Hi Mark, that's a fantastic piece of history there mate. I'm obsessed with the 50's and 60's hot rodding and drag racing, and also second generation. Over here in Australia my dad was a member of the first hot rod club in the southern hemisphere, very originally called Southern Hot Rod Club. Unlike your country it was all made official here in 1956. They organized the first drag meetings which were very crude compared to what was happening in the states but by working in with the Victoria police they slowly earned hot rodders a better name with the public. Dad went from building a 33 roadster to a 32 sedan with a mid mounted Ardun and tilt body, Harley Davidson front wheels all in 1958 - 62 and never finished it. I still have the body. He built a slingshot six cylinder dragster for my uncle in 67 , 68 and by the late 70's had a small business. From there came top alcohol, top fuel dragsters , sprint cars and many many street cars all for many many customers who became friends. I love seeing your family history on film like this, it's a long proud tradition and your dad and uncle and all their mates were there at what I reckon was the best time. I've lost both my parents now but I'm keeping it going. All the very best from Australia, you should be proud.
Wow ! One BIG change are these post-race interviews with drivers. Back then, they were personable, sincere and actually answered questions. Now, they spend 15 seconds, naming 25 sponsors and walk away ! Great video !🇺🇸
Somewhere up in the grandstand was a little 4yr old boy who was so happy his favorite driver had won that day, the little boy was me & the favorite driver was Don Prudhomme! 😁👍 Thanks Snake, for all the great memories & Thanks Pop, for deciding to raise me at a So-Calif racetrack! 🙏 RIP Pop ✝️ Btw, I was also in the stands 30yrs later, for Snake's final race ever "The Snake's final strike" 👍
I have been to the Detroit Dragway Reunion a couple times here in Michigan I have met Don Garlits and have been to Pomona a few times I have met Don Prudomme both legends and fantastic drivers.
@@Red-dg1kp Very cool! I went to Phoenix ( Firebird ) for the 2nd race of Snake's FST & watched him lose to Scott Kalitta in the 1st round. I even remember that Scotty ran a 4.72 to Snake's 4.91 after a brilliant tire shake pedal job. Then Snake won the next race in Dallas! 🤦 At Pomona, he had won the race before in Houston & of course, he went out in the 1st round 🤷🏻♂️ Was still very cool to see 50k fans showing Snake so much Love & appreciation in his last pass 😎
Thanks for sharing this great step back in time ! This homage to drag racing’s early days, is only remembered by a few. Videos like this keep it alive and we thank you ! 🇺🇸
I remember this race very well. I was living in bakersfield & Pamona was only a hop skip & jump away. Been a fan of the drags since my first trip to Formosa calif in 1959 with my uncle who was racing & old 34 flat head
Connie Kalitta and Don Prudhomme were just babies in this clip...skinny young men!! I've been to the NHRA Drags near Houston and have watched Doug Kalitta and the late Scott Kalitta race, among others. Don Prudhomme, at that point, wasn't racing anymore, but was a manager. Very gracious man...stopped pacing long enough to look directly at the camera lens I was aiming at him. A true legend.
Scotty was my favorite driver I am from Michigan Connie's cargo business is about 5 miles from here. Been out to Pomona to watch the opening races a few times great times out there.
Prudhomme, Garlits, Kalitta -- Top Fuel cars making 1500 HP and barely cracking 200mph. Winston commercial, "Eldercare vs. Medicare." Times were sure different then.
@@slowpoke96Z28 Can't buy it at Sears anymore however. Sears used the Allstate brand for insurance, tires & toy trains. Probably used it on other products.
I still absolutely love the front motor slingshot rails. Stock block engines, big smokey launches & the seven second runs that gave you twice as long to enjoy the race. Today's cars leave me cold. Races that last a little longer than a photo flash, gazillion horsepower race engines. Yeah, they're very fast, but they'll never replace the spectacular action of a [slingshot] dragster, or AA fuel altered. Even the gassers were worth the price of admission alone. Ahhh, .... fond memories.
Wasn’t there a new rule put into effect several years ago by the NHRA that cut the Nitro cars down to around a thousand foot run as opposed to the traditional quarter mile due to the death of a driver?
@@519CZRacer Yes. The 1000 ft. restriction for Top Fuel and Funny Car was implemented in July 2008, shortly after Scott Kalitta's fatal crash. These 11,000 horsepower cars are running nearly 340 mph at this distance. We won't see 1/4 mile nitro racing again unless NHRA slows them down.
