I've pretty much given up on drag racing because you can't really tell the difference between them except for the paint and sponsorship. This was my favorite era too.
The 70's were the best! I have witnessed every car in these video's. Mickey Thompsons mach 1 was the meanest machine I ever saw. Sounded like it was always on kill mode😊 and the Cudas Vega pinto camaro were such awesome body styles. Jungle Jim Gene Snow Hawaian Candies and hughs Blue Max Snake and Mongoose Stone Woods and Cook ect had all the model cats of them. I would give anything to return to those days the best years of my life.the drivers always put on a great show and night racing with fire burnouts and nitro flames shooting over the roofs of the cars WOWWWWWWWW never will see such fierce racing again.
Most of these cars '' only '' had about 1500 HP or about 2500 if they had a Hemi type engine. Compared to an estimated 11,000 of todays. Me personally watching as a spectator. I like the 70's and 80's racing better then todays.
Mickey Thompson’s 69 Mustang looks like a real car, door handles, tail lights, chrome trim, I love it! The bodies very quickly began to morph, stretched wheel base and huge rear wheel openings, but at least you could still figure out what they were supposed to be. The last time I saw Funny Cars, they’d turned into something completely different, but they’re still running the Chrysler based Hemi.
I lived right across 880, about 10 miles from Fremont Drag Strip. My buddies and I would ride our bikes over to this drainage pipe that went under interstate 880. We would drag our bikes through there and then ride to the drag strip. Over on the spectator side of the track there were some big eucalyptus trees, we would climb those trees and watch all the drag racing we could stand. One of the big moments in my life was the first time I ran my car on a Wednesday night (so I had to pay to get in) but also I go to have a "Hemi-Burger" from the snack shack. Great memories, thanks for posting
Also have great memories of Fremont. Lived in the Central Valley in Modesto and my dad, brother and I spent a lot of time going to those races in the 70s. Moved south in the 80s and been going to Pomona ever since though nothing can match those race events in the 70s.
In the mid-70's this very 72 Vega FC went up for sale. I barely had my drivers license, but went to look at it for sale at Jim Green's shop in north Seattle. I was hooked ! I'd seen the car run many times at SIR. Seems to me it was a solid 6.30-6.40 car. Mr. Green was asking $11 grand for it turn key. It had a steel block and heads in it. I wanted it bad !! I had about half that much money in the bank. Was trying hard to dig up the rest of the price... I spoke with Frank Hall about buying it and he very politely and diplomatically explained the downfalls of me buying it. He talked me out of it. He seemed a very good man. But, I'll tell ya.... for a couple days there I was excited as hell about buying "The Green Elephant" !!
It's Great To See Shirl Greer Chain Lighting Mustang & Yes He Was From Warner Robins Ga & The Only Georgian To Ever Win The NHRA Funny Car Championship In 1974 , And In The Early Seventies At The Now Defunct Warner Robins Dragway , Shirl Greer , Bobby Woods , Malcolm Durham Used To Put On Some Helluva Match Races At WR Dragway 🏁🏁
I remember ALL these racers! This is a great “throw back” video! And check out how CLOSE the spectators were allowed to the track! And I haven’t heard the term “bleach box” in YEARS! 🤣 … today’s Pro Mods would chew these guys up and spit them out! But I love it … great stuff, gals and guys!
The best days, I remember many of these cars from Rockingham motor speedway in the 70s and 80s. Great days for drag racing, raw, wide open, some cool cars.
Takes me back to the day! Dad would either take us to the track for Sunday Finals, or we'd all lie on the living room floor together and watch it on TV. We'd come home after church and get the living room all set up. Miss you, old man, and thanks so much for posting this, guys.
I grew up in the LA area and was able to go to Lion's, Orange Co., Irwindale, Fontana, and I raced my 67 Chevelle Super Sport at a few of them too! Wonderful vid's... a bit old, but wonderful. I always remembered the races between Don Schumacher and Don Prudohome. Big John Mazmanian was a treat at Irwindale when he tried running tretrazine in with his nitro. Didn't go very far if I remember correctly.
Those were the good old days they may not have had the horsepower and the wide wide slicks that they do today but still I prefer watching them because they did in fact look like cars of that time frame
Big John mazmainian always had beautiful cars I loved the guy I have a green elephant hot wheels car still in the package I got it from Jim green back in the late 70s
they started off by A/FX 1964/65 match racing NHRA GM NJ, I missed out on these first FCs I guess, joined US army Aug.28 1966 sent to Germany, was isolated ~ all cars in this video are after 1969 ?
