Download or read book Southern California Funny Cars written by Steve Reyes and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2023-06-19 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Southern California was the birthplace of organized drag racing, with the first organized race held at the Santa Ana airport in 1949 and the subsequent founding of the National Hot Rod Association in 1950. Over the next decade and a half, the dragster became the king of the quarter mile on Southern California drag strips. In 1964, veteran dragster owner/driver Jack Chrisman had an idea for something different to grace Southern California's drag strips. It was not a dragster but a stock-bodied race car using nitromethane for fuel in a supercharged engine. With the help of Gene Mooneyham, Mercury's Fran Hernandez, and sponsor Helen Sachs, Chrisman put together the world's first nitro-burning "funny car." It was a steel stock-bodied Mercury Cyclone with a supercharged 427 Ford engine running on pure nitromethane. Chrisman started the evolution that soon turned stock steel-bodied cars into fiberglass-bodied tube chassis funny cars. Southern California drag racers began to lead the way for racers all over the United States in the new funny car class.
Download or read book Dragster And Funny Car Memories written by Don Montgomery and published by Motorbooks International. This book was released on 2000-12-01 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Early Funny Cars written by Lou Hart and published by CarTech Inc. This book was released on 2022-04-15 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Blast through the evolving early years of Funny Car drag racing when doorslammers morphed into flip-top rail monsters. The era features historic mounts from Arnie "the Farmer" Beswick, Al “the Flying Dutchman” Vanderwoude, "Jungle" Jim Liberman, Don “the Snake” Prudhomme, and many more! The metamorphosis from doorslammers to fiberglass flip-top dragsters wasn’t ever a cut and dry plan. As drag racers pushed the envelope for more speed, a series of innovations quickly evolved and refined the genre. Funny Cars cut their teeth in the A/Factory Experimental (A/FX) and Experimental Stock (X/S) classes in 1964 with the 2-percent Mopars that looked funny with their axles moved forward. However, it was Jack Chrisman’s supercharged, nitro-fueled 427 Supercharged Factory Experimental (S/FX) Comet Caliente that trailblazed the class on which the NHRA turned its back and the AHRA fully accepted. Showmanship became the draw in the dawn of Funny Car with half-track burnouts and flame-throwing headers that packed fans five deep at the fence. By 1969, the NHRA had no choice but to create a class for these nitro-breathing, flip-top-sporting rail bruisers, indoctrinating the Funny Car (F/C) class at the Winternationals with 40 cars vying for 16 places in the field. The rest, as they say, is history!
Download or read book Funny Cars written by Robert Genat and published by Motorbooks International. This book was released on 2000 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Traces the development of funny cars from the stock cars of the early 1960s to the dragsters of today, including coverage of the sport of funny car racing, types of funny cars, and famous drivers.
Download or read book Smokin Dragsters and Funny Cars written by Jim Gigliotti and published by Enslow Publishing, LLC. This book was released on 2013-07-01 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This fun volume explores the personalities, the history, and the crazy cars associated with the wild world of drag racing. Readers get a look into the different types of drag racing, and a "day at the races" for an exciting you-are-there feeling.
Download or read book Funny Car Fever written by Steve Reyes and published by Cartech. This book was released on 2007 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There wasn't always a class for these "funny-looking" cars. In the mid 1960s, many of drag racing's fastest drivers were outgrowing the Super Stock and Factory Experimental classes, building cars that stretched and eventually broke the rules. Promoters discovered they could pair up these altered-wheelbase, injected, blown machines in exhibition match races--and the spectators came running. Rivalries were born, the Funny Car class was created, and the cars kept getting faster and faster. Funny Car Fever is a humorous, heart-felt, first-hand account of the most exciting and memorable years of the Funny Car class. Steve Reyes followed these fiberglass-bodied, nitro burning machines and their drivers from the years leading up to the creation of the Funny Car class through its halcyon days. He's included over 350 of his favorite images and more than a few never-before-heard stories to bring the feeling of the class and the era home to you.
Download or read book Funny Car Dragsters written by Tyrone Georgiou and published by Gareth Stevens Publishing LLLP. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Learn about how fast funny cars can go and why they are funny.
Download or read book Fire Nitro Rubber and Smoke written by Bob McClurg and published by Cartech. This book was released on 2007-02 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book looks back fondly on drag racing's greatest era with 300 of the best drag-racing photos ever taken. Tells the stories of the cars, the racers, and the events that made drag racing such a great sport. Photos cover dragsters, funny cars, gassers, altereds, pro stocks, and exhibition cars, bringing the sights, smells and sounds of the golden age of drag racing to life.
Download or read book Funny Cars written by Denny Von Finn and published by Bellwether Media. This book was released on 2013-08-01 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Funny cars get their name from their appearance. Their back wheels are much larger than the front wheels. Students will learn about the history and technology behind these fast, exciting race cars.