These were great days in racing. I also loved the Pro Comp class during the 70s, a heads up alcohol class between rear engine and slingshot dragsters, altereds and Funny Cars.
My Dad took me to the drags starting from when I was 8, days old that is! 😆 This is the first event I actually remember, I was 4yrs old. It's also the day I picked Snake as "my guy" 😁 Pop said I had to pick a driver/car to root for, I'd say I picked a GREAT one! I met Don Prudhomme at OCIR in 🤔...74 I think, bought a Snake tee-shirt out of the back of his hauler, from Don himself! 😃! My Dad was pissed, cause I paid $5 for a tee-shirt 🤬 LOL 😂 I've been to over a hundred races, Drags-Stockcars-Indycars-Sprints, hell, you name it. So-Cailf was a wonderful place to grow up a kid in the 60's-70's, especially if you were a racing nut like Pops & I. Dad instilled the love of racing in me and I'm so grateful he did 🙏 I lost My Father in 2019 at 84, seeing this video sure brings back memories, miss you terribly Dad 🙏 RIP 😞
I was 5 when that Winternationals race was held. I lived in the near by city of LA Puente but we didn't frequent that drag strip, as my dad would often take my brother and our next door neighbor buddy with us to the Irwindale drag strip which was a few miles closer to our house. Great memories of a wonderful time in my youth! Long live Top Fuel!
Snake's first National, wow. Also great seeing what Comp Eliminator used to be, with those big 6's running. But back to the T/F final, I thought NHRA starter-to-be Rick Stewart had him, but he didn't. Great seeing Leong, who looked like a kid! And I actually held a wrench for Connie Kalitta's Bounty Hunter at the York US 30 Supernationals that year. A teen-age kids'dream....
Thank you, Nick for posting this. I'm stuck inside because of the Kung Flu thing, it's 4 in the morning and I can't sleep. This was a pleasure to watch on so many levels. Cars that don't exist any more and the people, polite, courteous and without tattoos everywhere. Best of all was Chico winning, then they cut back to the start line and there is his lovely wife, son and a German Shepard in the push car. What a day.
Don won a 427 single overhead Cam as part of the prize for this event and hence when he came back in the Spring of 66 he was piloting the Shelby super snake with that very engine that he won.
I think that the NHRA must have had problems with the tree that day with Kalitta and Garlits both fouling and the Nix/Amyx cars in the final round having that unplanned flag start, that's how Buster Couch dealt with it. There also appears to be an out of sequence yellow bulb flash at 25:08 on the time dial for the final with top fuel in The Snake's lane against Alexander.
I was involved on a drag racing team in the 80's and 90's...it was great...we ran an exhibition front engine top fuel dragster and made solo show runs for fun and "some" money...this episode reminds me of our racing time...it was great to see it.
This was a little before my time but I grew up watching these races glorified in hot rod and dragster magazines. I do remember Shirley Muldony entering the scene and beating "Big Daddy" . I also remember many races that were pretty outrageous. One of which was probably in the mid 80's when Don Garlets was upside down, backwards, and on fire at the finish line. The wreckage tripped the photo eye. He set a national record.
✝️🇺🇸👍 great video in these hard time god bless all. Most people don't know how good asbestos was and what all it was used for I remember making big doughballs out of it when I was a kid pouring Babbitt bearings in machine shop🤦♂️ love one another . Ps call family and friends tell you love them.
Back around '65 in England we didn't get anything like this - two channels were all we had on TV and on saturdays both would show horse racing as the main event. The commercial station would show wrestling toward the end of the afternoon and the BBC would often show 'scrambling' - later to be called motocross with football highlights late on saturday evening.....
You didn't get it on tv and you didn't even have drags back then did you? We (US) only hade 4 channels back then, and one was/is PBS, (public television, more cerebral stuff).
@@UberLummox he following year ,1966, The English had Drags at a place called Santa Pod,built by Sidney Allard,of Allard Sports car fame, but they had been conducting Sprints,as they called them form the 1920's. Heres a link to the Santa pod strip but zero mention of the man who founded it, Typical 21st Century censorship. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Pod_Raceway
@@Timelord774 10 years from now they will be crying about methane gas coming out of their asses .so expect a computerised butt smog device. CARB approved.
