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

[partsrivet]

More action from the Nationals. On the east side is a CM/SP named Dancer but I can't make out the name on the Anglia in the foreground. Give a yell if you know who they are. Very typical of the caliber of cars seen in every class at Indy. Does today bear any resemblance to this?

[gassercrazy41]

love the willys and anglia and Ohio George's 33 and seevers weisner and owesn 33...thanks for sharing

[Church Key]

Originally Posted by partsrivet

Alright Pomona fuel car fans, here's another one with no ID from the Winternationals in 1968. Look familiar?

Maybe the "Wheeler Dealer"? Bruce Wheeler bought Ed Pink's 1965 Don Long car. The car was lenthened in 67, a nose piece was added. Wheeler bought the Old Master and painted it red.

[partsrivet]

Funny cars changed so fast in the first couple of years. It's 1966 and both Tom Grove and Gas Ronda have Ford's latest factory cars running in A/XS here at the Nationals. Only a year earlier the cars were much more like street cars, with the slightly altered Mopars up against the first generation of SOHC Mustangs. Look at those rear tires buckle as the boys get underway before the appreciative crowd in the packed stands. Yeah, today's cars are much faster, but to me, this is funny car racing, not the corporate go carts with the unidentifiable kiddie car bodies of today.

[partsrivet]

A superb ending to a wonderful year! Bill Jenkins and Jere Stahl are in a wheel to wheel battle for the World Championship at Tulsa in October of 1966. I don't remember how both Division 1 cars qualified, but here they are, thrilling the packed house at Southwest Raceway on the final run of Top Stock Eliminator. As it happened Stahl got the win, but to me, it was the fans who won as well in being able to witness such excellent racing by a couple of giants in the sport.

That's all for a bit as I'll be on the road for a while. Hope to see some action in Bowling Green next Friday if all goes well. Keep it lit!

[1940 Willys Coupe]

The red anglia car that is racing the white corvette is the Dacus Brothers from Hawkins, Texas. This picture was taken after they had just bought the car from some guys in Kansas. Best I remember they put Dacus on the door with shoe polish.
Great Pictures partrivet!

1940 Willys Coupe

[Tom S. in Tn.]

Originally Posted by WCD

Top gas did continue on in comp eliminator until the development of pro-comp at the end of 1973. Top gas replaced BB/GD. BB/GD long being a class reserved to blown small block motors. Wayne McMurtry (spl) being the last stand out of the class. He ran a 331" Chrysler and won Div 5 meets and at least one national in that car in 1971. Here in So-Cal combo elim ( a precurser to pro-comp) was quickly taking stride in popularity and most all the single engined top gas guys focused here if they wanted to continue racing their now "sportsman" type car. Many didnt want anything to do with handicap style rcing. Pro-Comp also made allowances for single engined blown gas rails in the 70's, just as they did for the old junior fuelers. But like the wedged head jr fuelers, all the weight breaks in the world didnt help. I think Dale Smart coaxed 7-teens out a RED with a blown gas Donovan in 76 or so.

WCD;
I'm wondering, what year did Top Gas start?
I was thinking also Pro Comp started earlier too. I do recall it was a sportsman division run at the Sports Nats in Bowling Green every year even though it was professional. Any more I get confused.
I do remember the fun we had at the park for a nickle after the track closed.

One more quick question please, what year was the last of the blown Street Roadster class?
I know IHRA dropped injectors for carbs in that class sometime around 81' if memory serves correct. we ran it and held records for A class in 81' and 82'. Tom S.

[justntime]

Originally Posted by Sideplatesix

John 'Crazyman' Taylor is an Aussie Don, This pic was probably taken at Castlereagh Raceway, Sydney, Australia
Just to show the first fire burnout wasn't a one hit wonder,
Here's another, this time with goggles on.

Crazy man Taylor was nuts. Huge part of Australian racing history..

[WCD]

[QUOTE=Tom S. in Tn.;7857406]WCD;
I'm wondering, what year did Top Gas start?
I was thinking also Pro Comp started earlier too. I do recall it was a sportsman division run at the Sports Nats in Bowling Green every year even though it was professional. Any more I get confused.
I do remember the fun we had at the park for a nickle after the track closed.

