Tom Veness
Tom’s last name was misspelled so often that sometimes you wondered if it was someone named Van Ness, Venness, or Vanness who had won the race. However you spelled it the Veness name was synonymous with the pretty blue and white stretch-bodied car which he assembled himself from a Devin body and small block Chevy. Tom ran a body shop in Renton, Washington that he used to good advantage in preparing and maintaining the car, which was very reliable for a big modified. Tom’s most notable victory in the years of Long Straights and Hairpin Turns was at the first Northwest Grand Prix in 1960. He and the car continued campaigning into the 60s.