Jan. 7: Jim Murphy's introduction to the sport; Carl Casper's Cosmic Charger; Yellow Fang; Jeff Foulk's Finagler; old Funny Car bodies; amateur artwork; Youngblood's flying "Snake". Aug. 9: At this year's Chevrolet Performance U. Nationals, as they have been for the last 60 years, when the event was held in Detroit, two longtime fans of the sport will be settled into their seats watching all of the action at the 65th edition of the "Big Go. However, the scene in front of them almost made their eyes pop out. Really, how many other famous rivalries out there can claim a chair hurtling across the basketball court as one of its landmark moments? Reading 2007 is a good example. Looking at the thunderbolts that kept appearing in the martial arts space, he kept striking out with his battle sword.
March 24: From vintage drag cars found in hiding to some great old videos, new websites, and a resurfaced old drag racing board game, there's lots to catch up on. April 12: More great reader-submitted photos. Even some rare treasures didn't dare to be sent into the lightning, let alone a treasure seal. Aug. 14: Laying the groundwork for a new series of articles begins with a profile on Don Gay. May 17: Early reaction to the passing of James Warren; we also lose Ed Mabry. Negaigoto wa Hidamari de. April 27: Barry Setzer's monocoque Top Fueler. March 1: Don Prudhomme display at the Winternationals; re-creating a legendary Winternationals photo. March 9: Tom Nagy shares his images of the 1970s' stars of the sport, including Shirley, Beck, and more. Dec. 5: Dale Armstrong: Racer, inventor, genius. Nov. 4: Brittany Force, Robert Hight, and Matt Smith lead the points in their classes heading into the season-ending Auto Club NHRA Finals, but, as history has shown and possible points values back up, nothing is certain at the final race of the season. July 31: Malcolm Durham, Lee Jones, Western Bunns, Petrocelli & Haskett Super Twister Corvair, Arnie Behling, George Montgomery, Stone, Woods & Cooke, "Pee Wee" Wallace, Jim Maybeck, Gene Snow, "Fast Eddie" Schartman, Wally Parks.
June 19: David Graves has been shooting photos in Texas and the surrounding states for decades and shared with us a collection of some of his great Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Sportsman-racing images. Floppers galore, plus many of your heroes. The life and times of wheelstander king Bill Shrewsberry and his L. Dart machines. 26: From a spectacular crash at the 1969 Winternationals to back-to-back wins in 1970, the Hawaiian has a star-crossed history in Pomona. Aug. 14: Drag racing lost two more of its early pioneers this week with the passing of Fuel Altered racer Leon Fitzgerald and Pro Stock racer and crankshaft manufacturer Sonny Bryant. Jan. 16: From NHRA in Pomona to AHRA in Phoenix and the IHRA in Florida, season kickoffs from 40 years ago. Such a path was not suitable for him. May 22: Phil's greatest crash and burn photos! Sept. 21: Former Top Fuel champ Jeb Allen's long road back. There are so many questions, but we'll try to answer them all. Aug. 24: The real story behind one of the great performance-driven Funny Car races.
However, the sword intent at this moment was not pure yang at all. We recently lost one of them, former Texas Top Fuel racer Jody Smart. May 22: Auto-racing superstar Mario Andretti only dabbled once in drag racing, in a Ford vs. Chevy exhibition in Connecticut where Andretti's Tasca Ford-prepped machine won four straight races against a more experienced opponent. Here's a look back at some of them. March 20: The life and times of Funny Car racer Larry Reyes. April 29: Meet Mark Gredzinski, a talented (and obsessive) British model maker with an infatuation with 1970s Funny Cars. Oct. 5: Drag racing lost a pair of its early heroes over the last two weeks with the passings of legendary East Coast Top Fuel and Funny Car racer Jimmy King and versatile driver "Jet Car Bob" Smith. Here's a look back at some memorable images over the past 70 years. July 10: Veteran East Coast photographer Fred Von Sholly shares some of his images: Bill Jenkins, Gene Conway, Don Nicholson, Brutus, and more. John Lombardo Jr. recounts the "surreal and unpleasant night" in 1984 when legendary Funny Car owner Joe Pisano's rig burned to the ground in the California desert.
