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

Most likely "The Greek" in the right lane. Same style roll cage as W/R in the left lane. Maybe the tire smoke "distorts" the look. To me, it seems to sit lower than W/R. Everything else looks like them to me though. Have never seen the track from this angle (except from the 'far end').

 

I agree 100%. Them and San Fernando provided the most 'raw fun'. Fontana could get a little 'spooky' at times. Neat places.

 

DITTO !

 

I remember this car from the early days. Who's was it?

 

From August 9, 1958 Drag News...I'll bet a lot of Garlits' competitors throughout the years wished that this happened....

 

Jerry Norek, from Long Beach

 

Yep Dave when ' Big ' put the blower on in 59' all hell broke loose down in Tampa, and he never looked back

I remember at Riverside in 59' the fans were yelling ' go back home Swamp Rat '

 

The car on the left is Bobby Langley. Think this was Scorpion number 6.

 

supertrick

 

Go Man, Go ! I'll bet a hot dog and Coke didn't cost ten bucks at this track. Neat memories for a lot of us.

 

Thanks! I'll add it to the caption (I should have noticed the "tail" on it)

 

That description corresponds with my recollections. I have never been sure of the exact location or orientation of the "original" San Gabriel since I didn't arrive in Southern California until the summer of 1961. Dean described it once before but it didn't sink into my aging memory banks. I was, however, present at San Gabriel's closing event in 1963 and at Irwindale's opening so I can claim having raced on three of the four locations (counting the 1/8th mile at the "new" Irwindale location with a few midnight shots down Rivergrade Road for good measure.

 

Two of the best Fuel Altered pilots, Willie Borsch and Leon Fitzgerald.

 

Chuck the first SG strip was directly "north" of the one most of us recall. "North" defined as across the street towards Santa Fe Dam but just several hundred yards away from where the last SG strip was. There never been any photos that I have seen of the "1st strip" or maybe it's that they "all" look the same.
Here's a map I made years ago showing the relationship between San Gabriel Valley Drag Strip and Irwindale Raceway.
Between the two strips is the Santa Fe Dam. The photo that I posted yesterday of the two dragsters blasting off and the flagman shows it as the long light gray line just above the lower window of the timing tower. I just drove by it last week.
I usually use the strips full name, the "San Gabriel Valley Drag Strip", because the strip was no where near the city of San Gabriel which about 10 miles to the west and because it always prompts a challenge from some young know-it-all "Google-Drag Racing Expert" that I can educate.
Th strip was in "the San Gabriel Valley", thus the name.

 

Tell me, Wild Willy wasn't the coolest.

 

Mazooma is exactly correct, it was "San Gabriel Valley Drag Strip," as shown in this trophy I won with my Ardun car...(did I beat big-time competition? Well, not usually...if you were the only car in class, a single got you a trophy, as a C/FD my Ardun was no match for the fuel Chevys...but the people who see the trophies in my office don't know that)

 

In reference to the "first" San Gabriel that Mazooma mentioned, it might be in these pictures from '58 and '59, from Doug Peterson...these are from Don Ewald's site...is this the first track, I don't remember exactly when it closed and the second one opened right near it, as you show on the map...


Archard-Bouch in the pits...power lines in background,


First night drags at San Gabriel, summer of '59, again, power lines in background.


This is the first picture Doug took, in '58...caption says that he was "plinking mud hens with a pellet gun (maybe at Santa Fe Dam?) when he heard the sound of cars racing, rode his bike over and "was never the same since." (mountains and power lines, seem to be north?)

 

Great! Yes, Doug Peterson is a fellow ex-Arcadia kid.
Both sites shows that the cars ran in the same direction.
The bottom photo is looking towards the mountains (north).
Just over the trunk of that Pontiac would be "The City of Hope" hospital (about three miles up ) that is known worldwide.

 

At this point MR. Borsch apparently has the cars' handling figured out, note the small red steering wheel.
I don't know the full timeline of Willy's cars/career but he is one of my drag racing heroes from the 60's.

 

As I remember then Gov. Jerry Brown gave the Irwindale drag strip land to Miller Brewing for one buck, for a 99 year lease and that was the end of a great strip !!!!!

R.I.P. Irwindale & the great Burgers

 

This is the "Wing II", the Logghe built car that was purchased to complete a summer of match race dates after the original car was wrecked. Mousie told me that Willie never did like that car like the original which he had been driving since it debuted in carburetted form in the late 50's.

Roo

 

Thanks Roo...
Wasn't sure if it was an updated first iteration or a whole new car, did the first car have a steel body.
IIRC the WE2 car had a glass body.

 

====================
Well, no. Sheesh. Really?
The "state" can't sell privately owned land and this was not a case of "eminent domain" which is used to build schools and freeways.
I worked with the city attorney for the City of Irwindale for many years. He and I had this discussion a LONG time ago.
He told me that it was a clear case of making everyone happy but the race fans.
The neighbors to the north in Bradbury had been griping about the noise. Miller Brewing wanted the site for their new brewery because it was the right size and it had siding for the Santa Fe railroad for their shipping and receiving needs.
The owners of the land wanted to "cash out", the City of Irwindale wanted the hundreds of jobs and taxes from the brewery and Miller was more than happy about the whole deal.
End of story.