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

wow how awesome is that??!!!

 

the top two photos are 8X10's that I purchased at LIONS in the mid-60's

 

You were able to purchase photographs of other dragstrips at Lions dragstrip? Wow.
Any more? Tom S.

 

Photographers had their own booths at the local strips and they sold 8X10's for $1 of their photos. Most all the tracks had booths.
Come to think of it, I think I remember sending away for those posted above from "Super/Stock Magazine".
I'm not certain. But the local photographers in Southern California sold their own photos and they pretty much shot locally.
So....I think they were from SSM like the one of Phil Bonner below.
I do remember mailing away for those when I was a kid....



and Dave Strickler

 

#28523;
" Photographers had their own booths at the local strips and they sold 8X10's for $1 of their photos. Most all the tracks had booths. "

Not many photo booths to be seen at the strip I pictured above.
I'd write a book of the historic parallel of Div II drag racing that took place on abandoned county roads the same time early Nascar stock car racing heroes were coming of age running around in circles at fairground horse tracks. But sadly, the history is mainly folk lore today because the only documentation consists primarily of some kid who might have gone with the rest of the family and showed up with a Brownie 8, if any real evidence like the dirt strip you posted earlier, even exist at all.
Practically nothing left to document automobile racing today except magazine photos.
Tom S. in Tn.

 

Thanks, Y'all !

JB

 

my father in law at the local track.....circa 59-60ish....

track still runs every saturday night april thru oct ....since 1953

 

This brings back memories our 57 t-bird Ford 427 High Riser at Fremont Drag Strip the car has changed a bit but still the same original steel body. Its now Pro Mod built with blown alcohol 526ci AR Boss Hemi. I got more photos in my web page of it plus our other Holman Moody cars A/FX -Pro Stock http://dearbornflashback.com/jd_fords.asp

 

This pic appears so realistic to me. Looks like some rosined the track down.
We could not have raced on VHT back then. Not enough axles and driveline parts to have kept a race going.
Tom S.

 

I love this picture. CARS magazine 1969.

 

Never knew Bakersfield had a dirt track too. Thats what I call Sprint Cars.., "Fuel Altereds that turn left".

 

Stained firesuit for sale, some smell left in it, will try washing again. $20.00

 

His son is carrying on the tradition - painting in the city of Orange, CA

Do you know who that was? Was it a Thames panel or an Anglia?

I work about 1/4 mile south and think this everyday. And the whole political BS that brought it down still pisses me off! I grew up in Duarte and could hear the races and we live up far enough in Fish Canyon that we could get on the roof with a telescope and watch them as well. Moved to Newport Beach in 71 and here i am commuting back everyday 40 years later. Refused to drink Miller for many years!

 

"Do you know who that was? Was it a Thames panel or an Anglia?"

It was a Thames panel. Basic white, sans lettering for a couple of years. The same guy later ran a cool looking econo funnycar when they became in vogue. An African American guy whose name escapes me at the moment. Stone was his last name I think.

 

Not political at all. You had a willing seller and a city that wanted the income from the large manufacturing plant. Miller wanted the site because it was cheap and had railroad access. They City of Irwindale wanted the tax base.
The track had become worth more as a factory site than a drag strip and the owners sold it because of that.
There was no "eminent domain" or any legal hocus-pocus.
I worked with the city attorney of that city for 8 years here in my town and got the whole short story.
The owners of the track walked away happy.

 

While the Snyder's and other owners Might have been happy to sell it at a profit, it was the city that bought it and then leased the property to Miller for $1.00 in hopes of recouping it in the long term through tax revenue. And while undoubtedly that has been the case over the years, making much more money for the City of Irwindale than the drag Strip ever did, it sure seems to me that at the time there were accusations of back door payouts etc to local politicians and even the adjacent rock quarry people. Now maybe this has grown to urban legend status, but it sure seemed to be strong discussion when it happened.

 

Well, legends aside, all I know is the sellers were happy and so was Miller Brewery and the City of Irwindale. And the brewery employees a bunch of people. A bunch.
A drag strip will not generate jobs or city income in comparision. If Miller Brewing hadn't come along and the site had never been sold, I guarantee the site today would be the same wasteland that it was in the 1950's.
There's no way in hell that a drag strip would be there today.
So, all things considered for the three entities involved, it was a success.