1965? I was 14 and drag racing was just starting to get established in the UK but we could buy Hot Rod Magazine and PHR to follow it here - been addicted ever since.
umm! that was heaven in california. look across the street , not one structure over there. Now the wide freeway and packed with houses. wish l could go back, u can have my cell phone.
Jimmy Nix, the Smilin' Okie! I knew Jimmy, and saw him race at Topeka just a couple months before he was killed. Also, it's really weird to see the hills at the end of the track just open grass!
My brother wrecked our van at the top of that strip..we lived in those hills. Pappy had an 11 second Camaro in 72..he was from Upland but born in Culver City. I'm from Pomona but born in Upland.
Wow Garlits Purdomme Kalita Drag Racing Legends and they were just breaking 200mph with less 2000 HP in 65 I was 2 years old Fast Forward 2020 10,000+HP N 335 MPH
In 1964 the NHRA had just lifted the ban they had on fuel cars not running on pump gasoline that had been in place since 1957 when Pappy Hart freaked out at Emory Cook's pre-parachute, pre disk brakes run of 170 mph at Santa Ana. Cook and partner Cliff Bedwell had figured out how to run more than 30% nitromethane through Stromberg 97 carbs with bigger custom made jets, they didn't have fuel injection yet, blowers either.
Amazing. These guys were nuts enough to sit right next to those big wheels spinning out of control.. imagine a blowout! Those bicycle front wheels too, how could you even steer shit with those?
Great video. My grandpop took me to my first drag-race in 1969, so I can appreciate this. Cigarette commercials. Top Fuel: $10,000 car (minus the engine), 1500 horsepower, 11-inch wide rear tires, no pre-race burnouts, "The Bounty Hunter", "The Snake", "Big Daddy" 1/4 mile (NOT 1000 ft.), shut-down area with NO sand pit or nets. Competition Eliminator: Half-car bodies, handicap starts, funny-looking mask. What was up with the one track official wearing a long Indian head-dress?? The mailing address for the photo book contained no Zip-Code! Simpler times.
Before money destroyed the last refuge for competitors of average resources. The 200mph barrier was only recently broken by 1965. Connie Kalitta was sponsored by Ford and for most viewers the peek at his (then) new wedge motors' valve train was quite a revelation. Beyond rare to see any WWOS footage from this time See also the 1963 NHRA 'Nats posting which has the full WWOS opening and close with even more memorable cars and drivers.
I use to work with this old timer named George Atlas Van who drove for Jack kulp .he quit in 76 and ended up in Beaufort Mo as a mechanic in a garage there in which I worked, I listened to many old race storys, is there anyone who knew Atlas . His real name was George Vanartsdale from Pennsylvania in which he had a corvair garage
Jimmy Nix who was driving in Top Gas Dragster in this video retired driving Top Fuel Dragsters in the 1980s . But Jimmy came out of retirement in the 1990s but was killed in a tragic crash.
Bitchin! I was at that meet. Saw Lefty Mudersbach killed at Irwindale. Then in Army, missed the dominance of the “Ridge Route Terrors” (Warren, Coburn(a. 6’10” drywaller who did ceilings), Miller at Lions, best strip ever.- old guy
Pete Robinson died as a result of a crash at the 71 winter nationals At the finish line of a really strong run his front end lifted off the track going to the right into the guard rail. I heard later that a piece of "belly shrouding" came loose and the car lost down force on the front end. As I recall he died the next day. Tragic loss to drag racing. One of the very few to run a SOCH Ford in AA fuel.
my close group of friends all went to this event. I couldn't because I was on restriction. these are front engine dragsters, so dangerous, they didn't even think about rear engine. those guys knew exactly what they were getting into every time they ran down that quarter mile. lyons for me since my friend had a car. the smell of the Nitro, the vibration in your chest!
There sure were a lot of red-lights in that right lane. Looked like the tree was malfunctioning. Too many Pro’s got red-lighted, something wasn’t right.