Download or read book Butch The California Flash Leal written by Bob McClurg and published by CarTech Inc. This book was released on 2022-07-15 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Check out the first ever biography on the popular drag racer, Butch “The California Flash” Leal. Born and raised in central California, Larry “Butch” Leal was obsessed with cars from a very early age. What began with field cars turned into hard work and new Chevrolets. This took place when the golden era of drag racing was in its infancy, and Leal joined with enthusiasm. He performed well at the track with his early Chevys and had an impressive number of wins before he was out of high school. His success brought him plenty of attention and collaboration with other big names in the sport. In 1963, GM pulled out of the sport on an official basis. As a result, Butch (at age 19) teamed up with Mickey Thompson and joined the Ford camp, securing a ride with the factory team and its new Thunderbolts for 1964. After his success that season, including winning the Super Stock (S/S) class at the 1964 NHRA US Nationals in Indianapolis, Chrysler came calling, and Butch signed on to race the new altered-wheelbase cars in match races for 1965, as the NHRA did not have a class for these new “funny” looking cars. While Leal dabbled again with Ford and Chevrolet later, his relationship with Chrysler lasted well into the following decades, running both Funny Cars and Super Stockers. Penned by talented automotive historian Bob McClurg, who was there for it all, and featuring full collaboration with the book’s subject, Butch “The California Flash” Leal covers the span of his fascinating career during arguably the most interesting era in drag racing history. Butch was an 11-time NHRA champion and 4-time recipient of Car Craft Magazine’s All-Star Driver of the Year award in a career that spanned the 1960s through the 1990s. It’s all here, the events, great vintage photography, and the stories from one of the best storytellers the NHRA has ever known. Add this entertaining volume to your drag racing library today.
Download or read book Drag Racing in the 1960s written by Doug Boyce and published by CarTech Inc. This book was released on 2021-03-15 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 1960s were a fascinating decade on the race scene. Relive the memories today through this wonderful new book. Drag racing has a long and storied history. Many have said that the first drag race happened shortly after the second car was made. While that may or may not be true, racing prior to World War II was mostly centered around dry-lake activities and top-speed runs. After the war, drag racing became organized with the formation of the NHRA, and during the 1950s, many tracks were built across America to accommodate the racers. Technology in the 1950s centered on the manufacturers updating old flathead designs into newer overhead-valve designs, and the horsepower race really started to heat up. In many forms of racing, the 1960s brought technological evolution. The decade began with big engines in even bigger stock chassis and ended with purpose-built race-only chassis, fiberglass bodies, fuel injection, nitro methane, and blowers. Quarter-mile times that were in the 13-second range in the beginning of the decade were in the 7-second range by the end. New classes were formed, dedicated cars were built for them, and many racers themselves became recognized names in the sports landscape. In Drag Racing in the 60s: The Evolution in Race Car Technology, veteran author Doug Boyce takes you on a ride through the entire decade from a technological point of view rather than a results-based one. Covered are all the classes, including Super Stocks, Altered Wheelbase cars (which led to Funny Cars), Top Fuelers, Gassers, and more.
Download or read book Hottest Dragsters and Funny Cars written by Jim Gigliotti and published by Enslow Publishers, Inc.. This book was released on 2007-08-01 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Learn about drag racing, funny cars, and experience what it feels like to spend the day at a drag race"--Provided by publisher.
Download or read book Funny Cars written by Angie Peterson Kaelberer and published by Capstone. This book was released on 2006 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discusses funny cars, including their main features and how they are raced.
Download or read book Don The Snake Prudhomme My Life Beyond the 1320 written by Elana Scherr and published by CarTech Inc. This book was released on 2020-10-16 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Don "The Snake" Prudhomme reveals for the first time ever his incredible life and career on and off of the drag strip.
Imagine spending a year with Don "The Snake" Prudhomme, having coffee together and talking about his life, his racing, his friends, and his family. He’d tell you about how he rose from being a high school drop-out who was painting cars to a respected Top Fuel dragster driver and successful businessman. You’d hear how he toured the country with Tommy Ivo and "The Hawaiian" Roland Leong, racing all the legends from "Big Daddy" Don Garlits to "The Golden Greek" [Chris] Karamesines. He'd say how he met Tom McEwen and recall how they became the Snake and the Mongoose, leading to a career in Funny Cars that netted him four championships in a row. He'd talk about the thrill of first wins and owning his own teams but also the struggles of bad seasons, crashes and fires, broken parts, and broken contracts. Along the way, he’d speak about the people in his life, such as engine-builder Keith Black and NHRA president Wally Parks, and those who were killed in the wild and unpredictable sport of nitro racing. It wouldn’t be only racing, though. Prudhomme would share lessons he learned about business and life from such varied sources as a neighbor in Granada Hills to Ford GT40 driver Dan Gurney. He also would talk about the importance of family: how his wife, Lynn, and daughter, Donna, changed his world and how finding out about his African-American roots opened his eyes to a culture and inheritance he’d always wanted. This is the experience you’ll get in Don "The Snake" Prudhomme: My Life Beyond the 1320.
Download or read book Drag Racing Funny Cars written by and published by . This book was released on 1975 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Brief text and color photographs introduce some of the different kinds of modified cars used in drag racing.
Download or read book Ride the Big Red Cars written by Spencer Crump and published by . This book was released on 2012-09-01 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Autos Funny Cars Funny Cars written by Angie Peterson Kaelberer and published by Capstone. This book was released on 2006-09 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Learn about funny cars and how they race.
