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45 Years Ago…
On July 2-4 at Pomona Dragstrip, the third annual Pomona Valley Timing
Association championship drags were hosted. Of course, this pre-dates
any hot rod association national event and, given the fact it was the
third race in the series, pre-dates the World Series of Drag Racing
event then in Lawrenceville, Ill. Interestingly enough, the Top Eliminator
at the event was Calvin Rice in the Mel Dodds/J.E. Riley & Sons nitro-burning
Mercury Flathead dragster, which beat the Henslee & Wright roadster
in the final round. A few months later, Rice won the inaugural NHRA
National Championship Drags in Perryville, Arizona.
35 Years Ago…
The first 7.3-second elapsed time (leaving aside a couple of Midwest
"popcorn" shots) was turned at Fontana Raceway in Southern California.
Kenny Safford wheeled the Safford-Zeuschel-Milodon entry to a 7.36 in
qualifying for Top Fuel at the track. Watus Simpson was the next driver
in the 7.3s when he pushed the Anderson Bros. Top Fueler to a 7.35 while
winning an AHRA regional championship drag race at Green Valley Race
City in Smithfield, Texas.
25 Years Ago…
The first IHRA five-second national event run happened at Great Lakes
Dragaway in Union Grove, Wisconsin when "Big Daddy" Don Garlits clocked
a 5.89 on July 5 at the IHRA Summer Nationals. IHRA was a little slow
in this regard as the first NHRA "five" occurred at the NHRA Supernationals
when the late Mike Snively logged a 5.97 in "Diamond Jim" Annin's fueler
in a losing race to Vic Brown on Nov. 17, 1972.
15 Years Ago…
Bruce Allen had a red hot July aboard the Reher & Morrison Pro Stock
Camaro. During the first weekend, Allen piloted the Texas Chevy to a
final-round win over Jim Ruth's "Party Time" Pontiac Trans Am to win
the IHRA Northern Nationals at Milan Dragway in Michigan. A week later,
Allen and company won the NHRA Summernationals at Raceway Park in New
Jersey by ousting Butch Leal's Nationwise/Castrol Pontiac in the money
round. Concluding his brief reign of terror was a win at the IHRA Kangaroo
(as in tennis shoes) Nationals at St. Louis Int'l Raceway where he beat
Bob Glidden's Ford in the finale.
5 Years Ago…
 Kurt
Johnson scored the third win of his Pro Stock career when he took a
holeshot win over Jim Yates in the final-round of the NHRA Mile-High
Nationals in Denver, 7.49 to 7.46. Ron Capps, the current driver of
the Don Prudhomme/U.S. Tobacco Camaro, scored the first pro win of his
career when he wheeled the Roger Primm dragster to the NHRA Northwest
Nationals Top Fuel title. Also taking wins at the annual Seattle affair
were Al Hofmann in Funny Car and Warren Johnson (above) in Pro Stock.
5 minutes ago…
Battered by unrelenting criticism of its television productions, NHRA
responded with anger and mailed to the membership Dave McClelland and
Shelly Anderson hand puppets with a note attached that read, "You can
do better? Go ahead! Create your own #@& TV show!"
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