Bringing Home the Bacon – This ’51 Henry J Is a Window to Troy Lightner’s Past, As He Prepares for His Drag and Drive at Edelbrock Sick Smokies!
Gassers can be a window into how drag racing was for thousands of enthusiasts, both spectators and racers. The Gasser look, as well as the wheels up performances has become popular once again.
This unique Henry J is not the first one that Troy Lightner has owned, but it will be the first one that he steers into drag and drive competition at next month’s Edelbrock Sick Smokies event.
The ‘Shakin Bacon’ is just one of 70-plus GASSERS registered for Sick Smokies Presented by Edelbrock, our final drag and drive of 2025, October 12-19th, 2025! 7 days cruising the South, including Tail Of The Dragon, with over 250 total competitors! Discounted advanced spectator tickets, as well as Sick Ward / Sick Spit Show & Shine entries are available - CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE about Sick Smokies!!
Lightner made his first trip to a drag strip with his brother when he was fourteen years old, and the racing bug bit down hard. “I have been involved in drag racing since 1964,” said Rightner. That level of commitment usually means building a car, and Rightner was no exception.
Just four years after his first drag strip visit, Rightner made the leap to his own Gasser ride, building a 1955 Chevrolet at age eighteen. He also had a ’51 Henry J during this time.
Life took a turn away from racing as much, but much like riding a bicycle, Rightner found his way back to it. “I started back (racing) in 2012 when I moved to South Carolina,” he said. “I heard about the Southeast Gassers Association, so I built this car.”
The memories of the Henry J, a rare car only built for five years, gave Rightner the drive to find and build one for Gasser racing. “I started the build in 2013, and finished in 2015,” said Rightner. “I built (it) for all out drag racing with a high rev small block Chevrolet (SBC) motor.”
Carrying just under 2500 pounds of weight, the Henry J ran in the low 5.80s with the small block combination. Rightner ran the car in the A/Gas configuration from 2016 to 2019, and then made the move to B/Gas for 2020 thru 2024.
Now, the Henry J has a fresh 496 cubic inch big block combination under the scooped hood, mated to a 4-speed manual transmission, and this combination will take Rightner to his first drag and drive competition at next month’s Edelbrock Sick Smokies event.
“I love drag and drive events,” Rightner said. “This is my first big event.” Although his main goal is to finish with no issues, Rightner admits that fuel mileage and possible heating issues with the new motor are on his mind.
Can the ‘Shakin Bacon’ Henry J, along with Troy Rightner, survive and thrive at his first drag and drive? Don’t miss your chance to see Rightner take his shot, along with 70-plus Gassers and 200 more competitors, at the Edelbrock Sick Smokies event, October 12th-19th! CLICK HERE for more details!
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Troy Rightner.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com