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

Tapia & Hoffman, at Lions, really early '60s or maybe late '50s. Even then, Bobby Tapia was a computer guy when most of us didn't even know what a computer was. He went on to drive several fuelers, including for Larry Stellings. This car was one of several TE-440 designs that Scotty Fenn was working on. Even with the low injectors, it must have been hard to see out of...

 

This photo is most likely from Indy. Prudhomme's car did not get the red paint job until the summer of that year and it is unlikely that a Goodyear factory rep would be at anything but a big race plus it can't be the Springnats because there are no hills.

Roo

 

You want really early drag racing, this is Dick Kraft in "the Bug," in 1950. Some argued that this is the first dragster, though a rail job with Howard Johansen's 4-banger track roadster engine showed up at The First Drag Race at Goleta in '48. This car also has disputed origins, one story is that the Kraft family had already converted a Model A to a crop sprayer for their citrus ranch, and Dick took it, added his flathead, and went racing. The first version of "the Bug" showed up at Santa Ana without a roll bar, and while he let him run it once, manager C.J. Hart told Kraft that the next time, he would have to have a roll bar. This is the result. The roll bar was made from electrical conduit, so soft that Hart could bend it with his hands, and thus sent Kraft back to build a better one. Apparently C.J didn't insist on a helmet, though Dick is wearing seat belts. The "Bug" was one of the first drag cars to beat the hottest motorcycles, running around 109 mph. The original is apparently lost as the one in the NHRA Museum is a replica (though it might have some original Bug parts, I'm not sure). This car was pretty crude, but Dick was also capable of building some top-flight hot rods, as his T-roadster demonstrated, made the cover of HRM.


A shot of Pure Hell after it got into a drainage ditch at Fremont (I posted an earlier shot of it being pulled out.) Who would have thought that one of the hazards of drag racing would be drowning, though fortunately Dale Emery was pulled out before he drowned...


Sidewinder at Riverside


NHRA Nationals, don't know who the two cars are: anybody??


"Starlight"? "Starfire"? I'm guessing that this is Chuck Griffin in Starlight, but not sure.


Not sure that this Willy shot has been posted on this thread. Fuel altered racing was not as dangerous as smoking; Willy died of cancer after surviving some of the most incredible runs in drag racing. He was a Racer, plain and simple.


The Train vs. Gas House Gang, maybe Walt Rhodes driving...not sure where or when


SWC at Lion's, earlier version with steel front wheels, probably running the blown Olds before they switched to Chrysler




Goose in the Lou Baney's Yeakel car, Sandoval Brothers in the far lane


Al Vanderwoode in the Flying Dutchman, near lane, racing Randy Walls from San Diego


Bean Bandits, blown Chrysler. While most of associate the Bean Bandits to the really early days of drag racing (where they ran a wide variety of drag cars very successfully), but they continued racing up through the christmas tree era.

 

The most impressive thing in the Dick Kraft picture is the man's arms!

 

Nice one Bob.

 

This Vette is chock full of BADASSERY

 

The picture you thought might be Chuck Griffith in the Starlite isn't the PVTA car. Pretty sure it reads Starfire