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

Dick took me under his wing when I was twenty years old and taught me a few things and later before he passed away, I got too teach him a couple. I was able to have one of his other close friends hold a telephone next to his ear so I could tell him goodbye a few hours before he passed. God speed " Shazam"

 

Your right on the money plus a few others made the leather ones back in the 50's for the circle track boys ....here's how they looked.

 

I don't think Harrell was at this race at KCIR. I do know for this race, Ronnie and I drove from Charlotte to KCIR(1100 miles ) in around 17 hrs. We raced Pete Gates at Charlotte and won but, really didn't want to because we needed to haul ass to get to KCIR so, we said we were broke letting gates back in. Racing on the straight 1/8th portion of a NASCAR track is a bitch. The shutdown area was the banked turn and the tools dawm near slid out of the truck when I went to tow Ron back. Racing was alot of fun back then.

 

This isn't the place to post event information. There's a whole section just for that.

 

Sorry My Bad I removed it

 

GA TECH AUTO CLUB RAIL 1955-56 THINGS HAVE CHANGED
Clyde Gilbert, Fred Lieb, Jack Lane, Julius Hughes, Jack Johnson, Drew Tuggle and Frank Gossett

 

awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Definitely reminds us where the term "Rail Job" or "Rail" came from!

 

Garlits early Dragster looked very similar I have a picture in my album

 

You mean like this one?

 

Elaine, did Julius ever run against Garlits?

It seems likely that Julius would've run against Don in the early days, but I never heard so.

 

Love that photo Toby.....look how close the guy is standing? awesome.

 

Yeah ... just imagine! That guy's standing about 5 feet away from those weedburners aimed at his legs and with the engine at full throttle!!

I would've loved it!!!

 

And look at Wenderski's matching El Camino in the background. So much more class than todays semi trailer circus shows.

 

Here are a couple of photos that will remind you of the good times.

 

The 65 Vette at the top reaks of classic hot rod look. Polished cragers, metal flake flammed paint scheme, chrome blower and a nasty stance gives the car a look that is far cooler than anything being campained today. Clay Smith Cams eh? A rare choice. And I thought you guys had been long time Howard customers.

 

After Wenderski's fatal crash at Ramona, Kay Trapp seized the motor from the CHP (the law enforcement entity responsible for investigating "highway fatalities" ) and mounted it in the Magi-Car a year or so later.

 

my car.

 

:

Thanks WCD, we did wise up and ran Howard rods and cams. With the front raked up that high it is a wonder it didn't fly in the lights. We like evryone in that era went through growing pains ie; tail dragging wheel stands, etc etc. The engine was way too high and forward. In 67, we installed the BBC which was lowered and set back. Our dad said it made him nervous to see both sides of the early vette in the lights. Ronnie said "hell if I lifted, I would flip". So he pulled the Deist chute that seldom blossomed. C.J Hart liked us and always liked a good show however, asked us if we could get that thing to go straight? Those days built character.:

 

Diest chute didnt blossom? Easily tangled up the shroud lines or weak pilot chute?

 

You can say that again. About the only super successful altered in pro-comp that during the mid 70's, probably carried home more $$ than the dragsters and funnies at the time.

 

I still say the early model was superior to anything ever conceived to run on fuel. The sound of one is unlike anything else and is as unique as a Merlin in a P-51.
I know Duntov used the design which had been around since the beginning of time, but the Chrysler seems to have been conceptualized from the beginning to run on something other than gasoline, supercharged or not.

I am no engineer, but an early model is different from anything else, and there will never be anything like them or a Donovan ever again.

 

I've been coaxing Elaine Hughes Jape (jetboatmama) to post some of her photos here and to relate some of the experiences she shared with her deceased first husband, Julius Hughes Jr. Together, they were very much a part of the drag racing scene of the 1960s, campaigning an altered, a Funny Car, and a couple of fuel dragsters. They were personal friends and associates with the likes of Buster Couch and Pete Robinson, among many others. She and Julius, along with Buster Couch, were inducted into the NHRA Hall of Fame, Southeast Division at the same time.

Here's the last Fuel Dragster Julius owned and drove .........


This shows the "Honest Charley" lettering as the Hughes were distributors of Honest Charley parts.




Here's the car with the earlier Atlanta Speed Shop lettering ........





Here's where that car originated. It is shown in the foreground of the photo below. It was bought from Tommy Ivo and was his next to the last front engine dragster, the last one being the one in the background. The car was ultimately destroyed in a crash.

Photo from the Tommy Ivo Collection and can be seen in the fine biography "TV" TOMMY IVO, Drag Racing Master Showman, written by Tom Cotter

I don't know how many vintage action photos Elaine actually has, but I know she has a few. Right now she has her hands full promoting this Atlanta $10,000 drag event that's coming up. Hopefully, after she's done with that, she can relax and have some fun sharing her experiences from her exciting past!

 

there was a write up on Rapid Ronnie and the Vega by Ted Robinson in the English drag racing magazine National Drag Racer in 1973

 

Thanks Jaytee, do you know where I can get a copy of the Ted Robison article?

 

if you give me your email number I'll try and get it scanned and send it on

 

Great pics!!!!

This one speaks volumes about the golden age of Funny Cars!

 

Great Jaytee, my email is captmike@tampabay.rr.com. Thanks Mike Runyan

 

There was a time when we could not get racing slicks. Too much in demand out west for the new suppliers to this demand (Marvin Richtin (sp?) M&H and Goodyear to get to us out here in the renegade southeast.
Some of the first were made by Carlisle were recaps. Some guys ran the pressure as low as < 10 lb/psi in them too thinking there was a traction advantage. Had to put short sheet metal screws through the bead on the rim to keep them from spinning on the rim and tearing the stem off the tube.
Are wrinkle wall tires still used?