Joe Mondello
August 6, 1936 - April 6, 2011
"And then there was the time . . . ." "Let me tell you, it was a fun ride."
On April 6, 2011 we
lost a man who epitomized the term “Persistence and Determination”, and Drag
Racing and the Performance Aftermarket lost one of its brightest lights. Joseph
A. (Joe) Mondello passed on at 9:21AM in
Joe had a passion for
everything mechanical and got his inspiration for his Posi-Flow design from the
most obscure place imaginable; water swirling in the toilet. But the basic idea
of how the water flowed gave him all the engineering required to port and polish
a cylinder head for optimum performance. That one observation led to a 54 year
career as an engine builder, head porter and later as a teacher, inspiring an
entire new generation of head porters and engine builders.
Joe’s talents were
his resume and opened the door for Joe to work with some of the most notable
race teams and engine builders during the 60’s. That same talent continued his
involvement through the turn of the century.
His love affair with
the automobile began at age 13. He wasn’t old enough to purchase a car so he
convinced his sister to buy an old Ford Coupe for him – with his money –
from a salvage yard. Joe spent many hours rebuilding and modifying the coupe
which became his daily driver. In 1951 his professional career began working on
flat-head Fords in a local shop. His passion became his career, and his passion
was drag racing. His success with
his own car, a ’40 Ford Coupe, opened the door to work with other engine
builders and the legend began.
His talents brought him
together with “Sush” Matsubara and the infamous purple Mondello-Matsubara
Fiat Topolino blown fuel altered, which won two NHRA National events and is a
National Speed and E.T. Record Holder. The record that still holds today -- 7.24 ET and 213 mph pass
was made at the U.S. Nationals in
Then one day he
received a phone call from Oldsmobile. It seems they were getting ready to
create an Oldsmobile Performance Parts Division and they were looking for engine
builders to port and polish Oldsmobile heads for increased performance. They
sent heads to all the big head porters in the
Joe took on every
challenge presented to him – from helping develop the Briggs & Stratton
engine for the Junior Dragster and Karting program, to off-road racing engines
to off-shore and drag boat racing, as well as road racing (Mondello’s hands
were all over the 1966 LeMans winning Ford GT-40 from Carroll Shelby).
His Posi-Flow® heads were on many of Don Garlits’ Swamp Rats as well
as many other leading racers – drag racing, land speed cars, boats, road
racing and circle track cars. Garlits’ ran the first ever 200mph run with
Mondello heads!
His passion for
excellence lead him to establish the Mondello Technical School in 1996, devoted
to teaching the art of professional performance engine building and head porting
design to all who came, including young men and women who desired a career in
the field. The school started in Paso Robles,
His wife Mary says,
“Joe’s passion was for those young people in the school. He wanted them to
understand what it took to be a professional in the shop and in customer
relations. He also extended that passion to teaching many of them how to be a
‘professional’ as a drag racer. He taught them the technical aspects of
their trade (as an engine builder and as a racer) and how to interact with
people.”
St.
Jude’s Children’s Hospital
(mark check
“For direct care of children”)
Quarter
Mile Foundation
There will be viewing
and a memorial service at Hood Funeral Home,
There will be a second
viewing and memorial service at
Hood’s
Funeral Home
Highway
127 (
931-456-4663
310-670-7697