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

Fritz Voigt in his Open Gas car (what gas cars were called in those days). Fritz was responsible for much of Mickey Thompson's success as he was his engine builder, fabricator, etc. He also build engines for a lot of customs, including for Jesse Lopez '41 Ford, and worked with the Ayala brothers. He just died recently. The car in the picture was later sold to Watson & Callahan, crashed fatally at Lions with Joe Koper driving.

 

Dennison, Arlansky and Knox from Illinois racing the Quality Auto car from NoCal. DAK took more than their of prisoners in the fuel altered class. Not sure who won this race. Thanks again, Tommy, for posting these.

 

Singer and Miller blown Lincoln, from Houston, won the '59 NHRA Nationals


Drifters Car Club, from Redondo Beach, CA. Nice custom Merc in the corner


Looks like Early Leffler/Loukas, Parma, OH. These guys took Bakersfield by storm with the later blown version


Johnny Burrell, Birmingham, AL. Ran a McCulloch blown Chrysler.


Carl Grimes, Tempe, AZ, ran a steel body Fiat with a carbureted Buick. The hauler was the school bus in front of the altered. The number "Grimes57" was a play on the famous ketchup.


From the Dave McClellan files


Bruce Norman's "Bald Iggle" from Texas, ran a blown Olds on gas.


unknown roadster


Sam Parriott's "City of Industry" special, Kurtis powered by a blown Cad.


Sandoval Brothers Bantam B/C, Santa Ana, CA, probably at the NHRA Nationals, where it won class in '57, obviously after they fixed this shelled-out trans....small Dodge, ran 109


Front view of the above car. I don't know if Von Dutch did the artwork, but it sure looked like it. I saw it run at Santa Ana in July '57, tuning up for the nationals


Modified sports car at Santa Ana. The strip was very wide but also very short, shut-off space quickly turned to dirt.


SBC powered dragster, no ID


San Gabriel, no ID. I should know this as I was there both racing and spectating...early '60s


I believe that this is San Diego's Jerry Baltes, who later ran the Crozier and Baltes fuel dragster that has been found and restored...anyone know for sure?

 

Love John Batto's Crosley!!

 

As Promised.
Panella's 33 at Kingdon 1964.
Sorry it's a little blurry.

TOM

 

I knew this car. Around 1968 or so a guy I knew bought it and I did some work on it. Then Doug Kaplan worked on it, I don't know if he ever ran it, maybe once and it scared him. We used to call him "crazy John" he wasn't to good of a driver of any sort. I think the picture is at NY National speedway on LI.