Research edition · October 2026

Follow the
evidence.

A working citation guide for Magnum Illusion’s appearances, drivers, ownership and restoration.

Contemporary reporting, compiled indexes, community recollections and owner-held evidence answer different questions. The notes below label those differences so new photographs and documents can be added without turning a lead into a confirmed fact.

What is established?

1978 · Lakeland

An April 24 Commercial Appeal article and photograph place Magnum Illusion beside the Little Red Wagon at Lakeland International Speedway near Memphis, Tennessee. S9

1979 · Team Maverick

A contemporary HOT ROD feature explicitly lists the Dodge Magnum Illusion with the Little Red Wagon and Hell On Wheels as Team Maverick. S1

1979–80 · Jim Curtis

Draglist’s compiled records associate Jim Curtis and Magnum Illusion with the 1979 and 1980 seasons and Searcy, Arkansas. S3

Magnum Illusion performing a wheelstand with Smokehouse Curtis lettering on the rear quarter — Jim “Smokehouse” Curtis lettering on Magnum Illusion, from the main-page timeline. View full-size photograph.

Captain Ken Nelson · named on the car

An archive photograph shows “Captain Ken Nelson” painted as the driver’s name on Magnum Illusion. The visible lettering establishes that the car carried his name; the photograph alone does not establish when he drove it or document a specific exhibition. The photograph’s date remains unresolved pending information from its provider.

Magnum Illusion with Captain Ken Nelson painted as the driver’s name on its side — Photographic evidence: Captain Ken Nelson lettering on Magnum Illusion. View full-size photograph.

Rick Mehl · Original paint scheme

A photograph of Magnum Illusion in its original paint scheme shows “Rocket” Rick Mehl lettered as the driver. This establishes Mehl as the driver named on the car’s first version. Later schemes carry other driver names, including “Captain Ken Nelson” and “Smokehouse Curtis.” A June 8, 1978 newspaper caption bills Mehl at Cordova for June 10, with time trials at 3:30 p.m. and racing at 8 p.m. S25. Contemporary July 1978 newspaper reports identify Mehl as Golden’s team driver in the Jackson body-separation incident and confirm his July 15 Baileyton appearance. The exact dates of the other drivers’ runs still need period evidence. S4, S6, S19, S24

Supplied image of Magnum Illusion with Rocket Rick Mehl lettering on its rear quarter — “Rocket” Rick Mehl lettering on Magnum Illusion in its original paint scheme. View full-size image.

Great Lakes Dragaway · 1979

Owner-confirmed sighting in Union Grove, Wisconsin, identified on the main-page map. The Jim “Smokehouse” Curtis photograph is linked in the archive; an exact event day is not supplied. View archive evidence.

Ohio Valley Raceway · October 7, 1979

The confirmed sightings map identifies Magnum Illusion at Ohio Valley Raceway in West Point, Kentucky, on October 7, 1979. Photograph copyright Truman Williamson. View archive evidence.

Motion Speedway / Motion Raceway · Date not supplied

Owner-confirmed sighting near Assumption, Illinois, shown on the main-page map with a photograph credited to Steve Jackson. The map does not supply a year or exact event date. View archive evidence.

Green Valley Dragway · July 1978 announcement

The map marks an announced July 1978 appearance near Glencoe, Alabama. The July 1 Gadsden Times clipping advertises July 4; this establishes the announcement, not confirmation that the exhibition took place. View archive evidence.

Contemporary reporting · June–July 1978

Jackson to Baileyton.

Three complete Cullman Times-Democrat articles distinguish an advertised appearance, a reported body-separation incident and a confirmed return to racing.

July 4 · Advertised

Rick Mehl in Magnum Illusion was booked against Bill “Maverick” Golden in Little Red Wagon at Green Valley’s 17th annual GV Invitational. The preview does not establish that the appearance took place. June 30 article · S23.

Early July · Jackson

The July 14 report identifies Mehl as the driver when Magnum Illusion’s fiberglass body separated during a wheelstander race against Golden. It attributes the failure to wind breaking the front body latches and says Mehl stopped the chassis safely. July 14 article · S24.

July 15 · Return confirmed

At Baileyton, Mehl reached the finish first in two of three runs against Harold Mullican in Jack Walker’s Tater Hauler. Mullican completed all three eighth-mile runs on the rear wheels; Magnum Illusion did not. Elapsed times were unavailable. July 21 results · S19.

What remains unresolved

“Last weekend” suggests July 8–9 for Jackson, but the exact day and track remain unconfirmed. The articles do not establish a replacement body, repaint, roof change or total loss. The July 15 return does not identify how the body was prepared after Jackson.

