NASCAR "DRAG RACING" history ???

Ok so I was going thru some stuff in my shop and came across this plaque about the size of the ones for the HAMB........I know its legit but cant find any history.Anybody remember when NASCAR was involved in drag racing 50s/60s???

 

My bet is around the time the NHRA was doing it's drag safari deal. NASCAR was open to making money anywhere back then. Can't imagine them out for a quick buck today!LOL

 

Richard Petty drag raced for a short while (IIRC) when NASCAR banned the HEMI

 

Meatball -

Believe it or not, NASCAR partnered with the NHRA for the first "Winternationals" back in the late '50s or early '60s, at some long-forgotten track in Florida. Dig around on the NHRA website and I bet you can find more info.

 

heres the only other version I found on a nascar website

 

The strip in the daytona area was the Deland airport in the mid '60's. I was a stock class winner and had the immense pleasure of linda vaughn crowding me on a bleacher.Talk about a 17 year old with one on........still brings back stiff ones on cold nights. I think they quit in the late '60's. They were held in Feb.,during speed weeks at Daytona. There's an old post on here and on the net.

 

WOW! I always thought that the Winternationals was ALWAYS at Pomona. I know Irwindale had a Winternationals, but that was AHRA, not NHRA.
I thought I knew a fair amount of drag racing history, but this is news to me.
I wouldn't be surprised if this were not true, but, hey, I've been wrong before.
Anyone out there know about this Florida event???

 

Obviously not as far back as your sign, but like A32Flathead said Richard Petty drag raced when Nascar banned the Hemi, thanks to Ford whinning about getting beat so badly.

Anyway, Petty ran a 1964 Barracuda that was "Petty Blue" like his stock car with "43Jr." painted on the doors. My dad saw him run the car at a track in Suffolk, Virginia and has some great shots of the car. I gladly scan and post them, but my Dad is in Seattle and I'm in Texas.

Here's a good site about it though... http://www.1962to1965mopar.ornocar.com/mmo12007.html

 

Richard Petty and David Pearson both went drag racing in 1964 to boycott Bill Frances ban of the hemi which he deemed an unfair advantage,,,

In 1964 Richard Petty had an accident and I think it was an 8 year old boy was killed and several other spectators were injured,,

I don' recall him drag racing after that incident,,,but then again I was 14 at the time so the memory bank might have a glich or two. HRP

 

A local 1/4 mile strip up here in Niagara Falls was a NASCAR sanctioned strip for a few years.-MIKE

 

After Petty killed the kid, NASCAR left drag racing.

 

Pittsburgh International Dragway had NASCAR sanctioning for a few years. There were a few tracks here on the east coast that did and the big meet was at Deland.

 

so we're talkn about 62/64?

 

Niagara Dragstrip was NASCAR sanctioned in 1967. I don't think NASCAR stayed active with drag racing after the 67 season.

 

I am more than sure that there are plenty of current Drag Racers that WISH NASCAR still sanctioned Drag races.

 

I went to Daytona ... with a friend ... in the late 60's for the drag races. He had a A/G Henry J ... blue, 427 FE series engine and a C-6. It was 1968 I believe.

Petty went drag racing ... but was mainly on small outlaw type tracks. He was in 43JR ... It was 1965 I believe when he loss control and got in the crowd ... somewhere in Georgia. It was big news in all the papers around the South.

I do not believe Petty ever raced on a NASCAR drag race track .... he was boycotting NASCAR at the time.

 

Absolutely!

I went to college in Deland, FL and went to Daytona's Spruce Creek Dragstrip for Nascar drags at night during "Speedweek" in February.
Must have been '65-'66.

Deuce is right: Petty had his problems at a small strip in Georgia. We were all crushed, he was a "rockstar" Now I remember liberating some decals off his car at Daytona 500 back in '63.

 

Here are a number of references for learning more about Nascar's drag series. I did a quick search on "ultra stock" and found these.

http://www.toddclaxton.com/mustang.htm

http://www.competitionplus.com/07_15_2004/nascar_drag.html

http://www.dragracingonline.com/special/nasmin_1.html

http://www.dragracingonline.com/special/nascar_1.html

 

cool, imagine john force at talladega doing left turns all day, winning the race and then his interview

it would take all night for the interview

 

I have some class winner decals.



Mutt

 

Petty's accident was at the track in Dallas, GA, just outside of Atlanta in the mid '60s. Southeastern International Dragway. It was big time back then. The track just closed about 18 months ago. It had been open over 50 years. It was not a Nascar track. Those guys were bycotting Nascar.

Do a google search for Hoyt Grimes. I believe he won top fuel at Daytona. There was an article about him in the Atlanta paper last week.

From DRO:

Hoyt is a man of “firsts” --- first to break 100 mph in Georgia, then 150, then 175, and so on. First to build a competitive hemi-powered dragster in Georgia --- actually a tank/lakester car --- and the first Georgia dragster racer to win big at a national event, the ’59 Winternationals at Daytona, a joint NASCAR/NHRA race. He won all five nights of the race.

 

Here's a 1966 rule book I got in FL stationed there in the navy.

 

thanks guys this is too KOOL!!!!!!!!!!

 

The NHRA-NASCAR "Winternationals" were in 1960.Location was a small airport just west of Flagler Beach Fla., Spruce Creek Airport I seem to remember. There had been NASCAR sponsored races the previous year and possibly prior to that. 1966 or 1967 was the last year I believe.

 

This from the website of an upstate NY strip that I raced at as a kid..

"The dragstrip opened as Jackson’s Dragway in April, 1958. Builder/promoter Paul Jackson leased the land from Raymond Warrick (this is ironic because it would mean that Jackson would never own the land that his empire was built on). Jackson, a Savannah, N.Y. businessman, was also the Eastern Seaboard Manager for NASCAR. At that time, NASCAR sanctioned both stock car and drag racing events."

http://www.kjwebdesigns.com/kingsdragway/history.htm


Terry

 

In 59 thru 62 or 63 during speed weeks drag races were held at night on the back stright at daytona. Art Arfonds had a 57 plymoth with a jet engine doing exibitions, They also did all kind of other stuff to fill in time.. Words records in Winnibagos, roller skate time { held at taladage by Herb Winches} worlds speed record with a wrecker. any thing to fill in time and bring in specators {money} for Mr. France..

 

I still have my trophy from the C/MS (C/MP) class win at the NASCAR Gold Cup Nationals at Niagara Falls NY...ah, the memories! Frank

 

Richard Petty had been doing some drag racing as early as 1959 from what I've heard and have seen photos of a 1962 Plymouth S/S car that he ran back then. Billy West (Little Pilgrim S/S Plymouths) worked for the Pettys and on occassion Richard Petty drove the Little Pilgrim in special match races ... even so far north as Islip Speedway in 1964. The 43Jr did crash into the crowd at Dallas, GA in early 1965 ... a second car was built and they continued drag racing with it. Petty did run some match races at the 1966 NASCAR (NASCAR sanction) Winter Championship events at Spruce Creek/Deland against some NASCAR Ford GN drivers in Ford factory match race cars.
Joel
www.JFNStudios.net

 

Fonda speedway in upstate New York had an 1/8 mile strip in the INfield which also doubled as the pits for the dirt track, It was nascar. Shirley Muldowney got her start there!

 

No such thing, if there were, I would'nt admit to it, NASCAR, stockcar or what ever the hell they call it, it Sucks! Drag racing rules!