Wed, 12 Dec 2007, 04:04 PM
Just In Time For The Holidays
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By Bob Frey
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Santa's little helper.
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With Christmas only a few days away I'm sure there are
people out there who are still searching for that special gift for the drag
racing fan in your life. Well, as I've done several times in the past, I'm here
to help. From books to videos to hard to find collector's items, there really
are a lot of great gifts out there and all you have to do is know where to find
them.
In the book department, 2007 was a banner year for drag racing
fans. The books run the full gamut from beautifully illustrated "coffee table"
books to a very moving tribute to one of the great young stars in our sport.
The list begins with a truly wonderful work done by
Tom Madigan called
"Fuel
& Guts." Printed by "Motorbooks,"(
http://www.motorbooks.com) it is a 240 page, glossy print book
that goes back to the early days of the sport and covers the world of Top Fuel
dragsters in
Southern California from the
unique perspective of the author and several "first hand" witnesses. While it
is virtually impossible to get a consensus on a lot of things with regards to
the early days of drag racing, Madigan attempts to do so by enlisting the help
of several of the "people who were there." One such individual is
Bob Joehnck, a World War II veteran who
returned to his home in
Southern California
and opened a speed shop. As a veteran of the dry lakes and the operator of one
of the first speed emporiums in the area, Bob came in contact with a lot of
racers and he tells the story of the growth of the sport from his point of
view. "Just tell the truth or leave the story alone," is how he put it, and he
does just that. The eighteen chapters include titles like "Hand Grenade Harry
and the Pond," What Is It About Floyd" and "Oh No, Here Comes Garlits." If you're
a follower of the sport those titles alone should make you want to go out and
buy the book. It is beautifully illustrated with lots of color and black and
white photos, some from the author's own collection and others from some of the
most prominent photographers in the sport, like
Bob McClurg, Steve Reyes and more. With a foreword by Hall of Fame
member
Dave McClelland, this book is
wonderful from start to finish and it will make a great addition to any drag
racing fans collection.
Since I mentioned Steve Reyes I must include his latest
book, "Slingshot Spectacular." As
one of the greatest drag racing photographers of all time, Steve captured some
of the most famous images in the history of the sport. From Larry Bower's clutch explosion to Lew Arrington's devastating starting
line explosion in the "Brutus" Funny Car,
Steve's photos are synonymous with some of the legendary runs in the
history of drag racing. With several books already on the shelf, Steve's latest
entry takes a pictorial look at the classic front engine machines that were the
kings of the sport almost fifty years ago. This soft cover book is 188 pages of
great and classic photos of some of the top front-engine dragsters from the
early days of the sport. As can be expected from any book that Steve does, it
is beautifully done and the mix of black and white and color photos gives the
reader a glimpse at some of the pioneer dragsters of all time. Steve's book is from the folks at Cartech,(http://www.cartechbooks.com) and it joins his others
offerings including "Funny Car Fever," "Quarter Mile Chaos" and "Fuel Altereds
Forever" as a "must have" for any serious drag racing fan. And, in this world
where everything seems connected, I should point out that Tom Madigan's first
book, at least as far as I know, was written way back in 1974 and was called
"The Loner, The Story of a Drag Racer." It was, of course, a story about the
late Tony Nancy and it included
photos inside by none other than Steve Reyes.
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Staying in the early days of drag racing,
Lou Hart has his latest book out and it
joins several others that he has published in recent years. This one is called
"Drag Racing Fuel Altereds" and is a photo archive of some of the classic
AA/FA's. The book is 128 pages and includes well over one hundred pictures,
both black and white and color, of the wild fuel altereds.
John Shanks and
Tom West
contributed most of the pictures and Lou adds some colorful commentary about
the cars, the teams, the drivers and the history of the class. You'll also find
some great vignettes by the people who were racing these cars back in the
1960's and '70's and a lot of the stories will bring a smile to your face,
especially if you lived through the heydays of the fuel altereds or saw the
cars when they match raced at your favorite track.
Lou's latest book joins his others that
include "Slingshot Dragsters," and "Drag Racing Funny Cars of the 1970's."
There is also a one that deals with the Funny Cars of the 1960's and any or all
of them make for some enjoyable reading. Plus, if you are lucky enough to have
a drag racing friend nearby, the books are bound to stimulate some great bench
racing sessions. After all, we all know who the greatest fuel altered driver of
all time was, don't we? If not, let's discuss it...All of the above books can be
found at
http://www.amazon.com.
On a completely different note, Rob Geiger, the Senior Editor for NHRA.com, released a self-published book a few months ago about his
friend, Darrell Russell. Called
"Darrell Russell, Broad Smiles, Quarter-Miles," it is a look at the life and
times of one of the great young drivers in the sport. Darrell, as I'm sure you
all know, lost his life in an accident back in 2004, and Rob, who was one of
Darrell's closest friends, talks about the incident from a first-hand point of
view. He was at the track and at the hospital and was there when they got the
news that Darrell had passed away. Rob talks about the folks who were there to
help him and the Russell family and his discussions about Kenny and Sheryl Bernstein
are especially poignant. The book includes lots of great photos but it's Rob's
writing that really makes it stand out.
It is an emotionally good read, one that may shed a different light on
some of the people in the sport whom you thought you knew, but really didn't.
