1 Car-1 Run-1- Track-Time?

[TopFuel@Lions]

If you could wish upon a drag racing star. What car, what track, and when.

Mine would be as follows. The year would be 1967, the car would be the Beebe & Mulligan car with the can tipped and loaded for bear. It would be lined up against the "Snake." It would be on a Saturday night, preferably at the best 1-day AA/FD show, the P.D.A.

I would like the right lane, flames standing tall with a full grandstand looking on. And of course it would be at my favorite strip, the greatest weekly drag strip of all time, the ultra awesome Lions Drag Strip. Starter Larry Sutton flipping the switch on the tree, Jon Lunberg calling it, and my best friend and father watching on "our" seats.

TopFuel@Lions..push starts, starting line roller starters, and chili tamales......sweet!

 

[Cliff]

Lions on a Sat night. Wild Willy Borsch AA/FA Vs whoever is in the other lane. Maybe Mike Sullivan. Or, bittersweet, The Last Drag Race at Lions, Dec 1972. Carl Olsen Vs Jeb Allen in the last ever race at Lions, the T/F final. Jeb lost but became the last racer ever to run at Lions. I wonder if Jeb ever thinks of that? Probably not, now it's just trivia. (Not to me)

 

[PJ]

The where and when would be final round at Indy any year

The ride.....now that's a tough one
-Danny Townsend's old 32 comp altered. Loved how he always caught people at the lights after the huge handicap he had to give. Grew up watching him race that thing all over, In fact in our house to Townsend something is a regular phrase for anything that is caught at the end or finished just in time.
-One of WJ's mid 80's olds or Andy Mannarino rides....basically early to mid 80's pro stocker
-Super gasser before throttle stops. Either of the Eckard brothers Anglias would do as would Sheldon Gecker's 80's era King Kong cars
-Anything with Nitro
-Front engine dragster, don't even car what's in it. Just to see the view my dad had back in the day

 

[mikebcurve]

The where and when would be final round at Indy any year

The ride.....now that's a tough one
-Danny Townsend's old 32 comp altered. Loved how he always caught people at the lights after the huge handicap he had to give. Grew up watching him race that thing all over, In fact in our house to Townsend something is a regular phrase for anything that is caught at the end or finished just in time.
-One of WJ's mid 80's olds or Andy Mannarino rides....basically early to mid 80's pro stocker
-Super gasser before throttle stops. Either of the Eckard brothers Anglias would do as would Sheldon Gecker's 80's era King Kong cars
-Anything with Nitro
-Front engine dragster, don't even car what's in it. Just to see the view my dad had back in the day

I grew up spending my weekends at National Trails. Sure miss watching those Eckard Bros. Anglias. Brings back a lot memories when I see guys like the Eckards and Bob Marshall show up at current events. You should join the National Trail Raceway “The Super Strip” page on Facebook. Lots of great pictures including the Eckards. Here is a story from 2003 on DragRaceCentral interviewing Terry Eckard. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCStory.asp?ID=22010. (If you look at my avatar Steve Eckard is Rick Perry’s opponent)

 

[.]

Hofmann vs. Force
anywhere
anytime

 

[PJ]

I grew up spending my weekends at National Trails. Sure miss watching those Eckard Bros. Anglias. Brings back a lot memories when I see guys like the Eckards and Bob Marshall show up at current events. You should join the National Trail Raceway “The Super Strip” page on Facebook. Lots of great pictures including the Eckards. Here is a story from 2003 on DragRaceCentral interviewing Terry Eckard. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCStory.asp?ID=22010. (If you look at my avatar Steve Eckard is Rick Perry’s opponent)

We went to National trails a bunch too, div3 race, Spring Nationals....just because we needed a racing fix lol I always likes Steve's Red one over Terry's Brown

 

[Pete]

Back in the 80's, Epping... Force, West, Etchells, Hofmann, Caminito, Santucci, Pat Walsh, Frank Kramberger, Bobby Lagana Sr., all battling in a Chicago style match race.

