History Fremont Dragstrip Today Oct 2009! Pics!

Great color shot of the "Top Banana" Dragster of Hank Vincent.The Car he would eventually be killed in on May 29,1960 at Fremont Drag Strip. He was nearing the finish line on the final elimination run when his dragster went off the pavement. Traveling at a speed estimated at 170 MPH, he tried to ease the dragster back onto the track, but the car leaped into the air. It rolled end over end for about 300 feet before coming to a halt. He was pulled from the wreckage and rushed to Washington Township Hospital, but died en route. The push bar on the car penetrated his body and killed him. An electrician, he lived in Hayward, California, and was survived by his wife and two foster children. He had held national records in B/FD and C/FD with his "Top Banana" car which he had run for five years.

 

Ron Rinauro AA/GS

 

Great Shot of Mission Peak in the background.

 

Forsburg Bros.--Vic Hubbard

 

Keith Bush's " Bushwacker" Funny Car

 

Paul Sutherland

 

my car raced at Fremont from 70 -75. Car still retains it's race day looks from the end of the 70' race season

 

WOW - I stumbled on here when I was looking up when Fremont closed down **I bought a nostalgia Fremont Drag Strip T-shirt from Hot Rod**
I lived in Fremont from '63 to '69 during my grade school years. Dad wasn't a "race car dude"....but we went to the drive-in a lot. So, I saw glimpses of races over the fence over the years.
My best memory - it was '67 or '68, we were there for the movie. It was before dark, and the ground started shaking. Dad said, "Earthquake?". Then we saw folks going over to the fence, I said, come on dad... Art Arfon and his Green Monster jet dragster, made a pass for show. He takes off....and shut it down.
Good memories......great thread.

 

I've been posting on Facebook photos I took at Fremont Drag Strip when I was a kid, figured I'd share them here, as well. I started out taking pictures with my Mom's Brownie Hawkeye and moved up to a Yashica Rangefinder. The time period was roughly 1966-68, as best I can remember. There's about 100 pictures in all. Here they come... two at a time, every Saturday morning until I post 'em all.

 

Great Shots! I forgot all about this thread I posted years ago. Thanks

 

Rustman looking forward to your pics!

 

btt

 

A few more more shots...

 

And a few more...

 

Me in our "Fuller Car", Nostalgia Nationals 1986, one of the 4 entries in T/F.

 

I have an early trophy from there . I will have to get a picture of it when I am at my shop.

 

A couple more shots...

 

Fantastic pictures, thanks for posting them.

 

Being a So Cal SCTA racer who could convert our 40 Chev/GMC coupe to a drag race we really enjoyed going to the Nastalgia Nats at Fremont every year. In the early 80'a the Inliner International Club decide to have its first drag race on Saturday during the qualifying/test runs. We took the roadster you see in the avitar with a gear change and some slicks. Our son was 16 and won top eliminator for the Inliners with 12.17 et at 117 mph. We enjoyed seeing all the running for quickest street rod over the years and watched Jack go on his head in the Ford coupe (as I remember Al Ventura drove and had an un blown engine in there the first year and lost to Moreland) and in later years Mendy Fry..... Good ol days for sure..

 

Roadster to the left also set Inliners record. 14.28 @ 98 mph. Tone had two more cylinders so I didn't have to race him. Towed it down to El Mirage and went 128 same weekend.---edit--- Maybe not. I might have run my 32 with the Howard head at that meet. All a long time ago.

 

rustman1952 - Thanks - keep 'em comin'

 

Four more...

 

And another four...

 

Mick Coyne photo.

 

Four more...

 

very Cool - Thanks