Even Rob didn't know some of these folks, or what kind of people they were,
until he needed them. You'll also get a new understanding about the Russell
family and some of the things they have faced in their lives when you read
"Broad Smiles, Quarter-Miles." It's hard to say that a book about the passing
of a young racer, and the impact it had on his family, can be uplifting, but
this one is.
On the video front, there are a couple of wonderful DVD's
that you should get for yourself, I mean, for that special drag racing fan on
your list.
Don Gillespie, who
released "Lions, the Greatest Drag Strip," a few years ago, has added a second
video to his historical look at one of the most famous drag strips of all time.
Called, appropriately enough, "Lions, the Greatest Drag Strip, Part Two," this
one may be even better than the first and that's saying a lot. The amount of
time and effort that went into this 90 minute piece is simply amazing. The
original footage includes some of the legends in the sport and the interviews
with greats like
"Pappy" Hart, Tom
McEwen and others just adds to the enjoyment. And believe me, it's worth
getting the DVD just to listen to
Tommy
Ivo's interviews. He is and always was a great showman and he is such a
wonderful story teller and he'll make you smile just by listening to him. Plus,
I have to tell you, I laughed out loud when I heard
Dale Armstrong talk about going to Lions. I don't want to spoil it
for you, but it's really neat. Contemporary superstar
, John Force, shares his thoughts about Lions and
Rich Carlson does a nice job with the
"voice-over" on the video. But it's the tremendous early video, the shots of
some of the premier cars and stars in the sport back then along with the pain
staking detail that went into the video that makes this special. Don has done a
superb job of telling a story of the track at
223rd Street, just east of
Alameda. It's a great
video and I want to warn you, you better order two of them because you won't
want to give it away. By the way, at the end of the video they say that the third
and final edition is on its way. I hope so and I hope it's soon. You can order
your Lions video at several places but a good place to go is
http://www.Nitroactive.net, because that's where you can also order "Once Upon A
Wheel," the Hot Wheels tape featuring
Don Prudhomme and Tom McEwen as well as
the tape from
Dragfilms that features highlights of the 1963 Nationals, the '65
Winternationals and the "Gathering of Monsters," the famous invitational race
that included members of the
Mickey
Thompson 200 MPH club.
NHRA has released its first season in review video in quite
some time. Recapping the 2007 season it includes highlights from every race of
the 2007 season. There is a special emphasis on the races that were part of the
Countdown to 4 and the Countdown to 1, and the interviews in those sections are
especially nice. With shots of the winners from every race you're bound to see
your favorite driver on this video, but you may want to get it for the two
special sections that are included. One is a tribute to
Eric Medlen and the other one pays tribute to the life and times of
Wally Parks. Much like the Darrell
Russell book, I guarantee you that you'll feel the full range of emotions when
you watch the segment on Eric. His smile was contagious and you simply can't
watch this without smiling yourself. And, of course, the tribute to Wally Parks
is very moving. At 94 years of age, Wally passed away near the end of the 2007
season and it's only fitting that he is included in any look back at the year
that just passed, or any year for that matter. The DVD includes an easy menu
that allows you to pick your class and the time of year that you wish to view.
In truth, if you're like me, you may click the Countdown to 1 segment and watch
that first. The interviews and the emotion displayed in that section are worth
the price of the video. The video can be purchased at
http://www.nhra.com and they guarantee shipment in time for the holidays.
And, finally, if you're really looking for something
special, I can recommend a call to my good friend, Mike Goyda. Mike has more special things for that hard-to-buy-for
person on your list than anyone I know. If it has anything to do with drag
racing, Mike probably has it. From jackets and shirts, to record albums,
souvenir programs, old race posters, model cars and more Mike has it. In fact, he
has so much stuff that that should be the name of his web site, Mikehasit.com.
But it's not, it's http://www.www.goyda.com.
Check
it out and I guarantee you'll find something that will please the drag racing
fan on your list. Oh, and if you're looking for an old picture of the '55 Chevy
that your uncle used to race at Atco back in the '60's, there's a good chance
that Mike has it. Visit his web site (his phone number is also on there) and
order something today and have it in time for the holidays. Mike also has a lot
of original artwork, some of it going back fifty years and a lot of it
featuring some of the icons of the sport. So check it out and happy shopping!!
NHRA: 10 Most Recent Entries [ top ]
Feb 10- Wally Parks 75th Anniversary Appreciation Fund Part of $27 Million Overall Purse
Feb 08- NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League Releases 2026 Schedule
Feb 07- Huge List of Legends Set to Appear at Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals
Feb 05- NHRA and Legends Global Extend Merchandise Partnership Ahead of 75th Anniversary Season
Feb 04- Doug Foley Announces Addition of Ron Douglas as Consultant to Foley Lewis Racing Top Fuel Team
Feb 04- Tickets Now on Sale for NHRA's Debut at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park and Rockingham Dragway
Feb 04- Reed, Zetterström to Share Driving Duties of Reed Trucking & Excavating Top Fuel Dragster
Jan 29- NHRA to Honor Iconic John Force in 2027 with "50 Years Of Force"
Jan 28- Top Fuel All-Star Callout Returns to Open NHRA's 75th Anniversary Season at Gatornationals
Jan 28- John Force Racing Announces Crew Chiefs for NHRA's 75th Anniversary Season