Comp Eliminator, Top Gas, grandstands are packed! Drag Racing needs a MAJOR reevaluation in 2020 by NHRA. Why was it so popular in !965 vs 2020? My opinion- redesign the Nitro cars, to bring them to the value of 98% Nitro, dry hops, long smoky burnouts, Nitrofire @ idle. In the '70's when match racing was predominant over National events we had just as much fun @ events that had just a few bought in top level cars as at a National event. ( Indy or Columbus for me)
People (Americans) have a lot more options now for disposal income than they did 60 years ago. Another thing I think is progress has stalled because we've reached the limit of our present technology. Nitro is only cool yo the fans as long as its getting faster and faster compared to gas and methanol. We can't go much faster though cause the tire can't handle it yet. A pro mod or top alcohol dragster (either methanol or nitro) ends up being a better show, yet they aren't promoted or ran the same.
You're right. I remember Clark brand gas sold in Michigan back in the late 60s-early 70s advertised on its signs "Clark Super 100"!! The leaded premium (Super) was 100 octane, and the leaded regular was 95 octane! Amazing modern engines with a 10.5-11:1 compression ratio can run so well on unleaded 93 octane "premium" with less octane than regular had 50 years ago!!! Wonder what horsepower they could tweak out of an LS7 with 12.0:1 compression leaded premium, or a 750hp "stock" C7 Z06 Corvette?!!
I was one year old. I was at this race. My uncle Pete Shadinger is in the video. My dad was also racing at the time. Lots of memories. Thanks
Hi Mark, that's a fantastic piece of history there mate. I'm obsessed with the 50's and 60's hot rodding and drag racing, and also second generation. Over here in Australia my dad was a member of the first hot rod club in the southern hemisphere, very originally called Southern Hot Rod Club. Unlike your country it was all made official here in 1956. They organized the first drag meetings which were very crude compared to what was happening in the states but by working in with the Victoria police they slowly earned hot rodders a better name with the public. Dad went from building a 33 roadster to a 32 sedan with a mid mounted Ardun and tilt body, Harley Davidson front wheels all in 1958 - 62 and never finished it. I still have the body. He built a slingshot six cylinder dragster for my uncle in 67 , 68 and by the late 70's had a small business. From there came top alcohol, top fuel dragsters , sprint cars and many many street cars all for many many customers who became friends. I love seeing your family history on film like this, it's a long proud tradition and your dad and uncle and all their mates were there at what I reckon was the best time. I've lost both my parents now but I'm keeping it going. All the very best from Australia, you should be proud.
Wow ! One BIG change are these post-race interviews with drivers. Back then, they were personable, sincere and actually answered questions. Now, they spend 15 seconds, naming 25 sponsors and walk away ! Great video !🇺🇸
Somewhere up in the grandstand was a little 4yr old boy who was so happy his favorite driver had won that day, the little boy was me & the favorite driver was Don Prudhomme!
😁👍 Thanks Snake, for all the great memories & Thanks Pop, for deciding to raise me at a So-Calif racetrack! 🙏 RIP Pop ✝️
Btw, I was also in the stands 30yrs later, for Snake's final race ever
"The Snake's final strike" 👍
I have been to the Detroit Dragway Reunion a couple times here in Michigan I have met Don Garlits and have been to Pomona a few times I have met Don Prudomme both legends and fantastic drivers.
@@eldorado1830 Absolutely, The G.O.A.T.s 😉👍 Detroit to Pomona, now that's quite a haul! 🥵
I was there also for Snake's final strike! 👍
@@Red-dg1kp Very cool! I went to Phoenix ( Firebird ) for the 2nd race of Snake's FST & watched him lose to Scott Kalitta in the 1st round. I even remember that Scotty ran a 4.72 to Snake's 4.91 after a brilliant tire shake pedal job. Then Snake won the next race in Dallas! 🤦
At Pomona, he had won the race before in Houston & of course, he went out in the 1st round 🤷🏻♂️ Was still very cool to see 50k fans showing Snake so much Love & appreciation in his last pass 😎
I thank ABC Wide World of Sports, giving drag racing much needed coverage in its early years.
The linemen on the pole are Robert Evans and Jim Thomas we did this 3 years in a row.
Thanks for sharing this great step back in time ! This homage to drag racing’s early days, is only remembered by a few. Videos like this keep it alive and we thank you ! 🇺🇸
ABC's Wide World of Sports did a lot to promote these events.