Looking back at this - Back in the day - those days were mostly R and D for what's going on today. Just look at it this way, when the very start of the Sport - NHRA - that was R and D for the times that this video has as its content - it all has to start from somewhere.
As a kid growing up on an island across the bay from Seattle, I had the extreme pleasure of witnessing alot of these early funny cars being shown in this vid clip. The early cars looked great and were identifiable to the spectator. The burnouts and dry hops were insanely fantastic !! .... todays FC's are hideous to look at and are almost void of smoky burnouts. I have no idea what NHRA is thinking letting modern funny cars get so dopey looking and prohibitively expensive to operate. Very foolish. I live 40 minutes from Pomona raceway and I haven't gone to a race there in 18 years. Not interested in what's happened to the AA/FC class.
I live north of the border, in Vancouver. Made my first-ever trip to SIR in Kent when I was in my early 20's back in the 80s. I'll never forget how insane the the sonic wave is when they launch. It's like getting an ultrasound - you know where your spleen, liver, heart are immediately! So amazing!
My father and his racing partner ran a funny car named Hells Cargo in the 70s. Spent a lot of my misbegotten youth down on pit lane. Wouldn't trade those years for anything.
I have Don Prudhomme's the 🐍 Snake original toy car from 1970! Wonder what it might be worth? Still looks good, held It's age...it was made in the 70's when things were made to last!
Me too ! I have the 1/24 scale model & the hot wheels 1/64 scale too.! I think the model is a monogram... I saw him & the mongoose race back in the day quite a few times.! The best days of drag racing. !
Nhra completely lost their way. I'd go watch 70's FC's in a heartbeat. Haven't gone to a national event in 18 years. Modern FC's are butt ugly and boring.
I knew Joe Clemons when he built the green elephant and I went by his house in lake city just north of Seattle in the late 60s he would do burnouts in front of his house wow then he sold it to Jim Greens speed shop in Lynnwood Jim green was also a friend but his machine shop was notorious for there motors that they sold would not last for long green was a cheap ass swindeler
@@daleshotrodshop Never mind that....MOST of us are appreciative of these ol vids and grateful for you guys that post em...Repeat vid no different than watching twice [or more] in the same setting. TH-cam is our only actual time machine...THANK YOU FOR THE JOURNEY BACK ! 👍👍👍
This is my favorite era of Funny Cars when they looked like the real car!! Absolutely beautiful!
Yes, they looked like the production cars and today? Garbage! This was the most golden era of drag racing!
I've pretty much given up on drag racing because you can't really tell the difference between them except for the paint and sponsorship. This was my favorite era too.
The 70's were the best!
I have witnessed every car in these video's.
Mickey Thompsons mach 1 was the meanest machine I ever saw. Sounded like it was always on kill mode😊 and the Cudas
Vega pinto camaro were such awesome body styles. Jungle Jim Gene Snow Hawaian Candies and hughs Blue Max Snake and Mongoose Stone Woods and Cook ect had all the model cats of them. I would give anything to return to those days the best years of my life.the drivers always put on a great show and night racing with fire burnouts and nitro flames shooting over the roofs of the cars
WOWWWWWWWW
never will see such fierce racing again.
Right on! I grew up down the road from Irwindale. My Dad took me there many times as a 7-10 year old. Miss him and those races.
,
Gene Snow? Let’s just not mention him.
Most of these cars '' only '' had about 1500 HP or about 2500 if they had a Hemi type engine. Compared to an estimated 11,000 of todays. Me personally watching as a spectator. I like the 70's and 80's racing better then todays.
It would be nice if Funny Car & Pro Stock had more body styles… I don’t see why a Toyota or the new Dart even needs to be in those two classes imho.
Mickey Thompson’s 69 Mustang looks like a real car, door handles, tail lights, chrome trim, I love it! The bodies very quickly began to morph, stretched wheel base and huge rear wheel openings, but at least you could still figure out what they were supposed to be. The last time I saw Funny Cars, they’d turned into something completely different, but they’re still running the Chrysler based Hemi.
Love the dry hops back then. Cars and crew were so cool. Friends and me built model kits of these. It’s what got us into wrenching.
Not the bubbles with huge spoilers like today's so called funny cars. So glad my dad took me to see all these cars when I was a kid.
