Folks Of Interest The "Greek" today

While the Greek seems hard to approach at the track, we had a fun and friendly conversation with his wife Sandy, one year at the Route 66 Nationals.
My sense is he is fairly approachable away from the track, but is most often seen among a group of his friends.

 

Hello,

Reading about the exploits of “The Greek” over the years is like reading a book on drag racing. Sure, there have been old time racers that were record setters back in those early days. But to stay involved, one way or another, for all of this time is amazing. Being an enthusiast as a young teen and reading about some guy in the Midwest running fast and then of all things, setting a record of 204 mph in the quarter mile was totally amazing.

“There was a time in our history when the best number crunchers in the country declared that it was "impossible" for a piston powered vehicle to go 200 MPH from a standing start in a quarter mile. And for a long time it looked like they may have been right. That is until April 24, 1960 when "The Greek" and Maynard unloaded an incredible 204 MPH speed at Alton Dragway.” Cacklefest.com

“The fans in the stands who witnessed the Greek's performance at Alton, Illinois, on April 24, 1960, were delirious. On his second run of the day, Karamesines tripped the finish line timers in 8.87 seconds—an expected clocking. But the time it took for the Chizler to cover the speed trap at the end of the track was anything but ordinary. In fact, it was so out of the ordinary, so brief, that it was off the conversion charts the track used to determine the mph figure. As the crowd waited in silent anticipation, a bit of math yielded the trap speed: 204.54 mph—the first 200-mph time recorded at any dragstrip anywhere, a number that blew the fans out of their seats, and a number that's still the subject of debate 55 years later.” Hotrod.com


For this young So Cal teen, reading about the exploits of “The Greek” was inspiring then and as an older guy, now.

Jnaki

I was given access to a film from the Marty Strode Archives and created this short clip that shows a different way to look at the exploits of The Greek” from 1963… Thanks, Marty...


Previous post:

Hello,

Everyone knows I like old drag racing movies. @martystrode allowed me access to his collection of old drag racing movies and wanted me to come up with something useful for everyone to see how it was in the Pacific Northwest, back in those early days. We all know that drag racing pros tour all over the place. Chicago to Kent, Washington is a long haul both ways. (2000+ miles one way) The clip is one of those oddball jokester times that happen between races.

As far as something useful, documenting something as a milestone went along with something that happened recently in 2020. Chris Karamesines , the Greek, is a legend in motor sports and will retire soon. With his early start and illustrious career, we can all stand back and wonder in amazement.

How does a 89-91 year old guy continue to do what he does best? 16 in 1945 + 75 years to 2020 = 91

Jnaki

Thanks @martystrode for the chance to look at someone else’s outlook in drag racing. We can all learn something from this episode. Hopefully, there will be more PNW clips to come.

This is my brother’s and my introduction to Chris Karamesines when he came out West to Riverside Raceway in 1959 for a giant East VS West drag meet. The Greek at age 30?
The Chizzler

The Greek has come a long way from 1959… So, what does an old drag racer do for an encore? Krista Baldwin to Make Top Fuel Debut in 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Season Opener.

Granddaughter of Top Fuel veteran Chris Karamesines is the daughter of the late racer Bobby Baldwin.

to be involved all of these years is very impressive...