Double Eagle Dragstrip SanAntonio 1967

Thanks for reposting!

Slonaker

 

Hmm....Last time I heard, Edgar was doing a little time in the big house, never heard of most of those other cars. J.E. Kristek still had his record holding '57 in the back yard until recently. Do you remember the Pete's Body Shop sponsored/owned '56 Chevy named Staunchy? I turned down that car as my first car because my Dad painted it a horrible shade of brown (if he had left it blue with the lettering on it, I would have gladly drove it!). Also remeber Big Mike Burkhart's early Vette. Slonaker, can't say I do remember that '37 Chevy, which is really strange since my best friend owned the light blue '37 Chevy 2 door sedan that used to cruise Walzem Rd, Pat Booker, Perrin Beitel/Nacogdoches Rd., and occasionally over to Georges Drive-in. You might have known some of my group of friends, Eddie Beezer went to Judson from 78-82 and drove a Black w/ Silver stripe 1968 Camaro RS/SS 396. Joey Hensley went to Roosevelt at the same time (as did I), and he drove a super clean Blue 1967 Camaro Convertible w/ a six cylider in it. I drove my 1968 Camaro into the mid 80's, then drove a Maroon / Rust colored 1977 Camaro that had candy yellow, orange, and red stripes on it and a 454 in it. I left in 1989 when I joined the Navy.

 

I can't believe it! He burned-up the whole track!!

 

Awesome pics. And Kristek is the coolest guy, he's got the best stories. a true legend.

 

Just where was the "Double Eagle? Was it in the vicinity of Randolph AFB. I remember racing a couple of times in 1958 at a strip which I thought was close to Randolph. I was stationed there for a short time (TDY) during the summer of 58. Had a '50' Olds club cpe with 3 two's, cad/LaSalle tranny, etc. Sure don't recall the name of the strip though. I seem to recall that it was real close to the base and the name "Double Eagle" sure sounds familiar.

 

Double Eagle was off Gibbs-Sprawl between Rittiman & Walzem. It's pretty much covered up by new houses now though. I think it was opened in '57 or so. Maybe you mean Martindale Air Base, which is still an airbase today but was a dragstrip in the 50's. Probably the first in SA. It's near 410 & I-10...both tracks were not too far southwest of Randolph, and both within a few miles of eachother. There's some old video footage floating around here if you do a search for "San Antonio Drag Racing", maybe you can spot some memories.

 

Really down memory lane here with the cars and tracks. Thanks for posting.

 

Sweet pics... too bad the track is gone, be a great place to have a nostagia drag race.... Like the Texas Sweat Off presented by the Rebels Hehehehe

 

Dont know if anyone remembers this event but its Ferds 55 he brought to Texas you can read all about on the flyer. Came down to take care of this Auggie character!! as the flyer reads.

Heard somewhere he also raced Dickey Harold not sure. Does anybody have info or photos or attended any of these events? send them to texasironwerksshowdown@gmail.com

 

cool stuff...thanks...anyone thinking about those rare fastback Chevy II's...see the 66 big block tow wagon?

 

This is it for me guys, I'm there, 18 yrs. old, pimply-faced and spending every cent on my 55 Chevy to make it go fast like the older guys, my heroes..So who had the faster car, Ferd or Augie?..somebody on here knows Roy Thomas, last I heard he was living in the Canyon Lake area, get him on here and spin some tales about old speed shops, drag racing, lions, dynamite, and public exhibition bare knuckle fist fights in tents...South Texas style!

 

Thanks - I like those old pictures!

 

Double Eagle Dragstrip 2009
Starting line (LAT 29.4943, LON -98.3548) Gibbs-Sprawl Rd
The end of shutdown (LAT 29.5010, LON -98.3588)

 

I was there at best 2 out of 3 with August brother Butch driving the 56. The 55 won the 1st round and the 56 won the next 2.This was a highly advertised race with both engines turning over 11,000rpm. Both were mixing their own fuel.

 

Man what memories,,good ones and bad ones. My pop had his really bad wreck there. Was in the hospital for months with broken bones, punctured lungs, etc. We had a front blown hemi gas dragster. They had swept the track except for the shut down area. He could not stop the car and skidded up and over the really high embankement turn and flipped the car. A bad deal.

A year later I made my very first run in a dragster there. Way cool. 14 years old and going 140.............wow

 

bump

 

Still trying to THAW out from the Torques Texas Freeze. LOL

Great pics!!!!

 

That fellow with the leg brace was Brandon Ford Jones-Biff.
The truck was an altered wheelbase 1936 chevy pick up with a hilborn injected chevy 427 with a Kottler push button torque flite. Straight tube axle, no front brakes and spindle mounted 12 spoke Americans
A few years ago Biff passed away but the truck lives on. I have it now and have built another ZLX L-88 427 with mechanical Hilborn injection.
Kent Kottler and I just finished a hemi push button torque flite just like it was.
Awsome wheel stander and quick.
Painted plum crazy purple with lettering on the doors with gold leaf "Texas Trick Truck."
Original lettering and stripes by Joe Carrisalez.
This was a San Antonio Gear Grinders truck and it is my Gear Grinders vehicle now.
Soon to be on the streets again just like in the 60's.

