the unfinished business cars (2 Viewers)

[Cliff]

I got to see that last events at the old Tucson Dragway. That track reminded me so much of the old SoCal tracks. I moved to Arizona in 1981 & Tucson was pretty much it as far as drag racing went. Did get to see a few AHRA races until the track closed. I also heard a wild story that drug runners were landing planes on the track at night to bring in a load of whatever. Don't know if that is true or not. I do like the "new" Tucson Drags, track is a lot better & it has become the sportsmen track in Arizona. Lotta good races there.

 

[R.I.P. O.C.I.R.]

the rockets were strange. you would see them move before you heard them. and they had to be staged by crew pushing the car into the beams. we ran tucson twice. in 1987. cool track. back in the day they did match races. and a group of cars would tour, so it is a safe bet tucson put on some great races over the years as alan has seen. i understand luke. but has he ever seen someone laying face down holding on to the wheelie bars of a BB/FC? or night time fire burnouts? or burnouts so massive they turn on the finish line lights!!! and then SLOWLY back the car all the way back to the starting line. ....and that's the was it was and the fire dept. shut down tix sales twice due to overcrowding at pomona. here is another one of bills events. this one in seattle. all cars fire up at the same time and the throttle wacks were like a street fight out there

 

[TSK]

I got to see that last events at the old Tucson Dragway. That track reminded me so much of the old SoCal tracks. I moved to Arizona in 1981 & Tucson was pretty much it as far as drag racing went. Did get to see a few AHRA races until the track closed. I also heard a wild story that drug runners were landing planes on the track at night to bring in a load of whatever. Don't know if that is true or not. I do like the "new" Tucson Drags, track is a lot better & it has become the sportsmen track in Arizona. Lotta good races there.

That was Gerald Johns. He ran an Anglia (I believe A/Gas) at Tucson in the late ‘60s, until I left there in 1970.
I believe it was around 1981 when he got in trouble.
I spent almost every weekend at the track from late ‘66 until mid ‘70.

 

[R.I.P. O.C.I.R.]

wheelstanders, jets, rockets are in museums and they ARE NOT race cars. the 5 B club has a sewing machine in the glendora museum. yes, a sewing machine.

 

[none]

Gerald was a Pro Stock racer back in the day, and he ran the track until it closed. His wife Jackie used to run the pit gate from her really nice SS Big Block El Camino. Gerald was convicted of using the strip for running drugs. I remember bracket races when we would have to stop so he could land the plane.

Bob Perry was based in Tucson as well, and his wheel standing tanks were among the coolest things I ever saw as a kid. Google Hell on Wheels or Hell's Fire Tank. They may not have been real race cars, but they left an impression, at least they did on me.

The last event was the AHRA Winternationals in 1985, so Dave if you were there in 1987 you were the only one there! LoL

Alan

 

[PJ]

Hmm I'm only from the motor city, guess I'm not a "real" fan plus I'm much too young.

While there are key elements of the past that helped grow the sport and including them now would be a good move the glory days are often shiner through the prism of time.

I did see a full track burnout a few years ago, that's was in Ohio though so it doesn't count

 

[TooTall999]

I'm just glad I was alive to see this sort of thing on a regular basis!

 

[Nick Name]

wheelstanders, jets, rockets are in museums and they ARE NOT race cars. the 5 B club has a sewing machine in the glendora museum. yes, a sewing machine.

5Bs entire trailer should have been there

 

[Jack]

Frank and his Shark Corvetts was a show all by itself. Still have a video of him making a run and driving it all the way back to the pits one Sunday at connectcut Dragway

 

[R.I.P. O.C.I.R.]

alan, i was at a small track in the area for booked in AA/FA events. being in the area, i guessed it was tucson. it was not firebird, but not far away if i recall. so i am sure someone knows the names of small tracks in the area. after it was over, 3 teams had a road trip to next race. we got a motel room and 17-18 of us took showers in it and we were back on the road. i was with richard langstons texas ranger AA/FA and ricky ruiz AA/FA. ricky had a old milodon, and the center of intake developed a crack in it. ricky had a bead welded up on it, we went from carson city nev. to englishtown. ricky made a pass, the bead let go, and put 3 holes in the valve covers the size of baseballs. burned the car to the ground 1987. so maybe someone can help me out with small tracks in the area. it may have been in very south nevada. it was not a NHRA track, i do remember that. so, looking back at my career, i does not look like i made it there unless it was with larry torres in 1984. after rereading it was a AHRA track, i can now eliminate myself from being at that track. so there are/were other very small tracks around. im sure i would recall the name if i heard it, then be able to describe that track. i never knew the 5b club trailer was a race car, but a guy learns something every day. just like i learned i have never been to tucson

