I got to go too the lions reunion at Price . The cackle show was awesome . Nitro didn't stop for over 20mins . Got see some my Fav people Darrell and Pam Conrad and there Venny Vaga .
Hey Guys, Here you go: It shows only the line up of a few of the many cars set up to "cackle" and what a cackle show it was. It actually made my eyes water and my ears were numb for a while. Jnaki Even with barriers and safety requirements, 10 feet was close and very loud. "A super stereo effect..."
62417 Hello, One of the non FED race cars (Burkholder Bros) that was in the cackle line up at the Lions Dragstrip Museum "Cacklefest." Yes, it was a very long "cackle" fire up. Most FEDs had 10 gallons of nitro and used it up. MUSIC to my ears... Jnaki Speaking of Cacklefests: It is exactly three months until the Inaugural Nitro Revival at Barona Drag Strip. (San Diego area) Three months to get the word out, and we need all the help we can get if this thing is to be successful. It will all depend on our many friends and supporters to share the message...to help network our website information...to pass on what we are trying to accomplish. This is pure "grass roots" stuff, and our goals are simple...to create an event that is not primarily a race, but one that showcases our rich history with the sights and sounds of nitromethane, while gathering old friends together. The cars will be there...dozens of them. The elite pioneers of the sport will be there...a "who's who" of drag racing. Now we need people. We need ticket buyers. We need to collectively "beat the drum"...to spread the word in every way possible to the fans and friends of classic drag racing...to BE THERE! Hit the "SHARE button" if you believe in the cause. I want it clear that this event is not associated with The NHRA or The NHRA Museum in any way, but that it will hopefully supplement our mutual interests in this type of activity in a positive manner. Check us out... nitrorevival.com We appreciate your support, Steve Gibbs
Hello, At the Lions Dragstrip museum extravaganza, there were countless race cars firing up during the cackle countdown, late in the afternoon. A lot of good, old, Nitromethane (10 gallons each) was used to showcase these fabulous race cars. What a show it was...and that sound was deafening, but, oh so cool. I did a surprise visit to my old high school friend, Jerry Bivens. Jerry, his family, and crew put on a great show. The FED?Bivens and Fisher "Checkmate?" (the late Doug Fisher, also a Long Beach Poly HS classmate) It is newly reconstructed and looking fabulous. It was impressive standing alongside all of the rest of the race cars. We talked about the old days, new days and what he has been up to since 1961-62. We all led different and interesting lives…To this day, he is still involved in the “Nitro Revival” movement going on at various locations on the West Coast. We all started cruising during our high school era. He got involved in the top echelon of drag racing (fuel dragsters) because of his building skills and association with the Tom McEwen/Lou Baney/Yeakel Team, several years after high school. Online, there are many photos of him at Lions. old days Reconstruction new days… Jnaki After too many years between those good old days and now, it was like talking to him in the parking lot of our cruising grounds in Bixby Knolls at Kens’s Restaurant Drive-In, and Grissinger’s. Where were you in ‘62? Just a couple of old guys reminiscing...
62417 Hello, There were many eras shown at the opening of the Lions Dragstrip museum. (Late 50’s, 60’s and 70’s timeline race cars.) Here are a couple of era specific race cars from the well-known, 50’s Cook and Bedwell record holder to the newer, Chizzler, FED. (in the background, the Jack Chrisman chopped sedan) As one walks from the entrance, there are things for everyone and every time period placed all over the main floor showroom. Most of these race cars, memorabilia, photos and films will be on permanent display. But, as So Cal is home to a bunch of “restored to original” race cars, there will be a rotating sample of different cars throughout the museum, once it is open to the public later this year. Jnaki The original Price Automobilia Museum is full of many different cars and display items, including a working 50’s era specific diner. There are a ton of cars from each era, too. Stock, fuel injected, Chevy street cars, stock/hot rod, Pontiac and Oldsmobile cars, an original Long Beach Police “paddy wagon,” and that cool, wood spoked, woody wagon. Something for everyone… Tommy Ivo (brown shirt) in the next room standing next to his two race cars.
