Raymond was the man for sure!!! Love this guy!! I was probably there at OCIR. Dry hopps rock the track big time. What a show back then, not like today at all. It was better back then.
God I miss those days!!! Dry hops ruled and this to me was the golden age of Drag racing. I was there at OCIR, a race once a month for the season. Lots of match racing and the best race of all 64 Funny Cars!! Nothing like 2+hr.s of qualifying Funny Cars!! Awesome!
In 1980 our family moved to Mission Viejo (7 miles south-east of OCIR) from the U.K.. I was 14. The next year one evening during the summer the wind must have been in the right direction because I heard strange sounds coming from the north-west. Loud throaty sounds that lasted a from a second or two.. up to 10 seconds. What the heck was that, I thought. Figured it was something to do with the U.S. Marine base in El Toro (next to OCIR). As the weeks went by I kept hearing these sounds at the weekends... then a revelation, I saw an ad in the newspaper for drag racing.... put 2+2 together and had to go see what this was all about. I spent the next 3 years going to all OCIR events I could. I got to see all the various classes as well as jet and rocket cars. I drove my 1977 Trans Am (my first car) there on my newly earned drivers license. So many fond memories of the place, the sounds, the smells, the cars... this was what America was all about. So awesome. These videos bring back the magic. Thank you.
The "Blue Max." Truly a bad-ass Funny Car. Ray Beadle used to grenade that thing in spectacular fashion. There are probably a few superchargers STILL in orbit from being launched off the Blue Max Hemi.
What is awesome about this is the audio quality from 30 years ago....Waterbed Fred, Blue Max, OCIR, dry hops....doesn't get much better than this. Got any AA/FA videos hehe? thanks for posting!
All I can say is Damn Straight!!!! Please sir may I have another and another........... I was there in the late 70's and 80's. It was fabulous back then, much better than today's NHRA nonsense! 64 Funny Cars Rules to this day!!! Best race Ever!!!!
This car has quite a history...this car actually won an NHRA National Event, AFTER Raymond sold it. It was then a re-painted “hand-me-down” that won the 1982 World Finals, for Beadle’s very good friend..... “Lil’ John” Lombardo. (Same car)
Long burnouts and multiple dry hops!!! That's what made them what they are, and now they don't do it anymore?? The current nostalgia funny cars do a good job of bringing the old feeling back. One mag, little spoilers, 6-71 blower and whalla, Quarter mile racing that is a blast to watch. Same for the nostalgia T/F. 12 inch slicks and presto!
Orange County International Raceway..... O.C.I.R. - “The County“…."The Super Track" I helped build the track at only 13 years old in July 1967. They gave us tickets to the first event and I was infected, injected addicted to drag racing since. I was at the track over 100 times for the next 18 years until "The Last Drag Race" Oct 29th 1983. I always wanted to make a scale track so I finally hit ebay and bought every legendary car I could find that I saw at the track prior to 83. My one of a kind Tribute display has over 400 cars and a scale 22 foot drag strip. With a monitor playing every video I could find on the track. This one will be added. I made a video of my display that is at my page
NHRA, wake up! The nostalgia funny cars and top fuel cars are much more exciting than today’s 340 mph cars. Instead of barely having enough cars to make a 16 car field at national events, there would be 30-40 cars showing up in both classes because so many more racers could afford to race.
Dwight, thanks much for posting this footage. These cars were it !! Today's funny cars are not for me. Hell ugly looking things !! These early cars just sound so badass. There needs to be a class of these cars with the same simple, more affordable components and combination. Same body dimensions etc. Not the stretched out, damn ugly bodies in so called "Nostalgia racing" of NFC.... Thanks again for posting, Dwight. So darn cool.
i couldn't agree more it is so cool to see these cars that look like the cars they were supposed to be based of nhra needs to go back 50 years when it was a sport
Today it's all about clutch timers and computers. Get rid of the computers and technology and go back to Old School tuning. You can keep all of the safety devices and go back to quarter mile racing. That would save the Nitro classes and the NHRA
TheFritter ... Amen, too much is controlled by electronics, do away with them, let the driver drive the car. No recording of data, let them do that in testing, not at an event, then anyone could win any race, not just the big budget teams.