 

now, back to our regularly scheduled program

 

Dave Benjamin in the Arizona wildcat.

 

Nasty again.

 

Nasty's hemi powered vette at Seattle 1960's.

 

The word is that a high powered socialite lives in the hills above the current Irwindale Dragstrip/Circle track and he doesn't like the far off sound of racing engines interupting his nightly meditation or some crap, and he is a constant thorn in the side of the city/track owners/manager. Fact or Fiction? I have been told several times that the thursday night grudge drags on the 1/8 mile cover the "whole nut" for that place and if it wasn't for that the circle track would be deep "in the red". Doesn't really surprise me, I helped a friend out with his "circle burner" for a couple years there and the managing/treatment to the racers really sucked, especially the lower classes of cars.

 

well, I don't know about any of that, but the track you are talking about is a long way from any "hills". It is called "The TOYOTA Speedway" which opened 21 years after Irwindale Drag Strip closed.
The "TOYOTA Speedway" is miles from the one I'm referring to....
Irwindale Drag Strip, (1965-1977)

apples and oranges

 

This was the Mondello and Matsubara fuel altered. I am trying to figure out the funnycar in the other lane. Either Steve Montrelli and the New Breed or Blairs Speed Shop with Steve Bovan at the wheel

 

Look at the size of the slicks. This car may have predated Adams and Enriques "Double Eagle". The Bright Boys were serious Junior Fuel racers. Larry Bright was an excellent driver. The Boys had quite a streak going at the Beach as I remember. With the close performance of the Junior Fuelers the only way to beat the best was to beat them at the tree. Larry did this with regularity. This car appears to be a refinement over the Freight Train though in a different class.

 

The Double Eagle was a legitimate AA/FD, I dont know if the Bright Boys effort was classified as a top fueler, maybe a A/FD like Jerry Verhuel's N/W based car. Obvioulsy the twin motors made it verbotten for jr fuel as there was obviously a lot more cubes there than 310". It might have have been relegated to running the combo-elim circuit efforts. And yes the Bright Boys had the numbers locked in, much in the same way the Allen Family did, Adams and Enriquez et al.

 

Yes I'm aware of the different locations and the proximity of "Toyota" to the San Bernadino mountains. My point is, there is one somewhat influencial individual living on the side of the mountain who does not appreciate the Speedway/Drag strip interupting his meditation/cheese and whine festivals at his house, and wanted to point out how much of a power whiner he was.

The other thing that "fry's my noodle" is when a race track of any sort is built somewhere in the "boondocks", then urban sprawl advances in, people buys houses and start business around and start pissing and moaning about the noise etc. I have been to a fair share of drag strips in midwest and back east and some are smack in the middle of a neighborhood in a relatively small town and there is no problem, in fact some towns even brag on their race tracks with pride.

 

http://devour.com/video/vintage-race-car-crashes/

These aren't drag cars, but still a memorable 4 minutes of footage !

JB

 

OK, enough complaining, hand-wringing and WAY-off topic videos....SHEESH!
how about we post photos of drag cars....????

 

I had to go back to my old 69' rule book, but fuel, blown gas, and the dragsters in the old Super eliminator, (pre Pro Comp and not gas dragsters in comp elim) followed the same rules as Top Fuelers, which meant and I quote:

" Engines: Any internal combustion reciprocating type. Maximum: two (2). Total combined displacement of engine(s) must not exceed 850 cubic inches. Any modifications to engine(s) acceptable; engine(s) may be in any location. " end quote.

This could have been an old AA/D 2.25/lb, BB/D the 3.00/lb class and ran with twin motors on gasoline but supercharged, or an A/F with nitro at the same 3/lb weight break in Super elim.
DragList indicates the Bright Boys as running in B/F class(?) until; they switched to blown and then Chryslers.
The dragsters that ran with the gasoline restriction as we all know, logically evolved into BB/AD and later TAD's when Pro Comp was conceived. What was the deal about methanol back then anyways?
I vaguely recall the Bright Boys in later years with a blown Chrysler on alcohol, but those darned little chevys used to play hell on the weekend circuits.
Tom S. in Tn.