March 22: Matching 6. Nicoll's clutch explodes at the finish line, cutting his front-engine dragster in two at his feet. May 20: The first results are officially in; here's a look at the list. How many legends can you identify? Meet Bruce Larson, who did it 30 years before. Dec. 15: One of the sport's most promising stars was gone way too soon; the story of the Albertson Olds superstar. Dec. 18: A tribute to Alcohol Dragster champion Don Woosley. Oct, 31: More memories come rolling in from those who knew the talented Texan. July 29: SoCal dragstrips had the best concession stands, from Irwindale's In-N-Out Burgers to OCIR's varied menu and Lions' iconic stand.
Aug. 12: "Jungle Jim" Liberman climbed into the iconic car for a ride with longtime pal Austin Coil. Nov. 12: See above, but Part 2. June 28: In the months leading up to the 65th annual U. Nationals, I'm chroniclinh some of the great stories that made Indy the world's biggest and most important drag race. Aug. 28: 50 Years of National Dragster display at the NHRA Museum. Feb. 21: East Coast brothers take on the flopper stars of the 1970s. If that happens Saturday, care to guess what the post-game court will look like? Oct. 5: NHRA beats NASCAR, 21-20, in the Darrell Gwynn benefit softball game. June 15: Some of his best racing friends remember Tom "the Mongoose" McEwen in a touching and funny retrospect to one of the most popular drivers in the sport's history. Feb. 27: Garlits debuts Swamp Rat 14 in Pomona; memories from Woody Gilmore, Don Long, Don Moody, and Wes Cerny. March 9: A behind-the-scenes look at the circumstances leading to the creation of Don Garlits' sidewinder Top Fueler, and other wild machines created by the brothers Sage, as well as a farewell to influential chassis builder Roy Fjastad, and Don Long's Eight Phases of a Sidewinder and/or Streamliner Dragster project. July 19: Still unraveling the mysteries of the yellow and black Prudhomme 'Cudas. And hundreds of issues of National Dragster that need to be moved. Plus: Autograph hunt!
July 23: More ramp-truck answers; Roy Harris; glass-sided trailers; early Chi-Town Hustler ramp truck; July 20: More ramp truck stories and photos. Feb. 15: No one has driven a nitro Funny Car longer than Gary Densham, who kicked off his 49th season in Pomona. March 18: The cars of Don Garlits, from Swamp Rat I-A (1956-60) to Swamp Rat X (1966-67). Nov. 24: The life and times of famed Southern California starter Larry Sutton.
Files, letter B (Dick Boynton, Steve "Okie" Bernd, Blasters & Peabody, Jim Bowen, Kenny Brown (motorcycle daredevil), and Jon Button). To use comment system OR you can use Disqus below! May 6: Models in plastic and brass, and other things small; bodyless Funny Car. Dec. 8: More Ghost Tracks: Sanford drags; Vineland Speedway; Montgomery Dragstrip; Connecticut Dragway; Suffolk Raceway; Old Gator Drag Strip; Oklahoma City; Tucson Dragway; Goleta; first tube dragster. March 30: From the late 1990s through the mid-2000s, annually presented a special April Fools section, the first of which was published 20 years ago this week and featured some radical (but not-so-real) rides. June 15: Former Funny Car racer "Doc" Hales headed up medical services for the NHRA Safety Safari. Nov. 15: Don Garlits/Don Prudhomme/Donovan Hot Rod cover; Comparing the legends, decade by decade; plus, the Glidden factor. Dec. 19: Sharing the night with drag racing legends at Don Prudhomme's holiday party (lucky me! Nov. 23: Some Thanksgiving-day thoughts.
May 17: Steve Reyes shares the images and stories behind some iconic '70s drag mag location shoots. Gray (Lujun Kazekaoru).