I Screwed up Dwight..I forgot to give you m address.I was hoping you had some video of the TOP GAS racying at OCIR...Heres my email............................dennisusetorace@aol.com...Than ks again
Nhra should never have allowed FC's to run a fuel pump bigger than 50 gallons. Modern nitro FC's are a joke. .. The earlier funny cars were way more fun to watch. And more fun to race as well... Beadle was definitely one of the Greats.
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Raymond was the man for sure!!! Love this guy!! I was probably there at OCIR. Dry hopps rock the track big time. What a show back then, not like today at all. It was better back then.
A return to the past would be a move for the future. This video shows all we need to know about what's missing today.
I agree!
OMG I miss this car and being at Firebird Raceway watching all those guys from back in the late 70's!!!
God I miss those days!!! Dry hops ruled and this to me was the golden age of Drag racing. I was there at OCIR, a race once a month for the season. Lots of match racing and the best race of all 64 Funny Cars!! Nothing like 2+hr.s of qualifying Funny Cars!! Awesome!
Absolutely!
I loved the Fox Hunts
And the high rev pop the clutch pro stock dry hops!
Good times 😊
In 1980 our family moved to Mission Viejo (7 miles south-east of OCIR) from the U.K.. I was 14. The next year one evening during the summer the wind must have been in the right direction because I heard strange sounds coming from the north-west. Loud throaty sounds that lasted a from a second or two.. up to 10 seconds. What the heck was that, I thought. Figured it was something to do with the U.S. Marine base in El Toro (next to OCIR). As the weeks went by I kept hearing these sounds at the weekends... then a revelation, I saw an ad in the newspaper for drag racing.... put 2+2 together and had to go see what this was all about. I spent the next 3 years going to all OCIR events I could. I got to see all the various classes as well as jet and rocket cars. I drove my 1977 Trans Am (my first car) there on my newly earned drivers license. So many fond memories of the place, the sounds, the smells, the cars... this was what America was all about. So awesome. These videos bring back the magic. Thank you.
The Blue Max! Now there's some good FC memories!
My Favorite Dragstrip in all of Southern California, especially when the Orange Trees were Blossoming.
Good memories
Best damn DRY HOP exhibition of ALL TIMES.. bar none..
Thanks for the memorys.OCIR was a awesome track
I miss OCIR. Thanks for posting.
Ray Beadle would be a legend even in a roomful of legendary drag racing drivers. R.I.P.
R.I.P. Raymond Beadle
Brutal dry hops ...... rocking back on the wheelie bars, unloading the tires.
Raymond always ran “The Blue Max” on kill.
He's the man!
The "Blue Max." Truly a bad-ass Funny Car. Ray Beadle used to grenade that thing in spectacular fashion. There are probably a few superchargers STILL in orbit from being launched off the Blue Max Hemi.
What is awesome about this is the audio quality from 30 years ago....Waterbed Fred, Blue Max, OCIR, dry hops....doesn't get much better than this. Got any AA/FA videos hehe? thanks for posting!
R.I.P Mr Raymond Beadle
Dwight, if only you knew back then what history you were capturing. I pray someday I can shake your hand.
That would be great.
All I can say is Damn Straight!!!! Please sir may I have another and another........... I was there in the late 70's and 80's. It was fabulous back then, much better than today's NHRA nonsense! 64 Funny Cars Rules to this day!!! Best race Ever!!!!
This car has quite a history...this car actually won an NHRA National Event, AFTER Raymond sold it.
It was then a re-painted “hand-me-down” that won the 1982 World Finals, for Beadle’s very good friend.....
“Lil’ John” Lombardo.
