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

Discussion in 'Traditional Hot Rods' started by Royalshifter, Dec 12, 2007.

  1. img001.jpg Gearhart and White C/Gas 33 Willys from Jonesboro, Ark. running Bud Hufford from Paragould, Ark.. early 70s at George Rays.
    If anyone has any history on the Willys please contact me or rfraze on the hamb.
    Leon Gearhart passed away in Feb,2015
    Jimmy White has a used truck dealership in Paragould not far from the Dragstrip
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2015
  2. img011.jpg Chester Strange from Cherry Valley Ark, A/Altered in late 60s at George Rays
     
    tommyd and 296ardun like this.
  3. img006.jpg George Fisher from Paragould, Ark. 409 powered 61 Chev A/Stock ,late 60s at George Rays
    I still see George at some of the local car shows, he has retired and now has a nice Corvette street car
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2015
  4. img008.jpg Kyle Davis E/Gas Falcon driven by Wayne Freeman both from Jonesboro, Ark taking the one car spot from Carey Calanhan of Black Rock, Ark. in his D/Gas Chevelle at George Rays in the late 60s
    Kyle Davis passed away several years ago
    I have lost track of Wayne Freeman
    The Falcon is sitting in a field not far from Kyles home, has been there since the mid 70s
    I saw Carey Calahan a few months ago he has a nice collection of Muscle cars
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2015
    tommyd, hendelec and elgringo71 like this.
  5. 296ardun
    Joined: Feb 11, 2009
    Posts: 4,673

    296ardun
    Member

    These are great pictures, and story...These small tracks never got the press that the big ones (Lion's, San Gabriel, Island Dragway, Caddo Mills, etc.) got, so these stories and pictures really fill in some history...these guys who ran here cared just as much about drag racing as did the guys who ran the big tracks...please keep them coming!
     
    tommyd and stillrunners like this.
  6. Gabe Fernando
    Joined: Dec 7, 2008
    Posts: 309

    Gabe Fernando
    Member

     
  7. tommyd
    Joined: Dec 10, 2010
    Posts: 11,946

    tommyd
    Member
    from South Indy

  8. rfraze
    Joined: May 23, 2012
    Posts: 2,008

    rfraze
    Member

    photo (4).JPG I ask this question for those who have read this whole thread. Is that Mazooma up there in the corner of the stands w/camera? If you don't know what I am talking about, you owe it to yourself to go back to the beginning of this thread and enjoy the trip.
     
    tommyd and 296ardun like this.
  9. DDDenny
    Joined: Feb 6, 2015
    Posts: 19,132

    DDDenny
    Member
    from oregon

     
  10. DDDenny
    Joined: Feb 6, 2015
    Posts: 19,132

    DDDenny
    Member
    from oregon

    OOPSY--See my reply to Gary's post above,new guy(me) not getting the process yet!!!
     
  11. 296ardun
    Joined: Feb 11, 2009
    Posts: 4,673

    296ardun
    Member

    It certainly could be...he got lots of pictures from the stands (and risked getting hit with shrapnel, the stands were very close to the track, he wrote about it earlier).... he hasn't been on this thread in a long time, don't know why...
     
  12. You might want to check out my Great Oregon Racers thread here:

    http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/great-oregon-racers.662536/

    Chock full o good stuff, mostly due to Marty Strode.
    I need to go through the thread, too many broken links, STILL there are lots more stories and pics from the good old days in the Beaver State out there! MORE MORE!!!!
     
  13. I remember back in the day. George didn't have any Christmas tree lights. He would stand (wearing a pith helmet) in front of you and point at you. you nodded when you where staged. and he flagged you off and ran between the cars! I still enjoy George rays better than anyplace .
     
  14. Have you any pictures of Snake Chaser or the Wizard?
     
  15. Speaking again of the Magicars, here's Jim Rockstadts story on the NorthWind vs Pete Robinson race and how they became "NUMBER ONE IN THE NATION". A big deal back then.
    "
    With Top Fuel dragsters racing nearly every weekend, the Northwind went from Lions to Bakersfield, Riverside, and Carlsbad in southern California. In the Northwest, it was Woodburn and Balboa in Eugene, Oregon to Puyallup, Arlington, and Pacific Raceways in Washington state. At the time the Northwind was the baddest of the bad. The car was awarded the Drag News No. 6 spot after running 204 miles per hour and gaining the national attention that it needed and deserved.
    In those early years, Drag News, a drag racing publication, had a top ten list for the fuel dragsters around the country. Match races were commonplace and to move up on the list you could set up a match race at an agreed-upon drag strip with someone higher on the list and then race for the spot. The requirement was the best two out of three runs; beat your opponent and take away his spot on the list and he gets yours.

    With Ed driving, the gold metalflaked Northwind beat Sid Waterman in May of 1965 at Woodburn Drag Strip while running a new Northwest record of 206.88 miles per hour. According to Al Beachell, strip manager at Woodburn in 1965, “That performance clinched the challenge for the number 1 spot in the nation.” The holder of the number one spot up until then was “Sneaky” Pete Robinson, of Atlanta, Georgia. His "Tinker Toy Too" fuel dragster had held off five previous challengers since he was awarded the coveted top spot in September of 1964.

    After several phone calls to Pete Robinson by Al Beachell a deal was set for a match race on Sunday, June 13th, 1965. The best of three match race would be a huge step for Northwest race fans as this national caliber event would take place on Oregon soil. Team Northwind called Pete and offered him use of the Columbia Racing Engines shop so he could come early and work on his car. You see…Pete, “Sneaky” as he was, did use two different engine combinations in his car. A Chevy small block and a Ford "cammer" motor were used at different times and Team Northwind would have liked to have gained that knowledge prior to the big showdown.

