History
Henry was a true hot rod innovator and entrepreneur; his passion for cars has touched thousands of people and inspired what has grown into a Classic American pastime.
Henry Paul Dana
Henry was born on December 22nd, 1942 in Staten Island, New York, the oldest of four children, and graduated in 1961 from New Dorp High School.
Henry’s passion for hot rods started at a young age, and as a teenager, Henry began to drag race at various raceways in New York and along the east coast. By 1967 he became the AHRA national record holder with his 1956 Chevy Wagon.
In 1969 Henry moved to Port St. Lucie, Florida, and opened a transmission business in fort pierce. Years later he opened Dana’s hot rod shop, where he soon became recognized worldwide as an automotive craftsman and builder of innovative hot rods and the famous “Dana Red” paint color which also has entered into the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California.
Henry was a true hot rod innovator and entrepreneur; his passion for cars has touched thousands of people and inspired what has grown into a Classic American pastime; he was also an advisor in the Faith Granger movie, “Deuce of Spades.”
May of 1995
In May of 1995, Henry relocated to Mooresville, North Carolina to start his career with NASCAR. He was employed by NEMCO Motorsports as a fabricator for two years; then moved on to PENSKE racing as a fabricator for the #2 Rusty Wallace team; after spending ten years with PENSKE, Henry settled into his dream job of museum curator for Dale Earnhardt Inc. In the fall of 2017, Henry retired from DEI Inc. and relocated to Bloomer, Wisconsin with his wife Marie.
Hen Rod
Henry was known to many as hen rod; he made lifelong friends wherever he traveled due to his exuberant personality. He was truly a blessing to all who knew him and loved him. He enjoyed reading hot rod magazines, watching crime documentaries, building hot rods, and spending time with his friends and family. He loved to listen to oldies, the jerky boys, Frank Sinatra, and more. He loved to travel nationally to attend car shows while enjoying the back roads with his 1932 red Roadster.
August 6th, 2020
Henry’s life passion was the success he made for himself and was proud of what he had accomplished in life. He lived life to the fullest no matter the occasion; sadly, he passed away at the young age of 77 on August 6, 2020, in Bloomer, Wisconsin.
