Within this time frame, AHRA made one more important contribution. As some may know, the ‘65 AHRA Winter Nationals at Beeline marked the debut of the altered wheelbase factory experimental cars. It was at this race that these cars with the front ends aluminized and the rear wheels moved forward two inches were referred to as “Funny Cars.” They had their own eliminator and produced one of the most historically important races of all time.

Order of qualifiers in Mr. Stock Eliminator at the 1965 AHRA Winternationals, the race that produced the term “funny car.”

1. Sox & Martin - Ronnie Sox		10.74
2. "Honker" - Bud Faubel		10.84
3. The Ramchargers - Mike Buckel		10.93
4. "The Golden Commandos" - Al Eckstrand		10.98
5. "Melrose Missile" - Tommy Grove		11.03
6. "Color Me Gone" - Roger Lindamood		11.12
7. Forest Pitcock		11.14
8. "Flying Carpet" - Bob Harrop		11.16
9. Dave Strickler		11.18
10. Baney Plymouth - Preston Honea		11.19
11. "Black Arrow" - Bill Jenkins		11.26
12. Fenner Tubbs Plymouth - Joe Smith		11.27
13. Lee Smith		11.33
14. Sites Bros./"Missouri Mule" - Dr. Dick Spence		11.41
15. Dick Housey		11.48
16. Melton & Snow - Gene Snow		11.54

**Dick Landy, Butch Leal, and Phil Bonner had all qualified for the show, but were unable to make eliminations due to mechanical difficulty.
THE FINAL: Bud Faubel - 10.96 / 129.31 over Eckstrand.

It should be noted that the eliminator at the ‘65 AHRA Winternationals was referred to as Mr. Stock Eliminator and the term “Funny Car” was never used in race coverage such as that of Drag Racing magazine. In that May 1965 issue, the only snide comment was reported as follows: “As of this writing, Ford has instructed their drivers to steer clear of the so-called “bogus” Mopars and not enter a meet where they are allowed. As most know, the Mopars were made more conservative (no altered wheelbases, reportedly more weight) and were soundly thrashed by the Fords.

Somehow, through all of this, some unknown person or persons, came up with the slug “funny car” and a class name stuck.

What was NHRA doing during all of this? The California hot rod group stuck to four national events through the 1969 season and about as half as many classes. One advantage the NHRA team had, among other things, was promotional ability; every one of their races was slicker and more professional and as a result they got more television and print coverage.

Still, by the end of the 1960’s, AHRA was providing NHRA with all the competition they could handle, and with the Grand American Series of Professional Drag Racing introduced in 1970, the ante went up even more.

Still, by the end of the 1960’s, AHRA was providing NHRA with all the competition they could handle, and with the Grand American Series of Professional Drag Racing introduced in 1970, the ante went up even more.

Next month, we continue the AHRA saga, beginning in 1970 with the organization’s GRAND AMERICAN SERIES

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