Well said
I remember this race very well. I was living in bakersfield & Pamona was only a hop skip & jump away. Been a fan of the drags since my first trip to Formosa calif in 1959 with my uncle who was racing & old 34 flat head
Famoso 👍👍👍👍👍
Connie Kalitta and Don Prudhomme were just babies in this clip...skinny young men!! I've been to the NHRA Drags near Houston and have watched Doug Kalitta and the late Scott Kalitta race, among others. Don Prudhomme, at that point, wasn't racing anymore, but was a manager. Very gracious man...stopped pacing long enough to look directly at the camera lens I was aiming at him. A true legend.
Houston raceway track was demolished to build a warehouse.
Scotty was my favorite driver I am from Michigan Connie's cargo business is about 5 miles from here. Been out to Pomona to watch the opening races a few times great times out there.
So Many Truly Great Racers & Cars From A Great Time ln Drag Racing at Pomona..
Thanks For Posting,
Nick!
That's the year I graduated from high school, I remember how exciting it was to see my first over 200 mph, sub 8 second run in top fuel.
Prudhomme, Garlits, Kalitta -- Top Fuel cars making 1500 HP and barely cracking 200mph. Winston commercial, "Eldercare vs. Medicare." Times were sure different then.
...and that 48' Buick 6 with the carbs up in the breeze... :-)
Still in good hands with All-State though lol.
@@slowpoke96Z28 Can't buy it at Sears anymore however.
Sears used the Allstate brand for insurance, tires & toy trains.
Probably used it on other products.
Great video .... I love the oldies .... thanks for sharing 👀😊
Thank you for sharing!!
I still absolutely love the front motor slingshot rails. Stock block engines, big smokey launches & the seven second runs that gave you twice as long to enjoy the race.
Today's cars leave me cold. Races that last a little longer than a photo flash, gazillion horsepower race engines. Yeah, they're very fast, but they'll never replace the spectacular action of a [slingshot] dragster, or AA fuel altered. Even the gassers were worth the price of admission alone. Ahhh, .... fond memories.
Wasn’t there a new rule put into effect several years ago by the NHRA that cut the Nitro cars down to around a thousand foot run as opposed to the traditional quarter mile due to the death of a driver?
@@519CZRacer Yes. The 1000 ft. restriction for Top Fuel and Funny Car was implemented in July 2008, shortly after Scott Kalitta's fatal crash. These 11,000 horsepower cars are running nearly 340 mph at this distance. We won't see 1/4 mile nitro racing again unless NHRA slows them down.
These were great days in racing. I also loved the Pro Comp class during the 70s, a heads up alcohol class between rear engine and slingshot dragsters, altereds and Funny Cars.
Great watching these classic Drag race videos . Thanks for uploading them :)
Anyone catch Rick Stewart in TF. Years later he was the official starter for NHRA events.
Cool vid!
I like me very much NHRA races legends of 1965 Gas Cars. Best Wishes Nick, excelent broadcast of NHRA race.
My Dad took me to the drags starting from when I was 8, days old that is! 😆 This is the first event I actually remember, I was 4yrs old. It's also the day I picked Snake as "my guy" 😁 Pop said I had to pick a driver/car to root for, I'd say I picked a GREAT one! I met Don Prudhomme at OCIR in 🤔...74 I think, bought a Snake tee-shirt out of the back of his hauler, from Don himself! 😃!
My Dad was pissed, cause I paid $5 for a tee-shirt 🤬 LOL 😂
I've been to over a hundred races, Drags-Stockcars-Indycars-Sprints, hell, you name it. So-Cailf was a wonderful place to grow up a kid in the 60's-70's, especially if you were a racing nut like Pops & I. Dad instilled the love of racing in me and I'm so grateful he did 🙏 I lost My Father in 2019 at 84, seeing this video sure brings back memories, miss you terribly Dad 🙏 RIP 😞
Here we are down the TH-cam rabbit hole! I like the older front engine rail cars. Stay well everybody!
Man...these guys all had a set of balls....the early dragsters were damn dangerous! Gotta respect that fearlessness
That Was So Much Fun ,Watching The Greats Running At The Digs ,Nice Job ,Thank You !!!
Way Too Cool! I was 13 when this aired. I saw Prudhomme race years later in the Army car at York US-30.
Oh wow.
This is an incredible video !!! Thank you for sharing !!!!
Love this. Thank you for uploading!
Historic Video-----Thanks
I was 5 when that Winternationals race was held. I lived in the near by city of LA Puente but we didn't frequent that drag strip, as my dad would often take my brother and our next door neighbor buddy with us to the Irwindale drag strip which was a few miles closer to our house. Great memories of a wonderful time in my youth! Long live Top Fuel!
