Old National Trail Raceway Photos - never before published

That's it for the FED pictures in this round. next up will be random shots and funny cars. Speaking of random...

 

Okay, one more for today...
Don't know who is in the yellow car, I'm more interested in the Jade Grenade with the skirted front wheels. Friend of mine owns the Jade Grenade FED shown with the chute blossomed. (This picture is not from NTR). FABULOUS car, IIRC the fastest FED of the day.

 

I believe the yellow car racing the Jade Grenade is Kuhl & Olson...

 

Thanks for the memories! The Wildcatter was owned & driven by Foster Mays and was sponsored by Ripley Garage which was located across Route 21 from the high school. The car spent a lot of time sitting in the showroom or in front of the dealership. The showroom window was lined with all the trophies that the car had won. I rode the school bus past the garage every day and always checked out the Wildcatter. My uncle often went on the road with Foster and has told me some incredible stories of the antics involved in early racing! The car was named Wildcatter and featured a picture of an oil derrick because Foster was involved in oil and gas drilling. The following slogan was lettered on the car "Hot car for a cool cat" ......that pretty well fit Foster in the eyes of a young kid.

Jim

 

My auto tech teacher used to be "in" at national trail. Is he still around? I cant remember his first name but his last name was Kreiger.
I was in his last graduating class at MEOVSD before it went diesel and graduated in 93. We took the schools 12 passenger Chevy van down the track when we visited... LOL good times!

 

Rails with roadster shells (A/Comp) had the personality of an altered with the performance of a dragster. There were a couple here in So-Cal. Ironically the most competetive was that belonging to Alaskan Bob Lunsford

 

Ist gen Barrascoota, early example of the "modern" funny car configuration.

 

Last one for today, I gotta git outside and enjoy the weather like Clark in this picture!

 

The car was red and sat behind the Rod Shop for years. The driver is Bruce Meihls, a local engine builder in Groveport Ohio and I can put you in touch with him if needed. He does not still have the car if your looking for it, it was not a COPO.

 

Bruce just passed away recently.

 

I always wondered what color this car was. Dave, was it Garnet Red? If original that was a really rare car.....low horse big block, 4spd, being that color and being a Bel Air rather than a Biscayne. Wonder what ever happened to it?

 

Garnet Red was the only production red for 1969 in the Chevrolet line. I dont have any pictures in color of the car but I lived very close to the Rod Shop and spent most of my Saturdays hanging out there and Im sure it was red. I remember they pulled the drive train out of the car and it sat for some time untouched behind the building. I talked to a guy a couple years ago who said he knew what happend to it but I dont remember the details. I could not wait to get there on Sat. mornings because the guys would test the cars behind the building before loading up for the races. Not to mention they sold mini bikes, so that was a no brainer for a kid like me on my old Schwinn Sting Ray which I still have... LOL!

 

I had not heard that, I will ask someone who used him as his builder this week. We have alot of performance engine shops in this area and I
personally didnt use Bruce (Fast Racing).

 

Bruce passed away May 18,. I didn't know if car had been repainted or had it's original color.

 

thanks for that bit of info dave.

 

is it on a altered chassis ? pretty short for a fuel car but its only a A/FC must be injected

 

Ed Terranova, track announcer. His kid still has Ed's '34 Ford coupe hot rod, very cool car.

 

i lived in washington pa. back in those early days. we used to go out there all the time, i've got over three hundred slides from different events there, if i could figure out how to post them i will. we had alot of fun out there..

 

I talked to a friend today about Bruce's passing just over a week ago, said it was a heart problem. I also asked if he knew anything about the 69 Impala and he said that Bruce may have still owned it? It was Garnet Red for sure. He said if they did still have it he is sure they would not sell it. I will ask around some more about it.

 

C'mon, man - post 'em up!

 

Here's a pic of Gary Bolger to go with the shots of his "Gold Digger" Funny I posted earlier. That's a nitro-powered mustache he's got goin' on, too.

 

If I recall my history correctly, on one of its visits to National Trail, this one crashed at the end of the track.

 

Awesome stuff. Thanks for sharing.

 

Clark Rader doing a flag start for Big John and Ohio George.

 

Here's a guy that's been racing (and racing well) for years. Hell, decades! Driver of the "Dodge Material" Bob Marshall

 

Clark Rader & Charles Carpenter bench racing beside Roger Gustin's hauler.

 

Clark Rader (With hair!) and Bob Daniels, NHRA Division 3 Director

 

Group shot of the winners from the first Spring Nationals held at National Trail Raceway

 

The infamous "Bunny" with "Stormin' Norman" on the right side of the pic.

 

Here's a good one - Wally Parks, Clark Rader and "Pappy" Hart.