Jive-Bomber submitted a new blog post: So Cal Drag Racing 1962 Continue reading the Original Blog Post
I watched for Jim Kitchen's (StanBack) white roadster, but didn't see it. His roadster was a local, San Bernardino, raced car with a 6 cylinder, and after Jim bought it it became a SBC-injected street roadster and is now a record (Red Hat) holder at Bonneville. Maybe Jim will join in and give us some background on the location and maybe some of the racers. Jim still carries the ad clipping from which he bought his roadster many years ago.
@Jive-Bomber Jay - Cool video clip! ... Thanks for sharing! No need to apologize to those who may have seen it before ... I (and I'm sure most other HAMBers) have never seen it ... NOTE: This video (i.e., YouTube ID: "Yxs4123d_Zk") had yet to be posted on the Jalopy Journal or on the H.A.M.B. (yes, I checked ). The only criticism I have of the video is (YouTuber) Michael Nyberg's placement of his copyright "watermark" and his choice of background music ... with the availability of "free" circa 1962 Jazz, Rock, & Pop tracks, why use a circa 1937 recording of "M F T Boogie" by Ace Harris & his Orchestra ... ???
Yea I just muted the sound so I could focus on the cars better. Wow, fantastic footage, so cool. Color really makes a huge difference. Youngsters might take note that shiny paint was the thing. Where were you in '62? Well you should have been at the drag strip (some of us were in 4th grade ). Thanks Jay!
FWIW, in the early 1960s, the SCTA ran 1/2-mile drags on the back stretch of Riverside Raceway. The better super stocks turned 130+MPH.. I mean, 1/8-mile is fine for those who believe it so, but give me the 1/2-mile and mile runs and we'll see who's got the horses. jack vines
I didn't say that I didn't like the circa 1937 music (my son's high school jazz combo actually plays a similar arrangement of "M F T Boogie") ... I only stated that IMHO, it doesn't really fit with the circa 1962 drag racing footage.
There's nothing about San Bernardino in that clip (oh, for the want of a tripod!). Looks like Pomona to me, too, but it could be something else. There were no "legal" drag strips in Berdoo. Most racers competed at Colton and Fontana. There was a very early (1953 or 4) strip in North Rialto/Fontana, but that was not it. I watched closely – there were no recognizable San Bernardino cars in the video. But it was okay to look at, and again, how much better it could be with a tripod. Stan Back