The Ontario October Orgy

10/8/03

or a veteran race watcher like myself, almost every month of the year has had spectating experiences that stood out. Do this for 40 years and it's bound to happen, and within that there is always one that really gets the biscuit, one that stands out like Jeffrey Dahmer's refrigerator in a Home Depot full of new Hot Points. For me, and I dare say many other veteran race watchers, the October-based 1975 NHRA Winston World Finals/Supernationals at Southern California's Ontario Motor Speedway is, just maybe the best drag race we've ever attended, and the reasons go well beyond what transpired on the race track.

In the 1970s, Ontario was the Hearst Castle of race emporiums, at least on the West Coast. The enclosed oval, had permanent bowl seating on the dragstrip side, permanent restrooms, good proximity from the mobile homes to the seats, and a wet bar and restaurant above the top end lights.

Niles Smith, my brother, Mike, other friends and myself went out to the 1975 race as per normal. We had been to all of them since the inaugural 1970 event and, if nothing else, we knew the social amenities were unparalleled. We'd sit in the top end seats nursing

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mixed drinks and conversation with our feet thrown up on the seats in front of us, watching flaming fuel dragsters and funny cars speed by at 240 mph. Ah, the good life ala Tony Bennett. Well, a mix of Tony Bennett and the Mothers of Invention or the Grateful Dead. But, it was one of those total comfort zones the nature of which probably engendered cracks like, "I wonder what the poor people are doing tonight."

Our gang had the foresight to bring a mobile home to Ontario for those races. We'd get there early on Friday, stake out a space reasonably close to the gate of our choice and yet secure enough to vent our personalities without corrupting anyone. Usually, that meant a full blown stereo with stadium-volumed speakers, a hundred LPs that ranged from vintage jazz like Charlie Parker, John Coltrane or the Art Ensemble of Chicago to post-war blues giants like Elmore James, Muddy Waters, and Little Walter and more modern rock like those mentioned above. What really drew the attention of our neighbors was that while most of the records brought were LPs, at least 30 or 40 select obscure blues and jazz records were on 78 rpm. Our Dual turntable had a 78 speed and needle, adding to the authenticity of the whole deal.