The high octane life of George “Bushmaster" Schreiber

Commuters going to and from Strafford will notice a giant billboard with a flaming jet. Most know about Bushmasters Rockin Race Place, a museum filled with fast cars, good food, and an excellent bar. But not many are aware of the truly extraordinary life of George 'Bushmaster' Schreiber, the owner of this establishment. The museum itself houses hot rods, posters, and thousands of memories of one man’s epic life.

"Here it is," Schreiber announces as you enter the museum. "One acre, and it is full. On the walls, I have put up over 6,000 pictures and posters, one by one, going on for about four years" it does not take long to realize this place is more than a building filled with neat things. It is one man's enthusiasm for going fast.

Born Aug 24, 1937, Schreiber grew up in Montana, where he lived a quiet life … at first.

“I have always been involved in the car world ever since I was in eighth grade. I did not even have a driver’s license, but I had a car. A 1935 Hudson Coup my mom bought for me for $75 bucks”. 

Schreiber's love for the sport inspired him to join a hot-rod racing club in high school, The Wolves. Schreiber and his fellow members would travel to various places to push their custom-built cars to their limits. Their travels included Idaho and the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Schreiber would continue with The Wolves until he graduated in 1955. 

Afterward, Schreiber joined the U.S. Air Force and was stationed in Germany for three years. When he was discharged in 1959, where he would rekindle with some buddies from high school who were playing music. Schreiber, who loved music just as much as cars, would help the group by becoming their manager. “The Crystals” was their name, and they would perform for universities, colleges, bars, and roadhouses. 

The life of a band manager is fun but was not exciting enough for Schreiber. Soon after leaving the role as band manager, he would attend Montana State University, where he dreamed of becoming an architect.  

However, Schreiber recalls this dream would eventually be left in the dust.

“I love to plan and build things, but in class, all I was doing was drawing and planning race cars. I learned about the early stuff but I was never a math guy. They would get into trigonometry and advanced calculus; you have to learn all that before you can start to build things. But I had built a couple of things without doing all that”. 

He would only attend for two semesters before the wheels of fate started turning for Schreiber. 

Schreiber moved to Southern California, a go-to spot for hot rods and drag racing. From there, Schreiber would meet fellow racers such as Ed Roth, Tom McEwen, and Don Prudhomme. Eventually, the gang’s regular appearances on the track would earn, or better yet, inspire their famed nicknames.

"There were three weekly newspapers that told you what was going on all the tracks. … Three newspaper reporters showed up to a meeting we had and said, 'If you guys would get nicknames we could write better pieces instead of Bill is racing Jim or John is racing Pete. We need some livelihood' We came up with nicknames ‘Big Daddy’ Roth got his and then two of the biggest which was Don 'The Snake' Prudhomme and Tom 'The Mongoose' McEwen, there was also ‘The Zookeeper’, ‘Batman’, I could go on and on…. We found out that the Bushmaster is the world's quickest pit viper. They are very ferocious and fast-striking snakes. It is quick enough to kill a mongoose". Thus, George ‘The Bushmaster’ Schreiber was created.

But what is a racer without a vehicle? Throughout Bushmaster’s high octane career, he would have nine top fuel dragsters. Each one creating its own legacy. Nonetheless, two of the dragsters stood out during Bushmaster’s career; ‘Yellow Fang’ and ‘Starjet’.

‘Yellow Fang’ would be the first dragster that Bushmaster owned. Additionally, ‘Yellow Fang’ would go on to be the first dragster to go over 200 mph down a quarter mile. This dragster also stamped Bushmaster’s passport to Australia. He and a team of five others traveled to the land down under to compete in the 1966 Olympic Racing. There, Bushmaster attempted to be the first driver to go 200 mph, but a lack of supplies and funds only got ‘Yellow Fang’ up to 196 mph. However, the loss did not deter the Bushmaster as he kept racing once he returned to the U.S. ‘Yellow Fang’ would be put in the garage for good in 1970. It would be displayed in many car collections, but now resides in Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing in Ocala, FL. 

‘Starjet’ had a different journey that ended up going ‘sky-high’. ‘Starjet’ was another dragster created by the Bushmaster after he was inspired by a popular film that was out at the time ‘Star Wars’. Schreiber would build a customer semi and trailer where for 11 years, he would live and tour all around America and Canada with ‘Starjet’. 

Schreiber would be joined by his family, where they would enjoy the travels but also “slow” moments on the open road, including watching movies such as ‘Top Gun’.

“I watched it 28 times,” Schreiber tells. “I had a projector and we would watch it or another movie every night”.

 Thanks to ‘Starjet’ during those tours, Schreiber would meet and become friends with members of the Blue Angels. That friendship would lead not only to some fantastic photo shoots but even a seat in the cockpit of a F/A -18, one of the jets used by the Blues. In 1990, Bushmaster would become an honorary crew member of the Blue Angels. He would be seen making the jet scream across the sky as it flew over 700 mph. 

These epic achievements are just a handful of the contributions ‘Bushmaster’ made to the sport of drag racing. Schreiber was recently honored with the National Hot Rod Reunion Lifetime Achievement Award this past June. “Look Mom, I made it!” grinned Schreiber as he recalled part of his acceptance speech.

A long life in the fast lane has not slowed any for the ‘Bushmaster’. His years behind the wheel still reaffirm his first feelings toward the sport: fun. 

 “It was about having fun,” Schreiber reflects. “Sure, you got money out of it, but it was not the only reason to race.” 

However, Schreiber knows this lifestyle is not without loss either, as he looks over the photos of his past crew and friends. “I’m the last guy standing. They’re all gone now”.  

George 'Bushmaster' Schreiber has lived a life filled with smoked tires, revving engines, and colorful headbands. But, should an opportunity come where you can visit Bushmasters Rockin Race Place at 2963 Evergreen Rd, Strafford, MO, do so. Otherwise, blink, and this genuinely high-octane life might pass you.