Hello, Doug Peterson is a prolific photographer. Back in the early days, he was everywhere taking crystal clear photos of drag racing. On this day in December 1959, the Riverside Raceway dragstrip was the location of the largest gathering of drag racing industry racers from all over the USA. It was an East vs West match all day long. It was a long drive from our Westside of Long Beach home, but we were not going to miss this extravaganza. 4 cylinder FED at Riverside in 1959 "a**** the giants…" The little FED was a speck a****st the giants in the drag racing industry. It was controversial as the big Hemi FED race cars lined the pits from end to end. The biggest names in the industry, Garlits, Chrisman, Speed Sport Roadster, Karamesines, Langley, etc. were in the day’s compe***ion. But, we are all individuals and this was a very interesting build. Jnaki My brother and I were certainly surprised that this small FED was at this drag meet at the Riverside Raceway in 1959. The top drag racers in the USA were in attendance and this guy made an interruption in the whole proceedings. Later on when the film was developed and all of the teenagers were watching it in our living room, someone asked why I took a movie of the smallest race car ever seen in drag racing… then all of the teens laughed. Kudos to the bravery of the owner/driver of the small FED and kudos to Doug Peterson for a great still photo.
The Jalopy Journal
