Presto! Conjuring up 'the Wizard'
I wanted to share what has become a pretty typical thing with this column, and one of the things of which I am most proud. In Tuesday's Fan Fotos edition from Mark Collins, we had a shot of Bennie "the…
The life and times of Jay Howell
For many NHRA fans, Jay Howell may be among the most unsung drag racing heroes they never knew about. Regular readers of this column may be familiar with him from occasional mentions, but those old-time racers we all know…
Fan Fotos: Early Funny Cars
Welcome back, race fans, to another installment of Fan Fotos. We're going to take you back a few more years than past installments today, thanks to reader Joe Kerr, who sent me a bunch of photos from his late-1960s Southern…
Remembering Bobby Rowe
Former Funny Car racer Bobby Rowe, who died late last week at age 64, left behind not just a legacy as one of the many great Funny Car drivers to come out of the early 1970s, but also a story of hard work and perseverance.…
The new National DRAGSTER, Phase 1: In living color
You would have thought it was Christmas around the National DRAGSTER office yesterday when the week's new issue arrived from the printer. Staffers were running around to one another's offices and cubicles like…
Fan Fotos: The Midwest
The response to my Fan Fotos offer has been overwhelmingly positive, and I already have a good stock of photos that, combined with other subjects I am working on and the culmination of the Misc. Files (thought I…
Wins and losses
For as long as I can remember, "Low e.t. can cure cancer" has been a popular saying in the pits, but after yesterday's Miracle Monday in Memphis, I wonder if a win can cure a broken heart.
Jeff Arend's Funny Car win was…
On my radar screen ...
During a typical workweek, I am bombarded with interesting stuff, either by phone or e-mail. Whether it's feedback or additional info from a previous Insider column or just a helpful racer or fan directing me to an interesting Web site or passing on…
Four-wide mania
Sunday's four-abreast extravaganza at zMax Dragway was a sight to behold, even on TV, my vantage point for the weekend. National DRAGSTER Associate Editor Candida Benson, who was covering the event for…
Great rivalries over the years
Tony Pedregon and John Force, 2003 .. happier times.
The John Force-Tony Pedregon top-end tempest at Indy got me to thinking about great rivalries in our sport.
Rivalries can be created and…
Fan Fotos: Minnesota
There's no doubt that Fred von Sholly's photos, which I showcased here a few months ago, struck a nostalgic vein, as did Al Kean's photos from Seattle. Though von Sholly was a credentialed pro shooter (in fact, NHRA's official Division 1…
The Misc. Files: One L of a good time
The L folders of our Misc. Files were a veritable treasure trove of stuff. Too much, in fact.
Generally, I grab the folders from the National DRAGSTER library, prop my feet up on my desk, and let my fingers do the walking, using a mixed…
Indy: Did You Know …
We arrived last night in Indianapolis, the only state capital exactly in the center of its state (True fact! Look it up!) and, for this weekend certainly, the center of the drag racing universe.
Indianapolis also may be known as the Circle City,…
Mopar to ya
My good pal Darren Jacobs, who does PR for Mopar through publicity powerhouse J.R. Thompson, asked for a little assistance with a research project last week. If you read my last two installments, you know it was a busy week around ND …
From the burnout box to your mailbox for 50 years
Welcome to our exhibit! The walls of the Parks NHRA Museum are now adorned with covers and articles from past issues of National DRAGSTER.…
The Misc. Files: Some very special K's
After Tuesday's return to the Misc. Files, I decided, without further ado, to go right to the next letter of the alphabet, K, for another 10 treats from the National DRAGSTER photo library of semi obscurity.…
The Misc. Files: J … keeping up with the Joneses (and Johnsons, etc.)
It's hard to believe that it's been more than a month since I've pulled up a chair and cracked open the file cabinet filled with miscellaneous unfiled photos from the National DRAGSTER archives. In case you’re new to this part of town,…
Funny Car's 'one-hit wonders'
"Fast Eddie"Schartman scored what is arguably the first Funny Car win, at the 1966 World Finals. He's one of 29 drivers to own just a single win in the class.
Friday’s column about Top Fuel’s…
Top Fuel's 'one-hit wonders'
Carl Olson is known as the Top Fuel winner at the 1972 Winternationals, but he accomplished much more in his career beyond the one NHRA victory.
What do the bands Starland Vocal Band, Paper…
First On Race Day (and in muddy alleys, too)
I grew up with Fords. In fact, the first car I ever drove was this '72 Ford F-250, and I drove it hard. Me and my buddy, Van Tune (who went on to become editor of Motor Trend magazine), certainly tested the Ford…
The Final Fred Files
OK, race fans, here's my final installment of the Fred Files, select images from a CD offered to me by former Division 1 Photographer Fred von Sholly. Fred had only offered them to the National DRAGSTER team as material for our files, and…
The Fred Files, part 3
Based on the volume of e-mails received, a lot of readers of this column seem to have attended East Coast match races in the early 1970s. I'm pretty sure that Fred von Sholly could get elected governor of some Eastern state right now, so popular are…
The Fred Files, part 2
Several of you just about wet yourself when you read about the Fred Files, former NHRA Division 1 photographer Fred von Sholly's collection of late-1960s and early-1970s images that he sent to me recently, covering his travels to legendary East…
Some closure for one of drag racing history's mysteries
Tim Ditt is circled in this famous Jon Asher photo of Don Garlits' trans explosion.
Although he is part of the legend of one of drag racing's great forks in the road, even the most hard-core fan…
The Seattle Time Machine
Al Kean has been a loyal reader of this column from the start and also of National DRAGSTER. The Canadian race fan might best be remembered by his fellow fans for grabbing this amazing photo of Don Prudhomme's Hot…
The Fred Files
Wow, it's been a busy week, and I've been swamped in all sorts of meetings that have sucked away the precious time I had planned to dedicate to a new installment of the Misc. Files for today, but my loss is your gain with an…
Your turn
One of the greatest things about this column – other than getting to dig elbows deep into drag racing history and reconnecting with heroes past who stunningly discover that we still remember them – is the exchange of information between me and the…
The Misc. Files: H is for 'heroes'
Welcome back for another thrilling installment of the Misc. Files, brought to you today by the letter H.
Poor ol' H, often the unforgotten and silent letter in words such as "rhyme" and "hour" and "honest" and even sometimes in "homage," but…
History lesson in a book
Our dear ol' pal Richard Brady, a longtime Division 3 photographer and a steady source of dependable and indispensable help to the National DRAGSTER staff at more than a dozen Full Throttle Drag Racing Series…
More 'Snake' sssssssssssstuff
Longtime photo buddy Tom Schiltz sent along this great shot of "Snake's" truck and the 'Cuda being unloaded in York, Pa., in 1970. Glen Brown shared this photo of "the Snake's" yellow '…