Love the dry hops, you just don't see that anymore.
I lived right across 880, about 10 miles from Fremont Drag Strip. My buddies and I would ride our bikes over to this drainage pipe that went under interstate 880. We would drag our bikes through there and then ride to the drag strip. Over on the spectator side of the track there were some big eucalyptus trees, we would climb those trees and watch all the drag racing we could stand. One of the big moments in my life was the first time I ran my car on a Wednesday night (so I had to pay to get in) but also I go to have a "Hemi-Burger" from the snack shack. Great memories, thanks for posting
Also have great memories of Fremont. Lived in the Central Valley in Modesto and my dad, brother and I spent a lot of time going to those races in the 70s.
Moved south in the 80s and been going to Pomona ever since though nothing can match those race events in the 70s.
In the mid-70's this very 72 Vega FC went up for sale. I barely had my drivers license, but went to look at it for sale at Jim Green's shop in north Seattle. I was hooked ! I'd seen the car run many times at SIR. Seems to me it was a solid 6.30-6.40 car. Mr. Green was asking $11 grand for it turn key. It had a steel block and heads in it. I wanted it bad !! I had about half that much money in the bank.
Was trying hard to dig up the rest of the price... I spoke with Frank Hall about buying it and he very politely and diplomatically explained the downfalls of me buying it. He talked me out of it.
He seemed a very good man. But, I'll tell ya.... for a couple days there I was excited as hell about buying "The Green Elephant" !!
Great stuff! When I was young I remember seeing each and every one of these cars race here in So. Calif. Good times👍
This is great! You can actually tell which brands these cars were representing. Thank you!
It's Great To See Shirl Greer Chain Lighting Mustang & Yes He Was From Warner Robins Ga & The Only Georgian To Ever Win The NHRA Funny Car Championship In 1974 , And In The Early Seventies At The Now Defunct Warner Robins Dragway , Shirl Greer , Bobby Woods , Malcolm Durham Used To Put On Some Helluva Match Races At WR Dragway 🏁🏁
Back when funny cars actually resembled cars
I remember ALL these racers! This is a great “throw back” video! And check out how CLOSE the spectators were allowed to the track! And I haven’t heard the term “bleach box” in YEARS! 🤣
… today’s Pro Mods would chew these guys up and spit them out! But I love it … great stuff, gals and guys!
This was the bad ass era of floppers,just love them!!! No computers no traction control ,driving by the seat of your pants.what a beautiful site.
Dam I was so hoping to see a Lee Roy Goldstein burn out in the ram charger or maybe gene snow's rambunctious
The best days, I remember many of these cars from Rockingham motor speedway in the 70s and 80s. Great days for drag racing, raw, wide open, some cool cars.
Love those starting line “hops”.
Takes me back to the day! Dad would either take us to the track for Sunday Finals, or we'd all lie on the living room floor together and watch it on TV. We'd come home after church and get the living room all set up. Miss you, old man, and thanks so much for posting this, guys.
That anouncer said Don shoemaker
My bedroom wall was full of pages out of hot rod magazines of these cars when I was a kid.. love all the hand painting .. true cool..!!
Day's of the privateers, before the Big Corporate Monster pushed the independent teams out..
It's become So expensive to own or build a competitive car much less operate one 😫
MY era, I'm 79
Great stuff. I grew up going to Irwindale and later OCIR. Miss those races and real funny cars.
I grew up in the LA area and was able to go to Lion's, Orange Co., Irwindale, Fontana, and I raced my 67 Chevelle Super Sport at a few of them too! Wonderful vid's... a bit old, but wonderful. I always remembered the races between Don Schumacher and Don Prudohome. Big John Mazmanian was a treat at Irwindale when he tried running tretrazine in with his nitro. Didn't go very far if I remember correctly.
Those were the good old days they may not have had the horsepower and the wide wide slicks that they do today but still I prefer watching them because they did in fact look like cars of that time frame
Exactly 💯
I had the opportunity to help on a crew with Frank Hall.
Awesome guy.
Big John mazmainian always had beautiful cars I loved the guy I have a green elephant hot wheels car still in the package I got it from Jim green back in the late 70s
they started off by A/FX 1964/65 match racing NHRA GM NJ, I missed out on these first FCs I guess, joined US army Aug.28 1966
sent to Germany, was isolated ~ all cars in this video are after 1969 ?
