History Drag cars in motion.......picture thread.

Thanks AA/FA has to be one my all time favorite classes,and had the pleasure of seeing Willy race.Anytime those high HP,fuel burning,short WB cars came to the line,YOU KNEW there was gonna be a show,well worth twice the price of admission!!!

 

And what a show AA/FAs put on

BOB PLUMER PHOTO

STEVE REYES PHOTO

 

The back shot of the black Bantam wheeling is of Jim Miles, its the Magic Muffler car. The unlettered T deck balancing on one wheel is George Hyders, Hyders Garage Spl.

 

Ron Rinaruo's "Blown Hell" living up to its name. Always loved this pic. I believe it was in a mag called Drag Racing Photo Greats.

 

Was this date that the promoter hosted 4 man run off? A spectacle that has never been matched to this day.

 

Yup, same day.

 

here's some more

 

here are a few more

 

Wow, the Thames panel trucks have always been a favorite of mine. The Rod Shop sponsored truck of Dick Shroyer and the Conant Bros. represent the end of an era when these car, er trucks, were still competetive in the gasser and lower altered classes. The Flower Power Cuda of African American Ernie Nicholson was a real favorite locally. Car's 426 hemi was built by Tony Nancy. Both Nicholson and the Conant's paint schemes feature the once favorite tactic of spraying over lace rendering the cool effect we see here.

 

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Worlds fastest scouse?

 

My 1962 chevy 2 nova.

 

My car held NHRA B/SR record 61 to 66 and was set up for drag racing.

Wow, I didnt know you ran the street roadster classes. I enjoyed seeing these cars compete in what was it, Street Eliminator? The A/SR's of Jerry Hays, Lovelle Brothers, Sunshine Kanishero (spl) and the B/SR of Jim Stevens, all local stuff and very competitive. And yes, Riverside was a great racing venue. I witnessed but one drag event there, the last Hot Rod Magazine Championships held in 69. But I also ventured there for some of the bigger NASCAR and SCCA events. In trying to imagen the course in my mind, how did they configure a 1/2 strip with ample shut off area from the back straight? I assume they used the Champion Spark Plug bridge as the finish line?

 

You are correct, they ran the drags north to the bridge which was close to the finish line. There was NOTenough shut off room for 140 + cars! I went in the dirt when I missed the turn past the bridge in 61. 40 ford brakes didn't cut it. When we added the chute in late 62 I thought "no problem". that's when I got the ass end airborne under the bridge. Went to 56 lincoln brakes when we steped up to the champ rearend. Those got it stopped, barely. Only ran one 1/4mi. HR Championship race there, in 66. By that time we were running Rollie Gravel's 301 motor, and Rollie was driving. He was hot that day, and we won Street Eliminator. Won about 250 bucks, and a bunch of certificates for sponsor donated prizes that we were only ever to collect about half of. Didn't really matter though. We had kicked some serious butt, and were on top of the world!

 

When we attended the points meets, we often seated our selves about the 900-1000' foot mark. This made it intriguing during the sportsman classes as you would see the driver of the slower car glance over his shoulder to see if the faster one was about to catch him. My former neighbor from years ago won Super Eliminator in 67 at the HRM meet. It was the Snodgrass and Mahnken Mustang fuel altered dubbed Pyscho. The win earned them a big color article in the magazine

 

Didn't get us squat in HR. Popular Hot rodding did run a nice color 3/4 rear view on the line that was about 1/2 page in their coverage of the race. HR's priorities have always been all over the map.

I did go out to Riverside for a Can Am race once. Never forget the sound of a Ryan Falconer small block at 10 grand hitting the 4-3 down shift into turn 9. Anyone who bad mouths sbc's should have heard that. Got a large autographed poster of Bobby Rahal in the Ampex Phrophet that day that is still on the shop wall. Before he was big time, you could approach him. The good old days!

 

This photo was at the starting line at Riverside, at the entrance to Turn 9. The photo was taken before the Champion Bridge was constructed.


The arrow shows the location of the starting line.


Hope this clears up any confusion.
Remember, the road races ran clockwise...

 

This is the Chuck Price Roadster - 1st cover car of Rods & Customs. This is with then owner Jim Helmuth at Santa Maria Drags circa 58. Just won B/SR

 

This is La Mirada fireman Jim Steven's Boss 302 powered street roadster. I saw him win street eliminator at the innagural NHRA Supernationals in 1970 held at Ontario Motor Speedway (OMS). That track was precursor to the Fontana Speedway that exists today. OMS fell prey to bad management. In its day, it hosted virtually every facet of motor sport except off shore racing. I got to attend the 1970 Questar Grand Prix which featured Formula 5000. The 5 litre Chevies produced time commensurate to their more expensive and exotic F1's.

 

I'm betting that car was tube framed. Probably no working lights, generator, street exhaust system with mufflers, and all the good stuff that NHRA required up till 1968. To pass tech a street class car had to have all that, and start with its own starter-no push starts. My car was street legal, had all that stuff, and model A frame rails. In 61 the weight was 8.5 lbs. per cu. in. In 63 that was dropped to 8 lbs, and in 68 to 7.5 lbs, and the old "no tube frames" rule was dropped. No way could my car get close to the minimum weight running a 301. In short, the true street roadsters were legislated right off the track. I had no want to destroy the street ability of my 29, so it lost the Isky 550 roller, Hilborns, and the top went back on. She finished out her days on the street where she started. Not many guys can say they won a class at the 61 Winternationals, and set a class record , and then drove the car to high school the next week.

But that is a very cool pic, and looks like a really nice car.

 

Now, there's a street roadster! Bet he drove it home. What a bitchin picture. I love it.

 

Steven's car, to my recollection, still had the original frame, albeit boxed. And while it was opened headered, it was a self starter. Basically a gasser with a roadster P/U for a body. The pro-stock influence didnt surface for another 2-3 years.

 

Here's some early 70's action from Castlereagh Raceway, Sydney Australia.

 

I am intrigued as to the classic smoking launches still a privelent occurance in 1970. Whats was it; the tires, the clutches, asphalt composition?

 

Thanks for saying it. I wonder if that ocurred to anyone else.

 

That would be Newhouse Automotive......................

 

Very cool. You don't see many photos of Willie with his helmet off. The "T" sticker on the wing means it was the trophy run at the Winternationals.