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

Don Prudhomme

Voted No. 3 on the NHRA Top 50 Drivers List, Prudhomme experienced a high level of success during his four-plus decades behind the wheel. During that time, Prudhomme drove a number of different vehicles, competing in both the Top Fuel and Funny Car categories.

One of Prudhomme’s early rides was the famed Greer-Black-Prudhomme car that recorded an impressive 230-7 win-loss record in 1963 and 1964. Prudhomme was recommended for the ride by Kent Fuller, who had partnered with Prudhomme and Dave Zeuschel on a car that won the 1962 March Meet. Prudhomme was just 20 years old when he won the famed event held in Bakersfield.






The amazing stint in the Greer-Black-Prudhomme car led Roland Leong to tap Prudhomme as the driver of his Hawaiian entry for the 1965 season. The team swept the NHRA national events in 1965, the lone season Prudhomme drove for Leong.




After spending a year on his own, Prudhomme was hired to drive Lou Baney’s dragster in 1967 and 1968 when it was known as the Shelby Super Snake.

 

I put the site together to entertain two people. Me, and anyone else...

 

Thank you Mr. Klass!


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Just love the look of those super slots From before the first marriage

 

These three shared an engine.

 

Random thought. If someone was to put together a nostalgic look at the golden age of fuel racing, especially on the west coast, a perfect title would be " When The Nitro Flowed Like Water".

 

Bill Coburn??


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Hi Dave

It has Zoomie pipes maybe a little to new for Bill maybe Eddie Potter, as I think he had a fuel coupe too

DND

 

Eddie Potter ran this Simca bodied comp coupe, "Sudden Death". It almost lived up to it's name when Eddie wadded it up at the end of the LIONS strip. Does a comp coupe get any nastier than this?!

 

We *saw* him wad that thing up at Lions. We were down there picking up my dad after we made a pass. I've never seen dirt get flung up in the air that high--it was crazy. Eddie got a cut on his chin...

 

Yes, he was one luck SOB that day!

 

All these were in an article on drag racing and "Is it safe?" So there are some weird comments attached to the photos.

This photo was taken in 1957 at San Fernando Valley Drag Strip and perfectly illustrates the creative side of dragster building. With a longer wheelbase than most cars of the era, and a blown Olds sporting a primitive two-port fuel injection setup, this car was probably a hot topic in the pits.



Unfortunately, racer creativity didn’t often go hand in hand with safety, which resulted in numerous injuries and fatalities in the early days of drag racing. Poor track conditions, combined with lots of horsepower made for unpredictable races—exactly what the crowd wanted to see. This Ford sedan at Brainerd Optimist Drag Strip in Tennessee didn’t fare too well, but its driver walked away!




Yet another example of the no-rules attitude is brought to life with this home-built Crosley-powered dragster, making a pass at Oswego Dragway in the late 1950s. Obviously, the car didn’t make much power, but the driver still took a big risk by squeezing himself into the tiny cockpit.





While some dragsters were crude by nature, others such as the Nesbitt's Orange Special, featured masterful workmanship. Built by Bob Armstrong and driven by Maurice Richer, this dragster was a top-notch piece in its day. A Hilborn-injected Chrysler Hemi powered the dragster, motivating it to mid-9-second passes at more than 155 mph.




5 During the NHRA’s ban on nitromethane fuel, racers had to find new ways of making horsepower. Superchargers came onto the scene and made huge gains, but many racers, including Norbert Locke, went with the “two is better than one” mindset and coupled two engines together. His dragster (here at Oswego) featured twin blown flatheads!





Some of the wild race cars were built in the name of true competition, while others, such as this fourengine, four-wheel-drive dragster, were built as exhibition vehicles. “TV Tommy” Ivo built this Buick-powered dragster and thrilled crowds across the country by smoking all four tires the entire length of the track. Poor vision and unbelievable torque steer made this a very dangerous machine.





With experimental engine and transmission combinations, parts failures were quite common during the first few decades of drag racing. This 1957 Chevy at Oswego Dragway experienced a major clutch explosion, which left it with a broken windshield and a mangled cowl and dash. These accidents were terribly dangerous for the drivers, but also put the spectators and track crew at risk.




