Messner, born in Los Angeles on, Aug. 1, 1941, as Herman R. Messner, would soon go by the nickname, “Sonny.” At the age of 15, he began his career in automobiles, working for Jr. Thompson, building racecars. He would accompany Jr. to all the Southern California drag strips, including famed Lions at Long Beach, and of course the Half Mile Drag Strip in Riverside, Calif. It was at the Riverside Drag Strip where he met Don Garlits. The strip was holding the Drag News Invitational in 1961, and Messner approached the Garlits-Swingle team and wanted to help. As it was in those days, that is how a two-man team got help, from fans and mechanics walking around in the pits. The team won the event, and this started a lifelong friendship, with Sonny traveling all around the West Coast and as far East as Florida to help the Garlits team win many races. When the Garlits team was in California, they could always be found at Messner’s home in Santa Ana, pitted on his front lawn and then street repairing the Swamp Rat for the next event. Any other time, Messner could be seen almost every week at the races helping some team try to win the Top Eliminator prize. He personally recreated the famed Jr. Thompson A/Gas, 1940 Studebaker sedan in 1960 for Thompson, and it was correct in every detail. He also located many of the cars in the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing that are on display today. Garlits went through many Swamp Rats over the years, but none captivated Messner’s interest as much as the Swamp Rat III that won the Riverside event in 1961. When Garlits formed the Drag Racing Museum in 1976, the hunt for all the Swamp Rats began and Sonny was very instrumental in locating many of the “hard to find” parts necessary to restore the old cars. There were three SR-IIIs, and the one that won Riverside was the second. SR-IIIB was destroyed in traveling accident in Southern Georgia in late 1961 so Garlits decided to recreate the car. When Sonny found out, he wanted to be a part of the recreation, so a plan was worked out; Sonny would pay for all the materials and parts. In return, Sonny gets possession of the vehicle until his demise, at which point the car will return to the museum for future fans to enjoy. In the meantime, Sonny would have the car as if it were his very own. Sonny attends all of the California Drag Racing Nostalgia functions and keeps the Dragster in top running condition. Sonny is a wonderful ambassador for the Sport and the Drag Racing Museum. It is as though we had a full-time representative on the West Coast. Sonny has lived his entire adult life dedicated to the sport of Drag Racing. On top of all he has done for Drag Racing, Sonny is one of the nicest people you will ever meet.