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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.