Added October 18, 2026 from owner-supplied complete article images. Reported measurements and damage accounts remain attributed to the newspaper.

Chain of custody.

The November 1979 HOT ROD feature provides contemporary published evidence that Magnum Illusion was part of Team Maverick when the article was reported. The feature includes direct quotations from Golden and describes the team’s vehicles and operations. It is a surviving source for that period of the car’s history; it does not identify Crumpton’s purchase or establish the dates of sale and physical handover. Mike Burghart describes the later chain of ownership as Bill “Maverick” Golden → James “Jim” Crumpton → the Crumpton estate → Mike Burghart. These transfers are supported by different surviving records: Golden’s recorded call concerning his sale to Crumpton, and an estate bill of sale for the later transfer to Burghart. Neither record is published here or has been independently reviewed for this website.

No DMV title trail expected

Burghart reports that this exhibition vehicle was never state titled or registered. An absent registration record should therefore not be read as evidence against the car’s provenance.

Surviving ownership evidence

Mike Burghart identifies the July 1980 HOT ROD coverage of Golden’s Dodge Super Wagon as reporting that it used Magnum Illusion’s former engine. This provides a reported milestone for the engine transfer, separate from the purchase and physical handover of the car. It does not establish the date of Magnum Illusion’s final wheelstanding exhibition, which remains unconfirmed. According to Mike Burghart, Golden’s recorded call is the surviving firsthand evidence of the Golden-to-Crumpton sale; no written bill of sale for that transaction is known to survive. A separate estate bill of sale documents the later transfer from James “Jim” Crumpton’s estate to Burghart. The date of Crumpton’s purchase and the date he took possession may differ, and their exact timing remains unresolved.

Private evidence is summarized here; the recording and personal transaction papers are not published.

Leads being checked.

Searcy & original paint

Compiled records point to Searcy, Arkansas; a later participant recollection describes helping build the car there. Original Star Wars-themed paint is also described in the owner’s 2012 restoration post. The exact build site, artists, and paint sequence still require dated primary photographs and records. S3, S4

Parts & later truck

The main archive identifies Magnum Illusion’s engine and transmission as having been moved to Golden’s Dodge Super Wagon, driven by Rick Mehl. Mike Burghart identifies July 1980 HOT ROD coverage as the published engine milestone. This does not establish the dates of the car’s sale, handover, or last exhibition. See S12 and S13. S4

Appearance documents

The main-page map identifies Great Lakes Dragaway in 1979 and Motion Speedway / Motion Raceway as owner-confirmed sightings, and Ohio Valley Raceway on October 7, 1979 with a Truman Williamson photograph. These newer archive identifications replace older location-unknown summaries; exact event days are not supplied for Great Lakes or Motion. See S14–S16. Older social reposts remain supporting research leads. S7

Open identification

Which magazines carried the early photos? Which images depict the original paint? Was the body described as a 1978 or 1979 Dodge Magnum in the original build records? 1979 model year cars usually arrive 6 months prior to the January 1 model year, so is this really a 1979 model year running in July 1978, or a July 1978 car? Most flyers and promo materials say 1979. The documented 1978 appearance already establishes the act before 1979.

Source catalog.

S1–S24 catalog the published sources, photographs, film, and owner-held material referenced by this archive. The main page is the current editorial reference; newer owner-confirmed identifications take precedence over older conflicting summaries. Each entry distinguishes the event or publication date from later archive capture dates and notes where an original article is not yet linked. The private recorded call and estate bill of sale have no public download.

Have a dated photograph, program or first-hand memory? Include the photographer, approximate date, track and whether the image can be displayed publicly when contacting the archive.

← Back to the main archive

Driver & version log · chronological evidence, wrecks and repaint questions

Owner-supplied newspaper archive

Newspaper clippings · 33 source files

All 33 supplied files are retained as separate records. Repeated promotional artwork may have appeared in different newspapers, on different dates or on different pages. Matching content alone does not establish a duplicate: newspaper, publication date and page must agree before records are merged. Unverified copies remain separate.

Publication names and dates below follow the supplied filenames where provided. They are not automatically event dates. Newspaper page numbers remain unverified. Advance ads document scheduled appearances; result reports record what the newspaper says occurred.

File 01 · The Commercial Appeal · 1978-04-24 · Page not recorded

Golden Paints to Please His Fans

Larry Rea reports Golden reworking most of the initial paint job before Lakeland. The photograph shows Magnum Illusion alongside Little Red Wagon.