Hello, Visiting the Price Automobilia Museum to see the newly created Lions Dragstrip wing was like letting a kid go wild, in a huge candy store. There was everything that you can imagine in this Automobilia complex. Drooling over the cars we used to drive and see on a daily basis instantly brought back memories of our cruising grounds in Long Beach. This place, also, is home to the largest collection of Willys cars from stock, to hot rod, to race cars, even a rare Willys woody wagon. There is even a red primer Willys coupe that looks like a carbon copy of our own 40 Willys 671 SBC coupe that we built in 1960, complete with a 671 SBC and Vertex mag lurking behind the primer Willys. Could it be? Maybe? Nahhh! But, who knows??? Jnaki The management crew for the Lions museum was amazed at the story of our 40 Willys coupe build and the accident. When they saw the video of our Willys at Lions, someone mentioned the red primer one in the other room. Then we all talked about how it could or could not be the same car, just reconstructed. I said it was a one in a million chance that the owner of the Price Transfer Automobilia complex would have found this empty burned out Willys shell back in 1960. Although, as chance would have it, our Willy coupe was sitting by the main gate of one of the largest scrap yards in Wilmington, near the Lions Dragstrip. The implications were eerie. The owner would have known about the large scrap yard, drives by it daily, and could have seen our Willys just sitting near the gate. The front was slightly damaged and set apart. The rest of the car from the doors back was in pristine condition. It was just an empty shell with all driveline and accessories taken out of it. So, he could have resurrected it from its last days at this scrap yard. Over the years, he/his crew built it back up. The way it sits on the floor of the Automobilia Willys section of the museum is uncanny. If my brother were alive, today, he would immediately run over to look at this exact copy of our car. He would have done what I did when I first saw it on the museum floor. The inside looks like ours, with the two simple foreign car bucket seats, the dash, stock, the aluminum floor looked nicer than ours, though. The trans looked different as it looks like a 4 speed set up, whereas our LaSalle 3 speed stick lever was farther forward. But the most telling thing was this SBC motor with a Vertex Magneto and a huge 671 on top just sitting behind the Willys against the wall. That was a carbon copy of our motor set up in 1960. Plus, lurking underneath the front end was a carbon copy of our black tow bar that attached our Willys to the black 58 Impala for the short tows to the Lions Dragstrip Pits. Eewee! Chills running down my spine… 62417 62417 Our own 40 Willys: Thanks, Rruss... Obviously, gone were the welded in steel plates in the trunk. I welded them in over the rear axle, and the rest of the trunk for more traction and to make the trunk a little more rigid. ”Ghost In The Machine…”eeewee ! I had to walk into another section of the Willys portion of the Price Automobilia Museum wing to take my mind off of those chilling images running through my mind… I was told that this portion is the largest Willys collection around. Boy, the photos do not lie...Willys cars in three areas of the museum, in all formats and models. This huge Willys collection leads right into the newly created Lions Dragstrip wing (with the SWC Swindler 2 Willys coupe centerpiece) of the whole Price Automobilia Complex. It is a fabulous place to visit when it is open to the public. That grand opening for the general public is coming soon. Another visit to this place? You bet!
Wow what a fantastic place. You seldom see that many Willys in one place. The Bob Panella Collection also has a lot but most of those are 1933-36 model 77 Willys. I would love to go see The Price Automobilia Collection with my own eyes someday. Thanks for sharing with us
Hey Guys, Most of these race cars, memorabilia, photos and films will be on permanent display. But, as So Cal is home to a bunch of “restored to original” race cars, there will be a rotating sample of different cars throughout the museum, once it is open to the general public. This one time opening on June 24th was a preview for the "local" racers and industry. The Price Automobilia Staff is working hard on getting the Lions Dragstrip Museum ready for a "public" grand opening later this year. Watch for the flyers and information. Jnaki
Hello, One of the nicest things that was at the Lions Dragstrip Museum, beside the race cars, people, staff, and films: they had commemorative t-shirts. What a way to commemorate the historic event. Now, they can be in the t-shirt rotation weekly. Jnaki But, there were others that would be nice in my collection: But, the one I just missed was this classic shirt from the “Giant of the West.”