    Not only didn’t Pete Robinson show up at the shop, but he didn’t call and no one had seen or heard from him at all. When the Northwind left for Woodburn Dragstrip the morning of June 13th the big question was, “Where is Pete Robinson?” Upon arrival at Woodburn, just 30 miles south of Portland, a trailer and tow rig were sitting at the front gate of the track. Sound asleep inside was Robinson, waiting for the event to start. He had driven from Bristol, Tennessee, after participating in the NHRA Springnationals the weekend before. The Northwest rain was coming down but only in shower form, stopping from time to time. The crowd numbers for the day are a little sketchy but one local newspaper listed the attendance at 10,000. To say the least, Northwest race fans were ready for the Northwind and this showdown for the number one spot in the nation.

    As the intermittent showers came and went that day, the track was dried, thanks to a few slower cars. About 1:30 in the afternoon, the main feature was ready for round one. They both pushed down the track in preparation for fire-up. Making the turn around at the top end, it set the stage for an epic battle. When both cars fired, the huge crowd pushed forward, some near the edge of the track, in anticipation and showing support for the Northwestern car. McCulloch drove right on by Robinson's Chevy car at a 7.62 at 199.54 miles per hour in true 60s style, smoking the tires all the way through the lights. The Chevy car was well behind at 7.95.

    Round one was in the books and the Northwind had outrun the number one car in the nation. One round later, the Chevy car of Pete Robinson red-lighted away the number one spot.

    Ed ran 7.50 and 206.42 mph to take the coveted spot in just two rounds of the match race. There it was. The Northwestern region had finally broken through to the big-time in the sport of drag racing as the huge crowd gathered around the two cars with excitement in the air. The car that was a huge question mark to its performance potential had just knocked off the top spot in the country in a few short months. It was an incredible achievement, to say the least.

    As the summer progressed for the Northwind team, the wins kept coming, including two unsuccessful challenges for the number one spot from TV Tommy Ivo. As the car ran quicker throughout the summer months, the handling became a question mark. Could it be that the car couldn’t handle the faster and quicker runs? Some felt that the steering link was too long and would bounce at big speeds, causing the
    car to handle poorly. Whatever the case, the fabulous gold car was sold to Terry Major of Longview, Washington, later that summer. All in those few short months, the car that performed at a huge level, winning almost every run, was sold. It was a remarkable time for Northwest drag racing and for a 22 year-old kid who was sleeping, eating and living the sport."
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2015
    loudbang, 296ardun, hendelec and 2 others like this.
  16. tommyd
    Joined: Dec 10, 2010
    Posts: 11,946

    tommyd
    Member
    from South Indy

  17. tommyd
    Joined: Dec 10, 2010
    Posts: 11,946

    tommyd
    Member
    from South Indy

  18. tommyd
    Joined: Dec 10, 2010
    Posts: 11,946

    tommyd
    Member
    from South Indy

  19. tommyd
    Joined: Dec 10, 2010
    Posts: 11,946

    tommyd
    Member
    from South Indy

  20. tommyd
    Joined: Dec 10, 2010
    Posts: 11,946

    tommyd
    Member
    from South Indy

  21. tommyd
    Joined: Dec 10, 2010
    Posts: 11,946

    tommyd
    Member
    from South Indy

  22. Coming up on 40,000 posts...Doug, where are you? :)
     
  23. RPL
    Joined: Mar 22, 2011
    Posts: 62

    RPL
    Member

    The '57 Chevy in post # 39992 was Al Maynard's. Photo brought back good memories. Sorry that Al is gone.
     
  24. img018.jpg Mack Hill from West Memphis Ark M/P 55 Chev running at George Rays probably in the late 70s. Mack retired the 55 and started running a 69 Camaro
    Mack Hill passed away several years ago
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2015
    Airpig, tommyd, hendelec and 2 others like this.
  25. img017.jpg Gary Morgan from Caraway Ark. ran this 40 Willys with a blown big block Chev in the 60s.
    In 68 he bought a new Camaro and put the Willys engine in it to run A/G supercharged, he was NHRA Div 2 champ, winning six Wallys and losing only one race
    Gary and his son ran at George Rays nearly every Sunday up until Gary passed away
     
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2015
    tommyd and hendelec like this.
  26. img019.jpg Dennis Nash of Marion Ark. driving Roy Roe 23 T B/Altered from Lepanto Ark at George Rays in the early 70s
     
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2015
    tommyd, hendelec and Dean Lowe like this.
  27. img022.jpg Jerry Allison and Bobby Austin B/Altered from Jonesboro Ark. at George Rays in the late 70s.
    kinda partial to this one, this is my car and me driving
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2015
  28. img020.jpg Bud Hufford "SNAKE CHASER" Altered from Paragould Ark was a regular at George Rays.
    This car was built to compete with Chester Strange "SNAKE BITE" Altered
    I see bud now and then, he has back problems so he now has a street rod . He was quoted "Im just a old racer without a car now"
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2015
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  29. img021.jpg Jerry Allison D/G 40 Willys from Jonesboro, Ark. At George Rays late 60s.
    This car was lost in 1970 when his shop burned. His next car was a 33 Willys BB/G
    Jerry just turned 70, still has two race cars, and a couple of 68 Camaro street cars
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2015
  30. keep those george rays pics coming. i went down there a few times and had a lot of fun with george and charles jolliff
     
    Gary Reynolds likes this.

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