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Melvin Heath's '56 Nationals Top Eliminator Dragster
The dragster that Melvin Heath drove to the Top Eliminator win at the second NHRA Nationals in 1956 in Kansas City, Mo., gained notoriety by winning a regional NHRA Safari race in 1955. It was constructed entirely by Heath on his watermelon farm in Rush Springs, Okla., and was campaigned with a carbureted version of the early Chrysler Hemi. On display at the NHRA Motorsports Museum is the original entry, fully restored by the Stidham Bros. Federal-Mogul Funny Car team and presented to NHRA on founder and Board Chairman Wally Parks' 80th birthday. It was among the first cars to be displayed at the NHRA Historical Services facility on Fairplex Drive in Pomona, Calif., before the museum opened in 1998. Its winning time in the '56 Nationals Top Eliminator final was 10.49, at 144.23 mph.
 (© 1999 NHRA Photographic Services)
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