PREFACE
They say that if you can remember the 1960s, you weren’t there. This may be in reference to the days of tight drugs and loose women and the “Summer of Love”. Of course, I wouldn’t know about that. But I know if you were into drag racing in the 1960s and you are still around today, not only was it a wonderful period to remember, it’s also a time you can’t forget. In my opinion, it was the glory years of drag racing.
That’s what this site is all about, drag racing in the 1960s, and also a look back at what was going on in the 1950s.
I’m going to start with the Super Stock years, the glory years of stock car drag racing, which basically got underway in 1961 and was pretty much done by 1965. We will also discuss the Factory Experimental Class, a kind of “gray area” in the world of Super Stock racing, and the “Match Race Madness” era.
I have also added some photos from the Gasser, Street Roadster, Dragster and Altered years, including many photos going back to the 1950s. In my opinion, the glory years of drag racing was the ten year period between 1955 and 1965.
I have collected a lot of photos over the years. Some of the photos were mine to begin with and some were scrounged off
the internet (Google Images, etc.) and various websites, and many submitted to me from individual drag race fans. Since I never figured I was going to do anything with the photos other than save them for my own viewing pleasure, I never checked to see who owned what or even who took the photos, however, I have never removed any photo credits. So, if anyone has an issue with a photo I use on this site, they can get in touch with me via email ([email protected]) and I will either give them photo credit under the photo or remove the photo, whichever they choose. Mark Twain once said, “It is better to take what does not belong to you than let it lie around neglected”.
This is going to be about my memories of drag racing during the 1960s (and the 1950s). I was there, I lived it. If I get some facts or data wrong, let me know, I won’t be offended, it’s just the way I remember it and no one’s memory is infallible. At my age, “Memory Lane” is not always a pleasant address. The drag cars on this site, the drivers, builders and others associated with these cars, many of them unfortunately are no longer with us. I know (or knew) many of these folks. These race cars and these people are what made drag racing what it used to be for me. They hooked me for life.
About me. I was born (1939) and raised in SoCal (Hollywood to be exact). I was 16-years old in 1955, drove my car (1940 Ford Coupe, flathead powered) down the quarter mile that same year (Santa Ana Drag Strip), graduated high school in 1957 and was 21 in 1960. I went through plenty of street / strip cars by the mid-1960’s including a one-third ownership in a Top Fuel, twin engine dragster (pictured above). This site, however, is not about me, it’s about what I remember about drag racing in the
early days.
Be a little patient with this site, it takes some time to fully load, it’s got a lot of photos. In fact, it’s mostly photos. I stopped counting at about 3,500 photos and it’s probably about 4,000 photos by now. Dial-up users are going to have a problem. Think of this site as a “photo album” full of old photos, the main difference being that instead of turning the page for next photo, you just scroll down.
This site, will never be finished, it will never be complete. As new or additional information becomes available, I will edit it in. As new photos become available, I will post them up. If you have some photos that you think should be here, feel free to email them to me at [email protected]. Same with any information that you think should be added.
This is and always will be a free site, anyone can use it. As far as copying any of the information or photos, you have my permission, be my guest, however, please note that some of the photos may be copyrighted by their owners and you will need to contact them prior to using their photos. My advice would be to Google their name and contact them directly before copying one of their photos. If you post any of the photos from this site on the internet I would appreciate it if you listed the source as www.georgeklass.net or just “George Klass collection”.
Time to get started…
PS: I will attempt to add new photos on a regular basis. At the top of each page, directly under the Title Page Photo, I have noted the date when that particular page has been up-dated. The newest photos are at the top of the page, or in the case of the Super Stock section, the top of each category. Check back often.
I have tried to duplicate my own experiences of when I went to the drag races. It was like Christmas for my eyeballs, watching the action or strolling through the pits. I looked at the cars, I studied the cars, it was all visual. There were no “captions” to tell me what they were, and so, I have refrained from putting captions under the photos. Just scroll down and let your eyeballs do the walking. If someone wanted to consider this website as a shrine to early drag cars, I would not be offended.
PSS: LINKS – If you like this site, here are a few more that I’m sure you will love…
www.twotogo.homestead.com/ – “Two To Go”, the complete history of the twin engine dragsters. Site owner Dennis Friend has compiled a great website focused on the twin engine diggers, going back to the very beginning.
www.wediditforlove.com/ – The definitive dragster site (and much more). Don Ewald’s homage to the past. If a dragster existed in the past (pre 1979), it’s photo is more than likely to be on this site. It’s a “members” site, and I strongly urge you to get on board but even if you don’t sign up, the site has a huge “visitors” section.
www.theaccelerationarchive.co.uk/ – Let’s not forget that drag racing also existed in the United Kingdom and in Europe. Alan Currans has put together a great site that focuses on the happenings across the pond.
www.jalopyjournal.com/ – There are websites with “message boards” and then there is the H.A.M.B. There is no use in me trying to explain this site. Get on it yourself and you will become mesmerized. This is the site where you can find the wiring diagram for a 1936 Hudson or a photo of downtown Topeka from the 1950’s. A lot of great racers populate this website. Be prepared to spend a significant part of your life on it.
www.museum.nhra.com/ – Wanna see the early drag cars in person? If you are in the SoCal area, pay a visit to the NHRA Museum, located next to the Pomona drag strip at the Los Angeles County Fairplex.
www.garlits.com/ – And if you are on the east coast, you simply HAVE to visit the Don Garlits Museum. It’s only a hop, skip and a jump from Orlando, FL, located in Ocala, FL. Be prepared to spend the day there, there is ALOT to see, and perhaps you’ll run into Big Daddy himself.