 

Memories of Auggie.
He had the biggest hands I've ever seen. He could fit a 50 cent piece through his class ring. I remember him ripping the shifter off the trans on a pass a couple of times because he shifted with such force. Rumor, or maybe legend, said he had found a way to build a cheater engine that was 265 bore on one side & 327 bore on the other. A really nice guy who always had time to mess around with us younger kids. Seems like we would see him every other weekend or so at "Golden Triangle" in Beaumont, "Houston Dragway" in Dickenson, "Eastex" in Porter, "Six Flags" in Victoria, "Dayton Dragway" in Dayton or "Double Eagle". Brings to mind some of the other characters of the day like Willis Ragsdale or Earl Moscarelli.

 

Lots of good memories .I won a trophy lamp one time.. seems like it disappered though ..LIke the major award on the christmas story movie....

 

cool pics. thanks for sharing

 

Wow, this one brought back memories! Used to ride my bike all the way from Austin Highway on Sundays before I could drive. Got my first car in '65 and attended regularly. I remember many top touring match races - Mickey Thompson funny car, Garlets, Bounty Hunter, Jets, etc.

I ran my yellow Road Runner for short while. Good friend ran a huge '59 Dodge 4 door with a serious 440 - called "Big Red Dodge". I was sooo cool, I did all the lettering on Edgar Beck's orange '57 - "Owner, Driver, Builder" and "The Fugitive". All hand cut from white shelf paper vinyl ;- 0 HA!

I also saw the Thomas Brother's blown 4 cyl go-cart - they shut down alot of serious cars. Later became friends with them and hungout at their shop.

I also was friends with Biff Jones - I flagged a few street races between his truck and Edgar out at what we all called "Little Green Valley" - Now Thousand Oaks Blvd. at Jones-Maltsburger Rd.

You always knew there was a street race going down because of the twenty to thirty car parade heading north from the Austin Highway late at night. Good times!

 

I grew up east of Austin (graduated HS in 1968), but never made it to San Antonio to the races. Did go to Little River a lot, and the track at Austin. I remember listening to San Antonio radio station KTSA, with Ricky Ware, advertising the drag races......"east to the end of Rittiman Road!!". Sure wish I could have made it to San Antonio, but did get to see Auggie, Butch Lake, Sonny Loftin and others. Great times for a high school kid.

 

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here's the go kart.

135 mph 10.90s on 7 dollar montgomery ward boat trailer tires

85% nitro

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The Kotter Bros, Kent and Ray are good friends and a big part of our "lunch bunch every wednesday. Both are still into fast cars and Kent still works everyday building and repairing some of the finest street rods in Texas. Here's Kent last summer with his back to us and some of the lunch bunch and one of the cars he's involved with

 

Well - just snnopin = as usual here & hit the Nostalga road!! Im from san antoino =went to school with Biff Jones !!! Last talked with him about his 36 about 20 years back! I also knew auggie hartkoff! Augie baby sitted my older sisters kid in austin - just before he had medical problems- growing as such again. Augie was the best carb tuner in texas and yes he did run an odd bored chev V-8 many times . As the inspections only had the left cylinder head pulled back then to verify the cubes!!!!!!!!!!!! Augie made the other side much larger!!HaHa!!!!!!!! I witnessed a man @ sat drags once with a flat tire on his car-competetion= no jack!! Not 1 racer would loan him a jack!! Augie saw this = told the man to get all the lugs loose & other tire ready to mount. Augie then picked up the back of the car till the tires were changed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Augies hands(his nickname= Hands!!) were so big he drove the race car with 1 hand= fingers over top & bottom of the 16-17" steering wheel!!!!!!!!!!! He was the nicest man too!! HOTROD magazine did a complete writeup on him after his demise!! Biff & I raced on streets a few times - his 36 chev & my 40 ford coupe! The "Gear Grinders " car club built that chev alongside biff as to help him!! Great group & great men back in the days!!

 

There was a car campaigned out of Jack Rieger Chrysler Plymouth in 64. It was a 64 Savoy sedan factory lightweight and was black with red interior. Might have been campaigning under the name "Aggravation" at the time. Does anyone remember this car?

 

I spoke with Roy Thomas today, he's always got interesting stories about his past. He said that photo above with the go kart and T-bucket was taken for an ad in the '66 or '67 Edison High School yearbook.

About the go kart, he said it went 10.90 @ 135mph. 71ci 4cyl, 85% Nitro, blown and injected, direct drive, 8' parachute. It did this on Montgomery Ward boat trailer tires in 1965. He said Wild Bill Shrewsberry even made a pass in it.

About the T-Bucket, he said it was an 11:1 409" with a 6-71 @18% overdrive. He made his own dual quad manifold adapter and blower drive and ran 3 Carter AFB's on a progressive linkage. It was a street legal, daily driven car with 4.11's and a 4-spd and weighed 1650lbs wet.

Roy says he's not computer savvy enough to join the HAMB but said I could share his stories on here, and trust me, he has a ton of them. I'll try to get him to send me copies of his photo collection as well.

 

Is he still carrying a sugar glider around in his pocket?

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He currently has 80 sugar gliders, haha.

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