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

This photograph is dated April 1971. This was the fourth year of operation for Firebird. And in case you didn’t recognize the car, this is the “Bad Hombre” twin-engined Dragster of Jack Harris. Yes, the same Jack “the Sheriff” Harris that not only fields a AA/Funny Car on the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series tour, but also the Pepsi Nightfire winning “Nitro Thunder” Dragster piloted by his son Brett. This photo was taken by local hot rodder Paul Martin and was scanned by Rick Hale who continues to share many of these very cool nostalgic photos from his color archives.

 

Circa May 1969, this is the Markley, Beck & Rhoades blown BB/Dragster. Competing at Firebird's first Division 6 World Championship Series Meet, Gary Beck was at the wheel of this dragster, shown getting serviced between rounds in the pit area. Beck finished runner-up in a class called Super Eliminator, losing to Reno's Bill Landon, 8.27 to an 8.52 by the Seattle-based team. Photo from the Rick Hale archives.

 

From the Rick Hale collection comes this shot of the Pay `n Pak AA/Fuel Dragster circa 1969. Talk about cool, this is one sweet Fueler. This instamatic photo was taken in the Firebird hot pits, as the team is preparing for their turn to push down the track and fire the fuel motor up down the original "hot car lane" towards the starting line. This picture was taken at the inaugural NHRA World Championship Series meet during the second season of Firebird.

 

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Commentary is from the Firebird site.
Here's one that kind of surprised us around the water cooler. All of us remember Hank Johnson in both Top Fuel (rear-engined) and Funny Car, including a stint in a BB/Funny Car, too. What's amazing to us is the fact he was at the inaugural NHRA World Championship Series in `69 with a AA/Fuel Dragster (front-engined) known as Dailey & Johnson. This is an ultra rare photo since it's taken in the pit area where the Fuelers were waiting their turn to be push started down the race track from what was known as the "hot car lane" at about the 700' mark. Now that would've been the day watching two of these Fuelers fire-up coming backwards down the dragstrip. Image from the Rick Hale Collection

 

It's fun to feature photos from people who send us scans from their own personal collections. Jeff Thatcher did just that with a couple of photos he took when he was just a teenager with his instamatic. You can certainly sense the time period on this shot by looking at the hair styles of the two women with their backs to the camera. We don't know anything about this injected Corvette, but it shows the The Power House logo on the front of the Altered, in addition to a sweet Lemans or GTO in the background (and we think Kenney Goodell's AA/Funny Car body to the right). We believe this picture is from the 1969 Season, marking the first full season Firebird was in operation. Image by Jeff Thatcher
Note: Looks more like Art Whipples Camaro instead of Kenney to me.

 

hanks to Jeff Thatcher, he was nice enough to send along this 1969 photo of the Parts Mart Camaro AA/Funny Car. Jeff was 11 when he took this pit scene photo and attended his first Firebird event. At this event, Raeder Von Uhlit, the owner of the car, enjoys telling the story of his Camaro competing against Kenney Goodell. To build a little intrigue with the sport's writer covering the story for the Statesman, Von Uhlit outwardly challenged Goodell that his driver would win the match race whether he was driving his car or Goodell's. It made for some interesting quotes and the story made the cover of the Statesman Sport's section. Both Von Uhlit and Goodell (both of which had cars entered in the show) reunited at the `07 Roadster Show, recounting their Firebird match race almost four decades later. This is the only picture we know of that exists to this day from this `69 event. Thanks for sharing it with us, Jeff.
Note" Remember this car's "candle smoke" paint job?

 

This week's Blast from the Past showcases one of the early winners of Top Gas at the NHRA Division World Championship Series meet in either 1969 or 1970. This is Dave Grassi, who along with Walt Austin (at left), wheeled one of the toughest running dragsters in northwest history. At right is the lovely "Miss Firebird" trophy girl. What stands out in this photo, too, it is one of the few photographs that shows the hinged doors (for wind protection I guess) on the tower...those lasted all of about one season.

 

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This has to be one of the earliest photos from Firebird (likely 1968). One reason: look how black the asphalt is as this `33 Willys coupe launches down the quarter-mile. This shot predates barriers on the side of the track and check out the original timing tower, which is sitting on 4 eight-by-eight square poles. To originally gain access into the timing deck, you had to climb into the tower with the aid of a ten foot ladder - now those were the good ole days! You'll also notice the early Fire Truck in the background. Don't know for sure who the altered is raced by, but it looks wicked fast with the injected/velocity stack set-up on what appears to be a very big-inched combination.

These early photos are just too cool.

 

Marty! Check out this pic of Goodell and Rockstad!

 

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hen psychedelic paint jobs were in - Mike Mitchell certainly had one of the wildest in the sport. Billed at "the World's Fastest Hippie", Mitchell competed here at an early World Championship Series meet in Comp eliminator with his Corvette Roadster called "Revolution". Check out original Firebird chief starter Joe Allred motioning to the driver of the front-engined Dragster to put his goggles or face shield down before leaving the line. In later years, Mitchell returned to run on nitro as a AA/Funny Car.