One more quick question please, what year was the last of the blown Street Roadster class?

Well NHRA instituted the fuel ban in 55 and thus the blown gas rails served as the premier division. In 63, when the nitro cars were allowed to return, there was now two major "pro" categories; top fuel and "top gas." So I guess 63 or 64 was when the phrase was commonly used. Pro-comp debuted at the end of the year at the '73 Supernationals. Non of the cars were purpose built as this date marked the first time the class was formerly run. It was all comprised of the fastest comp elim classes: A and B fuel dragster, AA/GD (read top gas) A/FC and AA/A cars on alky. This left comp elim as primarily an arena filled with normally aspirated gas burning cars. The AA/SR (blown gas street rodsters) ended at the close of the 1966 season I think.

[Tom S. in Tn.]

[QUOTE=WCD;7858081]

Originally Posted by Tom S. in Tn.

WCD;
I'm wondering, what year did Top Gas start?
I was thinking also Pro Comp started earlier too. I do recall it was a sportsman division run at the Sports Nats in Bowling Green every year even though it was professional. Any more I get confused.
I do remember the fun we had at the park for a nickle after the track closed.

One more quick question please, what year was the last of the blown Street Roadster class?

Well NHRA instituted the fuel ban in 55 and thus the blown gas rails served as the premier division. In 63, when the nitro cars were allowed to return, there was now two major "pro" categories; top fuel and "top gas." So I guess 63 or 64 was when the phrase was commonly used. Pro-comp debuted at the end of the year at the '73 Supernationals. Non of the cars were purpose built as this date marked the first time the class was formerly run. It was all comprised of the fastest comp elim classes: A and B fuel dragster, AA/GD (read top gas) A/FC and AA/A cars on alky. This left comp elim as primarily an arena filled with normally aspirated gas burning cars. The AA/SR (blown gas street rodsters) ended at the close of the 1966 season I think.

Thank you kindly WCD.
Tom S.

[Larry T]

[QUOTE=WCD;7858081][QUOTE=Tom S. in Tn.;7857406]
One more quick question please, what year was the last of the blown Street Roadster class? ..................

I think the blown Street Roadsters were dumped into the Gas Supercharged class (Comp Eliminator) for the last few years, but I don't remember what year it happened.

[Tom S. in Tn.]

[QUOTE=Larry T;7858239][QUOTE=WCD;7858081]

Originally Posted by Tom S. in Tn.

One more quick question please, what year was the last of the blown Street Roadster class? ..................

I think the blown Street Roadsters were dumped into the Gas Supercharged class (Comp Eliminator) for the last few years, but I don't remember what year it happened.

Thanks. After so many years it's hard to recall it all correctly. I had been also thinking the fuel ban must have ended later around 65 or so when it started being used in bodied cars.
Thanks all; Tom S.

[Panneton Bros. Racing]

[musclecarjohn]

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...4703444&type=1

[Tom S. in Tn.]

Nice 56'. Looks like it's at Ca., but like modified elim cars here in Tn.
Tom S.

[johnk320]

Is that a Super Duty scoop on that '56 hood?

[Panneton Bros. Racing]

Originally Posted by Tom S. in Tn.

Nice 56'. Looks like it's at Ca., but like modified elim cars here in Tn.
Tom S.

Riverside Raceway, Ca. 1964. Inaugural Hot Rod Magazine Championships. Same car and trophies today

[Panneton Bros. Racing]

Originally Posted by johnk320

Is that a Super Duty scoop on that '56 hood?

Fiberglass Trends. You can buy similar ones today from Speedway Motors. I believe they call it a "Shelby Scoop"

[johnk320]

Thanks! I'll check it out. The SD scoops are outta sight money!

[Panneton Bros. Racing]

Originally Posted by johnk320

Thanks! I'll check it out. The SD scoops are outta sight money!

About $60.00 I believe. A friend of mine makes them in different "see through" colors, but the top of the scoop is round like this "Bad Man" pic, not flat like the one on my car. He's making a dark blue one for me to match my windows. PS. The colored ones my friend makes are a little more than double the cost of the "Shelby" scoop from Speedway Motors.