 

[R.I.P. O.C.I.R.]

so, the folks that slammed me about warrens car not being a "race car" how do you explain the 5b club trailer in wally's museum at the end of parker ave? chances are they do not even know what the 5b club is. so, lets dig deep. i do not recall the one legged guys name at the county. he had a welder and a trailer full of scrap stuff. in the 70's he welded up many cars. moon made him a custom leg, looked like a moon tank, and he kept it filled with booze. short guy. he saved many racers as few had welders in the day

 

[R.I.P. O.C.I.R.]

after 2 hours on google earth, i found it. fallon nevada. we were there twice. and it was very dark down at the big end. it was still called top gun if i recall. we destroyed that hotel bathroom. the in shower soap dispenser got removed. it quit working for some reason

 

[sdwarf36]

I'm just glad I was alive to see this sort of thing on a regular basis!

View attachment 5196

Frank Federici! Full track smokey burnouts! Return road smokey burnouts! Broken reverser-just blow a doughnut on track!

 

[Jeff]

i do not recall the one legged guys name at the county. he had a welder and a trailer full of scrap stuff. in the 70's he welded up many cars. moon made him a custom leg, looked like a moon tank, and he kept it filled with booze. short guy. he saved many racers as few had welders in the day

Porkie, the pirate.
That dude was an awesome welder, drunk or sober. That moon tank leg always had some kinda hootch in it...

 

[R.I.P. O.C.I.R.]

PORKY THE PIRATE!!!!!! THATS HIM!!!! MOON MADE THAT CUSTOM LEG FOR HIM!! KEPT FULL OF BOOZE!! R.I.P. PORKY!!! YOU SAVED MANY, MANY DRAG RACERS IN YOUR DAY AND DAVE PULVER WILL NEVER FORGET YOU. NEVER. .....thank you kindly jeff! the more drunk he was the better the weld was!!!! lol!! memory fades here- did porky wear a WW1 german helmet with the spike on it? that may have been someone else, thought it was porky.

 

[mikebcurve]

http://www.competitionplus.com/drag-racing/news/19282-encore-the-legend-of-porky-the-pirate#

 

[r2]

Porky was a fixture at Fremont.
I actually thought he lived there.

Saw him at Kingdon alot as well as Sacramento and Bakersfield.

Never understood how he drove himself to those places in his truck. He couldn't walk a straight line, but apparently he could weld one.

 

[R.I.P. O.C.I.R.]

i would like to thank those that gave me porky's info. never would i have thought he would have a fb page. i wonder what he would think of that. and imagine if he had control of the fb page!! he would get banned and booted his first day on fb!!! i found some good info and vids. i do not know why i could not save the pics, the site would not let me. so i lightshot um. any protected pics can be had with lightshot. .....our local dirt track has a photographer. he puts his logo in the bottom left of all his pics. i cut his logo out and repost the pics with lightshot. that gives anyone a nice clean pic to get from my site. on another site, one guy likes to put his name in the middle of the pic. my gf can get on a laptop and fade his name, add in some color, and his name on the photo is gone. lets just say she has covered up many marks on many photos.

 

[TSK]

i would like to thank those that gave me porky's info. never would i have thought he would have a fb page. i wonder what he would think of that. and imagine if he had control of the fb page!! he would get banned and booted his first day on fb!!! i found some good info and vids. i do not know why i could not save the pics, the site would not let me. so i lightshot um. any protected pics can be had with lightshot. .....our local dirt track has a photographer. he puts his logo in the bottom left of all his pics. i cut his logo out and repost the pics with lightshot. that gives anyone a nice clean pic to get from my site. on another site, one guy likes to put his name in the middle of the pic. my gf can get on a laptop and fade his name, add in some color, and his name on the photo is gone. lets just say she has covered up many marks on many photos.

What's your web site? I'd like to see the pictures.

 

[nwspeedshots]

i would like to thank those that gave me porky's info. never would i have thought he would have a fb page. i wonder what he would think of that. and imagine if he had control of the fb page!! he would get banned and booted his first day on fb!!! i found some good info and vids. i do not know why i could not save the pics, the site would not let me. so i lightshot um. any protected pics can be had with lightshot. .....our local dirt track has a photographer. he puts his logo in the bottom left of all his pics. i cut his logo out and repost the pics with lightshot. that gives anyone a nice clean pic to get from my site. on another site, one guy likes to put his name in the middle of the pic. my gf can get on a laptop and fade his name, add in some color, and his name on the photo is gone. lets just say she has covered up many marks on many photos.

Not exactly something you should be admitting, let alone bragging about.