Ike Keeler - Holland, Michigan
1967 Mercury Cougar # 14
Originally driven by Dave Tatum and Bill Pendleton
Documented History:
Dave Tatum, the original driver and constructor of this car, worked as the operations manager at Burien Lincoln Mercury. In 1967, Dave convinced the owner of the dealership that they should build a Trans Am Cougar. This was not a difficult argument, as Dave had consulted with Kar Kraft in 1966 on the Ford engine program. During this time, Dave had worked with such racing luminaries as Jack Roush, Lee Dykstra, and Fran Hernandez.
In the latter part of the 67 season, Mercury was seeking help trying to secure the 1967 Trans-Am Championship, and thus began the semi-factory effort with the Burien Mercury Cougar. The dealership acquired a special order black coupe, delivered without the engine, but with the top loader transmission and nine inch rear end. Dave, with free parts and technical help from his friends at Kar Kraft, turned it into a state-of-the-art (for 1967) acid-dipped Trans Am car. Certain items that Dave used on the car, such as the Watts link, were later tried on the Bud Moore cars.The car was raced in 1967 at the Kent and Crows Landing rounds of the Trans-Am Series (both with Bill Pendleton as co-driver).In 1968, Dave again raced the car at the Kent TA race.
For 1969, the car was sold to Bill Pendleton of Oregon. Bill raced the car at the Seattle and Riverside TA races (per Pete Hylton, SCCA Archivist) finishing a surprising eighth at Kent against much more modern machinery.