Snake's first National, wow. Also great seeing what Comp Eliminator used to be, with those big 6's running. But back to the T/F final, I thought NHRA starter-to-be Rick Stewart had him, but he didn't. Great seeing Leong, who looked like a kid! And I actually held a wrench for Connie Kalitta's Bounty Hunter at the York US 30 Supernationals that year. A teen-age kids'dream....
I was in the Navy stationed in San Diego and I drove up with a fellow Sailor to this event
R.I.P. Jimmy (The Smile'n Okie) Nix. Wing strut failure, Texas Motorplex, May 1994.
Thank you, Nick for posting this. I'm stuck inside because of the Kung Flu thing, it's 4 in the morning and I can't sleep. This was a pleasure to watch on so many levels. Cars that don't exist any more and the people, polite, courteous and without tattoos everywhere. Best of all was Chico winning, then they cut back to the start line and there is his lovely wife, son and a German Shepard in the push car. What a day.
Thanks for putting this to view
Don won a 427 single overhead Cam as part of the prize for this event and hence when he came back in the Spring of 66 he was piloting the Shelby super snake with that very engine that he won.
I think that the NHRA must have had problems with the tree that day with Kalitta and Garlits both fouling and the Nix/Amyx cars in the final round having that unplanned flag start, that's how Buster Couch dealt with it. There also appears to be an out of sequence yellow bulb flash at 25:08 on the time dial for the final with top fuel in The Snake's lane against Alexander.
I was involved on a drag racing team in the 80's and 90's...it was great...we ran an exhibition front engine top fuel dragster and made solo show runs for fun and "some" money...this episode reminds me of our racing time...it was great to see it.
This was a little before my time but I grew up watching these races glorified in hot rod and dragster magazines. I do remember Shirley Muldony entering the scene and beating "Big Daddy" . I also remember many races that were pretty outrageous. One of which was probably in the mid 80's when Don Garlets was upside down, backwards, and on fire at the finish line. The wreckage tripped the photo eye. He set a national record.
It was well done and even better on the starting line . Thanks All
✝️🇺🇸👍 great video in these hard time god bless all. Most people don't know how good asbestos was and what all it was used for I remember making big doughballs out of it when I was a kid pouring Babbitt bearings in machine shop🤦♂️ love one another . Ps call family and friends tell you love them.
About a month before I was born. Real racers here.
Miss the old school racing.
Attended my first drag race in 71.
Legends in the making! Love these old cars! Brute Force!
Naw, John wasn't there yet 😆 LOL, jk bud 👍
@@Slinger43 Nope, John Force wasn't there yet, but I think Big John Masmainian was coming to the starting line.
@@ECCL11 Big John's Candy-Apple Cuda!! 🤩👍
Holy crap! The names in this race! Garlits, Alexander, Kalitta, it's like a history lesson.
For real.
Back around '65 in England we didn't get anything like this - two channels were all we had on TV and on saturdays both would show horse racing as the main event. The commercial station would show wrestling toward the end of the afternoon and the BBC would often show 'scrambling' - later to be called motocross with football highlights late on saturday evening.....
You didn't get it on tv and you didn't even have drags back then did you?
We (US) only hade 4 channels back then, and one was/is PBS, (public television, more cerebral stuff).
@@UberLummox he following year ,1966, The English had Drags at a place called Santa Pod,built by Sidney Allard,of Allard Sports car fame, but they had been conducting Sprints,as they called them form the 1920's. Heres a link to the Santa pod strip but zero mention of the man who founded it, Typical 21st Century censorship.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Pod_Raceway
asbestos saved a lot of people's lives. you wont hear that too often!
Cigarette advertising during the show, A time when the safety equipment and the advertised products were more dangerous than the motor sport!
@@Timelord774 10 years from now they will be crying about methane gas coming out of their asses .so expect a computerised butt smog device. CARB approved.
Not anymore.
Coolest video. Thank you sooooo much. Awesome stuff
1965? I was 14 and drag racing was just starting to get established in the UK but we could buy Hot Rod Magazine and PHR to follow it here - been addicted ever since.
24:45, you're in good hands with All-State.
umm! that was heaven in california. look across the street , not one structure over there. Now the wide freeway and packed with houses. wish l could go back, u can have my cell phone.
