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

post #43938
orange county metal processing 1964/65 Norm Weekly driving, Jim Fox motor. ?

 

LAFAYETTE FORD sponsored many race cars over the years both NASCAR and drag cars. This dealership is located in Fayetteville, NC, my home town but as far as I know no longer is into racing other than living past history through the pictures on the walls of the show room. .

 

I couldn't find any details on the Wildcat, but the P-51 used 14" wheels.

 

Ah…. Fayetteville, NC… I skated a couple different funny cars down that track…and I do mean SKATED, as that track seemed to always have some sand on it. It was a regular scheduled track for East Coast Fuel Funny Car Circuit back in late ‘60s and early ‘70s.

 

This looks like it could be the same 37-38 Willys coupe. This is one of the earliest Willys drag cars that I have ever heard of.


No ID on these two gassers...looks like the track is really wet, but these guys are still racing...

These pictures are from the thread Hot Rod History and Photos 1949-on Caddo Mills, thanks to everyone for the history lesson ( George Gilmore ran A\G with a Chrysler motor and was from Denton Texas)

 

I spoke to a friend today who knows something about the LaFayette Ford Galaxy in the original post. He said it was raced only locally, so you may have been around it at some point.

 

Not in motion, but soon to be...Mickey Thompson's twin Chrysler. He built it as a dragster, ran it locally in SoCal (I saw it at San Fernando), then took it to Bonneville and ran 294 with it...


Also not in motion, Todd "Doc" Raleigh with his double-blown Olds car chassis...engine is in an earlier post
both this and the above photo from the Eric Rickman collection


Ok, in motion. Lefty in the near lane racing Dick Goss, with Don Yates driving, San Gabriel. Lefty built Dick's car, and would later die in a later Dick Goss car....anything for traction as Lefty tried dual slicks


Lefty again, near lane, racing Garlits at Bakersfield


Jim McClennan approaches the Fremont starting line


Blurry photo of Santa Ana


Melvin Dodd and Jack Hart ran this blown Chevy, at Santa Ana


Oklahoma City, Lyndell White, far lane, not sure who he is racing


I need some ID help here...

 

Wouldn't that be Sammy Hale driving for Jim McClennan ?

 

Marty, I think that Jim was still driving at this time, around '61, though the push truck puzzled me as normally they used Jim's red and black Chevy...this is the latest picture I can find where Jim is in the cockpit and his "model" friend is posing as a hood ornament:.....didn't Sammy take over when Jim got his Fuller car?

 

My '64 GTO that I used to bracket race with a group of Pontiac guys. These aren't very old shots, however some were taken a little over 20 years ago.

 

That's Sammy Hales Datsun pickup truck. And most likely in the dragster.

 

Mike, I was looking at the Datsun pickup push truck, that shot had to be from 1984 or so. In '85 they used their 34 pickup, and in '86 they used a "T" Touring, and I am sure "Swingin Sammy" was their only driver during those years. I am not sure if Sammy drove the TE 440 in the early 60's, your probably correct. Thank you for taking the time to identify the cars, drivers and crewmen in these photos of the golden years. Your anecdotes fill in the gaps, and make for some great reading. And thanks to George Klass for his library of fantastic photos.

 

I took a side shot of their new Fuller car at Bakersfield in 61' I think, and Sammy was in the seat looking over at me

Always loved those Fuel SBC diggers, and the Champion car was one of the best!!

 

I think that's Don Ratican with the Engle T shirt.

 

Woodburn Oregon, looks like Chuck Poole to me.

 

Agreed. Filling in the gaps and the identification add something more than just posting a pic. Well done and thank you indeed.

 

The Bad News C/A was a regular runner most Sunday's at Dover Drag Strip for years.
It was always a real crowd favorite.

Jimbo

 

Oh yes, I remember some of the LaFayette Ford cars mainly from mid ‘60s. Even though they claim locally I seem to remember them from several tracks in Virginia and the Carolina’s, as I also ran a S/S car around same time.

 

The pickup puzzled me too, I didn't know it was Sammy's....your ID does make sense...and the other thing is that scoreboard at the very end of the track, which I didn't focus on initially...I don't think that Fremont had that in the early '60s...So I agree, both you and Bushwacker 57 are right, Sammy Hale.

And thanks to all who make corrections...lots of these old pictures come with no captions (or in the McClellan photo, wrong caption)...so it's a team effort to get them right.

 

Sammy Hales Datsun truck was his daily driver up until he closed his crankshaft shop around 1994 in Novato ca. and moved to Arizona. That is a late photo when he got back in to it he kept the car at his shop did all the work him self I would go by there after work and BS .

 

I don't have captions for many of these, so if you can ID them, please chime in


??


Bob Alsenez in Kenny Lindley's "Misfire," from SoCal, probably at the '56 NHRA Nationals. Car ran a front-mounted blown Chrysler.


Mr Flathead, John Bradley, perhaps at the ATAA Nationals?


Couple of street driven cars at San Luis Obispo, probably late '50s. Cars like this never got much ink, but they were the backbone of drag racing, because they were the bulk of the competitors and they paid their money just like the big guys. Looks like both of these cars have some custom touches.


Unknown Olds powered dragster, also possibly at the '57 ATAA nationals?


Crosley-bodied competition coupe. Interesting that it is designated an altered by the letters on the door, but altereds had to have a stock frontal area, at least in NHRA, maybe ATAA rules were different?


Pretty minimal Ford pickup


Blown Chevy gasser...maybe Mike Marinoff before his Willys?


Lefty Mudersbach driving Ray Higley's MoPar wedge powered altered. Lefty built the car, though Ray also drove. San Gabriel.


McEwen and Adams 'high-back" gas car.


Gabby Bleeker, blown Olds. Is this at Union Grove?


I'm guessing Midwest given the location on the Willy's door. IDs? We're getting close: "the Harley Estes Willys coupe is still in Joplin it's now red has a blown sbc and is called "Suicide Ride" it's owned by chuck comer he has most of the history on the car not sure what dragstrip that is at but if someone knows please post up cause I would like to know I can say I don't think that is Mokan dragway though I wasn't around back then but the track hasn't changed much in all these years" (see below), and THANKS! (and another ID on the track: Ozark, MO, thanks to nitrobrother...)


Caption reads "Ollie Morris and Harold Dawson." Ollie would go on to run the "Smok'n White Owl" rear-engined dragster.

 

Bob Spears northern california at Pomona Lafayette cal. Ford Drag Team Ed Terry Dick Woods .