ABOUT
(Hometown: London, Ontario)
Bob Atchison’s drag racing career began in the 1950s with his streetcar before transitioning to a “Henry J” with an Oldsmobile engine. This ignited his passion, creating front-engine dragsters in the Nitro-burning Top Fuel class, racing across tracks across North America, from Ontario to Michigan. In 1964, he founded Atchison Machine Service, turning his passion into a business, and in the 70’s, he quit racing to focus on his family and his growing business.
In 1995, Bob’s son Rob joined the company and together they built Top Alcohol Funny Cars and a Pro Modified with a renowned Chevrolet-style power plant, achieving numerous milestones, including three consecutive IHRA Alcohol Funny Car Championships, 21 IHRA National Event Wins, and the first IHRA Alcohol Funny Car in the 5.60s.
Bob’s legacy lives on through Atchison Machine Service Inc., which now occupies 4 buildings and performs machine work on all types of engines from single-cylinder engines to V/12 industrial motors.