Jimmy Nix, the Smilin' Okie! I knew Jimmy, and saw him race at Topeka just a couple months before he was killed. Also, it's really weird to see the hills at the end of the track just open grass!
Mike Whitcomb : Sorry, but what's weird about open grass? Should there be a concrete wall?
@@bill091086 It's probably all house's now....
My dad was there that year, 22 years old. 👍🏻
My Father & I were also there! I was 4! 💪👍
@@Slinger43
I was negative 17 😄
@@shitbox7413 Well, try harder not to be so negative! 😆👍
My brother wrecked our van at the top of that strip..we lived in those hills. Pappy had an 11 second Camaro in 72..he was from Upland but born in Culver City. I'm from Pomona but born in Upland.
My first car was a no-post 66 Chevy II with 12.5" Mickey Thompson's, a for 9" and a reinforced frame that I got in those hills..Ganesha.
Wow Garlits Purdomme Kalita Drag Racing Legends and they were just breaking 200mph with less 2000 HP in 65 I was 2 years old Fast Forward 2020 10,000+HP N 335 MPH
In 1964 the NHRA had just lifted the ban they had on fuel cars not running on pump gasoline that had been in place since 1957 when Pappy Hart freaked out at Emory Cook's pre-parachute, pre disk brakes run of 170 mph at Santa Ana. Cook and partner Cliff Bedwell had figured out how to run more than 30% nitromethane through Stromberg 97 carbs with bigger custom made jets, they didn't have fuel injection yet, blowers either.
Rails at Pomona on The Munsters TV show 64 Dragula
That was awesome. This is Prudhommes first win. Awesome history
I love those old commercials.
Indeed. I'm thinking of switching to Winston!
You made my day . Good times thank you
Amazing. These guys were nuts enough to sit right next to those big wheels spinning out of control.. imagine a blowout! Those bicycle front wheels too, how could you even steer shit with those?
I was at the 1969 Winter nationals, Pomona...Witness a Blower explosion on the start line/Christmas tree. It made everyone scramble for cover...
Prudhomme & Garlits & Kalitta = Classic!!
Great video. My grandpop took me to my first drag-race in 1969, so I can appreciate this. Cigarette commercials. Top Fuel: $10,000 car (minus the engine), 1500 horsepower, 11-inch wide rear tires, no pre-race burnouts, "The Bounty Hunter", "The Snake", "Big Daddy" 1/4 mile (NOT 1000 ft.), shut-down area with NO sand pit or nets. Competition Eliminator: Half-car bodies, handicap starts, funny-looking mask. What was up with the one track official wearing a long Indian head-dress?? The mailing address for the photo book contained no Zip-Code! Simpler times.
I'm old enough to remember those cigarette commercials. Times were much simpler back then!
I was there, loved going to the drags.
Me too Steve! I was 4 😁
Before money destroyed the last refuge for competitors of average resources.
The 200mph barrier was only recently broken by 1965.
Connie Kalitta was sponsored by Ford and for most viewers the peek at his (then) new wedge motors' valve train was quite a revelation.
Beyond rare to see any WWOS footage from this time
See also the 1963 NHRA 'Nats posting which has the full WWOS opening and close with even more memorable cars and drivers.
I use to work with this old timer named George Atlas Van who drove for Jack kulp .he quit in 76 and ended up in Beaufort Mo as a mechanic in a garage there in which I worked, I listened to many old race storys, is there anyone who knew Atlas . His real name was George Vanartsdale from Pennsylvania in which he had a corvair garage
That Don Prudhomme might just be a decent drag racer someday. I bet he wins one or two more.
thanks Nick
I was a Mechanic back in the day worked on a lot of these cars never got the credit only the driver got The credit still goes on today
Another "devil eye" even Garlits! I was only 4yrs old Great stuff!
Jimmy Nix who was driving in Top Gas Dragster in this video retired driving Top Fuel Dragsters in the 1980s . But Jimmy came out of retirement in the 1990s but was killed in a tragic crash.
Was John Milner there ?
Anyone under 50 probably doesn't get your reference.
Bob Falfa was there.
Sadly he was killed by a drunk driver New Year's day the year before
Greatest movie ever!!
A very young Don Prudhomme being interviewed at the end! Wow!
