Lions Dragstrip....Who was there??

The second to last picture(above) by mazooma1 is my brother Stan running a blown chev. it was '62/'63. The last time I was at Lions it cost a buck to get in and 50c for a pit pass and Drag News cost two bits.

 

Neat...here's some more all shot with 10 minutes of eachother... small world

 

Great, Thanks mazooma1 Check out my home page and look in "first dragster" you"ll see a progression from the first rear engined flat head to the last car in '63.

 

1964 was the year Paul '"The Kid" Sutherland ruled Lions in Top Fuel with "THE CHARGER" with 23 Top Fuel wins. The Charger was the first factory Fueler out of Woody Gilmore's Race Car Engineering.

 

I was there 1965-67 we ran the aa/fa Thomas=Pritchard Beaver Hunter also 1959 54 chevy with a 6 cyl was a fan of Hank Clark top fual Olds car

 

I was their in the early 60's with the cars and on the bikes in the 70's.
The best of life!

 

If you have't seen it yet go to drag cars in motion page821 #16411 and you will see Lions at its best

 

Anyone remember a pair of Henry Js. I think one was Poppa Goose and Momma Goose?

 

I was there the night that Scotty's muffler shit out the innerds of that motor, It made the cover of Drag News the next Wendsday. took better than an hour to clean that lane. We were in the pits waitin' to make a pass. He was one less to run in competition eliminator.

 

My dad died when I was seven, so my mom let me go off with different neighbors to go fishing or to the DRAGS! First time at Lions was 1956, thats me in front of the Jimmy powered T. It went 108 mph that day and I was never the same after. I went there countless times. I don't care what anybody says, it was the center of the drag racing universe. I raced in Junior Fuel, Top Gas and Top Fuel. I learned a lot about people and myself. At different times I was never so scared, happy, embarassed or proud, all on that patch of asphalt. The T/F car is Bill Martin's 400 jr , me in the seat, about 1968....what I wouldn't give for one more Saturday night at the "Beach"

 

Yup, I am another of the lucky ones. I was there at the Beach, back in the late 60's and early 70's. I raced my 57 gasser and my corvette altered there a few times.

We had a really great time back then. Lions, OCIR, Irwindale, Ontario, Fontana, Pomona, Fremont and the Patch along with many others. They were great days, wish we had that time machine.

 

Great thread! Thanks guys!

 

Went to lions many times, growing up in Long Beach.
Went to Lions for the drags,
Went to Orange Co. Raceway for the Fox hunt.

 

Oh ya 5.00 to get in, last weekend sun. only 2 people 160.00! + parking, oh well that and lawyers and every bodys "liability" issues made it less fun, still exciting just not as much fun up here we live by "less rules more fun" !!!!

 

I have long maintained that the world actually ended December 2nd , 1972. Everything past that is merely mass hypnosis...

 

What A Great Post...This post brings back some of my greatest memories ever. Started going to Lions in the late 50&#8217;s and started racing there the first weekend I received my learners permit, in 1961 at 15 ½, I had an 18 year old friend of mine ride out there with me to make it legal for me to drive. I started racing in the old "F" stock class against the old 1938 Buicks, got my butt kicked every weekend but it was still fun just being out there and racing. As classes changed in the stock class I moved up and started racing Jr. Stock with considerable success, until I went back to the nationals and got it handed to me. I kept racing out there just about every weekend with my car or pitting for others unless we were racing at other local drag strips. I was there for the "Last Drag Race" in 1972 and it broke my heart. Couple of years ago I bought the DVD's of Lions "The Greatest Drag Strip" all 3 copies...what an emotional journey back into time. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
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It is too bad there is not a place like Lions for our younger generation to experience these day's. It is something you will always remember, all of the good times, winning, losing, great friends and lasting memories. <o></o>
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Still follow and enjoy drag racing to this day. My all time favorite activity. <o></o>
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Growing up in Riverside meant a quick run up Etiwanda to Foothill. During my teens I lived at Fontana. We made many trips to the Beach, Pomona, and San Gabe. Riverside ran 1/2 mile drags which was cool. The bridge over the back straight was a great place to watch cars zoom right under you. Fontana had a gap between the pit stands and the tower where yu could hang on the fence and as the fuelers slowed to make their turn they would wing the engine to clear it out and you'd get a face full of nitro! At the time we thought it so cool.

