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

Dick Allard, driving the D&D Speed Shop AA/FA from Nashua NH. This picture is from 1969 at New England Dragway. This is the very first car I ever seen go down a drag strip, on my ninth birthday. My family brought me to NED, and we arrived a little late. As soon as we got through the ticket gate, I ran ahead of everyone to the fence near the starting line, and watched this car leave in a cloud of smoke.

 

Connecticut's own Dale Hall's unconventional small block front-engined AA/DA. Car ran right up there with the blown Hemi's and if my memory serves correctly, I think he won a national event with this car.

 

At Island Dragstrip NJ aka .....the patch

 

That car would never pass Stock Eliminator tech here is the states.
Thanks for the cool pics from across the pond. A friend of mine would die for a steel bodied Thames or Anglia!!

 

The Grump in Pomona's winner's circle. He's not so grumpy now!!

 

My HERO! Before, and after this picture. I built a clone of his 68 car about 10 yrs ago. It went 10.60's/130MPH through the muffs, on street tires, working hideaway headlights, and full interior. Much respect for that guy fo sho

 

Bill Lawton and the Tasca Thunderbolt

 

Do you have anymore Tasca photos? I always thought the guy on the right looks like Kurt Bush...

I met Bill Lawton about a month before he passed away. He was a cool dude and drove some bad ass cars!!! RIP

 

Glad you liked the pic Groucho. Sure would like to see photos of your 68 if you have them.
I'll never forget watching the 1972 Winternationals on Wide World of Sports. After Grump's win when they were interviewing him I could still hear the crowd cheering in the background. It was a phenomenal and popular win.

 

Looks like a nash.
Fuck this thing is sick!!

 

I don't have any pictures of Bill Lawton but I do have some of Tasca's cars.

 

Here are a few from the Bowling Green NHRR in 03. Again not all old but at least the new ones look right.

Roo

 

I'm a Grumpaholic too.

 

After Grump's win when they were interviewing him I could still hear the crowd cheering in the background. It was a phenomenal and popular win.

I was at the 1970 Winternationals and the crowd went CRAZY when the Grump won Pro Stock (over Ronnie Sox) in his Camaro. Anybody remember sitting in the stands at night before the Sunday race at Pomona and they had a spot light shining down the track and people would hop the fence and make a run for it across the track and dive into the stands before the cops could get them ? The crowd would cheer when someone made it to the grandstands and blend into the crowd, great times.

 

I would have given anything to be at the 70 Winternationals, that was a great race!! The top two musclecars battling it out for the premier Pro Stock race. I bet that battle was re-run many times in many a street race.
I attended the Summernationals in New Jersey in the early 80's, from 81 to 85. The crowd would 'amuse' themselves by getting girls to flash or taunting either side of the racetrack. Alas I was never quick enough with the camera to catch the girls, try as I might. You'd always have one guy on the pit side of the track, probably the same one every year, get up a chant and we'd yell to the general admission side, "The other side's cheap!" And they'd fire back with "The other side sucks!" One year, it might have been 84 or 85 one guy from the pit side had the guts to hop the fence, run out in the middle of the racetrack and moon the general admission crowd. It was funny as hell, but if I'm not mistaken I think it was being taped for telecast. It didn't take too long for security to come drag the guy down from the stands and toss him out. Oh well, drag racing had to grow up sometime, but it was fun while it lasted.

Here's some more pictures for you Grumpaholics......

 

My older brother took me to the 70 and 71 Winternationals, in 1970 it was Larry Dixon Sr. that won Top Fuel (front motor car) the Hawaiian took Funny Car with Larry Reyes driving and the Grump in Pro Stock . In 1971 it was Big Daddy Don Garlits (rear engine car) and the Hawaiian with Butch Maas driving took Funny Car (back to back Winternationals wins for the Hawaiian) and Ronnie Sox in Pro Stock beating Wally Booth's Camaro. And as a Jr. High school kid how could I forget the lovely Linda Vaughn in that gold low cut Miss Hurst mini skirt outfit waving and bending down to show everybody her assets, the crowd would go wild with her show on the return road, great times.

 

125 pages how many times has everybody looked at all of them atleast 2 or 3 for me.

 

When it's slow at work I first check to see if there's any new pics. If not then I go back over the previous pages. Guy said to me once that I already looked at those pictures the other day. I told him, "Yeah but they're cool!"





Even the young stand in awe over the 'Toy'

 

Seeing Grumpy's car on the hauler reminded me that I liked everything about these cars. I used to love to watch them load the cars after the meet. Guys like Dick Landy would drive them up steep ramps onto basically a cab and chassis not the dovetail like Grumps. To get up the steep ramp he had to put his foot into it, something I remember fondly to this day. -Jim

 

LOVE THAT "GRUMPY" STUFF
MORE FROM THUNDER VALLEY DRAGWAY IN MARION, SD

 

FOR YOUR COLORING FUN...

 

You can prolly do a whole thread on Da Grump alone

 

On picture # 2498 notice the sheetmetal and duct tape covering the openings in the engine bay that's where the fenderwell headers that was built for the Vega went. When he showed up at the 72 Winternationals NHRA let the tube chassis pass but told him the fenderwell headers were illegal and the Grump had to build (maybe Jack Davis at Hooker Headers built them) another set to pass tech. On picture #2499 you can see two Hooker Headers decals on the front fender the one at the bottom covered up the old fenderwell header exit. I was at Irwindale Raceway mid week when he tested the Vega before the Winternationals (Irwindale was where everybody tested before the race it was like a mini national event) he make a run come back and change something make another run come back and change something if I remember right he was running mid 10's when I left the track and I thought he had no chance of winning the Winternationals but the Grump came through kicked ass and changed the class forever. He guy standing next the the Grump in picture #2504 is Ken Dondero, he was one great underrated driver, at one time he drove a blown smallblock chevy supercharged gas Anglia with a 4 speed and would just row those gears like it was a automatic transmission. He also drove for Dyno Don on some match races if I remember right.

 

My buddy sent this to me, some of you may have seen this before...I thought it was kool and in the spirit of this thread in some small way......Littleman..you can delete it if you feel it does not belong...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE-txZE2ggg

 

Dave I can watch that over and over.....I had one with a Bat chute. Awesome

 

Damn....This was back when the toy companies didn't have lawyers decide what was a good toy!!!! I always wanted one of these things for my bike!!!!!! Ain't no drag car, But wheelies where the shit!!!!!