The best single drag race that you have witnessed? (1 Viewer)

[Michael Thomas]

Clayton Harris string of 6.20's at The County winter of 70-71...
Next closest car was Carbone with mid .30's

Larry Reyes/Roland's 7.30 weekend at Irwindale, OCIR and Carlsbad, first time back in May of '69... Thanks Big John and the Army...

mine would be leroy chadertons magnificent 7 vr wild willy at the dale around 68/69 both so out of shap they almost hit each other. but nether one would lift. to say they were our heros would be so true, long live aa/fa lol mikey

 

[Hiproger]

As most on here know I'm an older dude & most of my best memories go back to the early 60's factory super stock wars & the early funny car match races. It was usually a best 2 out of 3 but if you were lucky, a best 3 out of 5. Each race could be as long as 15/20 minutes, what with the introductions, rosin dust being spread out in front of the cars & then the burnouts thru the stuff to get if nice & tacky. A couple/three dry hops & with everybody jacked up to a fever pitch, the run was finally made. Sheer delight & an era never to be seen again but never forgotten by those lucky enough to have been there.
I've told this story before but the one that I remember most was in 1965 at a little strip just north of Nashville & the headliners were "Dyno" Don Nicholson with his new "Eliminator" flip-top Comet vs Arnie "Farmer" Beswick with his (new) '63 "Tameless Tiger". It was supposed to be a best of 5 but on the fourth run, with "Dyno" ahead 2 to 1, Arnie lost oil pressure on the burnout & had to withdraw. To this day I've never seen anything to match the thrill & excitement of that night. It'd be nice to somehow go back & witness a few more of those. ..............."HIP"

 

[murdock]

1988 U S Nationals. Top Fuel is sneaking up on the 4's, and Gene Snow runs 5.008 in the semi-finals. I thought the grandstands were coming down. That was pure, unadulterated excitement. The closest thing that I have seen since that is when WJ ran the first PS 200 mph at Richmond.

 

[Darryl]

Any Bakersfield, 'County' or 'Beach' event that featured 64 Top Fuel Cars in round one. PDA 1967 comes to mind. Other than that it had to be the night Hubert Platt raced his Falcon at Long Beach. Lost in round one but came and made several singles, trying to turn the car over on the starting line. He was on the West Coast to take delivery of a new Mustang. On the final attempt he put the Falcon on the BUMPER and popped open the trunk lid. Out came several tool boxes, and their contents, all over the starting line! CJ was PI$$ED TO NO END!! Not sure I ever saw him madder.

 

[Rajunz]

Two races that come to mind, John Force in the Wendy's Corvette vs. Kenny Bernstien in the Chelsea King, running on a Wednesday night for what would be either one of their 1st wally's. 1979 Cajun Nationals, rained out on Sunday, so everyone returned Wednesday evening for eliminations. Kenny won it, John earned yet another brides maid position. Hard to imagine a time when niether one of those two had a Wally. Also of note, that same Sunday evening of the rain out, Kenny packed everything up and drove to St. Louis and set up everything on the Anhauser Busch door steps for the now famous Monday morning display that worked his foot in the door.

The second race was more of a whole weekend than one race. It was in Baytown, 1988, when Eddie Hill blew everything in the trailer up on Saturday trying to get in the show. They were packing up when he was loaned enough parts to make the final qualifying effort. He got in the show, then came back the next day and slaughtered the field, winning the final on Sunday with a 4.92 second run. The day before, Gene Snow ran the very first 4 second run in NHRA history, so a .92 was out of this world at the time.

 

[Joker]

Two races that come to mind, John Force in the Wendy's Corvette vs. Kenny Bernstien in the Chelsea King, running on a Wednesday night for what would be either one of their 1st wally's. 1979 Cajun Nationals, rained out on Sunday, so everyone returned Wednesday evening for eliminations. Kenny won it, John earned yet another brides maid position. Hard to imagine a time when niether one of those two had a Wally. Also of note, that same Sunday evening of the rain out, Kenny packed everything up and drove to St. Louis and set up everything on the Anhauser Busch door steps for the now famous Monday morning display that worked his foot in the door.

The second race was more of a whole weekend than one race. It was in Baytown, 1988, when Eddie Hill blew everything in the trailer up on Saturday trying to get in the show. They were packing up when he was loaned enough parts to make the final qualifying effort. He got in the show, then came back the next day and slaughtered the field, winning the final on Sunday with a 4.92 second run. The day before, Gene Snow ran the very first 4 second run in NHRA history, so a .92 was out of this world at the time.

Lance, I remember that weekend like it was yesterday and I was only 8 years old when it happened. In the "WHY NHRA" thread here now, I put that as the moment I first realized the NHRA's power when Eddie Hill and Gene Snow came by me side by side and the grandstands at Houston shook.

 

[.]

Easy.
'05 Finals Pomona.
F/C elims.
RD. 2, Force vs. Tony Pedregon.
Everything was on the line.
They launch and looks like Force will take it, but then the Q-power car sneaks by at the stripe, thus giving the championship to Gary Scelzi.
EVERYONE in the stands was standing there in stunned silence.....
except me and a few others. We were going bonkers!
We knew Gary Scelzi had just been given the championship.
Incredible moment, I'll never forget it and the sheer excitement and hapiness.

