Why Is Drag Racing Called Drag Racing? (1 Viewer)

[jcros95]

Why Is Drag Racing Called Drag Racing?

I have a lot of respect for the sport of drag racing, partially because I believe there’s a lot more nuance and complexity to it than most people think, and also because I once almost crashed a dragster because I’m a moron. One thing I’ve never fully understood, though, is the name: why is...

jalopnik.com

 

[Cliff]

I have heard many stories on how drag racing got it's name. Started as street racing in... 1920's? Maybe even before that. Anyhoo, 2 guys would race their cars until one car had an advantage, and the race could "drag out" a long time before one car won. Or, "drag that hunk of iron out here & let's race". I don't think any one person has been given credit for the name, but it was in use in late 1940's. I read than Fran Hernandez was the first Top Eliminator, Goleta, Calif (by Santa Barbara), in 1949. Cops closed off a 2 lane road and a bunch of them raced. Hernandez had a 32 Ford coupe with a Flathead and nitro (!) and won the race. If his name seems familiar, he later went to work for Mercury & is considered the father of the flip top Comet funny cars of 1966. See Ch 1 of High Performance by Robert Post for a blow by blow description of that first race. Hernandez unblown Merc on nitro & Cobbs with a GMC blower on his flahtead. 1949 and both of these combos had been around awhile. Wow....

 

[SoCal Racer]

Maybe because the driver placement in early dragsters looked like the car was "dragging" the driver behind it? Or maybe that his arse was perilously close to dragging the ground? Yeah, probably not.

 

[Ramjet]

Pretty sure the term comes from guys lining up on the "Main Drag" (main street) in town because it was the best place to race, having the best surface. I can remember a street with a stop lite that was flat and was basically the "Main Drag" that got used a lot because it was right down from the Bun & Barrel where you waited for someone you wanted to race got ready to leave and lined up beside them at the light - and WaLa you had a Drag Race with an audience. Only problem was Deputy Dog usually stayed real close on Fridays.

 

[Fireball]

I agree. It's been posted on here before. Consensus is it was a race on the "Main drag". Every town used to have and some still have one.

 

[glofria]

I heard it goes back to when farmers would race their draft horse dragging sleds used in the wheat fields.

 

[Bruno]

This was brought up on TV several years ago at a race and, if I remember correctly, it was Steve Evans going around to all of the racers - Garlits, Prudhomme, Amato, kalitta, Bernstein, and many others. Every body had a different answer!

 

[Cliff]

Maybe because the driver placement in early dragsters looked like the car was "dragging" the driver behind it? Or maybe that his arse was perilously close to dragging the ground? Yeah, probably not.
View attachment 5385

As far as I know, the early drag racers, say 1951-52, figured out that if they had a dragster that used a car frame, if they moved everything as close as possible to the rear end, the traction got way better. Bob Sullivan's car in this photo shows the progression from stock frame (which Garlits ran in late 50's) to a tube chassis. I've seen photos of early dragsters and the engine was connected to the rear end with a coupler or a u-joint, and the driver sat behind the rear end. And yes, have seen photos of the drivers butt about 5" off the ground. In this photo, not too much clearance between the ground & driver's seat. This car is classic early 60's. 3-point roll cage, 392 Chrysler, direct drive, 6:71 blower, 4 hole Hillborn injector, not quite weed sweeper headers. The wind up key on back of the car was for push starts. After the car got lined up ready to run, a crewman would pull this off the chassis. Nice clean run, smoke the tires to around 700', run around 8.10 at 192, pull the chute, and get it stopped. The bad part was getting oil on your goggles from the engine. Worse: puking the blower & fire. That's why back motor cars got popular in 1971. Speaking of which, look behind the front wheels of Sullivan's car and that is a back motor dragster. You can see the engine & rear slicks. Wonder who that was?

 

[Cliff]

I agree. It's been posted on here before. Consensus is it was a race on the "Main drag". Every town used to have and some still have one.

Glenoaks Blvd, Glendale, Calif. Part of the street ran behind an old wall from the train that used to run there. Cops could hear you but not see you. We also had a street close to Burbank, called Airway (or like that) that had actually been a runway for the airport in 1920's. Nice wide street. Cops knew about it and would show up after awhile. This was 1950's to 1960's, maybe early 70's. Not that I ever did that....

