It’s hard to imagine that any race car had a bigger international fan base in the 1970s and early ‘80s than did the legendary Blue Max, a Funny Car that captured the imagination of an entire generation of adrenaline junkies.

When the late Harry Schmidt had a replica of a German military medal for valor emblazoned on the side of his race car, he could not have imagined what would ensue. Although the ‘Max’ was exceedingly popular from the day it first rolled to the starting line at the 1970 Winternationals, it didn’t really hit its stride until Raymond Beadle came on board in 1975, first as partner with Schmidt and later as sole owner and driver.

In this episode of Legends: The Series, Season Three, “Waterbed Fred” Miller, D. Gantt and Dale Emery, the mechanical trio whose talents sent Beadle to three NHRA and three IHRA world championships as well as countless match victories in the U.S., Canada and England, talk about their amazing run, their Hall of Fame driver and the unique team chemistry that made all of their success possible.