 

[Joker]

Easy.
'05 Finals Pomona.
F/C elims.
RD. 2, Force vs. Tony Pedregon.
Everything was on the line.
They launch and looks like Force will take it, but then the Q-power car sneaks by at the stripe, thus giving the championship to Gary Scelzi.
EVERYONE in the stands was standing there in stunned silence.....
except me and a few others. We were going bonkers!
We knew Gary Scelzi had just been given the championship.
Incredible moment, I'll never forget it and the sheer excitement and hapiness.

Your favorite is my worst.............

 

[TAFC 5 81]

Ronnie Sox vs. Don Carlton (Motown Missile) in May 1971 at a Division 2 Points Meet. Tough 8 car field, it was the first race a manual 4 speed replaced the torque-flite in the Missile. They had the two best PS cars in the country at that time but the difference was Sox's shifting. Sox won the final w/ both cars in the 9.7 range. The look on Sox's face when he drove down the return road was "whew that was close".

 

[onfire]

Indy '67.........The Old Man had his "6 second beard" (Watched him shave it back at the starting line although NHRA wanted him in the winners cirlce at the top end) Ran a 6.75 I believe. Also the first official Funny Car Elimiator at a national event. Doug's Headers Corvair with the win. The first 7.60 by a F/C (Jack Chrisman's blown Comet) Hellava first race to attend for a 7th grader!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Late.............................Mitch

 

[none]

Easy.
'05 Finals Pomona.
F/C elims.
RD. 2, Force vs. Tony Pedregon.
Everything was on the line.
They launch and looks like Force will take it, but then the Q-power car sneaks by at the stripe, thus giving the championship to Gary Scelzi.
EVERYONE in the stands was standing there in stunned silence.....
except me and a few others. We were going bonkers!
We knew Gary Scelzi had just been given the championship.
Incredible moment, I'll never forget it and the sheer excitement and hapiness.

Paul, that second round at the Finals last year was probably the best round of drag racing I`ve ever seen. Talk about a swing of emotions...loving life when Cruzer took out Capps, hating it moments later when TPed holeshoted Force. Let`s hope things will be just as exciting this November.

 

[Joker]

My grandpa told me to post this for him:

He cant remember the year, but at the old Houston track in Dickinson back in the early 80's Bob Glidden and Lee Shepherd where there and he said that Shepherd set the national record, then Glidden set it lower, then Shepherd set it lower again, then Glidden. He said they went back and forth every time and that was his most memorable drag race ever b/c they met in the final and they dominated the rest of the class the whole weekend and it was the race everyone wanted to see.

 

[knightrider]

First legal 4 sec run by EDDIE HILL at the Motorplex, but because it was a IHRA race, nhra listed it as a match race.

 

[nunya]

I am going to say..... a matchrace at US30 Dragstrip, Gary Indiana back in the early 70's not sure of the actual year. Larry Reyes was in a wreck in the Kingfish Cuda...(I believe) and Ira Litchey and the Gold Agency ( abooking agency in Chicago) had just about every funny car in the US booked in for a Chicago Style race. I can't remember if everyone ran once or twice but the two quickest came back for the title. There wasn't a pit spot that didn't have a funny car in it...somewhere between 60- 90 cars... some I had never seen before or after.... some that are here now like Shoe. Most or all of the money went to Larry Reyes. I imagine Peanut remembers this race as well as Don....

 

[James]

Final round FC, Indy 76. When Pruhdomme hazed the tires just enough to let Burgin's Stang put a nose on him the place went nuts. The only time I've been at the digs and the fans were louder then the cars. Still gives me goose bumps thinking about it.

 

[Toejam]

Ok I thought of 2, Cruz vs Force final at the Motorplex. And the semi finals at Pomona in either '99 or '00 when Dale Pulde was racing Jerry Toliver. Pulde immediately blew the tires off, while Toliver started smoking the tires around 200'. Pulde just slowly Motored the car back to speed while Toliver was Smoking the Tires all the way to the finishline. Pulde ended up Passing him around 1200' running a 6.94@290something. That was the race that made me think Dale Pulde's the Best FC driver ever!

 

[Bob]

Bandimere memories....

1999....Watching Joe Amato run 4.584 on the mountain. Who in their right mind thought a 50 would ever be run on the mountain?? Let alone in '99?

2005....Tony Schumacher going 331 and change in the finals. I mean....wow....

(can't remember the year...lil help here?)...Clayton Harris and Eddie Hill doing simultaneous motor grenades in the lights, with Mr. Harris blowing out a slick in the process.

That's just a few of the many awesome memories from my 16 years of goin to Bandimere that ended just this year. The next major milestone? 6's in PS. The Mountain Faithful will go ape when that happens.

 

[d'kid]

One More...

"The Last Drag Race" at Lions, Tuesday Night, the place was packed... John Weibe(front Motor car) beat Snake... and if I remember right, Diesel Louie had his wheelstander there... and like every major flopper in the country, and it seems like more rails didn't qualify than even show up at a national event today...

 

[joe fuchita]

The best single drag race I've attended was the 1972 Finals at OMS. Mike Snively recorded the first five and Don Moody won the race. Sure miss that track.

 

[brian]

This may not be too popular on "nitro"mater, but here goes... My favorite event was Dragstock I at Carolina Dragway in '04. The first race put on by Kenny Knowling & the ADRL. That type of turnout is the norm for an ADRL race now, but at that time.... WOW!!! Nearly 70 cars!! It was the mecca of all out outlaw promod racing!!! Most cars were still in the 4.0s then, and I still remember the huge crowd going nuts when Mike Ashley ran a 3.97 Sunday morning!!!

That event was legendary in the world of 1/8 mile Promod....