NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

It may well be the most famous and photographed concession stand in drag race history, showing up in the background behind superstar racers burning rubber at Irwindale Raceway in the 1960s and ‘70s, and also Ground Beef Zero for any discussion about dragstrip food. This Irwindale snack bar, located behind the starting line on the right side of the famed Southern California raceplant, was in direct line of sight between the photographers’ area and the burnout box, and I’m guessing that a pretty sizeable percentage of photos ever shot at the ‘Dale had that concession stand in the frame. There were two concession stands at Irwindale, the one mentioned above and another on the other side of the track closer to the finish line, and I gotta believe that the lucky folks who got to work the starting-line stand had one of the best seats in the house ever enjoyed by a burger slinger.

So, why does Irwindale, which closed in 1977, still hold such a high place in the pantheon of dragstrip food? Six simple letters: In-N-Out.

Even today, out-of-state race teams and others who flock to Pomona each year always seem to have one thing on their mind besides the racing: A Double-Double burger and fries from the iconic SoCal fast-food giant. And with good reason: In-N-Out’s impeccably crewed and tightly run stores predictably serve up the best burgers on the planet. It’s that good. The menu is very short: burgers, fries, drinks — the “we do one thing, but we do it very well” school of thought. (Regulars know they can get variations of the basic items, such as ordering their burger or fries “animal-style”; extra spread, grilled onions, and other additions.)

Founded in 1948 by Harry Snyder and his wife, Esther, In-N-Out remained pretty much a small (but cherished) Southern California secret for years — nearly 30 years after its founding, there were only 18 drive-thru stores — but a lot of racers and race fans who went to Irwindale (me included) probably never knew that the concessions stands were serving up In-N-Out burgers. The reason they were served there was simple and genius: Harry Snyder owned a 50% stake in Irwindale Raceway.

It’s such an important part of the In-N-Out story that it spans six pages in BusinessWeek writer Stacy Perman’s definitive book In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules. According to the book, a golfing buddy of Snyder’s convinced him in 1965 to invest in the newly opened track. “The investment soon proved to be a canny move that further solidified the association between cars and In-N-Out that began with the drive-through,” wrote Perman.

Only about 10 In-N-Out stores existed then, all in the San Gabriel Valley, and serving the burgers at Irwindale — although they were never explicitly advertised as coming from In-N-Out — exposed them to a wider audience. 

(Above) Tim Grose, 1985; (below) Melanie Troxel, 2011

According to legend, Harrry Snyder even used his In-N-Out people to run the concessions, so burgers were nearly identical. According to the book, Snyder sold his interest in the racetrack around 1972 to concentrate on his growing empire. [Read a complete history of In-N-Out Burger here]

Snyder’s sons, Guy and Rich, worked the concessions stands and did other odd jobs, like handing out time slips, and being around the fast cars obviously led to their support of NHRA Drag Racing when they took over the company following the death of their father in 1976. The Snyder family sponsored Funny Cars, and Guy even raced quite successfully in Comp. Rich died in a plane crash in 1993, and Guy passed away in 1999, but the company’s support of drag racing continued under the leadership of Guy’s daughter, Lyndsi, the lone grandchild of Esther and Harry, who took over the reins of the company after Esther died in 2006. Like her father, Lyndsi is an NHRA racer as well.

Over the years, In-N-Out has sponsored a number of cars, beginning in 1985 with the Over The Hill Gang Funny Car and subsequent versions driven by the likes of Tripp Shumake, Dale Pulde, Tim Grose, Mark Oswald, and Melanie Troxel, and Troxel also wheeled the Jerry Darien-owned In-N-Out Burger Top Alcohol Dragster that also was driven by Shane Gay and Rob Wendland.