The SHELBY AMERICAN
Fall 2016 48
Jeanes and Scott point to the impending landing of the Bolus & Snopes team blimp,
the “Graf Bolus.” The airship was, in truth, never actually observed by anyone at the
races but it’s landing was always described as “impending.”
One of the team’s high points was
during the 1971 Sebring 12-Hour. The
B&S GT350 was running in the 9th
hour when things began coming apart,
according to William Jeanes. Pit boss
Scott held out a pitboard sign that
said, “IN - WASH.” When the car pit-
ted, the crew jumped over the wall
with buckets of soapy water, sponges
and towels and began washing the car.
The wash lasted until the race
was almost over. The car, now spark-
ingly clean, was then sent out to com-
plete the final lap, crossing the finish
line and winning second place in its
class. The pit wash job was included in
an article in
Car and Driver
about
Bolus & Snopes.
`
– Rick Kopec
Not satisfied with the normal
accoutrements employed by major
race teams, Jeanes and Scott had
the team employing a blimp. It was
named the “Graf Bolus” – harkening
back to Germany’s pocket battle-
ship, the “Admiral Graf Spee.” Ref-
erences were continually made to
the blimp but it was never actually
seen. In addition to the dirigible, the
team was also said to have alternate
transportation, the Robert E.
Snopes, a steamboat moored on the
Mississippi River in Hannibal, Mis-
souri. It was laden with beer, car
parts and a harpoon gun.
The team also had a newsletter,
appropriately titled, “The Newslet-
ter of Bolus & Snopes” and although
published intermittently, it had a
humble following. There was no cost
to subscribe and this cleverly elimi-
nated complaints about its seem-
ingly random publication schedule.
It became an insiders’ publication,
with several recurring themes. One
was the team’s mascot, Dick John-
son, a sorrel mule which either es-
caped captivity or was kidnapped.
Johnson never was found although
the blimp was pressed into service
in the search. Numerous false sight-
ings were subsequently reported.
B&S created posters and handbills
which were scattered around the
tracks they raced at. There were
continual references to “We lost our
ass” and “A good ass is hard to find.”
As the newsletter’s subscription
list grew, B&S’s mailbox filled in di-
rect proportion. “
We’ve had a great
response from fans,
” said Scott.
“
People write us all the time asking
for decals and posters of Dick John-
son and of the Graf Bolus, and they
always include a letter that tries to
be funnier than we are, which isn’t
all that difficult. I really think that
racing should be fun. The best kind
of a laugh is the laugh that comes at
your own expense, provided that it’s
tempered by a concern with quality
and competitiveness. All we want
around here is adequacy, a rare con-
cept in America these days. Ade-
quacy and a few laughs
.”
One of the most sought after B&S col-
lectibles is the 3-inch embroidered patch
that was given away at the track to any-
one who asked for one. Bumper stickers
were also popular items and appeared
everywhere around the tracks while the
B&S car was raced.