60. CALVIN RICE

This Santa Ana, California, pioneer is loaded with firsts. In 1950, he was the first Top Eliminator winner at Santa Ana, won the first Top Eliminator show at San Fernando, and won the first NHRA national event, Top Eliminator at the 1955 NHRA Nationals at Great Bend, Kansas, and later Perryville, Arizona. Rice’s first big win of 1955 was Top Eliminator at the PVTA Southern California Championships. At the ’56 NHRA Nationals, he was the first hot rod association racer to run a single digit ET, clocking a 9.99, and reportedly the first run in the 9.8s as well.

61. “SNEAKY” PETE ROBINSON

Robinson was a graduate engineer from Georgia Tech, and his intellectual capabilities were showcased on the drag strip both in Top Gas and Top Fuel. His biggest claim to fame was his win at the very first “Indy,” the 1961 NHRA Nationals. Through that win he showed the world the benefit of lightweight race cars with a lot of power. He won Top Gas at Bakersfield, was a two-time No. 1 on the Drag News Top Fuel top 10 list, and was the 1966 NHRA Top Fuel World Champion. Robinson always ran Chevys in the early days and, throughout his fuel days, SOHC 427 Fords. He was killed on a qualifying pass for the 1971 Winternationals Top Fuel field.

62. JERRY RUTH

The self-proclaimed “King of the Northwest” was indeed drag racing royalty. A list of his accomplishments show why. He was an eight-time (1965-1966/1968-1973) NHRA Division 6 Top Fuel champion and a two-time NHRA Division 6 Funny Car champ. In 1972, Ruth took part in five Division 6 races and won both Top Fuel and Funny Car at the first four. He runner-upped at the 1972 Indy event after running the then lowest Top Fuel ET ever at 6.06. He won the 1973 NHRA Top Fuel World Championship and the 1968 PDA Meet at Lions. He also was a member of the Cragar 5-Second Club running a 5.95 at the 1974 AHRA Winternationals. He is one of those rare fuel drivers to win Top Fuel national events in NHRA, IHRA, and AHRA competition.

63. KENNY SAFFORD

Safford is best known as one of the three “Sour Sisters,” the triumvirate that ran the Safford-Ratican-Gaide Olds Top Fueler of the mid-1960s. The Burbank, California, native won only

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one big race, the 1963 PVTA Top Fuel title, but won many local Southern California eight-car Top Fuel shows in the area’s golden years. After the “Sisters” act, he drove the record-setting Safford-Zeuschel “Shark” car and the Safford-Zeuschel-Milodon dragster that was one of the first Fuel dragsters consistently over 210 mph. Safford got off to a good start in 1971 by taking runner-up honors to Don Garlits at the NHRA Winternationals, and later setting Top Speed aboard Larry Bowers’ dragster with a 226.13 at the Bakersfield March Meet. He switched from Top Fuel to Funny Car in 1972, and in 1974 wheeled Mr. Norm’s Charger to the IHRA Southern Nationals win at Charlotte, NC. The Charlotte race was the only Hot Rod Association event ever run on the eighth mile. Safford’s only other national event win came in 1977 at the IHRA Pro-Am Nationals, again in Funny Car.

64. “STARVIN” MARVIN SCHWARTZ

The Largo, Florida, driver is best known as the No. 2 team driver on Don Garlits’ team in 1964, but he accomplished much more than that. In 1963, he ran a 7.97 to become the first Ford fuel driver in the sevens. In 1965, he won (actually Garlits drove the final) the Sunday half to the Bakersfield March Meet for the right to meet and lose to Garlits in the overall finale. In 1973, he had a very good year, winning the Union Grove Olympics, taking runner-up at the Garlits PDA Meet, and winning the IHRA Springnationals. Schwartz, a near pro level tennis player, was killed in a qualifying wreck at the AHRA Winternationals.