I was just watching some videos on Youtube shot at Bruton Smith's new Z-Max four lane dragstrip outside of the Lowes Motor Speedway in Concord, NC., and the announcer was saying that it was the very first time a four way drag race was done. Does anyone know if this is true, because I remember reading in an old magazine where this was done in the 60's. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ANKlLVaLwmw&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ANKlLVaLwmw&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
In the 50's, four lane racing was common for the stock classes at all Southern California drag strips. In Fresno or Raisin City, in central California, they even raced four abreast dragsters for awhile in the 60's. AND, I was at Fontana in the mid-60's when they raced four jet dragsters at once. that announcer if really full of shit
I think he said first "televised" 4 lane drag race, the first time I seen the comercial I was like bullshit too.
I shot these that day while they were lining up.... It sure is exhausting for all of us who were really there back in the "Golden Years" to try to keep the bullshitter bigshots from ruining the true history of our hobby. Without real eye-witnesses to these events, who knows what would end up as "fact"...
bet that left a mark on the back wall..I always liked the photo of "Grumpy" and the ProStock boys 4 wide. that had to be cool to witness live.
that jet race was covered on the local tv news stations on the evening news cast....a news clip does qualify as television coverage...so, its still bullshit
The one I am watching says "the first time". <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ANKlLVaLwmw&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ANKlLVaLwmw&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
Don,t know but that Malibu wagon doing wheelies was really cool! I would have liked to see more of it....
zMAX is actually two dragstrips built side by side with a concrete wall separating them. To my knowledge it is the only one ever built like it. There were several dragstrips back in the sixties and seventies that were wide enough to run 4 at a time and did as seen in these great pictures also including York US 30 in York Pa. That is probably where Jenkins ran four abreast. I was at the Pinks all Out race at zMAX and I can tell you that wagon was the most popular car there.
Mid 60s, my dads firt time to Minnesota Dragways they had so many cars in the stock classes that they whittled them down running 4 at a time.
Edit: oops...looks like this was about PINKS. I'm here at the NMCA/NMRA (combined) event and we ran 4 JETS last night and the announcer said the same thing. The "first time" comments by the announcer were strictly regarding jets and I don't think the announcer was alive when that shot from Fontana was taken....simple mistake.... My bad.
Gee whiz, imagine anyone (particularly those who were NOT there), whether it be on the HAMB or on TV, attempting to re-write history.... Thanks for keeping it real, Mazooma1
Fuelers and Jets? Hmmph. How about six roadsters on a two laner....? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDmeIC7tMQ4
Mazooma1 is right. Leave stuff unchallanged and it becomes chiseled in stone fact. I was at Fontana when they ran the four jets. I was standing on a 55 gal. garbage can right by the start. Some time ago a friend gave me a video tape of Santa Ana airport. Shot in the early 50s. Its mostly 8mm home video. Very choppy and rough but priceless. Where else could you see a guy in a dragster with a roll bar that only comes up to his shoulders? And a tee shirt and Levis (with appropriate turn ups) for a fire suit? The video also shows stockers running 4 wide. So please, check your facts. Four lane racing is older than a lot of people on this forum.
Thanks for keeping the vigil Doug. Re writing history seems to be the norm these days. My very first time ever down a drag strip was at Pomona, in 1960 in my Dad's 348 '60 El Camino. I lined up with 3 other super stockers. Scared the shit out of me. 15 years old, and in a 4 car drag race on a track that was barely wide enough for anything but door handle to door handle. I was so nervous, I missed second gear.
Rockford Dragway Ill. (Now Byron Dragway) ran four wide racing in the late '60s I saw some first hand, even some funny cars , but mostly bracket type cars I believe.
Maybe the announcer was trying to say "The first time cars have run four wide with the Walls of Death between them." Personally, I liked it better without the walls.
Budd's Creek MD also ran 4 at a time. Saw nitro funny cars, alcohol funny cars as well as pro stocks run there. This was in the mid 70's. That may be where the above pro stock pic came from. They also had paramutual betting on the races before the authorities told them to quit it.
I've got a picture of The Filthy Forty racing another gasser and two stockers at York U.S. 30 around 1961. Don't ask me to post it "cause I'm old and don't know how. I gave a copy to Pork Zartman at the York renunion a couple of years ago.
Dragway 42 was probably 1 of, if not THE first to run 4 lanes. Others track's ran it for exibition reasons or special events, 42 ran 4 lanes for years.
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