It was one of the most
memorable race vehicles
of the late-1980s – the
1966 F100 affectionately
dubbed the "Hay Hauler."
Built by Jon Nelson
and raced to consecutive
championships by Robby
Gordon, the Hay Hauler blended
vintage looks and innovative
suspension features to add
color, contrast and controversy
to Class 8 racing. The nickname
comes from the fact the truck
was a real farm truck recruited
for racing.
Nearly 30 years after its
competition debut, Ben Abatti
– longtime racer and patriarch
of a three-generation off-road
racing family – has restored
the Hay Hauler to its 1980s-era
glory. He's owned it since 1989 and the story of his stewardship
of the truck is rooted in its
groundbreaking suspension and
other features built into it.
As the story goes, Nelson,
like other innovative builders
in stock car racing or drag
racing, used the rule book to
his advantage, following it very
literally. In the case of Class 8
at the time, the rules stipulated
rear leaf springs of no longer
than 66 inches in length. With
that as the bogey, Nelson had
a custom set of one-quarter-
elliptical springs made for the
truck. They technically met the
length requirement, but the
additional travel they supported
– while also loading the chassis
in a way that lightened the front
end – delivered effectively twice
the length of conventional
033
SCORE JOURNAL