 

This classic "Blast" photo features two western Idaho racers - the Ashley "Tobacco Wagon" roadster pickup dragster alongside of the famed McDowell - Taylor "Gentle Ben" Cuda. This is one of the earliest Funny Cars to set foot on the Firebird quarter-mile. Sometimes it's as much fun looking at the background of one of these photos as it is the foreground. Check out some of the cool iron - early Corvette, GTO/Lemans, Olds 442, pair of V-Dub's, Fairlane, etc. - and the requisite custom-fabricated porta johns in their original "behind the tower" location. Last but not least, it must have been one windy, cool day - `cause everybody is in jackets and a fine touch of the desert terrain we enjoy - a tumbleweed stuck in the light source/photocell set-up.

 

One of the toughest Fuel racers in the history of the Pacific Northwest was a guy by the name of Jerry "the King" Ruth. During the early 70's Ruth raced in both Top Fuel and AA/Funny Car. During one of the original NHRA World Championship Series events at Firebird Ruth won both the Fuel Dragster and Funny Car titles, a very rare feat in itself. Although retired from the sport today and residing in Seattle, he stills follows the heritage racing scene and has a couple of nostalgia rides to cruise around in.

 

Gary, these are outstanding pictures, and appreciate your commentary!

 

Thanks, but most of the commentary is from the Firebird site!

 

Isn't this just as cool as it gets...circa 1969 on the Firebird starting line. From San Francisco came the AA/Fuel Dragster of Joe Moss better known as the "Handgrenade". To start the Fuelers, each team push started down what was known as the fire lane (aka - the fire-up lane) located at the 700' directly out of the pits. Upon arriving at the starting line each dragster had to be turned around and pointed in the right direction before each pass. Moss was joined by 7 other dragsters at this event, the second year of Firebird International Raceway (as it was originally called).

 

Talk about patriotic, check out the AA/Gas Supercharged Willys that was campaigned by Steve McGee in the early 70's at Firebird. Complete with requisite Porta Potty (left), McGee is seen working on his Gasser in the heart of the Firebird pit area, preparing for a match race with Jim Rockstad at one of the early Ignitor events. Photo by Johnnie Corn, Emmett
Note: This is more like 68.

 

One of the early players was Paul Schoenfeld and the famed "Want Bird" front-engined digger. This is a pit scene shot of Paul awaiting his turn down to enter the fire-up lane, which was located at the 700' mark (just to the north of the grassy park behind the lower pit rest room). A push truck helped start all the Top Fuel cars in the early days. This Polaroid photo was taken by Emmett's Johnnie Corn in 1971

 

This is the famed "Joker" AA/Fuel Dragster of Dick Kalivoda. One of the real giants of Top Fuel racing in the Pacific Northwest, the Norton, Kalivoda & Hamlin entry regularly competed against the "King", the "Ace" and many others. Kalivoda won the 1969 World Championship Series meet at Firebird by stopping Ron Rolstad in a 7.42-201.92 to a quicker 7.37-199.56 decision. Kalivoda was presented a Division 6 Hall of Fame honor at the Northwest Banquet on December 6th. Look closely in background and you'll see Idaho's first Funny Car known as "Gentle Ben" of Ron McDowell & Jerry Taylor. Classic photo by Johnnie Corn

 

This feature event was one of the final appearances of front-motored AA/Fuel Dragsters at Firebird. The race attracted Herm Peterson, Jerry Ruth, Al Phearson (70 NHRA World Champ), Dick Kalivoda and others. Also attending the race was the national record holder (232.55 mph) at the time (pictured in the Firebird pit area), Larry Hendrickson, better known as "the Gladiator".Johnnie Corn photo

 

Thanks so much for posting these great pix. In addition to seeing the subject of the pix, it's really fun to scan the backgrounds of the posted pix as you never know what you'll see there. In doing so, not to be picky you understand, that looks like a '63 Pontiac Catalina behind the injected Vette and not a Lemans/GTO. Wearing baby moons, too.

 

Are these Pontiacs?

 

Thanks Gary, They called it "8 the hard way" !

 

I recall Don Ringer being the go-to guy for head porting in the NW in the sixties.
Is that correct Marty.

 

Experimental Mickey Thompson twin side-by-side Pontiac, 4-wheel drive, pretty radical for '61...too sophisticated, didn't work, but typical of Mickey's innovation, it will fail sometimes, but, for Mickey, it often succeeded


Hustler I at the '58 Nationals...lost to Ted Cyr in an unblown Chrysler


Bobby Langley's old Scorpion, after Bobby sold it to Bob Taylor, which he ran as the "Red Hoss." See correction below



Jeep Hampshire at Lions


James Warren at OCIR

 

Don Ringer was a Fireman, and had one of the first flow-benches in the Portland area. Don ran a straight 8 Buick D/D prior to the Pontiac.

 

Tempest 4's.
There are more pics on my "Great Oregon Racers" thread
Car Craft ran a feature on the car in the Drag Racing USA, Division 6 Issue. 1970 ?
The "Two To Go" website also has pics.