Bear Barrileaux, Phil Bonner Jr, Bob Boudreau, Gary Coe, Dave Davis, Jeff DeGrandis, Ron Durham, Wes Eisenschenk, Dennis Ferrara, Bob Frey, Peter Gemar, Dave Hales, Jim Handy, Lance Hill, Randy Hernandez, Tommy Ivo, Tom Kasch, John Lipori, Richard Maskin, Charlie Morris, Thomas Nagy, Doug Nash, Paul Nevells, Bill Pitts, Roger Phillips, Lennie Pike, Bill Pratt, Peter Quinn, Ralph Ridgeway, Carl Rubrecht, Jim Schild, Tom Schiltz, Tom Senia, Karen Smith, Lee Smith, Mike Strickler, Geoff Stunkard, Brian Taylor, Allen Tracy, Rick Voegelin, Paul Wasilewski, Dan Williams, Todd Wingerter, and Bob Wenzelburger.
Dot com sources of information included 60sFunnyCars, 70sFunnyCars, 1962 to 1965 Mopar, Bangshift, Cacklefest, Competition Plus, Clunkbucket, Draglist, Dragzine, Drag Racing Online, Garlits.com, H.A.M.B, Mopar Max, Mustang and Fords, NHRA, Speed Zone Magazine, and We Did It For Love.
As the cover states, this book is all about the facts, and nothing but the facts from drag racing’s glorious past. You’ll find highlights, low lights, cars, stars, tracks, stats, quacks, and quirks. 1001 Drag Racing Facts recollects the sport’s most memorable moments from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and beyond. Without a doubt, those early years were the sport’s most innovative, entertaining, and diverse. The golden age, as it’s often referred to, was just that, golden.
Now, by possessing all this newfound information, you will no longer need to rely upon fading memories (yours, mine, and others) when it comes to recalling the way it really was. You can say goodbye to hearsay and conflicting bench-race sessions; add fuel to the fire by throwing new, accurate information out there.
As we all know, stories have a habit of growing taller with time and this book helps to bring them back down to earth. The facts and information for this book were drawn from the most reliable sources: personal interviews and more than 60 years of documented history. For the purpose of accuracy, third-party and vague information has been omitted.
As for me and my interest in the sport, I started following drag racing during the early 1970s. While my teen peers went for magazines such as Circus, Rolling Stone, and, God forbid, Playboy, I spent most my time poring over titles such as Car Craft, Popular Hot Rodding, and Hot Rod. I wore out the magazines, soaking up whatever written material my pubescent mind could grasp. When it came to drag racing, I got a head start on this whole “longing for the good ol’ days” thing and throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and into the 1990s, my preference usually ran at least 10 years behind my peers. I swear, add 10 to 15 more years to my life and I would have given Mike Mitchell, “The World’s Fastest Hippie,” a run for his money!
For those who enjoyed drag racing’s during its golden years, 1001 Drag Racing Facts offers an endless stream of memories. For those not old enough to remember those glorious days, well, get comfy and enjoy the history lesson.
1 Dick Kraft’s 1950 Bug, considered by most to be the first dragster, started out as a ’27 T rescued from his folks’ West Coast orange grove. Little beyond the original frame rails remained of the car once Dick was through modifying it. Powered by a 268-inch flathead-8, running on 30-percent nitro, the Bug was the first rail to top 100 mph when Dick accomplished this feat, hitting 109.09 mph, at the Santa Ana Air Strip in July 1950.
2 At the same time Kraft was toying with his Bug, Otto Ryssman and his partner Tiny Conkle were busy with their own early dragster. They used lengthened Model A rails and pushed a flathead-8 within a foot of the rear end as a means of improving traction. Like all early rails, it was quite primitive, gutted of all unnecessary weight and wrapped in a topless Crosley body. Otto’s rail looked more like a crude version of a later Altered.
3 Records show that C. J. “Pappy” Hart coined the term “dragster,” after looking at Dode Martin’s drag car. Dode’s dragster followed close behind the cars of Kraft and Ryssman. When Martin showed up at Santa Ana with his car, Pappy just didn’t know what to call it or how to classify it. It was easy to see that it wasn’t a lakester, so on the spot, Pappy coined the phrase dragster.
4 Like many early drag racers Art Chrisman was was a convert of the dry lakes. His famed 25 covered dragster was the first to break into the 9s and the first to top 140 mph. Art accomplished the feat in February 1953 at Santa Ana, hitting 140.08 mph. Power came from a Jack Ewell 304-inch Ardun-equipped flathead, apparently surviving on 100-percent nitro. 25, originally built by Harry Lewis and raced on the dry lakes in the 1930s, featured an 89-inch wheelbase, which Art, the fourth or so owner, stretched out to 110.
5 Formed in 1949, The Bean Bandits is recognized as the first organized drag racing team. Based out of San Diego, the team, which consisted of members of numerous ethnic backgrounds, won the first major NHRA event with its flathead-powered full-body rail. The Bean Bandits, headed by founding member Joaquin Arnett, captured Top Eliminator honors at the Southern California Championship held April 11–12, 1953.
Slice of Pie was campaigned by Creighton Hunter, who was also partners with C. J. Hart in operating the Santa Ana strip. Those eyes on the left and right flank were adopted by Moon Equipment. (Photo Courtesy Bob McClurg)
6 A very unique early dragster was Slice of Pie, campaigned by Creighton Hunter around 1955. Creighton’s crude-looking dragster featured a full, owner-fabricated body covering a front-mounted tri-carb flathead, positioned sideways in the chassis and running direct drive, via chain to the rear axle. Creighton relied upon a jacking system to raise the rear of the car once he was at the starting line. Bringing up the RPM, he dropped the car when the flag dropped. Creighton topped 150 mph with the car in 1956 before crashing it at Santa Ana.
7 Big Daddy Don Garlits started his drag racing career in 1950 and won his first big meet late in 1955 at the Lake City Airport near Jacksonville, Florida. Driving his crude home-built flathead-powered rail, Don cranked out a speed of 108.17 mph and won a 2-foot-high trophy. It wasn’t until the 1963 NHRA Winternationals that Don won his first national event, in a much more sophisticated Swamp Rat.
8 The slingshot dragster was born in the 1950s. The whole idea behind the design was to place the driver behind the rear wheels to maximize traction. Mickey Thompson has been credited as being the first to introduce the slingshot in 1954, though many seem to forget that Calvin Rice also debuted his slingshot rail the same year.
9 Calvin Rice was a heavy hitter in the mid-1950s and the J. E. Riley Top Fuel flathead-powered rail he drove was top eliminator at the first NHRA nationals in 1955. Cal’s nitro-fed 274-inch flathead eliminated the nation’s hottest overhead-valve engine dragster turning times of 10.30 at 141.95 mph. It was the top ET of the meet, which had to be completed two months later in Arizona due to heavy Kansas rains. Cal’s rail started out with a Hemi but after exploding the blower, he dropped