Any drag racing fans?

[bigride]

I have never been mechanically inclined or driven a hot rod, but I enjoy watching the sport. I am not the most knowledgable on the subject, especially pre-'70's.

My first favorite is no surprise, Big Daddy Don Garlits. I'm usually not a front runner, but he was the first drag racing driver that stuck with me.

Don Garlits Breaks Drag Racing 270 MPH Barrier - YouTube

I also liked Tom McEwen's Corvette funny car...when you could still see a difference between cars.

Warren Johnson was also a favorite, especially in the Hurst Olds.

So many great drivers. So much power. Who are your favorites?

 

[jbtrucker]

My favorite 1960-70's drag racing, todays sportsman classes and the sleek alcohol funny cars. The modern nitro cars are wicked fast but the bodies are just billboards no art like the old days.

 

[snowman]

My experience consists only of watching the classic stock cars from the 60s on YouTube. Not really a fan, just interested in how well some of the cars of my youth can do with limited modifications.

One thing which I've noticed in watching videos of these recent events is the nearly empty stands. Apparently there isn't nearly the interest in the sport that there was 50 years ago or so.

I'm a farm boy, and am much more interested in the stock classes in tractor pulling. I really enjoy seeing a diesel farm tractor with every bit of power that it can be made to generate, belching black smoke and straining against the load as far as it can take it. There are a lot of videos for this also, and also a similar lack of spectator interest as with drag racing.

Regards,
Andy

 

[Duster340]

I prefer the nostalgia drag events, and F.A.S.T. racing.

 

[427mach1]

Although they were around a little before my time, I like the A/FX cars of the early to mid-sixties. Butch Leal, Gas Rhonda and the like driving the Thunderbolts, then later the Mustangs that morphed into Super Stock and Funny Cars....

 

[824tsv]

My Favourites, although I have many. These are my most favourites:

Top Fuel-old school- TV Tommy Ivo
Top Fuel-current- Chris "The Greek" Karamesines
Top Fuel-currrent- Clay Millican

Funny Car-old school- "Jungle" Jim Liberman
Funny Car-old school- Don Schumacher
Funny Car-current-John "Brute" Force
Funny Car-current-Cruz Pedregon

Pro Stock-old school- Bill Bagshaw "The Red Light Bandit"
Pro Stock-old school- Ronnie "Mr 4-Speed" Sox
Pro Stock-old school- Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins
Pro Stock-old school- 'Dyno" Don Nicholson
Pro Stock-recently retired- "The Professor" Warren Johnson
Pro Stock-current- Greg Anderson

Super Stock (before it morfed into Pro Stock)
Super Stock-old school- Arnie "The Farmer" Beswick
Super Stock-old school-"Mr Chevrolet" Dick Harrell
Super Stock-current- Roy "Hillbilly" Hill

 

[SC_Mike]

Grumpy Jenkins was one I followed.

Back in HS we used to race out street cars at Blaney Drag strip here in SC, not too far from our school. Amateur status of course but it was fun. I drove a 1969 Camaro SS back in the day...

 

[oldman10mm]

^^^ great list !
A/FXs'
Used to race in the 60s/70s' stock class at Dragway 42 in west Salem Ohio. 1965 Buick Skylark Gran Sport.
Back into it since 2004 at Thompson and Norwalk with the local group,just doing 'test-n-tune' sessions. 1998 Camaro Z28. Currently 'under the knife' pulling out the rear end to swap in another.

 

[ExcitableBoy]

I've always preferred door-slammers and fuelies, as anyone on the street could relate to the primarily stock skins. They drove the "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday" mantra for manufacturers and their dealerships. I never could get into the top fuel rails or floppers.

What, no "Dandy" Dick Landy fans?

 

[NYlakesider]

Back in the 60s I had a couple of fast muscle cars. Albany was wide open in the street racing culture. The police drove large Buick's with the smallest engine that were beat to death so no match for what we were driving. (lousy radio communication also)

Did a lot of street racing for about 5 years and also ran my car at the two local drag strips. One of my best friends had a speed shop and over the course of time he had a couple nation record holding cars, I went to many big races as part of his pit crew.

Going to those meets I met most all the well know drivers/owners of that era. A rather interesting group to say the least. I knew Cha Cha Muldowney as she was a local street racer that made the BIG time, and ran into her many times at these events.


As my buddies car was a Pontiac and I was a Mopar person I spent the most times with people using those cars. Ronnie Sox and Dick Landy to me were easy people to talk with and I picked up a lot from them, that also includes secret part number performance products from Chrysler that made my street Dodge RT 440 very nasty.

 

[American1776]

My dad drag raced in the 70's and 80's.

We were always fans of the sport. When I was a little kid, I met all the greats at the race tracks, including Kenny Bernstein and Shirley Muldowny. I've grown to really appreciate the awesome-ness of the nitro top fuel dragsters and funny cars. When you're in the stands when two of those go by you, you feel the engines and all that horsepower inside you body. It's a truly exhilarating experience.

 

[djt17]

The Snake & Mongoose!

 

[oldman10mm]

'The Snake' Prudhomme and Tom 'The Mongoose' McEwen

 

[29aholic]

Drag raced off and on for several years. I rode a Top Fuel Harley for a friend for 2 seasons. Another friend of mine and I built a really nasty big block 66 Chevy II. It would run high 9's to low 10's.

I have to admit I watch Street Outlaws pretty religiously.

 

[goatsnguns]

Anybody remember "Wild Willy Borsch"? He always drove his fuel altered with one hand on the door panel.

 

[ParadiseRoad]

...I'm a fan of the old days...

...Tom McEwen passed away June 10th...RIP...

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1L5-Sr4JXY[/ame]

 

[ParadiseRoad]

Anybody remember "Wild Willy Borsch"? He alway drove his fuel altered with one hand on the door panel.

...Wild Willie...

...when he switched to funny car...he had a fake arm out the window...

...the fake arm was recently auctioned off...

 

[ParadiseRoad]

...somewhere...lost in my life's memorabilia...is a nickel I personally handed to Don Garlits that he flipped to decide lane choice in a match race with Don Prudhomme at Continental Divide Raceway in Castle Rock Colorado...

...below...Snake's car from the Really Good Old Days...McEwen appears in this video as well...

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUgO3y64lmI[/ame]

 

[ParadiseRoad]

...one I remember well...

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAhsQvDscK4[/ame]

 

[29aholic]

...one I remember well...

Don Prudhomme says "I Quit" vs. Jim Nicoll in 1970 - YouTube

Yeah I remember that one too. IIRC the clutch or flywheel let go.