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William Edward "Bill" Muncey (November 12, 1928 – October 18, 1981) was an American hydroplane racing legend from Detroit, Michigan. The International Motorsports Hall of Fame and hydroplane historian Dan Cowie described Muncey as "without question, the greatest hydroplane racer in history." Muncey was nicknamed "Mr. Unlimited" and won 62 races, which was the most races in the history of the sport until Dave Villwock broke his record in 2011. Muncey began his boat racing career in 1949 by sinking in front of a hometown crowd on the Detroit River. He moved to a new Atlas Van Lines boat in 1977 and won twenty times in the next three seasons. Muncey was leading the final heat of the World Championship race at Acapulco on October 18, 1981, when he died in a blowover crash while travelling 175 miles per hour (282 km/h).

Atlas Van Lines is an American moving company formed in 1948 by a group of local transfer and storage firms. As an agent-owned company, it is similar in form to a cooperative. It has about 500 agents worldwide (in over 140 countries), of which 75 own shares in Atlas World Group, which controls Atlas Van Lines and other related companies. Based in Evansville, Indiana, it is the second-largest interstate motor carrier in the United States.

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The Atlas Van Lines is one of the most successful, yet tragic, hydroplanes to ever compete in racing. For most of its tenure, it was piloted by veteran Bill Muncey, who many doubted if he would ever win again due to his age. From 1976 to 1981, Bill and Atlas dominated the sport, winning five races in their first year together. From 1977 to 1981, the pair competed in 43 races and won 24 of them. Unfortunately, in its last race in 1981, Bill and Atlas suffered a tragic accident. Traveling at over 175 miles per hour, the hydroplane flipped, and Bill later died at the hospital from his injuries. The hydroplane was restored in 2014 to honor Bill’s memory.

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Pay n’ Pak was a home improvement chain that was founded by Steve Thurman in 1962 and later taken over by David Heerensperger in 1969. Heerensperger oversaw the expansion of the company. In 1989, there was an attempt of a hostile take over of the company so Heerensperger left and made a competitor chain, Eagle Hardware, in response.

The hydroplane project was an investment Heerensperger made when he took over up until he left the company, specifically hydroplane racing. It was considered a dangerous sport in the 1960s and 1970s at the time when he was racing. His team won 25 races while he was in control.

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Several hydroplanes in the American Power Boat Association would use the U-25 hull to design their boats. The 1973 edition of the U-25 belonged to the Pay ’N Pak team owned by Dave Heerensperger. Heerensperger was a longtime fan of the league, first sponsoring the Miss Spokane team in 1962. Eventually, he would want a team of his own, entering the league in 1967. 

The first Pride of Pay ’N Pak hydroplane would debut in 1969 and was named after a chain of hardware stores Heerensperger had just purchased. By 1973, there had already been three Prides built and retired. The new edition cut “pride of” out of the name, thus 1973 marked the first Pay ‘N Pak. This version would be the most successful of hydroplanes to have this name, immediately getting four wins and only losing the Gold Cup due to a lost prop in the last lap disqualifying them.

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Budweiser is a pale lager produced by Anheuser-Busch beverage corporatoin. Budweiser was introduced in 1876 by Adolphus Busch from Saint Louis, Missouri. Budweiser has grown to become one of the highest selling beers in the United States and is still available and popular in over 80 markets worldwide.

Budweiser dabbled in the racing circuit and sponsored 22 hydroplanes known as Miss Budweiser, that raced in the unlimited class under the u12 banner. These were owned by Bernie Little and his youngest son, Joe. Anheuser-Busch began sponsoring them in 1963, thanks to a friend of Bernie, the Anheuser-Busch president, August Busch, III. After the 2004 season, Joe stopped racing as there were changes in Anheuser-Busch leadership. The sponsorship lasted 43 years.  Bill Sterett was the driver in 1969 and brought in 5 wins between 1968-1969. He was replaced with Dean Chenoweth, who drove from 1970-73 before departing, but came back from 1979-1982, and he brought in 23 wins for Miss Budweiser.

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Sister was created as a promotional item for Ms. Magazine. Ms. Magazine, launched in 1971, started off as a one-time publication that transformed into a serial for activism and women's rights, helping to define and promote independence and feminism as we know them today.

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“Bionic” used as an informal term means carrying the capacity to have superhuman strength.

Bionic in its formal definition means the assistance of electronic or mechanical devices to replace or supplement body parts or assisting in difficult to perform human actions.

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The Notre Dame racing team competed in the APBA association and raced hydroplanes. The team is named after the popular university, with team owner, Herb Mendelson, receiving permission from the school. Herb started the team in 1935 and was in charge until 1947. The team then passed down to his daughter, Shirley Mendelson, who also competed as a pilot for the team. 

The team competed in various events and tournaments over the decades, even winning the league’s ultimate prize in the gold cup in 1937. Due to failing health from Shirley and no successor within the family, she disbanded the Notre Dame team and sold their equipment. 1973 was the last year the Notre Dame competed as a team, although the hydroplanes associated with them would go on to compete in other leagues until 1982.

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The Notre Dame team competed in the APBA league that raced hydroplane boats. Each hydroplane name is marked by a letter followed by a number. The U-7 was the successor hull for the G-5 hydroplane. The U-7 debuted in 1962 under pilot Warner Gardner. This hull would be the last one used by the Notre Dame team, appearing in twelve races. Its last race was in 1973 and, shortly after, the whole team itself was disbanded once their owner retired.