(Same car)
That would of been 1983, Tripp Shumake won in 1982 driving for Billy Meyer.
The Blue Max '81 Omni was a bad hot rod. One of the sharpest looking F/Cs of all time too
I have seen his tribute car my dad said it would be in San Antonio it was and then told he is from my home town
Fukin insane!
Long burnouts and multiple dry hops!!! That's what made them what they are, and now they don't do it anymore?? The current nostalgia funny cars do a good job of bringing the old feeling back. One mag, little spoilers, 6-71 blower and whalla, Quarter mile racing that is a blast to watch. Same for the nostalgia T/F. 12 inch slicks and presto!
That's a real race car
Orange County International Raceway..... O.C.I.R. - “The County“…."The Super Track" I helped build the track at only 13 years old in July 1967. They gave us tickets to the first event and I was infected, injected addicted to drag racing since. I was at the track over 100 times for the next 18 years until "The Last Drag Race" Oct 29th 1983. I always wanted to make a scale track so I finally hit ebay and bought every legendary car I could find that I saw at the track prior to 83. My one of a kind Tribute display has over 400 cars and a scale 22 foot drag strip. With a monitor playing every video I could find on the track. This one will be added. I made a video of my display that is at my page
raymond beadle was a beast blue max kicked ass
The engin sounds 100% perfect.
Loved the car, fell behind in competetion due to not changing to AFT type clutch management systems. Still a great car.
great video!
that is one bad ass hotrod.i remember those championships.
nearly 35 years ago . . . O. C. I . R. Irvine , Ca.
RIP Raymond
I'd love to see a "non-electronics" class, no computers, no fuel management and lean-out buttons just the drivers right foot and intuition.
God I miss those dry hops
I miss the dry hops from the olden days....they really added to the spectical of nitro racing....Things are way too much commercial these days.
NHRA, wake up! The nostalgia funny cars and top fuel cars are much more exciting than today’s 340 mph cars. Instead of barely having enough cars to make a 16 car field at national events, there would be 30-40 cars showing up in both classes because so many more racers could afford to race.
IN 1970 I SAW THE BLUE MAX WITH JACK JOHNSTON BEHIND THE WHELL I TELL YOU HE WAS THATS AS GOOD AS BEATLES.THE BLUE WAS PRUE HELL.
RIP Raymond....
A little slower run than I was expecting ;)
Tire shake with a wheel stand thrown in
Dwight, thanks much for posting this footage. These cars were it !! Today's funny cars are not for me. Hell ugly looking things !! These early cars just sound so badass. There needs to be a class of these cars with the same simple, more affordable components and combination. Same body dimensions etc. Not the stretched out, damn ugly bodies in so called "Nostalgia racing" of NFC.... Thanks again for posting, Dwight. So darn cool.
As much as I enjoy today's racing, it's not the same as then. Thanks for watching.
i couldn't agree more it is so cool to see these cars that look like the cars they were supposed to be based of nhra needs to go back 50 years when it was a sport
I liked it better when it was still Harry Schmitz' Blue Max.
that was a mean burn out
l miss DRY HOPS
Today it's all about clutch timers and computers. Get rid of the computers and technology and go back to Old School tuning. You can keep all of the safety devices and go back to quarter mile racing. That would save the Nitro classes and the NHRA
TheFritter ... Amen, too much is controlled by electronics, do away with them, let the driver drive the car. No recording of data, let them do that in testing, not at an event, then anyone could win any race, not just the big budget teams.
he didn't drive it .. WTF
nn
I Screwed up Dwight..I forgot to give you m address.I was hoping you had some video of the TOP GAS racying at OCIR...Heres my email............................dennisusetorace@aol.com...Than
ks again
Nhra should never have allowed FC's to run a fuel pump bigger than 50 gallons. Modern nitro FC's are a joke. .. The earlier funny cars were way more fun to watch. And more fun to race as well... Beadle was definitely one of the Greats.