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Book
Review
Diggers, Funnies, Gassers &
Altereds
by Alyssa Stahr
6/7/04
 “Diggers,
Funnies, Gassers & Altereds” is a unique
insight into the cars of the drag racing world.
Written by Bob McClurg, this book chronicles
his life as a photojournalist and a writer during
drag racing’s “Golden Age.”
The foreword by John Force details his take
on the book and shows us just how many racers
there were—ones that even he had forgotten.
He reminds us that “you can’t know
where you’re going if you don’t know
where you came from.” Force celebrates
not only McClurg’s craft and knowledge,
but the legacy that the racers of the Golden
Age left with the racers of today.
“The Golden Age of Drag Racing” is
actually the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s.
They were the formative years of the sport.
In the introduction specifically, new fans of
the sport can learn exactly how the National
Hot Rod Association (NHRA) came to be. It discusses
Wally Parks’ (the founder of NHRA) vision
and the rapid changes that came about in automobiles
during that era. This time was the beginning
of the hemispherical-headed engine (the HEMI)
and the Chrondek timing system now known as
the Christmas tree. Tires were being replaced
in leaps and bounds with better, newer versions.
New sanctioning bodies were sprouting up in
every direction; Force’s favorite, the
Funny Car, was officially added to the NHRA
rule book in the fall of 1968.
Chapters in “Diggers, Funnies, Gassers
& Altereds” are divided by car types—from
the Roadsters of the 1950s-1970s to the Pro
Stockers, which McClurg says are “one of,
if not the most technologically advanced Pro
class in the sport of drag racing”. McClurg
goes into detail about each class and gives
us rookies a chance to really see the difference
between the front-engine dragsters and the rear-engine
dragsters through full-color photography and
insightful captions.
An especially interesting part of the book
for me was the “About the Author”
section. It chronicles McClurg’s life as
a young boy who grew up to be a racing photographer.
It is always interesting to follow the path
of one’s life, and this section gave me
a wonderful depiction of his love for drag racing,
the excitement he felt at each race and the
knowledge he gained along the way.
“Diggers, Funnies, Gassers & Altereds”
is definitely a book for fans of the history
of cars and drag racing. The special “Ode
to Nostalgia” section ends the book, completing
the balance between drag racing history and
McClurg’s life during the Golden Age.
This book is for sale at the Drag Racing Online
Store. Click
here for ordering information. 
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Story
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Off
the Track
—
12/9/03
Music, Book, and Movie Reviews-or
Whatever Catches Our Attention
—Drag
Racing Funny Cars of the 1960’s.
By Lou Hart
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