I don't know anything about the photograph attached to this post. I found it while working at an Ad Agency in Kansas City, MO about a decade ago. It was one of those days when I found myself uninspired to work and without anything better to do, I cru... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
I had to sit on the floor with my legs in a similar position, my back angled just so and then close my eyes and imagine there was an injected 392 back there breathing fire to even begin to comprehend how insane that is. And even then I don't understand it. I'm almost certain I don't have the sand to drive something like that or Bill Burke's 1st bell tank where he say on a bicycle seat strapped to the torque tube. Call it business or passion, I'll call it bat-shit.
Looks like the cop is there to make sure the driver doesn't get out and run for his life. Now I know we were out of our minds when we were kids! Thanks Ryan.
No Kidding! Those men were made of sterner stuff. Imagine heading towards 300mph and a tyre let go... Fuck that is scary shit thinking about it. from this To this The craziest part is he survived.
Never mind I am not going to be a blog thief. There are a lot of stories in the pic Ryan. You are absolutely correct, we design 'em we buld 'em and we talk some other poor fella into driving them and [excuse the pun] risking their ass. Thanks for the inspiration. Maybe I'll tap out a chapter or two today.
I cannot for the life of me remember this man's name, but, I am pretty sure it is a fellow from, IIRC, Texas?, Red something??? perhaps?, who actually, and sadly DID die in this car. Anyone chime in and confirm? If so, it's a shame. If not, he was very, very lucky. I'm sure it must have crossed his mind, as well as the others involved in it's building, that it was a risky situation. Very scary....but determined! Someone mentioned this story in the "Drag cars in motion" thread, and knew his name, and this and another picture of it are posted in it. I'm pretty sure it is the same guy. I'll look later on again, now I'm curious...
Man, ass in a sling, is on the money. Where did he tuck his giant balls? What a monster machine., thanx for the post, very interesting. ~sololobo~
Looks to me like the cop is inching towards his pistol because the man behind the wheel is making him uncomfortable. Probably the insane gleam in his eyes and the white knuckle nervous twitch of his hands.
Sadly, you are correct...the gentlemans name was Red Case. This is taken from Drag Strip Deaths website http://dragstripdeaths.webs.com/195059.htm Red Case <!-- ParagraphTitleEnd --> <!-- ParagraphBodyStart -->Born: September 10, 1935 Died: June 3, 1959 Buried: Hillcrest Cemetery, Porterville, California Age: 23 Full Name: Eugene Richard Case Nickname: Drag Strip: Vaca Valley Raceway, Vacaville, California Event: Accident Date: May 24, 1959 Car: self-built Chrysler-powered AA/FD Biographical: His throttle stuck as he sped across the finish line, flipping end over end, he suffered massive injuries. He struggled through three days of intensive care at Woodland Clinic before succumbing. He was survived by his wife and three children. A resident of Bellflower, he worked as a mechanic and semi-professional driver for the Sanchez & Cagle salt flats racing team. His best time in his own AA/FD was 9.06 and 170 MPH. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/album.php?albumid=26774&pictureid=313682 Sorry to bring such news to a very cool photo but it does show what these men went through in order to acheive the upmost in speed.
170 sittin' like that?! That had to be the wildest ride ever. Sad to hear that's what killed him though.
Crazy car. Crazy driver. Not exactly to the point, but it looks like the dragster is in staging, so I'm surprised he wasn't also smoking a Camel and drinking beer. After all, ya got to relax before the race, right? Not even the officer in the background seems too woried. Gary
Yes sir, the man was a pioneer of the first front engine dragster. Sorry to hear about his final demise.
In the photo it looks like he is looking skyward for inspiration to actually make a run. How close does the timeline come to the first rear engine dragster? Scary and ultimately sad. Thanks to all for the photos and story.
Most credit Garlits with the first 'successful' rear engine dragster. However many pioneers of drag racing ran rear engine dragsters. My late grandfather ran a rear engine belly tank from 1954 to around 1958, when he switched to the slingshot configuration. Photo and history at link in my signature below. Dont want to hijack this thread, but did want to address the question.
I too remember this car from the late 50s, for some reason I think the final crash was attributed to the short wheelbase and the driver being in the middle of the car and when it began to get squirrelly he couldn't feel it until it was too late to recover. I'm pretty sure the crash was at a track in California. Anyone that ever drove a short car with lots of power (Wild Willie) will tell you there isn't much warning when forward progress becomes sideways progress.
That he actually posted a 9.06 @170 is amazing in itself....his demise is sad but not unexpected. Crazy.
The Jalopy Journal