 

[ANDY]

Hoffman vs. Force
anywhere
anytime

Al spells his name 'Hofmann' and he would kick ur azz if he was still around for not knowing that... LOL

 

[.]

Al spells his name 'Hofmann' and he would kick ur azz if he was still around for not knowing that... LOL

eek. I corrected it.

 

[cdag]

Back in the 80's, Epping... Force, West, Etchells, Hofmann, Caminito, Santucci, Pat Walsh, Frank Kramberger, Bobby Lagana Sr., all battling in a Chicago style match race.

Man, those were good days!

 

[Pete]

Actually, the most impressive "WOW" run I ever saw in person was 1998 Winternationals...Hofmann in his first race back since the Gainesville crash...pulls up for Q1 on Friday, launches, the tail was wagging hard all the way down...and a 4.86 pops up...I believe the best run to date had been a 4.91.

 

[ocdart]

Oh, to be able to go back in time to any of the "special" events at OCIR! My favorite events were their 64 Funny Car events.
Back in the '70s my ex-wife and I were good friends with Billy Condit and his wife and we used to hang out with them when they raced the family funny car at OCIR. One memory that jumps out is the time we were down on the strip before the event and they had all 64 cars lined up down both sides of the strip and were going to start them all up for a monstrous Cacklefest (the term had not yet been coined). The Condits were never "bucks up" racers with money to burn so instead of firing the car they just stood alongside with one hand on the raised body and shook the body so it looked like it was idling.
Great memories of good times.

 

[TopFuel@Lions]

Another choice for me would have been this one run, one track deal. The overall final after 3 killer rounds. The match up between Roy Gay and "Fast" Eddie Shartman at the first manufacturers meet in 67 at OCIR. With an sro crowd watching, I would have loved to have been the driver of that cammer powered "Air Lift Rattler " Comet. That car was one bad hombre.

TopFuel@Lions

 

[.]

So many to choose from.

Snake's Monza at Indy.
Reher-Morrison's 82 Camaro at Indy.
Hoover's 92 Showtime Vette at Indy (his cars were so beautiful)
Grump's Monza at Indy. Or at an outlaw track in match race form.

 

[Cliff]

James Warren (Warren-Coburn-Miller Rain For Rent) VS Don Garlits at OCIR. Saw that race, the track was getting slick cuz of the dew, and James out drove Garlits to win. Crowd loved it! You didn't see Big lose in the final too often.

Ken, your story of the Condit Bros was cool. I remember that team, hard racers. The Plymouth Arrow was so streamlined for the day.

 

[ocdart]

James Warren (Warren-Coburn-Miller Rain For Rent) VS Don Garlits at OCIR. Saw that race, the track was getting slick cuz of the dew, and James out drove Garlits to win. Crowd loved it! You didn't see Big lose in the final too often.

Ken, your story of the Condit Bros was cool. I remember that team, hard racers. The Plymouth Arrow was so streamlined for the day.

Thanks Cliff. Great memories of so many fun times at OCIR.
I wish I could find the negative of a pic I took of the Condit Bros. at OCIR. Remember the wooden fence that separated the staging lanes from the walk-in entry from the parking lot? I don't remember what event but as qualifying was drawing to a close they had their Funny Car (with the body raised) and tow truck parked beside that fence at the very back of the staging lanes and the three brothers were sitting on and in the car listening to the announcer call out the results after each qualifying run. I called the pic "Bump Spot" because they were sitting there waiting to find out if they made the field for that event.
A lot of years ago but still just like yesterday.

 

[Cliff]

Once in awhile I dig out the photos I took from those years, and the memories come back. Even little stuff, like what the pits looked like at OCIR. The tower at Lions, located on the bridge that crossed the track. The top end at San Fernando, with the "spin out" area to stop and the rocks at the end if you couldn't. Even the drive from the street to the entrance at Lions. You'd go by the pits & see who was there. I miss that stuff. If I ever invent a time machine, a whole lot of Maters will go back with me.