Bitchin!
I was at that meet.
Saw Lefty Mudersbach killed at Irwindale.
Then in Army, missed the dominance of the “Ridge Route Terrors”
(Warren, Coburn(a. 6’10” drywaller who did ceilings), Miller at Lions, best strip ever.- old guy
I was born in 65.. So cool to watch..
I could look at these old dragster all day long. Newer ones are faster, but who cares. They're heinous.
Great video, thanks a lot !
Pete Robinson died as a result of a crash at the 71 winter nationals At the finish line of a
really strong run his front end lifted off the track going to the right into the guard rail. I heard
later that a piece of "belly shrouding" came loose and the car lost down force on the front end.
As I recall he died the next day. Tragic loss to drag racing. One of the very few to run a
SOCH Ford in AA fuel.
He was a hero to me and my brother who met him at Phoenix drag strip1968-1970 my he rest in peace the tinker toy.
I recorded this audio to reel to reel tape off of our tv among other events including the Beatles. Still have the tapes.
What happened to Eldercare?
LOOK HOW FAR THEY'VE COME SINCE THEN ? WHOA !
Need to share with Gary Dymio
Notice all the fouls are in the right lane. As they would say in China, Sum Ting Wong.
and the winstons did taste good and was real sweet tobacco unlike today.
Like a cigarette should!
my close group of friends all went to this event. I couldn't because I was on restriction. these are front engine dragsters, so dangerous, they didn't even think about rear engine. those guys knew exactly what they were getting into every time they ran down that quarter mile. lyons for me since my friend had a car. the smell of the Nitro, the vibration in your chest!
This is great - Prudhomme's first national win!
There sure were a lot of red-lights in that right lane. Looked like the tree was malfunctioning.
Too many Pro’s got red-lighted, something wasn’t right.
Excellent ... Much Respect
1965 had some Beautiful American made factory stock cars that stood the test of time.
English town New Jersey.
Awesome footage!
Badass legendary Snake! Hell yea!!
Rick Stewart went on to replace Buster Couch as the NHRA's official starter.
WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS RACING IN THE 60s WAS THE BEST...THE PITS WERE THE BEST PART OF THE SHOW...
the ads make this video awesome.
God,I miss America!
Comp Eliminator, Top Gas, grandstands are packed! Drag Racing needs a MAJOR reevaluation in 2020 by NHRA. Why was it so popular in !965 vs 2020? My opinion- redesign the Nitro cars, to bring them to the value of 98% Nitro, dry hops, long smoky burnouts, Nitrofire @ idle. In the '70's when match racing was predominant over National events we had just as much fun @ events that had just a few bought in top level cars as at a National event. ( Indy or Columbus for me)
People (Americans) have a lot more options now for disposal income than they did 60 years ago.
Another thing I think is progress has stalled because we've reached the limit of our present technology. Nitro is only cool yo the fans as long as its getting faster and faster compared to gas and methanol. We can't go much faster though cause the tire can't handle it yet. A pro mod or top alcohol dragster (either methanol or nitro) ends up being a better show, yet they aren't promoted or ran the same.
i like how they bring up racing on pump gas all the time that stuff was race gas pretty much back then
With a few drips of nitro illegally mixed in buy some of them.
Hell, you could buy an octane booster/nitromethane mix around here 10 years ago. Can't remember the brand, but it was a well known brand name.....
You're right. I remember Clark brand gas sold in Michigan back in the late 60s-early 70s advertised on its signs "Clark Super 100"!! The leaded premium (Super) was 100 octane, and the leaded regular was 95 octane! Amazing modern engines with a 10.5-11:1 compression ratio can run so well on unleaded 93 octane "premium" with less octane than regular had 50 years ago!!! Wonder what horsepower they could tweak out of an LS7 with 12.0:1 compression leaded premium, or a 750hp "stock" C7 Z06 Corvette?!!
Those were the days. NHRA had not overregulated the sport yet. Creativity was king.
Wish i good go back to thoss days
Drag racer Rick Stewert went on to become the official starter of the NHRA after Buster Couch retired.
We've never seen this footage. Cant wait to share with the ol man.
This was awesome to see! No burnouts either, not sure when that started?
Interesting that the only mention the winner's ET.
Aww those superchargers screaming, we still can hear them in 2020 !
What gives with all the red lights? Was that common back in the day?