 

[Ramjet]

Glenoaks Blvd, Glendale, Calif. Part of the street ran behind an old wall from the train that used to run there. Cops could hear you but not see you. We also had a street close to Burbank, called Airway (or like that) that had actually been a runway for the airport in 1920's. Nice wide street. Cops knew about it and would show up after awhile. This was 1950's to 1960's, maybe early 70's. Not that I ever did that....

The day after I came to California - This guy says to me "lets go to "River Road" There is going to be racing". We were at Toluca Lake Bob's & I of course being starry eyed said O.K.. Everything was great until everybody started jumping in their cars and getting out of there. Riverside Drive AKA as "River Road" was in three jurisdictions - Burbank - Glendale & L.A. Sheriff and the guy who I didn't know took off leaving me and my buddy running over to Forrest Lawn to hide in the cemetery while three different colored cop cars came from everywhere. About 2 A.M. he comes back and found us or we might still be there. Welcome to Street racing in 1960 in Southern California. Toluca Lake Bob's by the way was where the Road Kings hung out. Ivo and his protege Prudhomme were part of the Road Kings.

 

[Cliff]

Good story Roger. I knew "TL Bobs" and River Road. That was Toluca Lake's version of Glenoaks Blvd. I knew about Ivo & Snake being part of the Road Kings. Do they still exist? All the car club guys ran a car at the drags. Did you ever cruise Colorado Blvd into Pasadena? Famous in the Jan & Dean song. And Van Nuys Blvd. Place was so packed with cars that everyone had to drive slow. Forrest Lawn - my dad worked there in early 50's. He'd wear a suit and direct the large funerals. He used to tell us about which movie star died and was buried that day. He's see all the Hollywood stars of the day & he'd tell us about it. I wouldn't want to be there at 2 AM, cuz if the guards caught you.....

 

[BaldyLochs]

Interesting. So from that, there’s also drag boat racing; but we don’t really say “drag motorcycle racing” either. Or “drag car racing”. People don’t say “ stock car racing”; most just say NASCAR. “Open wheel racing” could also confuse the hell out of someone... what; that means Scott Dixon drives an open wheel car, right? But does that mean that Leah Pritchett’s race car does not have open wheels??? WTH. And why do people park in driveways but drive on parkways ?????

 

[stitcherbob]

'Drag race' - the meaning and origin of this phrase

The meaning and origin of the phrase 'Drag race'.

www.phrases.org.uk

Why Is Drag Racing Called Drag Racing?

I have a lot of respect for the sport of drag racing, partially because I believe there’s a lot more nuance and complexity to it than most people think, and also because I once almost crashed a dragster because I’m a moron. One thing I’ve never fully understood, though, is the name: why is...

jalopnik.com

 

[ironpony]

the drivers used to dress uo as women.......................

 

[Cliff]

Go to U Tube & type in drag racing & see what comes up.

 

[mole]

I'VE ONLY HEARD IT AS .......DRAG YOUR JALOPY OUT OF THE GARAGE AND LET'S GO.....

 

[Cliff]

I actually think Drag Racing is a better term for tractor pulls.

 

[Dave]

This was brought up on TV several years ago at a race and, if I remember correctly, it was Steve Evans going around to all of the racers - Garlits, Prudhomme, Amato, kalitta, Bernstein, and many others. Every body had a different answer!

Good memory! By several years it is actually 25... Where does the time go?

 

[FABMAN]

the drivers used to dress uo as women.......................

That funny ,cause I set my recorder to tape Drag Racing and it taped a drag queen on directv hell can't remember her stupid name !!!!

 

[Cliff]

The British had "Acceleration Racing", many years ago. If I recall right, they were timed runs, single car, to get top speed. I've thought in the past that would be a better name for drag racing. Also, where did the 1/4 mile come from? Heard it was from horse racing, as the fast horses ran a 1/4 mile race, a "sprint" race if you will. Best story I heard on that is from the dry lakes. A racer would run a mile to get up speed and then go thru a 1/4 mile time trap. They'd average the MPH from start to finish & that was the speed. When drag racing started, they used that 1/4 mile because it was already familiar to them.