Famous Texas Tracks, Cars, Stories and SpeedShops

I think this is the last of my first ever drag race views from Green Valley. Someone identified it as Wilber Booth which is a better guess than I had for sure.

 

We'll veer off thread a bit to a Division 4 points race in Opelousas LA in 1967. The guy in the black shirt is Fred Rowsey, owner of the Banzai AA/FD in the foreground. On the left is a young Bob Gibson, who was trying to graduate from tire wiper to a more meaningful position. Driver Nando Hasse is nowhere to be seen in this view.

The next car on the right belonged to Doug Mead of Sulphur, LA, one of the local heros. That's Doug with either a shop towel or scarf on his head leaning on the push car. The few times I saw it, Doug's car always seemed to be running on the ragged edge. One event (I don't think it was at this race) was particularly memorable.

In an effort to keep up with the other cars, Doug began experimenting with Hydrazine. For those unfamilar with this product, it is in essence rocket fuel-powerful but unstable. It was usually dispensed in small amounts from little brown bottles. In any case, Doug was using hydrazine at one of the tracks in LA, could have be La Place, Opelousas or Houma-don't remember. Doug drops the hammer and his fueler rocketed (so to speak) towards the finish. Approaching the traps, he lost the blower. Now I've seen a number of blowers jump up over the years, but the launch Mead did on his would have done NASA proud. We were near the start and damn near lost sight of it, it was so high up. Fortunately, when re-entry was achieved, it missed hitting anyone, a good thing given its velocity. I never heard of Doug trying Hydrazine again after that.

 

wow, Waterview and Spring Valley.....I lived right down the street. Used to help Larry Meyer and crew on weekends. Larry Meyer, crew chief for Joe Amato, and many others now. Used to have a partner, Ed Cluff. Larry lived on my street. Used to run his A/FD up the street. A residential street. Can you imagine doing this today.

 

Still probably the best color photo of the Funny Car I've seen!

 

Thanks for all the great pics guys and stories! Like I said please include all Texas tracks and surrounding states, and does anyone have any photos of speed shops/garages etc. in Texas?

 

I may be wrong but that looks exactly like a car from Ranger Tx owned and driven by ML Hart. Had a bored and stroked 409, dual quad and 4 speed.

 

"Wolfman's Speed Shop" Killeen Tx
Racing at Little River

 

These next images are all from Green Valley during 63-65 when the track was still used part time as a road course as well as a drag strip.

 

More

 

Hope you guys really appreciate these and share them. I really want Green Valley to be remembered as the high caliber track it was like Lions.

 

Love those flying shots.

 

Where do you think Shelby tested and tuned all of his cars? Wasnt California or the East coast. Was smack dab here in North Richland Hills, Texas. Just north of Fort Worth.

 

Wonderful thread! Thanks to all the contributors.

Could someone please tell me if this car was run out of Texas. I asked this question on the Drag Cars in Motion thread a long time ago but only got a couple of answers that didn't lead to anything. I know for a fact that it was an East Coast car that later ran with a blower and a reconfigured rear body. Thanks in advance.

 

Im pretty sure it did, Ive seen several photo's of a dragster just like that.

 

Jackie Mize from Lubbock ran this nice 57 in D/MP back in the sixties. This is at Amarillo in either 66 or 67.

 

This was posted as an attachment on Drag cars in motion. I think this will come out a bit better. This is Leroy Goldstein driving the Blair and Goldstein AA/FD at Amarillo in 1967. One of my better shots and a personal favorite.

 

Jackie's Automotive in Lubbock was what a speed shop should be. There were tables stacked with used speed parts still dripping oil and gas. Always had some sort of racecar in the back that they were working on. Neat place.

He run's the Lubbock U-Haul franchise now.

 

Here's one from Opelousas LA in April of 1967. They really made a deal out of the AA/FD qualifiers who lined up for a group portrait. On this end we see the Green Gang from Angleton Texas first, then Louis Boyd and Wayne Griffith from Oklahoma City next, Not sure about the 3rd car. The 4th is Benny Osborn from Tulsa. After that, Doug Mead, Fred Rowsey, the Burt Brothers from Tulsa and the Carroll Brothers. Cool stuff!

On a happy note, Bob Gibson has mailed my slides and I should get them next week. He reports that there were a lot more than he thought so looks like some fun stuff on tap. Other than what he posted on 1320 and Danny Whites site, I don't know what he has but he kept a lot of the better ones so there should be some good old stuff coming. What you've seen so far are mainly the seconds. Stay tuned.

 

Here's a local guy, James "Cogo" Eads, from Killeen, TX. His dad John started with gassers in the 50's, and they had a handful of serious cars throughout the years. Cogo was the shoe...

 

More of Cogo's collection...

 

More Cogo...

 

Last round of Cogo's collection...

 

I seem to remember him driving a Maverick for Fergus Ford in Killeen or is it just brain cobwebs again?

 

#228; " What you've seen so far are mainly the seconds. Stay tuned. "

You've got to be kidding. Some of these are simplyspectacular.
Tom S.

 

Not sure. There was a Falcon owned by Johnnie Eggleston called "White Lightning Jr." that was driven by W.L. "Frog" Herring that was sponsored by Fergus Ford. Frog snapped an axle at Wichita Falls and rolled the car.

I can ask Cogo if he ever drove it, or anything else from Fergus.

 

I bought a 1959 elcamino from Manny's transmission that has old drag racing stickers on glass and an old bolt on tow hitch . The title has Butch lake on it.......Wonder if it was Hands tow car?

 

When I first sent Bob all of my drag race slide over 30 years ago he decided he was mainly interested in the Div 4 stuff, AA/FD's and Funny cars. I don't really know what he's sending back, but he did send me scans of some of the fuel cars and funny cars that he posted on 1320 and elsewhere. That's what I used to post some of these views you've seen. Years ago, he sent back the stuff he didn't want or wasn't interested in; soft or blurred shots, over or under exposed views, some of the Nationals fenders and gas stuff-in short what I've been posting here. Some required photoshop work, and while not perfect, I thought there might be interest in the views. There's some good views to come and he said there's a lot more than he remembered that's never been posted so there should be some interesting stuff to come-tho what I couldn't say for sure. I never thought of them as spectacular, but thanks for the kind words.

 

Wobbly Bob, Butch Lake still lives in Austin.

 

Hey guys if youre willing and find them, post some videos of these dragstrips (specifically Green Valley). This first picture is a pic of my car infront of whats left of Green Valley (the burnout box and starting line forgive me for the late 60's muscle but its the only pic I have and I had to get a pic of it with my and my Grand fathers Chevelle we built together). The rest of these where taken at Green Valley during its road racing years. THERE ARE LOTS MORE TO COME! I probably have over 500 from its road racing years!

 

Thank you guys for making what I thought would just be me posting pics of my (Green Valley) strip and no one paying attention. I didnt think many remembered how big Green Valley was back in the day, seems like if it didnt take place in California or the East Coast it didnt exist. So thank you all for making this a very great thread.