Love the green elephant. Saw it many times in seattle and other tracks around the northwest.
Looking back at this - Back in the day - those days were mostly R and D for what's going on today. Just look at it this way, when the very start of the Sport - NHRA - that was R and D for the times that this video has as its content - it all has to start from somewhere.
Man, Paul Page, Brock Yates, such memories of those guys.
As a kid growing up on an island across the bay from Seattle, I had the extreme pleasure of witnessing alot of these early funny cars being shown in this vid clip. The early cars looked great and were identifiable to the spectator. The burnouts and dry hops were insanely fantastic !! .... todays FC's are hideous to look at and are almost void of smoky burnouts. I have no idea what NHRA is thinking letting modern funny cars get so dopey looking and prohibitively expensive to operate. Very foolish. I live 40 minutes from Pomona raceway and I haven't gone to a race there in 18 years.
Not interested in what's happened to the AA/FC class.
Mr. Cole? Are you talking about Vashon Island by chance?
Hi there. Not Vashon island, but rather Bainbridge island.
I live north of the border, in Vancouver. Made my first-ever trip to SIR in Kent when I was in my early 20's back in the 80s. I'll never forget how insane the the sonic wave is when they launch. It's like getting an ultrasound - you know where your spleen, liver, heart are immediately! So amazing!
My father and his racing partner ran a funny car named Hells Cargo in the 70s. Spent a lot of my misbegotten youth down on pit lane. Wouldn't trade those years for anything.
Great to see this fantastic era, great job Dale.
I have Don Prudhomme's the 🐍 Snake original toy car from 1970! Wonder what it might be worth? Still looks good, held It's age...it was made in the 70's when things were made to last!
Me too ! I have the 1/24 scale model & the hot wheels 1/64 scale too.! I think the model is a monogram... I saw him & the mongoose race back in the day quite a few times.! The best days of drag racing. !
I love your videos
I wish they would bring back the Jr. Fuel class!!!!!
OLD SCHOOL🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
That's the Green ELEPHANT my hero.
I loved the Green Elephant. Saw it run many times at SIR.
Thanks Dale for the ride down memory lane!!!!!
The absolute best time in drag racing 💯
Thanks so much for posting this Dale. What is the name of the movie? Do you have the complete movie on DVD for sale?
No movie I just compiled this from a bunch of short clips.
on a side note, as a football fan and hot rodder myself , it was always amazing hearing Keith Jackson call drag races
Great video thanks
You forgot The Drag-On Vega that Frank Cook had!
Searched everywhere - has anybody got pic or video of Art Julien's "Funny Feeling" Vega?
Wish NHRA would allow the creativity again..this was my childhood
NO TECHNOLOGE. TRUE RACEING COOL MAN COOL A
Great vid, really enjoyed!!!
Back in the days when they actually looked like the street version.
It’s a shame what has become of NHRA. When I was a kid I loved going to the drag races. Boring as hell these days. Cars are basically all the same.
Nhra completely lost their way. I'd go watch 70's FC's in a heartbeat.
Haven't gone to a national event in 18 years. Modern FC's are butt ugly and boring.
I've given up on modern drag racing. Once in a while I watch just to see how fast they are going. Wish it was more than an 1/8th mile though 😕
Do you have any video of a funny car out of Texas called Bayou Shaker ??? I sat in that car when I was a kid
I only had a picture in my files. I included that picture in this video. th-cam.com/video/YpqTznmUupQ/w-d-xo.html
Make more please 👍
I agree!
kelly chadwick was my track coach !
I knew Joe Clemons when he built the green elephant and I went by his house in lake city just north of Seattle in the late 60s he would do burnouts in front of his house wow then he sold it to Jim Greens speed shop in Lynnwood Jim green was also a friend but his machine shop was notorious for there motors that they sold would not last for long green was a cheap ass swindeler
I own a1969 Mach 1 and a 1965 gt fastback still
We're those earlier funny cars easy to drive
As easy as giving a cat a bath.
C if you have world famous late 80 early 90s
👍👍
Take me back
Why are you posting the same videos over and over?
I may repeat a clip or two in a video because it is relevant but the majority of each video has unique content.
@@daleshotrodshop Never mind that....MOST of us are appreciative of these ol vids and grateful for you guys that post em...Repeat vid no different than watching twice [or more] in the same setting.
TH-cam is our only actual time machine...THANK YOU FOR THE JOURNEY BACK ! 👍👍👍