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

Is that kid's jacket COOL or what?

 

Al Swindahl over on the right (dark glasses), looking at the Northwest Frantic Four.

 

The Longshot in the Great NW

 

Don't know just how many he had, Gary, but his yellow, '64 Chevelle was my favorite. Not only did I like the way it ran and looked, but the graphics were really unique.

 

Gary, there were actually several Spaghetti Benders, including one team in NoCal...but I think the one you are thinking of is the series of cars associated with the late Vince Rossi, who started at Saugus with Kenny Arnold in a flathead '34 coupe...he later ran a series of "Spaghetti Benders" car with Lou Baney, Ronnie Rapp, and a bunch of others....Jack Chrisman drove for Vince and had his rear-end spin accident in one of his cars...the most famous was the Lisa, Rapp and Maldonado purpose fueler that both McEwen and Gary Gabelich drove...pictures and caption from Don Ewalds site:


McEwen driving,


Vince Rossi on the left,


When slingshots started to dominate, Vince joined in with Lou Baney and the rest of the gang to run the Yeakel Cadillac powered rail job built Scotty Fenn and his fledgling Chassis Research Company. Fast times and winning race meets came often. Later it was sold to Emery Cook. With a new roll cage and a big unblown Chrysler, driver Cook set a world record of 166 mph.

A series of dragsters followed, with various partners: The Spaghetti Benders, with Jack Chrisman at the wheel and engine by Art Chrisman, The Rossi, Baney, Rapp, Lisa "purple car" with Jim Ward, The Yeakel Plymouth Special with Tom McEwen as the driver, the RRM "Purple Gang" fueler of Rossi, Rapp, and Maldonado, with Gary Gabelich at the wheel, and the last top fuel dragster was the "Wedge" rear-engined car with partner Tommy Lisa and driven by "Captain" Billy Tidwell. The Wedge also said "Spaghetti Benders" on the side
I can't find a picture of the actual "Spaghetti Benders" car that Jack drove

 

Cool pics. The Benders I need are the San Paolo Brothers Spaghetti Bender driven by Steve San Paolo. This is OT I guess, too modern. They ran in the 70's-80's.

 

As of 2002 (!), the car still existed, it's psychedelic Cerney paint long faded. This is my all time favorite transition car. It HAULED until it was too heavy! A very VERY COOL CAR! Here's a pic at some FC graveyard in Washington State.

 

I haven't checked this thread for a while, this might have been mentioned. Longtime SoCal racer Roger Garten died June 28 after crashing at Famosa.
LINK:http://www.bakersfield.com/news/bre...er-dead-after-drag-racing-crash-saturday.html

 

Gary, Where did that picture come from ? It sure looks like a track out of the Northwest, and the blown dragster, appears to be the Skeans and Pickering A/MR out of Vancouver,Wa, without the body. They ran both classes.

 

Puyallup. The uncredited pics are all from Pilly-ooop!

 

We used to call it "Pile-up" !

 

Full page ad for Balboa in Eugene
Note the "Scotty's Drive In AA/FD match race and Kenney Goodell's Mustang, the pic isn't Goodells car!
This would be 1967

 

The pic looks like "Stone Woods and Cook" !

 

The late Garten back in the day at Irwindale in one of the teams fuel altereds

 

the car surfaced and was for sale a month or so back - the seller wasn't sure of the history as the lettering had been sanded off.....

 

oh....and Gary's back.....

 

The two young boys standing are the truck, could well be the Williamson Bros, Rick and Brett, who would go on to be pretty fair drag racers in their own right.

 

I can't recall if I all ready posted this, here's Bill Irelands 65 Mustang! Made quite an impression on a 12 year old me! Can't believe it was 50 years ago!

 

Is this the Orion Mustang? Looks similar.

 

A cheesecake shot of Shirley! Queen Mary in background.