History Kissing the Trophy Girl Tradition picture thread

There is a long-standing tradition for winners in drag race trophy presentations: class or elimination winners are supposed to/get to kiss the trophy queen. When the Wall Drag Strip opened in 1954 in San Angelo, Texas, two girls served as trophy queens. One of them, Kellene McLean Shuffield, wrote me about her experience. I uploaded what she wrote to my website, Drag Strip List. She wrote, "Linda Peel Clifton and I were trophy girls at the opening of the Wall Drag Strip. Jimmy Hall from San Angelo built it. It was an old runway. We were in college there and Jim was working on the bleachers at the drag strip and we drove by the construction of San Angelo Central High School. There were steel girders there and Jim said they were for the "trash" so he took one and held it on the side of the pickup. He used it to build the first bleachers at the drag strip. Someone flew in for the opening (I cannot remember who) and landed on the drag strip. Then we got in a limo with him and drove down the strip waving. We were supposed to kiss the winners and give them a trophy, but we decided to skip the kiss." In watching film clips of trophy presentations in old drag racing movies, I enjoyed watching the behavior of the queen and winner. In some, there was a hesitancy to fulfill the kissing tradition, while in others the happiness of the moment was sealed with a full-on kiss. I mean, what bathing suit lovely really wants to kiss the greasy, sweaty face of a drag race winner? Kellene and Linda wanted no part of that tradition at San Angelo's drag strip. This thread will be devoted to photos of those kissing-the-trophy-girl moments as winners claimed one of the rewards of victory on the drag strip.

 

At the NHRA Nationals in Oklahoma City in 1958, Ted Cyr got to kiss Miss Drag Strip, clad in a white bathing suit. Ted was short and balding. He and his partner, Bill Hopper, won top eliminator in their Isky U-Fab Special gas dragster. At the trophy presentation, Ted had to stand on his brushfire, downswept headers in order to be taller than the trophy queen. Miss Drag Strip towered over Ted when they kissed.

 

Rodney Singer, an aw shucks Texan with a Mom-approved haircut, won top eliminator in his blown Lincoln Singer-Miller gas dragster at the 1959 Nationals in Detroit. I timed his bend-the-trophy-queen over for a full-on kiss at 6 seconds. That was way quicker than his winning time. And when the bedazzled trophy queen in the soft blue dress came up for air, she was all smiles.

 

Melvin Jones drove the Houston Rod & Custom A/CC '34 Chevy pickup entry at the 1958 Nationals at Oklahoma City. He and his crew won the best appearing car and crew trophy at the event. A fellow crew member timed his kiss with the white-gloved trophy queen. In my timing of the kiss, Jones had her in a full-wrap smooch for more than five seconds. Way to go, Melvin.

 

Miss Drag Strip was ready to give Junior Thompson a congratulatory kiss after he won Little Eliminator honors at the 1958 Nationals at Oklahoma City with his '41 Studebaker B/GS coupe. But shy Thompson was postponing the moment by drinking a Coke out of a paper cup. A shirtless crew member had to reach across the trophy queen to take the cup from Thompson so the trophy queen could fulfill her obligatory duties. I timed his kiss (more like a peck) at a brief two seconds. Come on, Junior, you could do better than that.

 

Barney says kissing is overated!

 

Although not a trophy queen, but a queen in her own right, Shirley Muldowney gave Don Garlits a kiss after he beat her in the top fuel final at the 1975 U.S. Nationals.

 

more pics in thread here: VINTAGE TROPHY GIRL PHOTOS

 

With them puppies, I don't think he can get close enough to kiss her

 

Billy “The Kid” Scott was indeed a kid when he kissed Linda. Scott, RIP, had driven 1/4 midgets, dragsters and also ran the Indy 500.

 

Jimmy Nix was all smiles when he won top gas eliminator at the 1965 Winternationals. Miss Winternationals got all wrapped up by the Smiling Okie in a full-embrace victory kiss. Nix's kiss lasted over five seconds. Good time, Jimmy.

 

Mike Sniveley drove Roland Leong's Dodge-engined "Hawaiian" AA/FD to a top fuel victory at the 1966 U.S. Nationals. Sniveley was all cleaned up and hair neatly combed when he lined up with the "Hawaiian" crew at the winner's circle. The trophy queen liked his looks and was the agressor in the kissing affray. Mike got into the moment with all arms, hands, and lips. Another plus 5-second smooch. Another win for Mike.

 

That’s well known and reveried Y-Block guru Karol Miller and partner of Rodney Singer looking on. Here’s a photo of him a few years back with his remake of his record setting 56 Victoria and an extra set Bonneville timing tags I made him when that was my job with the SCTA a few years ago.

 

@Beavertail! Buddy, I believe you've quite possibly started another long-running thread. Way to go