Event Coverage Drag Racing Corvettes In The 1950s

Hello,
Sorry for such a late post on the Corvette topic. But I noticed the included facts sheet of results from July 1959 was a listing of my brother's trophy winning time listing. ( James Nakamura Chev 15:30 E.T. and 93.36 mph in the quarter mile) I was reading the old listing on this thread and it just popped into my brain.

It must have been old age and tired eyes glazed over from the sunny days at the beach or the winter off shore winds blasting my eyes on a steep take off on a wave. My vision was measured for 20/15 and I needed glasses for clear TV viewing. (Even on a large TV screen. ) So, it was only for TV viewing. Recently, I was given a new test and now, somehow it is registering 20/25 at an ophthalmologist's machine reading tests. I can see again, clearly! Yikes...

Jnaki

I like researching topics for my files and storylines. Facts make history come alive and hopefully we will continue to see more facts and stories. So, how is your research project going? Inquiring minds need an update in 2024. Ha!

 

Fremont Pits it had rained the night before.

 

Jnaki,
I'm happy to learn your brother's name and about his A/S wins at Lions in 1959. I've been compiling a list of Nisei drag racers and their results so that I can create a website similar to my pioneering women drag racers website. Do you happen to have any results of your brother's Willys in the 1950s. My forthcoming Nisei website will just be focused on the 1950s. So far I have over 200 entries in my spreadsheet. Do you happen to have photos of your brother's A/S Chev? I've seen a photo of your Willys. You certainly were up against stiff competition in B/G

 

Hello B,

The photos and stories of our drag racing days is well documented in the HAMB posts. Check out the posted Lions Dragstrip 1959 and 1960, as well as Drag Cars in Motion. Any thread or post related to Lion's Dragstrip, Who Was There, etc. Should have plenty of information I have posted. You are welcome to any and all information for your project. We started in 1956 and ended in the fall of 1960 and some sporadic early 61, although it was not much. The HAMB files start in 2015.

You can type in and use the search feature of HAMB and it is all printed for you. Some of it is in story form as to our history with photos in the Family Photo Thread. The easiest way to get any information on our Impala is to type in 58 Impala and contributor Jnaki. That should list all articles and stories about the 58 black Impala.

My brother bought the Impala new in the fall of 57 and started racing as soon as possible. We continued in A/Stock until we started the 40 Willys Coupe build with the 283 motor in late 1959. In early 1960, after running the carburetor version of the 283 SBC in the Willys, we stopped racing and started our build of the full blower spec new 292 c.i. SBC motor. We were fortunate in getting one of the first Isky -Gimer 671 blower kits for a SBC motor.

Again, type in 40 Willys and Jnaki for your search parameters on the HAMB search feature.

Jnaki

Thank you for thinking of me/us and our early drag racing history while we were young teens. There are also sections on the Riverside Raceway films I took at one of the largest drag races in early So Cal + USA history. (I have only posted various clips to highlight specific racers.) Then finally, the big event in Bakersfield in March of 1960 was filmed.

We did not participate as racers at either event, but filmed a lot of each place and races. I have not shown all of the films here on the HAMB. Although they are on the YOU TUBE channel posted by the Smokers from Bakersfield, + HAMB in the raw version and not fully edited by me. I sent those raw films to the sites so they could edit what they wanted to highlight, but they all came out in the mixed up jumbled format from the digital editor's shop.

Since then, I have been editing sections out and getting the specific order and years taken for my files at home. I am not finished yet. It is a editing challenge and is taking a lot of free time to sit, view, and edit to save.

NOTE: My contribution to this thread are the early drag racing Corvettes I filmed while wandering all over the Lion's Dragstrip between the races of the Impala and Willys Coupe days. There were plenty of no activity between the elimination races and lunch/dinner breaks. I liked to keep busy filming, between the hot dogs and chili meals. Ha!

 

Hello all,

Jnaki, while doing your research, I'm looking for information on a drag racer from 1958. The name I have is N. Etikie who raced in the MHRA. B class corvette. I have a trophy plaque that gives some information that may be helpful. If anyone has any information or pictures I would appreciate it.

The event was at the Tri State Championship at New Baltimore Drag Strip on September 14, 1958.
The car ran a 15.04 at 93mph
B/class/corvette
N. Etikie

Thanks!

 

Hello,
Sorry for taking such a long time. We were going through some new kitchen remodeling and floor tile replacement. So, that was a big deal for us.

I have looked high and low for:
B/class/corvette N. Etikie

But, the dragstrip you mentioned was not listed in the most popular and definitive drag racing from all dragstrips across the USA. The Drag News reports from all major dragstrips associated with NHRA, 1320 association and other big name groups. The weekly reports started in 1955 and have continued until 1971. So, that was the last issue of the publication from the West coast that covered all known dragstrip events.

This was the only dragstrip in the area mentioned and there could have been other dragstrips, but they were not connected to this national news group. They may have different rules and competitor classes. So, I looked at several months before the listed dates and several months after and no mention of the name or association or even the tri state championships.

Jnaki
So, again, either they were in their own group of small dragstrips or associations. Not the national news that was reported weekly by hundreds of drag strips from Washington in the Northeast to So Cal, to Texas and Midwest. There were even some in the East coast for the popular race events. YRMV