Gas Stations & Drag Cars

Yesterday I had an unexpected phone conversation with an older gentleman who had lived in my hometown for two decades. He’s been a hot rodder since the late-’40s and has owned a slew of early Fords, including a channeled, Nailhead-powered Model A and a heavily chopped Deuce three-window. Some of this I knew, most of it I didn’t. And when he told me he ran a service station just across town years ago, it just seemed to make sense.

I could rattle off analogies and clichés and quotes of all sorts about things going together, working in pairs and being a good fit. And you know what? It’s more than likely that all those truisms would directly apply to the connection between the hot rodder and the service station.

These stations were not only a crucial part of our hobby, but also our society. They served as places to get your car fixed up, tuned up or souped up while doubling as meeting places to catch up on the latest bench racing from here and there.

With the rise of national chains and standardized service, the one or two bay garages have fallen by the wayside as the decades progressed. Our local station followed a similar path, and the property is hardly recognizable. Everything around it seems to have changed.

Not long after hanging up the phone, I came across an older thread on the H.A.M.B. aptly titled “Old Gas Stations with Drag Cars.” Although it isn’t all that extensive, it is filled with memories about the hometown service stations and the competition machines they built. I recommend you check it out—you’ll be happy you did.

—Joey Ukrop

Lead photo from rlsteel of the Gulf station in Salem, Missouri.