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P.S. I was there the night of the four jets. The trees in the background of the photo are still there. The rest is now a tract of houses.

 

Long after the fuel finals were over and the crowds left the starting line, the last run of the Last Drag Race was run. It was a single pass. A guy in a shithouse towed down the track by a truck! Seemed appropriate at the time...

 

Mickey Thompson, Pappy Hart and Steve Evans were I believe the only 3 managers of Lions.

 

That was Larry the starter (sorry, his last name has escaped me right now). It was appropriate then.

 

Sutton

 

Thanks. Old age and CRS sucks.

 

Lion's will always be one of my favorite hangouts...OCIR and Irwindale were always more comfortable, but the "beach" was where it's at...ust'a love the match races, Gas Rhonda, Liberman, etal. there will never be a place like it

 

i went to lions from march of 63 till it closed in dec 72 i used to sneak in from the willow street gate at the top end and get a ride into the pits from anyone makin the turn to the return road c.j. hart caught me one day and gave me the job of passing out the time slips i had that job till irp and steve evans took it over in 71 i knew all the employees there larry sutton big john chick adolph hampton and most of all peggy hart c.j. s wife i also got to know all the racers i saw all thge fuel shows and funny car shows c.j. used to put on circus music on the p.a. when the funny cars came out to run when i turned 16 i raced there a little too the time slips never said if you won or lost it would say in or out on the bottom of the slip i remember hayden proffitt racing eddie schartman and hole shot him to win 3 straight even though eddie was 2 tenths faster i was there when chuck poole crashed onto willow street when he couldnt get stopped after a 2500 ft wheelstand a few of the racers i got to know during that period lovell hunter rudy may bill blakney mert littlefieldwho had a shop at 20th and temple i knew all those guys too bluto rodger peterson gip carlson richard dayrichard bays with the fiat the bar bru crew gas ronda hayden proffitt hubert platt gayland hill don holland cliff fisher dick donnelly and alot of others i used to watch from the old tower steps as i was passing out time slips i was there when hubert platt stood the mustang on the bumper and his tool box broke thru the trunk and scattered tools all over the track u saw dickie harrell stand his car on the bumper to half track and still run 135 in the nova i was also there when bones balough crashed the pisano willys around a pole from a broken axle the frieght train runnin 200 mph on gas billy scott in the beacon auto parts car the allen family in jr fuel just so many memories i really miss that place i literally grew up there i also went to irwindale ocir ontario carlsbad lacr pomona inyokern and riverside this will be 42 years ive been racing as of dec of this year but lions was the best rip john nickle #7928

 

i just remembered a few more names bill kee assistant starter bernie mather announcer and fat jack bynam also the wonderful weed the other announcer chuck white sid oblad with the a100 dodge pickup ralph thomas john sauer jim(clean)martin dempsey bros gary densham i would really like to see alot more posts because the beach was the best and the fastest track in calif























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http://www.competitionplus.com/drag-racing/news/16290-the-legend-of-larry-sutton

 

Anyone remember a guy named Jarrel Thomas that ran a Thames van out at Lions?

He bought the panel van new and turned it into a tube chassis drag car immediately. I think he ran B/Gas. This was '57. Said he ran it out at Lions and other local tracks until the early 60's and racked up trophies. He still has the car but it was updated in the 90's and is now an easter-egg street rod. All his photos & trophies were lost during his move to Texas and I've been hoping to try to find some pics and try to convince him to put it back to the way it used to be...or atleast surprise him with photos of his car.

 

Running C/Gas mid 1960's. Ran small block 327 chevy, hilborns with Borg Warner 4 speed.

 

Early 60s

 

More! My brother and hios friend were there. They still talk about Gary beck blowing his clutch , it flew over their heads and buzz-sawed the roof of a Nova in the pits...