History Early drag racing photos

That's me -- in the background -- wearing a white T-Shirt with Levi's!

 

1954 Abbotsford Airport drags

 

Dover Drag strip, I believe that dragster is a Connecticut club car. I can't think of the name of the club.

Pat

 

I wondered the same thing, based on first-hand comments on how short the strip was.

 

We (I'll say we as I use to get to ride in push truck).....anyway somewhere around 1958, the Ruddy Bantam was in the boonies after a (only) a mid-high 150 mph p*** and lost a couple of header tubes. Looking back, It was a heavy 1300lbs w/ era 40 Ford drums on the rear. Colton lives as good memories with a unique kind of personality.

 

Pat is this the club your thinking of

 

Colton? Yeah! I got X-Stock with my Model A Pickup. At first, I beat a Jeep Wagon and then the X-Dragster (a Go-Kart which broke about 1/2 way down long after p***ing me. Put him and in in the truck and took him back to the pits. Oh, the blasphemy! Still have the 6-inch trophy!

 

I’ve never seen that /MR sponsored by J&J Muffler, only the Bantam altered and the blown Corvette.

 

First ever cacklefest.

 

Dover Dragstrip.

Pat

 

1941Chevycoupe It does not ring a bell.

Pat

 

Great film!
All the old speed equipment is amazing!

 

Hello,

Mickey Thompson was influential in bringing the famous Green Monster to Long Beach and the initial West coast visit. His shop was nearby the dragstrip and he was also the head of the Lion’s Dragstrip during the first visit of the Art Afrons Green Monster 11 version of the race cars. Number 11 was making a Westcoast swing in the tour in 1959 and stopped first at Lion’s Dragstrip. It was the first time anyone had seen the Green Monster in person at a dragstrip on the Westcoast.

We saw the Green Monster #11 at Lion’s Dragstrip during July of 1959. They had traveled West to showcase some runs on various West coast dragstrips with Lion’s Dragstrip starting it off.

In the June 1959 edition of the Drag News Weekly paper, this large adverti*****t was shown.

Note: nice old bit of history from the Midwest...


Being upstart teenagers, we were into drag racing of all kinds. When we were told that Art Afrons was bringing the Green Monster out West to Lion’s sometime in 1959. We could not miss this event. The anticipation was tremendous. We were going to be able to see an aircraft powered motor in a race car going fast!!! Even our dad was intrigued. We were fighting for a front row position on the spectator’s side low fence. That was a ring side seat for us.
The two brothers standing with some teenage friends. (standard apparel, Levis blue nylon jacket, white Penney's T-shirt) Our dad was in his suit and Dobbs Hat in the lower right of the photo, with his hand holding the hat on his head.

The first thing we all saw was the largest 4 wheel trailer (90% of trailers were two wheel tilt trailers at the time) ever seen in our location at Lion's Dragstrip. This Red, heavy duty trailer was towed by the Light Blue Ford Pickup truck all across the USA. Everyone stopped what they were doing and came to the viewing area to see this “cool” race car run.
in the crowded pits getting prepped...
The first thing everyone noticed was that it did not have a lot of quickness off of the line and took a while to get moving. But, moving it did, sounding like the airplanes that flew over our house from the Long Beach Airport, on the way to Catalina.

If I had a zoom lens, the movies would have been life size. But, we adapt with what we have. It was a great place for an all day stay, as our 58 Impala was right behind us. A full cooler of my mom’s great cooking. But, it was still a short walk to get those famous, "Lions Pits" hot dogs and drinks.
Green Monster at Lion’s Dragstrip July 1959
The Green Monster was an unusual set up, not anything like all of the other dragsters that were racing during this time period. It looked like a pure homemade race car. (it was) The sound was like an airplane because it was an Allison V-12 airplane motor. It did go by in a flash and not as loud as the top FED + racers of the time. (Sidewinder, Kenny Lindley/Don Hampton, H&H Garage Lefty Mudersbach, Dragmaster, etc.)


"Number 11 was probably the best running of all the cars, but by the time of its performance, aircraft-powered dragsters were relegated to the exhibition cl***ification."
Real sound from the Green Monster: “the latest in original sound from 1959 Afrons Allison powered race car”


Jnaki

The starting "fire up" took up almost the whole 1/4 mile, but it was in front of all of the spectators, in anticipation...

No one was disappointed, although we wanted the race car to instantly go super fast. It started out with the firing up of the airplane motor and then slowly rolled out of the starting position. Then it took off like an airplane on take off at the nearby Long Beach Airport, except this one was going straight on the level dragstrip…

But, Number 11 Green Monster was the fastest, quickest, and most decorated of all of the long line up of Green Monster race cars built. Past and current exhibition versions … YRMV

 

Goodyear Blue Dragon Slicks..........this is slightly off topic but I have never heard of these slicks.....Revell 1/25th plastic model kits of the 1966/67 Dodge Charger & 1968/69 Charger as well as others have kit slicks with this name.........I thought that if anyone knows of this Goodyear slick you guys would.......hoping to learn something............Andy Douglas

 

Andy, I only remember a Goodyear drag slick marketed as the Blue Streak, it had a 1/4”(?) wide blue stripe on the sidewall. Could that be what you are thinking of?

 

Fordors......the Blue Streak slicks were what I originally thought were what was referred to but I've looked at the models and the 1/25th scale vinyl tyres do say "Blue Dragon"......no one on the Spotlight Hobbies message board that this topic came up on has been able to advise when or if the "blue dragon" name was actually used ........I thought it may have been a way for Revell to include Goodyear slicks without having the actual "licence" for Blue Streak slicks......but I thought I'd ask on here also............andyd.

 

If you start a thread that says something like "Blue Dragon Slicks", you'll have more eyes on it.

 

Vance Hunt (without his trademark straw cowboy hat!) and Ed Mabry at the inaugural Texas vs. California drag race held at Inyokern Airport drag strip in 1959. Petersen Archive photo.