https://www.facebook.com/pg/The-Lions-Drag-Strip-Museum-318325238874640/about/?ref=page_internal Hello, This is the LATEST NEWS on the GRAND RE-OPENING of the Lions Dragstrip Museum in So Cal. Rick Lorenzen has assembled a hard working staff to expand and create a larger museum to compliment his Automobilia displays. The 2017 Lions Museum was pretty cool, with the photos, movies, hot rods, drag race cars on display and the massive cacklefest in the parking lot. This year on June 22, 2019, the expansion will show new photos, movies and displays for a larger recreation of Lions through the ages.(and a larger cacklefest.) Jnaki So, clear your calendar and get ready for a cool, So Cal event in June. FROM LANA CHRISMAN: Welcome to The Lion’s Drag Strip Museum THE LIONS DRAG STRIP MUSEUM·WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2019 Rancho Dominguez, CA - On June 22, 2019 The Lion’s Drag Strip Museum will open its doors to the motorsports community for a one day Grand Opening Celebration that will take you back in time to the early beginnings of professional drag racing and provide fans an opportunity to meet the legends that called Lion’s Drag Strip their home track. Doors will open at 1:00pm with Opening Ceremonies to begin at 2:00pm with Master of Ceremonies and former Nitro Funny Car Drive, Mike Dunn and a warm greeting from The Lions Drag Strip Museum founder Rick Lorenzen. Following opening ceremonies, the day will be filled with exhibits and cars that will bring back memories beginning with a Guest Panel Discussion that includes Ed Iskenderian, TV Tommy Ivo, Carl Olson, Larry Sutton, Danny Thompson and Steve Chrisman. The Lions Drag Strip Museum accommodates a 4000 sq. ft. reproduction of the Lion’s Drag Strip starting line within its 15,000 sq. ft exhibit area which will include 5,388 sq. ft of wall painted murals created by Kenny Youngblood, Yvonne Meclalis and Keith Mooreland. The Museum proudly displays a Memorial Wall honoring the 12 men killed in competition at Lions with photos and heartfelt stories assembled by museum volunteer Mike McCarthy. This wouldn’t be a drag race event without the smell on nitro in the air, Steve Gibbs of Nitro Revival will be presenting Rolling Thunder and Line of Fire in the back lot, plus a secret guest appearance and demonstration that will keep you standing in wonder. This is a don’t miss event and we do expect to sell out fast. We strongly recommend purchasing tickets online in advance by visiting www.TheLionsDragStrip.com The Lion’s Drag Strip Museum will be open to the public following the Grand Opening by reservation only on Wednesday afternoons between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm. Admission: Adult $15.00, Senior $12.00, Children (12 and Up) $10.00, under 12 are free. Please visit www.TheLionsDragStrip.com/visitto reserve your tour. A Brief History of Lions Drag Strip: Lion’s Drag Strip officially opened October 9, 1955 under Track Manager Mickey Thompson, after years of efforts cut down on criminal street racing and create a venue that would provide street racers a place to race legally. Long Beach Judge, Fred Miller, initially spearheaded the campaign after learning about the alarming number of street racing accidents and grim newspaper headlines. He felt it was his duty to reach out to service clubs to obtain financing. Judge Miller teamed up with then Mayor Norris Poulson, Councilman Gibson, newscaster George Putnam and former President of the Los Angeles Harbor Commission, John Chadwick. Chadwick was responsible for securing the property owned by the Harbor Commission. The Lions Club stepped up and volunteered their services to help raise the $45,000.00 needed to build the facility and then formed the Lions Associated Drag Strip. The profits earned by the LADS were reinvested back into community thru charity contribution such as the blinds boy’s clubs, Community Chest, Red Cross, Exceptional Children’s Foundation, YWCA, UMCA and The City of Hope. The motto at Lion’s Drag Strip was “Drive the highways, Race at Lions” Lion’s Drag Strip enjoyed immediate success as over 10,000 kids showed up on the first day and close to 300 hundred cars competed. For eighteen years, Lions was considered one of the finest and fastest tracks in the United States until the track closed on December 2, 1972. It was an end to an era that launched careers of many of today’s legends who’s stories are now on being told at The Lion’s Drag Strip Museum.
Hello, When I was there last week getting information on the movie film set ups, they told me not to take photos of the museum. It is still a secret work in progress, until the grand opening in June. So, I had to keep my camera in my pocket. Sorry... The photos in the new museum are ones that no one has seen before and some are poster size. They were donated from various old So Cal drag racer's family collections. (Not on the internet.) Jnaki I am fortunate that they will be using some of my films throughout the museum. Still, I believe they will be using my movies on the various large, display monitors for some of the individual racers that I filmed back then. This is also including the long version of early Lions from 1958 to 1960 in that particular section of the museum.
Yes, It is truly a sight to behold! Was in there on business a couple of weeks ago and Rob gave my wife very strict guidelines for her photo taking! A truly remarkable place, showcasing our history.... Awesome!
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