NHRA Motorsport Museum

The famed series of Bakersfield Fuel & Gas Championship meets in California was created as an alternative for nitro fans during the NHRA fuel ban between 1957 and 1963. In 1959, the streamlined dragster of Lloyd and Art Chrisman and Frank Cannon won the inaugural March Meet. That year was the first that superchargers established their popularity in the dragster ranks, and such West Coast racers as the Chrisman brothers and Cannon, Gary Cagle, and Tony Waters used them to dominate the event. In the final between Chrisman and the eight-second Waters-Sughrue-Guinn roadster, Chrisman won with a shutoff 9.36, 140.50. Waters spun out of shape.

(© 1999 NHRA Photographic Services)

One month earlier, Chrisman had become the first West Coast driver to break the 180-mph barrier by running 181.81 at Riverside Raceway in California. The restored Hustler has made full-track, tire-blazing exhibition runs at nearly every California Hot Rod Reunion since the event began in 1992.

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