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The return of Five Fabulous Favorite Fotos: Norman Blake
(Charles Denson photo)
One of last summer's popular Insider features was Five Fabulous Favorite Fotos, wherein I contacted some of the sport's greatest lensmen and asked for their best shots. I'm proud…
Jesus, Crites! Tales of our pal
Tomorrow, in nearby Azusa (motto: "Everything from A to Z in the USA"), we'll say a loving farewell to our old pal Bill Crites, the former ND photographer and art director who died suddenly about a week ago. I know…
A little bench racing anyone?
I had a whole 'nother column scheduled for today but had to move it back for a variety of reasons, but I didn't want to go too long without a new entry lest y'all forget about me. Each column generally takes two to three days to put together, though…
Bill Crites: Gone but never forgotten
This photo, of me and Bill at Griffith Park's Travel Town, tells you all you need to know about the big kid we all loved.
Me and Crites, Montreal…
A Munstrously Good Time
Here's a fun little extended follow up to the Fun with Fotos article that revolves around the '60s TV show The Munsters. Brendan Tobin was among those who chastised me for not remembering that it wasn’t…
Thanks for filling in the blanks
I could have entitled this entry "DRAGSTER Insider readers to the rescue … again" because y'all came through with flying colors following my Fun with Fotos article here a week ago. I had info on some of the pics presented and asked for the DI…
Leonard Harris, drag racing's shooting star
During a six-month span in 1960, there was no hotter drag racing pilot than Leonard Harris, whose career ended with his tragic death in October, just six weeks after his Nationals triumph.…
Fun with fotos!
In a year, a lot of stuff moves in and out of my e-mail box: photos, stories, Web site links, and I collect it all and store it like an animal preparing for hibernation, my own little collection of nuts and berries to get me through the winter.…
More historic horsepower haunts
By popular demand – and to begin to wade my way through the scores of requests – we're back again for another round of ghost-track hunting. As always, the vast majority of the coordinates I'll be giving you are supplied by our friends at the…
Going for 50, and other thoughts
Yesterday, we shipped the 48th and final 2008 issue of National DRAGSTER to our pals at Conley Publishing in ultrachic Beaver Dam, Wis., and, as tradition requires, we hoisted a few glasses of bubbly and toasted one…
Of new muscle cars and old songs
My son, Chris, busted through the front door Sunday all but out of breath.
"Dad, there's a new Challenger parked at the end of our street!"
The boy, 19 and strapping-big as an ox (and probably capable of actually busting the door open in a…
To the friends we lost: Thank you
Today is the annual day of thanks – thanks for the people and things we have in our life and, to me as well, thanks for the people we have had in our lives. As we sit around the table today, flanked by good company and good food, let's remember the…
The good guy in the black cowboy hat
My most enduring memory of Larry Sutton is from a cold and misty night at Orange County Int'l Raceway, where Sutton, dapper in his trademark black cowboy hat, was on his third tour of duty as the…
The DRAGSTER Insider answering machine
"Hi, this is Phil Burgess at The DRAGSTER Insider. I'm either out of the office or on another article right now, but if you leave your name and your question, I'll get right on it. Thanks for calling."
Beeeeeeeeeeep.
Q…
Pomona, now and then
It's Friday in Pomona as the 2008 season dwindles away to its last few days, and, hopefully, like that old coffee commercial, it's going to be good until the last drop. As noted previously, qualifying is a show unto itself for the championship…
Cleaning out the ol' mailbox
I don't know that there's a more wonderful feeling for an NHRA fan than the anticipation during race week when the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series is coming to your hometown. Man, you get to see all the cool cars and sleep in your own bed to boot!…
Back on the ghost-track trail
Like haunted houses full of the spooky apparitions for which they are named, it seems that there's no exorcising the demand for ghost tracks at casa DRAGSTER Insider, so here we go again. If you don't already have it, download a copy of…
OCIR Week: Your turn
Apparently, OCIR Week is that special kind of week that contains more than seven days. My Inbox has been flooded the last several days with heartfelt thanks and heartwarming memories from those who had the opportunity to…
The rise and fall of Orange County Int'l Raceway
(Above) From left, Mike Jones, Larry Vaughn, Mike McKenna, NHRA President Wally Parks, and Bill White unveiled the vision for Orange County Int'l Raceway at a November 1966 press conference. (Below) The final…
OCIR's Last Drag Race: The day the music died
(Poster courtesy of Steve McDermott)
Oct. 29, 1983. It was a day, 25 years ago today, on which many Southern California racers and race fans mourned, and mourned heavily.
Twenty-five years ago,…
Welcome to OCIR Week! Today: The '83 season
Welcome to OCIR Week at The DRAGSTER Insider, a triple-play week of nothing but stories of good ol' Orange County Int'l Raceway, beginning today with a look back at the fabled SoCal supertrack's final season. It…
The column with a little of everything
It's been a busy week here at The Big Show, what with all of the various series working their way down to championship scenarios – the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Summit Racing Series, Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series, etc. – and putting together…
Top Fuel domination, 1983 style
The 1983 Larry Minor-owned, Gary Beck-driven, Bernie Fedderly-tuned world championship entry was one of the baddest Top Fuelers ever, recording 16 of the season's 17 quickest runs, including a national record…
Ghost-track hunting goes high tech
Okay, ghost-track fans – and that seems to be just about every one of you based on the e-mails (more than 60) I've received and all of the comments last weekend in Bakersfield (about a dozen) – it's time to get…
My Bakersfield of Dreams
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about missing my 30th high school reunion to be at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event in Dallas, and noted that, all things considered, I'd rather be at the drags than at…
You've got questions, we've got answers
Another week, another zillion ghost-track requests. … I'm slowly working my way through your latest batch of submissions and stories and will present them sometime next week. It takes time to track them down, research a little history, pinpoint…
Ghost tracks, the scary sequel
Like a scary sequel to your favorite horror flick, we're back with another edition of ghost tracks. Every serious drag fan, of course, had a favorite haunt in his or her formative years, and many of them have passed away, leading to the sport that's…
In a Pryor life, plus more ghost tracks
Bill Pryor tried on Don Garlits' car, the first step toward Top Fuel.
Friday's ghost-tracks column inspired a lot of mail and a little bit of sadness from those who had…
A vividly imagined column
I spent some enjoyable time with Billy Meyer at Texas Motorplex during the O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec, listening to him spin tales about his career that I was all set to share with you here today,…