Except for the six-years-older U.S. Nationals, there is no other NHRA national event that has a stronger tradition than the Winternationals, which has been held at Pomona Raceway since its inception in 1961.

NHRA founder Wally Parks said, "NHRA's leaders saw the need for a major drag racing event west of the Rocky Mountains. One year earlier, in a joint venture with NASCAR, NHRA had conducted a weekend meet in Florida, called the Winter Nationals; its primary purpose was to provide an organized drag race that would draw local street racers away from Daytona on Speedweek nights."

The inaugural Winternationals at Pomona in 1961 was blessed with warm temperatures — in direct contrast to the Daytona Beach, Fla.-based Winter Nationals of 1960 — and produced the largest drag racing crowd at that time on the West coast.

Thought the event attracted a big turnout, the profit barely covered trophy expenses, Parks recalled. A new site was needed.

Parks said, "Seeking a location at which to introduce a western version of its Nationals, NHRA selected Pomona Raceway at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds, where much of drag racing's rules and policies had been developed."

The Fairgrounds was the site of NHRA's first major meet, the Southern California Championships, in 1953.

"From day one, it was a natural," Parks continued. "Closely following the annual Tournament of Roses Parade in nearby Pasadena, the Winternationals was generally assured of good weather. An enterprising Fairplex administration plus the cooperative spirit of the neighboring communities has motivated the lasting relationship with NHRA that makes Pomona so special."

Pomona Valley Timing Association (PVTA) manager Chuck Griffith said, "Wally had a meeting with us and we decided to put it together. It was unbelievable what Wally could do. He was my mentor, and I believed in anything he said. NHRA had the biggest responsibilities in sponsoring and promoting the race. We just had to put up a strip ready for the race."

Jack Chrisman drove the twin-Chevy Howard Cam Special to the Top Eliminator title, beating Tom McEwen with an 8.99 in the final.

Stan Adams, a board member of the PVTA and the Pomona track announcer, said that there was a lot of apprehension about the race because of the NHRA ban on nitromethane. Said Adams, "At the time, Southern California was the hotbed of Top Fuel racing. You can imagine how surprised they were by the size of the crowds."

Tom McEwen, who was runner-up to Jack Chrisman for the Top Eliminator title, said. "It was really a big deal when we heard the announcement. People in Southern California were starving for a big championship race and now we had one. I'm sure that some of the fuel racers thought it would flop if they weren't there, but if [McEwen] was present, you had everybody."

Not surprisingly, the purse in 1961 reflected drag racing's infancy. Compared to this year's overall purse of nearly $1.5 million, there were no cash awards to speak of. The biggest prizes were four Ford 390-cid high-performance engines presented by Ford Motor Co. to the winners of Top, Middle, Little, and Street eliminators. Nicholson's Stock eliminator prize was a certificate for a color TV from Southern California car wash entrepreneur Norm Sopp. The AMT Corp., makers of 1/24th-scale model cars, sponsored the winner's trophies.

The event proved to be a success beyond anyone's expectations. It not only established the great racing tradition that still thrives in Pomona today but also acted as a springboard for many of its winners' careers.

Chrisman's Top Eliminator win was the first major triumph of his career and was followed by his 1962 Nationals victory. Speed merchant Mickey Thompson also scored his first big win in Middle Eliminator.

Don Nicholson, who won the first of his two consecutive Stock eliminator titles that year, said, "I remember coming back down the return road in front of all those people in the stands after I had won the final. Everybody cheered and whistled from one end to the other. I was making about $100 a week then, and after the Pomona win, we got a call from back east to run a match race for $600. That was the start of my match racing career."