Nitromater
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How Did 1320' Become The Distance For Drag Racing
- Thread starter FABMAN
- Start date
Wally Parks was on Dave Despain's show explaining that. Back in 1950 when they first got together to organize the NHRA they wanted a fair distance to use and the best distance they came up with was a 1/4 mile. They initially thought 1/2 mile might work, but the racers thought that was just too long so they cut it down.
Harry Mannback
Nitro Member
That is what I understand too, If it's where I think it was the track is still there only now it's called John Wayne Airport.
When I was a kid Air Cal used to fly 4 engine turbo props out of there.
Link ; Orange County Memories: Santa Ana Drag Strip at Orange County Airport
FABMAN
Nitro Member
Rumblebones
Nitro Member
Same length quarter horses run.
d'kid
Nitro Member
My Bad, I spent years thinking Pappy's place was 1/2 mile... guess I was misinformed by some of the old guys in the neighborhood, that ran both at the airport and out at the lake beds... I was also told that the SCTA sanctioned the track at first.
Guess that means never believe anything a hot rodder/ racer tells you
d'kid
Guess that means never believe anything a hot rodder/ racer tells you
d'kid
Wes
Nitro Member
Mark and PJ are probably the closest to right...since there is no record of substantiation. A 1/4 mile was a common length of mesure used in other forms of "racing" at that period of time. By making organized drag racing a standard length that people could understand they could better comprehend the performances gained at events. It's not much different than when people equate general lengths in "football field" terms or approximate height using the term "story" instead of feet...or worse...METERS!
1320' just stuck even though other lengths like 660', 2640', 1760', and even 1000' were commonplace during the early years.
1320' just stuck even though other lengths like 660', 2640', 1760', and even 1000' were commonplace during the early years.
NitroRichFire
Nitro Member
Re: To add on to Jesse's question...
Man now your digging up some old memories!
Man now your digging up some old memories!
What was the first 1/4 mile strip in America?
What was the first 1/4 mile strip on the East Coast? (This has long been believed to be Aquasco but I'm not so sure about that)
Harry Mannback
Nitro Member
The blimp base actually in Tustin, did not get a runway until after 1951 when the Marines took it over from the Navy for helicopter use . They held on to it until it closed in 1999. I don't think they ever had racing there.
Link: Historic California Posts: Marine Corps Air Station, Tustin
Dan
Harry Mannback
Nitro Member
Greg Stanley Re: How Did 1320' Become The Distance For Drag Racing
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It was always my understanding that many of the racing being held on city streets in the Los Angeles area were using 2 or 3 city blocks (can't remember which) as the distance... it was roughly a 1/4 mile.
Both of those answers seem logical, so they can't be right.
Just a quick note....several times Wally P. and I talked about this...both on, for the media and off the record speaking personally with me...and his story was consistent....the 1/4 came as a response to the length of the available facilities that were in use or planned for the time. Never did hear him...either in private or public say anything about city blocks or comparisons to oval tracks. Seemed to me to be solely based on stopping distance remaining. Remember...this came on the heels of his involvement with SCTA and the dry lakes...where stopping distances are measured in miles!
MaC
MaC
Wes
Nitro Member
How ironic is that 53 years later facing what we are now facing? Wow! I've heard so many different versions of the story since I was old enough to ask that very question, "Daddy, why do we race 1/4 mile?" Some cat named Dave Settles tried to convince me once that if we raced further than 1320' dragsters would become airborne...but I was probably chewing on a june bug in our garage on a hot Texas evening so there's no telling what "facts" those guys filled my head with...circa 1974.
Tim5636sc
Nitro Member
Mac, wasn't the Paris, Ca Airport Track one of the 1st SCTA tracks out there as well?? It was a quarter mile facility that my grandpa used to race at quite a bit. THE SANTA ANA track was the location of the the first NHRA event I believe, in 1953....I could be wrong about the date though..
Timmah
Timmah
