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

This gasser was a real terror, Mike Marinov from Wisconsin...visited the west coast on several occasions, I remember it best at the Smoker's meet, early '60s...I think he won his class.

Great photos!

 

Indianapolis Raceway Park --taken in what is now the east side staging lanes. The road on the right of the picture (on the other side of the fence) is 300N. The blacktop that curves to the left in the background of the photo is part of the now little used road course.

Roo

 

Good catch, good description Keith. I think that's Turn 8 of the old road course, leading to the straightaway that runs just south of the bridge.

 

Holy Smokes! I keep goin back and lookin' at this thing, and gigglin'. If anyone has video of this flyin' down the track it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

Post#39044,White Willys with #3 on the door.......Myabe someone will recognize the car and owners,,Kinda looks to me as James and Inez Butler from Morton,Texas

 

Garlits showed up at Kingdon after adding a 6-71 to his Chrysler, March 21, 1959, and beat the locals (well, both of them)...Garlits did stick with his Strombergs, though, but everything below was new, new stroker motor out to 454" and a Weiand "typhoon" manifold...after breaking his unblown motor earlier at Bakersfield, Garlits realized that his California rivals had gone blown, and trailered back to Isky's for a rebuild...he would win again at Chandler AZ the next week...Drag News photo, fuzzy but a big step for Garlits


Gary Cagle was one California racer who was willing to travel and defend California's reputation...Drag News sponsored this series of appearances to try and get West Coast cars to the rest of the country...Drag News, June 6, 1959...now if my memory serves me well (which it does not always do), Gary made it as far as Great Bend when he crashed badly, injuring himself and destroying the race car)...he would continue to race for years afterwards...Troy, are you still with us...maybe you can add to this...?


In 1961 this is what you wore to protect your face from all sorts of stuff, including, as the ad said, fire. How leather, an organic material, was supposed to protect you from fire was not explained, nor was it in the ad that appeared above it from Tony Nancy, who also sold leather driving masks...but that didn't stop us from wearing them (mine was of a lesser quality, not black pebble like these, just lucky I didn't light the car up until aluminum suits came along (when I did light it up!)


Yes, another bad photo from Drag News December 1961, but it has some history to it. Prudhomme, far lane in the Zeuschel, Fuller, and Prudhomme racing the Cash Auto car. When they ran out of money, Ivan Reynolds, the Cash Auto guy, sold his car to Keith Black, and it became the Greer, Black, and Prudhomme car. Bet Prudhomme didn't think that the car he was racing (and beat) would later become his own most famous ride.

 

??????

 

Yet another drag car left to rot...hope someone saves it.

 

Love this thread. Been a favorite for years.
keep the good stuff coming!!!

 

Ummm... wait ...
Nope - Got nothing

 

Melvin Heath, '56 NHRA Nationals. Melvin, from Oklahoma, was the surprising winner, beating several noted west coast cars.


Van Dyke and Wulf, from Carmichael, CA...strong running car that challenged for spots on the Drag News top 10 fuel cars...Jim Herbert drove...


If one 6-71 is not enough, just add another...Romeo Palamides, early '60s...Romeo built the unique blower manifold and the drive...probably too much pressure for a cast iron motor, because it didn't catch on.


Not sure on this one, injected sbc, maybe NHRA Nationals?


Bean Bandits, really early '50s...if anyone can find a picture of an earlier real slingshot (driver behind the rear end), please post, because I think that despite claims by Mickey Thompson and the J.E. Riley Special, this could well be the first one...a style that dominated dragsters from this time until 1971...almost 20 years, despite the obvious danger to driver....and twin flatheads also, notice that one has carbs while the front is injected, notice the Hilborn pump at the front of the engine.


Golden age of top fuel



The Bailey Brothers made HRM, lots of custom work on the A body, later painted gold


Ray Golightly from Colorado -- Grand Junction, I think. Not a lot of racers ran Packards, but this TE-440 did, '57-'58.



I don't know whose fuel-burning roadster this is, or where it is...but this is old-style drag racing, carburetors instead of injectors, homemade metalwork, no chrome...this was a racer.

 

Now there is a plumber's nightmare! Street roadster my ass!

 

This pic will help to remove the previous photo from your mind.

 

Shirley.

 

Nice pic of Shirley in her twin engine car

 

I love this thread. So glad to see it up and going again with all of these great pictures. Keep them coming.

 

Here's one from me. K.S. doing what he did best.

 

What about the length of those quarter elliptic rear springs? (along with a lot of other strange things).

Roo

 

For a while the theory on 1/4 elliptic rear springs was the forward mounting position picked up more of the forward weight and planted it on the rear tires. This guy took it to the extreme.