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

Now that's taking the Street Roadster rules too far!

 

I wonder if that was the last vestiges of A/Comp.
For years there was a racer - Ed Kohler??? - who raced a rear engined roadster in AA/Fuel Dragster as an homage to the AA/FA class.

 

Upward and onward...

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Harry Luzader

 

Hello,

Jerry Bivens and I go way back to our 1959-62 Bixby Knolls and Long Beach Poly High School hot rod/drag race years. His mechanical/pit crew partner, Doug Fisher and I go farther back to the Westside of Long Beach Junior High School days. Add in Tom McEwen (Bixby Knolls and earlier, LB Poly HS )as a part of that team and sooner or later top results started showing up at the drags.
"Checkmate"

So, as the years rolled on, jobs change and businesses get started, teams change hands and sometimes, things just start clicking for great results. Jerry Bivens from Bixby Knolls, racing with his team of Doug Fisher and Tom McEwen was featured in an advertisement for a Neil Leffler supercharger and support. It is and was a small world in So Cal drag racing circles.

Jnaki

My brother and I were already in the accident recovery stage and the drag racing camaraderie with others still involved, was missing. There was almost two years of no drag racing activity or attendance, for us. It just was too much at the time. So, we were not able to see the action and record it, but watched from the Drag News articles and ads to see the progress of our friends.

It had been almost 55 years that I had not seen Jerry Bivens in person. ( 1962 class HS graduation) So, it was a great time to talk and get reacquainted, while filming the start of the afternoon Cacklefest.

Bivens and Fisher at the Lion’s Dragstrip Museum Cacklefest 2017 at :35 Sound

You meet the nicest people in drag racing circles…

 

Westenberger & Bill--Richie Bill was the driver...the T-shell wasn't needed for the class, but cool that they still ran it.

 

Kenny Safford far lane, maybe Jeep Hampshire closest?

 

Beacon Auto Part car, I think, Gene Adams...maybe Billy Scott driving?

 

Doesn't quite look the same...

 

Killer shot...

 

My Dad worked with Les Westenberger and we got to be up close and personal with them when we went to Lions. I seem to remember, to this little kid he seemed pretty intense, not having much to say.
One evening my Mom and Dad were talking while she prepared dinner. I overheard my Dad say, "Les said.... (something I missed)".
So I asked, "What did Les say?" I'll never forget my Dad's response....
Without missing a beat, my Dad turned and said, "The Les said, the better"
Message received, but never forgotten. My folks were the best, but back then we kids had our place and it wasn't interrupting grownup's conversations. Funny, the memories these pictures can trigger.

 

Captain Jack McClure in the Turbonique cart he match-raced against TV Tommy Ivo.
Tommy was pissed because Jack jumped the gun and in the pictures, it made it look like he's kicking Ivo's ass,lol!

 

If I remember correctly this Anglia bodied B / Comp was later owned by Mike DeStefano, brother of 34 coupe here on the HAMB. from the Red Hook area of New York. the chassis was sold to Hot Rod Johnny from Pennsylvania, and now runs a 4-71 blown flathead.

 

EJ Kowalski from Reading, Pa. is flying out to Bakersfield, Ca. to wrench on the Pure Hell fuel altered this weekend.

 

Tom Dawes ?

 

Danny Ongais.

 

True, I'm not 100% sure on this one.

 

March Meet

 

Staying with the Turbonique theme...

 

Garlits, Bruce Crower and Connie Swingle at Carlsbad...no ID on the guy in the hat.

 

I look at the old diggers and often wonder how many slicks got destroyed before guys started cutting back those rear header tubes.