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

Hotrod - As a guy who wasn't there I can just read it all and try to sort it out in my head. But what you're saying is so plausible that there's got to be a lot of truth in it. If the opponents to the shutdown are fighting ''smokescreen'' issues, the battle is probably uphill at best.

 

It's always about the money. Land is become more and more inflated in price.
Very few people except grape farmers lived in the Fontana area. It gets very hot and very windy. All through the 50's and 60's, it was like the wild west out there. Now, it's got thousands of houses and the only landmark that remains are the mountain range to the north. People need homes and they are willing to commute crazy distances to own rather than rent. I know people who live in the desert (Victorville/Hesparia) and drive to the San Bernardino and Riverside Counties for work every day. They actally drive through six different climates each day...three in the morning and three on the way home.
A piece of land in my city, next to Pasadena sold for less than $40K 40 years ago. Today it's worth well over a million dollars.
That's not standard "inflation". That's just insane. But, it's also the reality.
People are building and living in areas that were not fit for rattlesnakes 40 years ago.
Nobody in southern California could ever afford to build a drag strip again. By the time it was done, the urban sprawl would be pounding on it's door to "knock off the racket!".
Land owners want to cash out for the top dollar and that's what's been going on since the beginning of time.
The "noise issue" was always just the "frosting on the cake" for the selling land owners. The pissed off neighbors did the dirty work for the land owners by overshadowing the racers at a public meeting about the pending sale of a race property.
The sobbing mommy with the toddlers wanting peace and quiet was much more compelling than guys in t-shirts saying that they wanted to drag race.
The whining neighbors armed with their baby carriages and long faces did all the bitching while the property owner blamed the sale of his land on them.
"We were forced to sell to make peace with all the neighbors".
Bullshit.
Follow his limo to the nearest bank.

 

Also, Irwindale II (1/8 mile) is still open, and last I read may be open for some time to come as the corporation that was to buy the property has pulled the money from the purchase as noted in Drag Racing Online a week or two ago.

Mike

 

During the 1962-63 academic year I lived in an apartment across the alley from the Powerine Gas Station, on the north side of Lower Azusa Road. Most of the windows offered views of the courtyard of the apartment house but on a clear day, we could see the mountains! Didn't have many clear days back then.

c

 

First, from George Klass:

Nichols Brothers, Walt Nichols drove. This fuel Olds set most of the ET records in SoCal mid-50s' to the end of the fuel period in '57. I saw it at Pomona in late '57 just as the fuel ban hit...really well finished car, from Santa Monica and sponsored by Quincy Automotive. This picture is from Santa Ana.


Not sure who this is...remember roller starters? ID from afan:
This is Leland Kolb's Keith Black 426 Woody car. Sometimes Leland drove it himself, other times Bill Tidwell or Kelly Brown (who was runner up at Indy '69 in this car).



No ID, anyone?


Too blurry for IDs, it is in Texas, that's all I know.


Looks a little like Jim Nichol, but really not sure...(Junior Stock thinks it is Bennie Osborne, picture he posted below pretty well convinces me he is right)


Buck & Bohls from Texas, early K-88 with chain drive blown Olds...ID confirmed by TexasHardcore, thanks!


The other James Brown...


An Ardun car I should know, looks a lot like the engine I ran...one guess is Joe Bagoshian, who ran an Ardun in a modified roadster, from Central California...One other guess is Eddie Potter in the R&B Muffler coveralls. Note the "Purple Gang" fueler behind it.


Bobby Knighton's Motor-Reco altered, from Texas...think it ran a blown sbc...corrections welcome



Caption says "Dick Montoya"...at Pomona


No ID, given the date on the photo it is a pretty good guess that this is at the Smoker's meet...

 

Here's a Google Maps page with lost and forgotten drag strips from all over the country, it's pretty interesting.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=z3vDCnE2-qTs.kB0jYoBiokS4&msa=0

Kevin

 

296, Gene Brown was from Corpus Christi, TX. Had transmission shops throughout the years, there's still some that bear his name, but I don't think he has any affiliation with them anymore.

You're right about the Buck & Bohls I.D., from Austin, TX.

The blue '55 Chevy is from Six Flags Dragway in Victoria, TX in '64 I believe.

 

View attachment 3015022
Ok, not in motion, and, given what these guys are doing, they are not likely to be in motion much longer...[/QUOTE]

Ask HAMBr "Beep" about this one, it's from his collection of family photos

 

Pretty sure that is Bennie Osborn.
While cleaning the closet this past weekend I found an article I cut out of the Tulsa paper after the 68 World Finals.

 

I think you're right, pretty close at least...I edited photo above, thanks!

 

Ask HAMBr "Beep" about this one, it's from his collection of family photos[/QUOTE]
Good suggestion, I will.

 

Snake.

 

This the one just west of El Monte airport? May be still there.

 

Yes, It is still there. Corner of Lower Azusa and El Monte Ave.
I still drive-thru for a carton of chocolate milk occasionally.

 

Sorry, some are not in motion. Just sneaking in a few door cars.

 

Then and now

 

We pretty much gave up on the 'in motion' part about 1500 pages ago.

 

A few in motion.............................