History Drag cars in motion.......picture thread.

1993, 2nd Annual NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion
Bakersfield

 

The Newhouse Special at LIONS Drag Strip, 1962
This was one of my first photos at the drags. I was 11 years old.
Man, I loved those diggers with the white-wall slicks!

 

Dig that station wagon!

 

Man this is one awsome post, you can spend hours here! Does anyone have any pics from Irwindale Drag Strip 1968-1969 ?
My Dad used to run his 68 Roadrunner there. I was there but only 3-4 years old.

Thanks for all the Great Pics!

 

The results of a very hard landing!
Irwindale, 1966

 

Late in the afternoon sun, the "Monkey Motion" Bantam altered waits for a push start on the fire-up road at Fontana Drag City.
Notice in the background that Fontana was rather "primitive" as they used portable generators to light the track at night.
Fontana was primitive, but we loved it. We were there for the racing...only.

Today this land is all cheesy tract houses and 7-11 stores...

 

Colton California

 

This is a rather odd photograph. The twin engined dragster has been fired up and is approaching the starting line where it will be turned around by the crew by pushing is backwards when the driver is no longer able to turn it around.
What's interesting is that all the grandstands are gone on the "tower" side of the track. Lions would rent out the grandstands in December to be re-assembled in Pasadena for the Rose Parade on New Years Day. After the parade they were returned to LIONS and put back up.
LIONS Drag Strip, 1964

 

California Hot Rod Reunion, Bakersfield, 1993

 

Mazooma that is a beautiful car but sometimes I think they are over restored. $.02

 

CHHR 1993

 

I grew up in Fontana, went there many times up to the very end. Do you or does anybody else have a picture of when they ran 4 jet dragsters there side by side. Local legend had it that the starter almost got bbq'ed on the first run and on the second run wore a firesuit!!!

 

I was there. I tried to get it on movie film. Ryan has a copy of what I've got and he may be posting some of my old movies soon. I have some still photos of the jets before and after the run. I'll post 'em tonight if I've got time.
I don't remember the starter in the firesuit, but it did blow the window out of the tower. Four abreast jets...and one of them had two jet engines. It was crazy.
Fontana was quite a place. I started driving there before I had a drivers license. Nobody cared. Bonfires in the pits, you name it....
I'll go look for photos....

 

this is a cool thread,r.shifter has a lot of cool pics!!! thanks to every one!!

 

Here's one of the jets that ran four abreat at Fontana.
This is the "Untouchable" owned by Romeo Palamides

 

The "Green Monster"driven by Doug Rose, owned by Art Afrons.

 

The third jet was the "U.S. 1".

 

The 4th jet was the "Untouchable Twice".
2 Westinghouse jet engines...

 

All together:

 

WOW!!!!
I've never seen that before....THANK YOU!!!

 

10-72 HRM, here's the caption:

 

Glad I showed you the HAMB man!!!! You fit in like a 32 shell on a Model A

 

Thanks, you made my day!

 

OK Here we go, I hope this works.
1966 Dragfest Castlereagh Sydney Australia.

 

That's it!! Starter looks to be in firesuit to me. Musta heard that story about this 200 times. THANKS

 

Here are some pics from Springfield IL yngrodder's dad lent them to me to scan and copy

 

That Possum Chaser is very cool.

 

R.S. beat me to it.

 

The tow method is even cooler. Reason no.1 for using a crosley as a race car