Native son known for ‘Pure Hell’ brand left lasting impact on racing, hometown and family

‘All of Pleasanton was his home’: Rich Guasco, hall-of-fame drag racer, dies at 88

Rich Guasco, an International Drag Racing Hall of Fame inductee known for his “Pure Hell” car and racing team and a lifelong “proud Pleasantonian”, died Monday in hospice care at home from complications from aspiration pneumonia and cancer, according to family. He was 88.

An Amador Valley High School alumnus who ran his parents’ salvage yard and tow business for decades while also remaining heavily involved in racing teams, Guasco was well-recognized around his hometown and beyond for his roadster prowess while keeping his community and family close to his heart, according to those who knew him.

“He didn’t see what the big deal was: ‘I just do it because I love it.’ He was just very humble, funny, kind,” daughter Jill Swain, also a member of the Pure Hell team, told the Weekly on Tuesday. “All of Pleasanton was his home.”

“He was the best dad … No matter how busy he was, he never missed anything,” daughter Gina Tomasini added.

Guasco made his mark racing his trademark altered 1932 Austin Bantam dubbed “Pure Hell” in the 1960s before transitioning to funny cars, then as a mechanic for professional drag racers and later running his own team. He was inducted into Don Garlits’ International Drag Racing Hall of Fame and the Grand National Roadster show Hall of Fame.

“Rich was one of the “Greats” in drag racing, and we will miss him tremendously! RIP, Rich Guasco!” Gartlis told the Weekly.

Guasco was also a close friend of Gary Meadors, the late founder of the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association, and supported the organization’s car shows in Pleasanton and elsewhere for more than four decades.

“All of us at Goodguys are terribly saddened to hear about the passing of our longtime friend and hot rod family member, Rich Guasco. Rich’s legendary persona is deeply intertwined with the history of Goodguys, and I have many fond memories of Rich from the past 40-plus years,” Goodguys president Marc Meadors said Tuesday.

“Of course, his ‘Pure Hell’ Fuel Altered is legendary in drag racing, and an updated version of that car continues to thrill nostalgia drag racing fans,” Marc Meadors added. “Rich always had so many great stories to tell, and he will be fondly remembered and sorely missed by so many people in the hot rod and drag racing communities.”

Guasco was born on March 11, 1937 — “in a little old house in Livermore because there was no hospital,” Swain said – and raised in Pleasanton. He grew up on Old Santa Rita Road in a house on the property where his parents operated Santa Rita Tow and Auto Wrecking.

He attended St. Michael School in Livermore and then Amador Valley High, graduating in 1955.

Tomasini said her dad would tell stories about crank calling the police station as a teenager and misdirecting the lone officer on duty at night, so he could drag race down another street. “His car wasn’t pure hell; he was,” she added, laughing.

“Hot rods, roadsters in particular, were Guasco’s passion,” according to an online obituary from his family. “Both powerful and fast, Guasco’s Pure Hell 1932 Austin bantam ‘altered’ literally altered the course of the drag strip as one never really knew which direction it would go once the throttle was mashed and the clutch fully engaged down track. Despite being unruly, it won or set performance records at nearly every race in which it was entered.”

He worked seemingly day and all, running the wreckage yard and driving a tow truck during the week and racing on the weekends – and building or fixing cars on off-time, according to his daughters.

But family time was always a top priority too: “He really tried hard to not miss any of our sporting events,” Swain said. “He just was the coolest dad ever.”

Guasco and late wife Dody raised their two daughters and son Rusty in Pleasanton. He closed the business in the late-1980s, and the property remains in the family to this day.

Later after his wife’s death, Guasco rekindled what would become a 20-year-plus relationship with Annie Taylor, his one-time girlfriend in high school. A proud son of Pleasanton, Guasco also was still meeting regularly with old classmates and friends on Tuesdays at Sunshine Saloon, according to Swain.

Donna Kamp McMillion got to know Guasco through her research for the 2023 book of local history she helped coordinate, “Cruising Down Memory Lane: Stories of Pleasanton in the 1950s”.

“He walked into the museum to be interviewed with a big smile and was chuckling as he told lots of fun stories,” McMillion said Tuesday. “I don’t think he wanted to stop talking about how special it was to grow up in Pleasanton. The subtitle of his personal story in the book is, ‘From the wrecking yard to life in the fast lane!’ That so captured his amazing life.”

“When there were panel presentations in Pleasanton and he walked into the room, everyone clapped. His purple hot rod that he built in Amador’s Auto Class was oftentimes present at the oral presentations, as it drew so much attention,” she added.

And while his driving days were done years ago, Guasco was still actively involved in the Pure Hell team and was at their race just last month in Bakersfield.

Guasco’s health took a turn for the worst in recent weeks, leading to palliative care at home during the four days before his death on Monday (April 14). “Ten minutes before he died he said, ‘It’s time to go home,’” Tomasini said.

“My sister and I are obviously super-devastated, but we can’t help but smile every time we think of him,” Swain said.

A public celebration of life will be announced soon, according to his family.