally in partnership with Tommy Marris and his son, Pete Jr., drove it. Pete Sr. also had the She's a Lady wheelstander, which was a Duster built on the same chassis, which ended up buried in his backyard on what now is a golf course in Bellville Ohio. Joe also notes that their hometown of Mansfield is/was quite a hotbed for wheelstander drivers including Bill Shewsberry, Toby and Jack Ehrmantraut, Chuck Poole, Bob Riggle, Marris, Pete Jr. and Skip Wilson.