In the mid 1960s, competitive class-based drag racing was still affordable for the average working man. Even with lowbudget racers, many guys teamed up with friends or family to form a small racing team. By splitting the budget, it made racing much more affordable, and proved to be one of the attractive aspects of the hobby. This race took place at Drag City in Georgia.





You won’t find a more classic drag racing photo than this one at Brainerd Optimist Drag Strip. It features a blown 1940 Ford Deluxe coupe.




Dennis Hefner stands with his B/Gas-prepared 1955 Chevy 210 at Harriman Drag Strip. A straight front axle, radiused rear-wheel openings, and blue lexan windows were popular Gasser items, and this 1955 had them all. Hefner campaigned the car for several years before he retired from drag racing.

 

This series is from the Roanoke Virginia area clubs and strips.

A 1955 Ford Thunderbird competes against a 1934 Ford at the Hidden Valley Drag Strip (Alleghany County), circa early 1960s. Before the Hidden Valley Drag Strip was completed, drag races were held at the regional airport.



Howard Linkletter of Staunton roars off the line at the Roanoke Drag Strip, circa early 1960s. Linkletter's hot rod is a 1931 chopped Ford coupe with a Cadillac engine.



Dick Swecker's rail dragster, powered by a Chrysler engine, set the most top speed records in its class at the Roanoke Drag Strip.



American-made cars were not the only vehicles drag racing. Here a Volvo and a Triumph TR-3 compete at the Roanoke Drag Strip, circa 1960s.



The driver of "Dead Expense," a Fiat coupe, watches for the green light on the "Christmas tree" at Grayson County's Elk Creek Drag Strip, circa 2000. Electronic starting and timing systems replaced the flagmen of the early days. (Roanoke Times photograph)



A Model-T Ford roadster comes off the starting line alongside a 1932 Ford at the Roanoke Drag Strip, circa early 1960s.




"Traveler," a 1961 Ford, lines up against a 1961 Chevrolet at the Roanoke Drag Strip. The "super stock" cars became the drag racing crowd pleasers after the 1950s.





To draw in a larger audience, drag strip owners sometimes paid nationally known drivers to compete at the smaller regional tracks. Stock car champion Richard Petty raced at the Roanoke Drag Strip in his Plymouth Barracuda, "43 Jr."





Bob Bateman awards Dick Swecker a trophy (looks like he has TWO) at the Roanoke Drag Strip in 1958.





Members of the Virginia Wheelers Auto Club of Roanoke posed with their cars and drag racing trophies, circa 1954.





The hot rod was just becoming an American icon when Jake McVey returned to Roanoke from California in 1950. Pictured here in 1953, his 1932 Ford five-window coupe was one of the first hot rods built in Southwest Virginia.




Driver L. S. Jamison and owner/builder Jake McVey had the first "dedicated" dragster in the Roanoke area. The 1932 Ford coupe turned a top speed of 112 miles per hour in the quarter mile in 1954.

 

You are more than welcome, but Mr. Klass was my father's name. Mine is just George...

 

Sydney Allard, who pioneered drag racing in the UK. Note the use of Lotus "wobbly" wheels on the front of the car.

Roo

 

Showrail,
If that isn't the epitome of simple elegance, I don't know what is.
I don't see one thing that could be removed or added to make it better.

 

I wouldn't be at all surprised if this has not been posted before, but it just showed up on George Klass' site, and it is worth posting -- even if "again." Jim "Jazzy" Nelson (not to be confused with Dragmaster's Jim Nelson), in his Fiat-bodied competition coupe, running a 296" fuel flathead that took on and beat many an overhead, even with the heavy (if hole-sawed) '34 Ford frame and steel body. I think that this photo was taken at the first NHRA nationals at Great Bend, KS. I saw the car at San Gabriel under new ownership, body painted orange (Jim's was baby blue), and a Chevy engine...but all the rest was as Jazzy built it. I have always wondered what happened to it, and hope that someone still has it, and it gets restored back to the way it was in this picture.