Once Upon A Time In Drag Racing

[Cliff]

Once Upon a Time in Drag Racing

Drag racing photos of nostalgia dragsters. Drag racing pictures of front engine AA/FD from 1949 to 1972. NHRA from the start. An amazing trip down memory lane.

wdifl.com

Found this looking for something else. Lots of great photos.

 

[Al]

Once Upon a Time in Drag Racing

Drag racing photos of nostalgia dragsters. Drag racing pictures of front engine AA/FD from 1949 to 1972. NHRA from the start. An amazing trip down memory lane.

wdifl.com

Found this looking for something else. Lots of great photos.

I go to "We did it for Love" every week and I missed that. Nice find Cliff. Thanks. BTW the clipping on Pete Robinson is the first I have ever seen on what the poor guys injuries were. That was so sad.

 

[Cliff]

I have seen photos of Pete's car just before the crash, & one front tire was really distorted. Some people blamed the crash on the device Pete had under the car that was supposed to have downforce. I saw Pete just before the Winternats at Lions. He ran a 6.50 ET, which I think was the best for a Cammer Ford. I went to the Winternats on race day, & before the race started, announcer asked for a moment of silence; said Pete had passed away the night before. Yes, so sad. He was such a sharp guy; ya hafta wonder what he would have come up with if he hadn't passed.

 

[Ramjet]

I have seen photos of Pete's car just before the crash, & one front tire was really distorted. Some people blamed the crash on the device Pete had under the car that was supposed to have downforce. I saw Pete just before the Winternats at Lions. He ran a 6.50 ET, which I think was the best for a Cammer Ford. I went to the Winternats on race day, & before the race started, announcer asked for a moment of silence; said Pete had passed away the night before. Yes, so sad. He was such a sharp guy; ya hafta wonder what he would have come up with if he hadn't passed.

When Pete came out here he kept his stuff at Delta Machine Crankshafts (Huey Holk). Anyway - Norm Weekly was selling ads for Drag News and when he walked into see Huey Pete was filing on a Magnesium Blower case that he had already pruned the bottom off and it would bolt up through the pruned Mag manifold. He says "What are you doing" and Pete says "Nothing". Norm then says "That's {Mag} it doesn't weigh anything". So without even looking up Pete says "Then why are the chips falling on the floor instead of floating away" and kept on filing. There has never been anyone so obsessed with weight. I am pretty sure Pete started the Mag Blower cases - blower drives through Delta - Injectors - Front covers - Manifolds - fuel pump extensions - Valley covers - Valve covers & even rocker stands. The guy was amazing. I know I almost set my shop on fire a couple of times making some of those things when the cutter got dull and the magnesium lit up.

 

[Cliff]

Pete had a dragster w/ jack stands on it. He'd come to the line, rev up the motor & then the jack stands would go down & off he went. the idea was to get a "head start" by already having the tires spinning. Of course, the racers said "ain't fair" and the jacks got banned. heh Pete was an inovater.

 

[Cliff]

The Golden Age Of Drag Racing Part 3

Click on Part 1. Third photo is Ernies Camera Pontiac AA/Gas Dragster, out of Glendale, Calif. I saw Tommy Ivo drive this car at San Fernando. Ivo was the first "big name" driver that I saw, maybe 1961 or '62. I used to go to Ernies Camera just to look at the drag photos on the walls. Oh, Part 2 of this link doesn't work.