History Pictures from San Diego Raceway at Ramona early 60's

1959 Riverside Raceway

Hello,
It is a great painting, it is art, it is drag racing with some top racers of the day. For you guys accustomed to the modern drag strips with barriers so far away from action, it was like that in the old days. Get as close to the action as possible for full "surround sound." Also, it is cool that a city allows individual businesses or shops to post something as relevant as drag racing nearby. More cities are allowing this style of culture to creep into the community as art. (and art it is.)

So, back in the early days in 1959, people got as close to the action as possible. photos and actual presence tells the tale. Some dragstrips had fences near the starting line and the whole dragstrip, some did not.

Jnaki
It is one artists perception of what took place. We hot rod enthusiasts and drag racers should be proud of that artist and city for allowing a great display of history.
"Don't stand so close to me..."

 

As seemingly incorrect as this artwork may seem the Artist probably did this knowing full well they were on the side they weren't supposed to be on and perhaps highlighted an often broken rule of stay behind the barrier or he said I'll just take an artistic liberty and do it this way...no one will notice.

So I will also reverse my joking of being in error and look forward to his reasoning behind it as like you I am curious.

 

Pretty sure Dave knew what he was doing when he painted the mural. He eats ,sleeps , and ****s hot rods like the rest of us. Met him several years back at the goodguys show at Del Mar . He wanted to sit in my 29 roadster to check the legroom and steering wheel position...Daves a little round around the middle like me He's really into his model A PU and stops into the shop where I work on the weekends.

 

As an Artist I''m curious and the photos Jnaki posted highlight spectators standing freely and the barriers he painted would be easy to walk around...heck he may have had a photo with them doing just that. This is one of those situations where you fellas actually know the Artist and he's still with us...round in the middle I think I'm pushing 8 months so I gotta lay off on something too...

 

I was in X-Ray school in Tyler, Tx. 82-84. Course, "Tommy Ivo" came to town in 83 at I-20 Drag Way, BUT, it was really Norm Day. I still wonder to this day what animal he killed to put on his head; did he really think that pelt fooled anyone? Anyways, the "Show Boat" made three p***es, with the crew wiping the tires to "clean them" (they were in fact saturating them with kerosene to make them spin/smoke). Only ONE run got an E.T. AND MPH; they kept crossing the centerline, and tripping the "wrong clocks". It was still an interesting show, despite the the so-called "showmanship". Strictly a money-making adventure. This was at I-20 Drag Way, in Tyler, Tx. At least I got to see "Tommy Ivo", and the Showboat dragster. This was a promotion by Ken Hall of I-20 Drag Way and Hallsville's Dragstrip; he ran both at the time. Came down to HE was more the "showman" than "Tommy Ivo or Norm Day.
I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

As a kid growing up in San Diego, we would pile into whoever's car fit us and headed up to Ramona on that old corkscrew road to watch the drags. My last visit was the day John Wenderski driving the Black Beauty Wenderski and Winkle dragster crashed and died. I still love racing, but that day it and I lost our innocence. RIP John.